Helpless (Steel Demons MC #5) - Crystal Ash Page 0,28

all that, and now I’m having second thoughts.”

“Ah, come on. It’ll be fun.” He stroked my back, resting his chin on top of my head. “Can you imagine Jandro with a kid? Or Gun?”

“Jandro will never let the fun stop,” I groaned. “He’ll be like the big brother figure. I can see Gun taking on the daddy role well.”

“And me?”

“You?” I laughed, tilting my face up to kiss under his jaw. “I worry for any girls we have. You’ll terrorize every single boy that looks their way.”

“As I rightly fuckin’ should,” he growled. “If they’re anything like you, they’ll put me in an early grave.”

“Like me how, a pain in the ass?”

“That, too.” He leaned down, lips hovering over mine as he kept me locked against his chest. “But I was thinking if they were anywhere near as beautiful.”

Just when I thought I became used to him looking at me like that, the fluttering in my chest overwhelmed me. I got bashful, burying my face in his neck with a playful thump of his chest. “Stop.”

“Never.” He caressed my nape, massaging circles into my hairline. “Really, though. Is it something you want, too?”

I nodded, my face still hidden from him. “I want to meet the people you and I would create,” I whispered. “I want to teach them about what went wrong with us, our parents, and grandparents. How their generation can do better.”

“Me too.” His lips brushed across my forehead. “You know what else?”

“Hm?”

“Thinking of you with a big, pregnant belly, growing my kid inside you,” he whispered, “it’s so fucking hot. Damn, it’s making me hard right now. ”

“Reaper!” I slapped his chest.

“Just being honest,” he chuckled, hands drifting lower toward my belly. “Three years feels like a lifetime from now. But I’ll take that time to build a better home for us. A place where all of us can raise families in safety.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “And?”

“And,” he sighed. “Give me time to cut back on smoking.”

Ten

REAPER

“How’s it look from up there?”

Gunner blinked, his irises returning to focus on me. “About what you’d expect,” he sighed. “A mass exodus.”

I could only imagine. I didn’t need a bird’s-eye view to know that a long trail of vehicles stretched out behind me. Some stayed on bikes, but much of the club piled into their trucks and RVs to haul their families and belongings. We had to stick together, so we’d be making one hell of a caravan once we hit the road.

Fluttering in the wind, the Steel Demons flag slowly lowered down the flagpole at our front gate. That was the moment it hit me, like a sucker punch to the gut. This place wasn’t our home anymore. Someone meticulously folded the flag and held it out to Jandro for safekeeping. He took it carefully, to store it with his things.

One day, she’d fly again.

Mari walked up to me, securing her helmet with a frown, then settled onto my rear seat without a word.

“What is it?” I ran my fingertips up her thighs.

“Keep guys on Big G,” she said. “Apparently he’s done being on his best behavior. Tessa and the kids are riding with Andrea in Dallas’s truck, and he’s making a big stink over it.”

“I’m on it.” Gunner made a wide U-turn and headed toward the back of our long line of vehicles.

I squeezed Mari’s knee, watching the sliver of her face visible through the helmet. “Ready, sugar?”

“No,” she sighed. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to leave this place.”

“We’ll find our home.” I leaned in and kissed the bridge of her nose. “Our permanent home.”

“I know. It’s just hard.” She touched my arm. “Now or never, I guess.”

I gave her knee a final squeeze before settling in front of her, revving up my bike for the long road ahead. My woman’s arms came around me with natural ease. With one loud whistle, Hades zoomed ahead as a black blur. I kicked the bike into motion and, after taking a final look at my former home in the mirror, drove away from the gate for the last time.

The first day was uneventful. As Dyno had suggested, we took the long way around the Hopi reservation on our way to Four Corners. Stops were frequent, as expected with fidgety children and vehicles that had been sitting in driveways for a year or more. Jandro and Slick kept busy, running back and forth to check tire pressure, change oil, or add coolant for whoever needed it. By the time