squared his shoulders and made that first step toward me. Balls. He had fucking balls. At least that was something.
I didn’t want any fucking pussy looking after Gage.
My life wasn’t exactly sunshine and fucking rainbows. The club had its fair share of problems and enemies. Bastards who often had no code when it came to who they would hurt to get to me—the club president—the man who has to give out the fucking orders.
“You rang?” he questioned, pulling to a stop just a few feet from me and mirroring my stance. We were around the same height, the same build, but where this kid was blond, blue-eyed, and running around in wifebeaters, shorts, and Nikes, my dark leather, jeans, and glare were quite the contrast. It was like an angel standing in front of the devil, and with the amount of blood on my hands, honestly, it wasn’t far from the truth. But this was why I needed to know exactly who was walking into my clubhouse, and he needed to know exactly what the fuck he was stepping into.
“I was passing by,” I started, pulling my glasses up onto my head. “Thought I better introduce myself.”
“Just passing by,” he repeated, raising his eyebrow.
“Yeah.”
He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “This some strange biker intimidation tactic? Do I need to get familiar with these types of things?” The amused smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth didn’t help the fucking mood I was in.
I took another step forward, closing the distance between us but packing the tension in the air just that little bit fucking tighter. “The girls seem to think you’re gonna be responsible for my son,” I announced.
“Your son has a name,” he hit back, the unexpected backchat throwing me for a moment. “Why don’t you try using it sometime—”
My hand moved so fucking fast, I don’t think either of us was prepared for the force as it connected with the soft spot between his lower ribs. He stumbled back, keeling over, wheezing like a pack-a-day smoker as he tried to catch a breath.
I bent over, bracing my hands on my knees so my eye line was level with his. “One… you don’t get to tell me how the fuck I refer to my kid. Two… you’re gonna respect the fuck out of me. You know why? Because I goddamn earned it.”
The guy coughed again, gritting his teeth as he uncurled his body and pushed his shoulder’s back. “Respect goes both ways.”
“Not in my fucking clubhouse. You show me you deserve it first,” I informed him sternly. “Meyah and Avery have put their trust in you, and I’m putting my trust in them that they made the right choice. Because if you try to hurt my child, the woman I care about, or my fucking family… you better hope those fancy fucking running shoes on your feet can help you outrun a bullet from my gun. Any questions?”
The smile on his face I didn’t expect.
Maybe the girls were right.
Maybe this kid was tougher and more resilient than I expected.
“You got vegetarian options at the clubhouse?”
I snorted. “Ask the girls. They do the cooking.”
“You care if I bring someone home after a date to stay the night?”
“If you aren’t working, what the fuck you do is up to you,” I answered, finally turning around and tramping back toward my bike. “You need to let someone know, though. ’Cause if I wake up and find some strange fucking dude standing in his jocks in my kitchen… I will shoot first, ask questions later.” I pulled my glasses down over my eyes before I reached for the handlebars of my ride and threw my leg over the beast.
The guy was moving toward me, despite his friends having run over and crowded around him, asking if he was okay and if they needed to call the police.
“What I said was out of line,” he called, halting my hand as it hovered over the keys. “I got daddy issues. I shouldn’t put those on you. It can’t be easy being thrown into fatherhood like you have. So, I apologize for what I said, and I’d really like to support you having whatever relationship with Gage that you feel comfortable with.”
Gritting my teeth, I nodded my head. “See you this afternoon.”
Quickly, I turned the key and started the hulking machine beneath me, kicking the stand up as I pulled away from the curb, eager to avoid the way his words