Thunder (Hell's Handlers MC #10) - Lilly Atlas Page 0,110
his stomach as though thoroughly satisfied with the meal.
“Cookies!” Emmie called then dissolved into a fit of toddler giggles.
“What? Cookies?” Thunder tickled her belly. “Girl, that doesn’t even make sense.”
“What’s the answer?” Kara tugged his sleeve, far more serious than her little sister.
“Because he was stuffed! Ohhh!” Thunder slapped his palms on the table in a ba-dum-dum fashion.
Lee groaned. “That’s the worst one yet, man.” But he was smiling and interacting with them all more than he had in months.
Mak sat back and scanned the table. All around her, with their bellies full and wide smiles on their faces, her siblings fell under the spell of Thunder. They were all happy. Truly happy. Even Lee, for the moment, seemed satisfied to be right where he was.
Thunder sent her a wink across the table before turning back to a joke Rissa was telling. It made absolutely no sense, but that didn’t seem to matter to any of them. They all hooted and hollered as though she was a comedian with a Vegas special.
Warmth filled Makenna. This was it. This was the moment she’d wished for her entire life. Why she’d stolen away in the middle of the night, taking her siblings from everything they knew. This moment of pure happiness and childhood joy.
And she had Thunder to thank for it. They all loved him just as much as she—
As though an icy hose sprayed her in the face, Makenna froze.
Oh shit.
No, it wasn’t love. Not for her or her siblings. For them, it was the novelty of a new face around the house. A fun man, who brought something light and different from their lives. That’s all it could ever be.
The only person she could truly rely on to have her family’s best interest at heart was herself. One day they’d have to leave Townsend, not by choice but as a product of circumstance. And on that day, the inevitable would be so much easier to swallow without having the devastation of severing emotional connections. Leaving a town that had become home was hard enough. She and Thunder could connect, could have fun, could have a relationship, but she needed to guard her heart and her siblings’ so they didn’t become reliant on Thunder as a permanent fixture in their lives.
But as she gazed around the table, Mak’s heart sank. Truth whispered to her, getting through, no matter how hard she symbolically covered her ears.
It’s too late.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THUNDER HAD PLANS for tonight.
Epic plans.
Tonight’s mission, which he’d already accepted, was to ensure Makenna forgot she was responsible for raising her five siblings. Forgot her money troubles. Forgot she had an abusive ex-husband out there searching for her.
They were going to drink, dance, and have fun with his family. Once they’d had their fill of socializing, he planned to take her back home and spend the rest of the night worshiping every inch of her delectable body.
Epic plans.
He jogged up to Mak’s door then gave it a knock, which he’d given up doing days ago. The house was about a hundred times quieter than usual, and Thunder felt an odd disappointment at not being able to say hi to the kids tonight. Cassie had all of them. Lindsey was joining the older girls in helping Cassie take care of the younger ones.
A solid few seconds ticked by before a “Coming!” came from inside. He frowned. That didn’t sound like Mak. It sounded more like—“Kristy,” he said, as she pulled the door open.
“Well, hey there, hot stuff.” She propped her curvy hip against the door frame as she folded her arms across her chest, plumping her tits up until they nearly spilled from her skimpy tank top. The move seemed so practiced, yet it probably had most men slobbering and making fools of themselves to get a taste of her.
Thunder’s dick didn’t so much as twitch. “I’m almost afraid to ask what you’re doing here.”
“Why, I’m helping your lady get ready,” she said in an exaggerated southern belle accent.
“Jesus,” he grumbled. “She better not have on some shit that shows off what’s mine alone to see.”
Though annoying, the interaction had been worth it to witness the shock on Kristy’s face.
“Well, fuck me with a giant cock,” Kristy said.
“I’ll pass,” he muttered under his breath.
“Never in a million years did I think you’d become a possessive ape.” She rolled her heavily made-up eyes. “If the girl wants to show off her bangin’ body, I’m not the one who’s gonna discourage her, sweet thang.”