Center of Gravity (Marauders Book 3) (30 page)

“Yeah?”

“I just scoped out a really old dude on the bus.”

He chuckled. “Was he hot?”

“No. Not at all, but he had a penis and that was all I cared about.”

“You always make me feel so special,” he mumbled and leaned closer. “You’re not gonna back off and let me tell you anything right now, are you?”

He opened his eyes. She was looking at him and slowly shook her head. She was so insanely beautiful. He reached up and stroked her cheek, and now it was her turn to close her eyes with a deep breath.

“How about I carry you up to bed, Gimp?”

“Say that again,” she smiled.

“How about I carry you up to bed?” he asked, since he wasn’t sure what she meant. That was neither hot nor romantic as far as he could tell, but then he wasn’t the one scoping out random senior citizens.

“No. Call me Gimp. I’ve missed that.” She circled her arms around his neck. “And maybe give me head, I’ve missed that, too.”

His heart swelled, that’s how it actually felt, and he had to laugh. It was as if he either laughed or his fucking chest would explode.

“Want me to suck your clit,
Gimp
?”

“Yes,” she groaned, and her lips crashed against his.

He didn’t have time to register what was happening before her tongue was in his mouth. She tasted just like she always had, and the familiarity of it turned him on more than anything else. This was
his
Anna.

It didn’t seem like a good time to hesitate, so he lifted her up and carried her up the stairs. It was definitely different with the bump between them, but it wasn’t weird; it was even kind of sexy. This was his woman with his baby inside of her.

He laid her down on his bed and pulled off her t-shit. That threw him off for a second, and he put his hands on her belly.

“Mitch,” she panted. “I don’t mind you being happy about this girl, but you need to get your damn hands off my belly and make me come.”

With a laugh, he tore off his own clothes and went to work on her tights and panties.

“And I thought you were horny before I knocked you up,” he mumbled while getting down on his knees in front of the bed. When he stroked his fingers along her slit, she arched, and she was soaking wet. “Once isn’t gonna be enough, is it?”

“No way,” she groaned. “Please.”

He pushed his fingers inside of her and latched on to her clit at the same time. Her insides immediately gripped him hard, and she cried out. Holy mother of god, he was pretty sure she had just come. She was not kidding about being horny.

“Mitch! More!”

He kept it up until he was
sure
he’d made her come, and then he couldn’t wait anymore.

“Babe,” he said and got up to get her higher up on the bed. “You’re not the only one who’s horny.” He picked up a condom. “I haven’t gotten around to getting tested and—” he started.

“It’s okay. I get it. We’ll get to that,” she smiled.

He rolled the condom on while kissing her. She arched from the bed the second he was at her opening, and her legs latched around his hips and pulled him in. He was suddenly worried about the baby and tried to hold himself up to avoid crushing her belly, but she didn’t seem to care at all. It was so good. It was Anna, which meant it was the fucking best. He’d missed her––missed this. When he felt her coming, he seemed to get his brain back, and he rolled them both over, getting her on top. That seemed safer. Unfortunately, she was extremely horny, and she wasn’t holding back––at all! She was riding him hard, and eventually he sat up, his arm around her, to try to get her to calm down.

“Babe, you gotta slow down.”

“No!”

“I’m gonna come,” he tried, but she grabbed his cheeks and kissed him. “Fuck!”

“Then come!” she growled.

And he did. Holding a bruising grip on her hips, he came.

Her arms were around his neck, and he hugged her tight just to feel her close while he calmed down. With his hands under her arms, he lifted her off him and gave her bump a kiss. She lay back down on the bed with a contented sigh.

“Better?” he asked as he pulled off the condom.

“A little, but I want more.”

“Of course you do,” he said with a laugh and lay down next to her. “You always want more. Gotta give me a few minutes, though.”

He lay silently next to her, stroking her belly. He felt perfectly calm for the first time in months. There was still a lot of shit he needed to explain, a lot of things going on, but right then, in that moment, things were fucking perfect. He kissed her shoulder, and with a small sigh she turned around.

“So what now?” she asked when she opened her eyes.

“I was thinking we’d keep up like we were, with the addition of sex and making out for a while, maybe you spend some nights here and then... we should probably find someplace to live.”

“Move in together?”

“Yeah. There’s no hurry, but you’re gonna bring every fucking thing you got from the sex shop here—tomorrow—I’ve been dying to find out what you bought.”

She laughed and nodded.

“Lisa said some of the things were good to use with a partner.

“Anything in a sex shop is great to use with a partner if you have some imagination.”

“Bet you have a dirty enough mind for that.” Anna gave him a soft kiss. “Think you can give me a couple of months before we move in together?”

“Absolutely. Think we should do it before the kid is born, though.” He moved her over to her back, stroking her breasts. “After all, I’m the one who knows anything about kids.”

“Maybe you’ll be disgusted when I get fat.”

“Doubt it,” he mumbled and gave her nipple a lick.

“I fart a lot.”

“I fart.”

“And... I hog the cover.”

“I’ll buy you your own cover.” He finally had her on her back and leaned over her, avoiding putting pressure on her belly. “I’m starting to feel like a crazy stalker here, Gimp. You could at least tell me you have a crush on me.”

She laughed and held his cheeks. “I love you. I do and I’m sorry that I... I’m still scared. Really scared.”

“I know. We’ll figure this out along the way. It’ll be bumpy and you’ll be scared and I’ll be pissed, but it’ll turn out fine.” He leaned down and kissed her. “And we’ll have the most beautiful little girl.”

He moved further down and kissed her belly before resting his head on it.

“You should get tested,” she mumbled.

“Oh, I’m gonna. I’ve had sex with you without rubber once, and I fucking missed what was happening.”

She laughed. “I’ve been thinking about that, too!”

He rose up on his hands and hovered over her. “Do you ever say fuck or fucking, Gimp?”

“Sure I do.”

“I’ve never heard you say it.”

“Fuck me,” she smiled and pulled him down on top of her. “I think we should be fucking some more.”

-o0o-

Much later that night, Mitch carefully got out of bed to go find his phone. He’d totally forgotten about everything that was going on, and he wondered how pissed his dad would be about it and how much he’d have to pay in fines for ignoring the club phone.

There were a number of missed calls and texts, he eyed through them, realizing he’d been right about how pissed Brick was—until he got to the last one.

‘Wrench told me Anna’s at your place. Told him to go home. Call when she leaves, and I’ll let him know. Check in tomorrow morning or I’ll kick your door in.’

There were no other messages, and Mitch chuckled. Apparently managing to fuck the mother of your kid gave you a free pass in Brick’s book. Mitch sent him a text to let him know she was still there, and that he’d come to the clubhouse the next day around lunch.

He went back to the bed and Anna. She’d rolled herself in the cover, and he had to almost wrestle it from her to be able to get under it, so he decided to get her a cover of her own the very next day.

But when Anna moved closer and threw her leg over him, resting her head on his shoulder, and pressing Sprout against his side, he changed his mind. One cover was pretty fucking nice.

They’d never gotten around to the talking. Anna hadn’t been kidding, she was horny as fuck, and he’d lost count of how many times she’d climaxed. He knew he’d had three, but he’d worked pretty damn hard between the fucks too. She’d basically passed out after that. It had been different with that bump between them, and he’d been worried he’d hurt Sprout. Anna didn’t seem as concerned as he was, but he was gonna check with Lisa about it. But even so, Anna was going to get a lot bigger, so they had to figure out some good positions. Given how flexible she was, and how she generally liked trying new stuff, he thought it might be fun. He was even looking forward to it.

As he lay there, stroking the side of Sprout, he realized that in a way he was less worried because he knew Anna would stay close. But in another way he was even more worried because he had even more to lose now. He had everything to lose, and it was obvious that Hump was bat shit fucking crazy and didn’t care about who he killed anymore. He was so deranged he was prepared to do anything to get back at Mitch. If this thing he was doing now was meant to mess with Mitch’s head, he was succeeding, simply because Mitch was a lucky guy and had a lot of people around him that he cared about.

A lot of women.

He pulled Anna closer, and she sighed in her sleep and rubbed her nose on his chest. He was trying to decide what to tell her and what she needed to know. She needed to know more about the club, and most of all he had to somehow convince her that she needed to trust him so he’d be able to keep her and Sprout safe.

He also had to convince her that he could go to Amsterdam and not bang hookers. He had a feeling that could be the really tricky part.

Just before he drifted off to sleep, he made a mental note to thank Mac. He’d been right, saying ‘I love you’ had shut her up and given him the chance to say what he wanted to say, and she’d listened.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

No More Teasing

-o0o-

When I woke up, it took me a few moments to remember where I was, and then I smiled. But when I turned around, I realized I was alone in bed. That hadn’t been the plan. I wanted my massage and morning sex. With a sigh, I started the stretching and massaging and noticed the smell of bacon—and the low music. To my astonishment, it was Bob Dylan. I’d had no idea that Mitch liked him, and I probably never would’ve guessed that he did, either. He didn’t strike me as a guy who liked folk music in any shape or form.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead,” he smiled when he came up the stairs and noticed I was awake. He lay down next to me and started kneading the back of my thigh. “Breakfast is done in about twenty minutes. You done with your stuff by then?”

“Yeah.” I smiled when ‘Girl from the North Country,’ started. “I like this song. A lot of songs on this album are pretty crap, but the last song is my favorite Bob Dylan song.”

“The last?” he asked, and I could see him thinking while he continued rolling my muscles between his hands. “So ‘Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You’ is your favorite Bob Dylan song?”

“Yes.”

“You think it’s better than ‘I Want You’?”

“Are you really asking me, or are you giving me subtle messages with the help of song titles?”

“Both,” he answered and gave me a kiss. “You okay enough to continue downstairs?”

“Yes.” I took another kiss. “Thank you.”

“Kinda missed this,” he said as he pulled me out of the bed. “Both the massaging and having you on my back. And naked in my bed, and on my cock, and—”

“I get it,” I laughed. “You’ve missed me.” I got up on his back, and as he carried me downstairs I kissed his cheek. “I’ve missed it, too, and I’m sorry I was a coward.”

“S’okay, I was kinda petrified, too.” His eyes got wide. “Shit! Don’t move!”

“What?”

“I think… I think I felt her.”

“Against your back?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “Wonder how many guys can say that the first time they felt their baby it was against their back?”

I pressed my belly more firmly against him, and we stood completely still in the middle of the kitchen. I felt Sprout kick as if she was protesting against the pressure, and Mitch laughed again. He moved me around to his front and put me down on the counter. His hands immediately went to hold my belly.

“Are you big for being in week twenty?” he asked.

“No. Think I’m actually kind of small, but it’s grown quite a lot the last few weeks, and Sprout’s the right size.”

“I don’t remember what Mel looked like, and Vi’s so small everything looks big on her.”

I laughed. “She looked big.” I put my hands over his and pressed them against me more firmly. “Maybe we should have that talk now?”

“Yeah.” But it didn’t look like he wanted to talk about it at all. Then he started anyway, but kept his gaze firmly on Sprout. “A few years back, I caught a guy in the club skimming money from us. He left the club in bad standing, and…” he took a deep breath, as if he was about to jump of a cliff. “He’s back. We think—we’re pretty sure actually—that he’s the one who killed the woman working for us, and yesterday he killed a woman called Patricia. We found his hacker, a guy who’s been helping him, and I think Patricia was retaliation.”

I stared at him, not sure how to ask him about the hacker they’d found, and how killing a woman had been retaliation… He looked at me, probably waiting. Or that was what I thought until he shook his head.

“No, we didn’t kill that guy. He’s still very much alive. Fuck! I didn’t think about what that sounded like.”

“But you could’ve killed him?”

“We
would
have, if he’d actually been a problem or if…”

“I understand.”

I actually didn’t understand, but I was going to leave it for now. I wasn’t sure I could deal with it yet, and instead thought about what he’d said about the guy—Hump.

I knew the internet wasn’t the best source of information, but I had still done some searches on biker clubs, so I had an idea of what ‘bad standing’ meant, but I asked him anyway.

“Bad standing means he’s thrown out of the club, he doesn’t have any contact with any of you again?”

“Yeah. He’s dead to us.”

“But that girl, Laura, that was months ago. What has he… I mean, where is he?”

“We don’t know. I can’t find him.”

It sounded as if the fact that
he
couldn’t find him was a big thing, and that it meant something. That wasn’t what I thought was the important part at that moment, but I was going to get back to it. It was probably firmly linked to what his part in the club was. At the moment I wanted to keep the conversation on Hump, though, since that seemed to be a lot more important to me personally.

“What is he waiting for?”

“I honestly don’t know, Anna, but I’m worried.” He looked up from Sprout and met my eyes. “I’m leaving next week, I’ve told you that, and I don’t want you to be alone. Can you
please
go and stay with Mel? If you stay there, both Bucket and Wrench will be at the same place to protect all of you.”

“The same place?”

“If you’re not there, I’d ask Dad to split them up, so Wrench came and stayed with you.”

“You’d have me stay with Wrench if I don’t go to Mel’s?”

“Yes. I’m not gonna leave you unguarded. That’s just not going to happen. I’d prefer to not go at all, but I have to.” He leaned his forehead to mine. “I just scared you again, didn’t I?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “You did.”

“It’s probably gonna happen again.”

“I know,” I mumbled. “Maybe I should ask Irina to stay with Steve? I’m just not sure how to tell her. Or
what
to tell her.”

“Baby, I’ve been trying to figure out how we’re going to make this work, about me and the club, and what I do in the club. Some of the guys tell their old ladies everything, others nothing.” He sighed. “I guess I’m trying to decide what I should do.”

“I’m your old lady?” I laughed.

“No,” he smiled. “Not yet, but we should probably still decide how to do this. If this had been a normal relationship it wouldn’t matter yet. We’d take it slow and I’d know how to deal with it, but with Hump around and Sprout in the mix…”

“… We need to speed things up,” I continued. “How about you tell me what I
need
to know, or whatever you feel comfortable to talk about? I’m scared, I really am, and I know I’m going to have a problem with some of this, but I’m also not stupid. I know you’re not just guys who like bikes. I grew up in this town, you know.”

“Okay.” He gave me a kiss. “Just don’t get pissed when I come home in a shitty mood and don’t tell you why.”

I nodded. “Maybe not scare me more today?”

“Promise.”

“What’s going on with the breakfast?” I asked, because it felt like I needed to sort things out in my own head for a while. I needed to digest this, and then I’d get back to it.

“It’s almost done. Just some eggs missing.” He left me on the counter, and I continued with my exercises.

“What do you do in the club? Can you tell me that?”

“I’m sort of intel and finance. Or, I help the two guys in charge of that. I’m good with numbers.”

“How good?”

“
Really
good,” he laughed. “I don’t forget numbers and I understand them.”

“I’m gonna test that, you know.”

“Feel free,” he smiled and cracked an egg into the frying pan. “My turn to ask, because I can’t let it go. Are you seriously going to argue that ‘Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You’ is the best Bob Dylan song?”

“Absolutely.”

“Sorry, Gimp, that might be your opinion, but it’s not the right one.”

But he picked up the remote control and pressed it, and as soon it started I closed my eyes. I really did love that song. I felt his hands on my thighs and when I looked at him, he was smiling.

“It’s a good song, just not his best.” He leaned forward and gave me a kiss. “Ready for breakfast?”

“Yes. I’m a bit disappointed, though.”

“Yeah? Why?”

“I was looking forward to waking up with you and getting some morning sex.”

“Don’t move. I’ll put on my favorite Bob Dylan song, and then I’ll fuck you here on the countertop. How does that sound?”

“What about breakfast?”

He pulled the pan off the stove.

“I’ll make it a quickie, and then we’ll eat before we continue up to the bedroom.”

“That sounds perfect.”

He disappeared and then I heard the first notes of ‘All Along the Watchtower.’ Mitch didn’t say anything when he came back. He simply ran his hands along my thighs while he kissed me.

It was a good song.

-o0o-

In some ways, being in a relationship with Mitch wasn’t that much different to the time before we started having sex again; he was pretty much the same guy as he’d always been. We talked the way we had before, and he was still fun to be around, despite obviously being really worried about that guy—Hump.

In other ways, it was unlike anything we’d ever been before. He talked about the club a lot more. I understood that there were things he wasn’t telling me, but he seemed relieved that he could talk to me. It was a nice feeling to be there for him as much as he’d been there for me in the past.

He did tell me more about Hump, too, and what had been going on. I didn’t understand much of the hacking stuff, but he said it was just another way to mess with his head and keep him on edge.

What I did understand was that it was a very real risk for me, and how much of a risk had been made clear when the second woman had been murdered. They were keeping tabs on all the women at all times, and from what I understood, most of the women would be staying with Mel while the guys were away, and they’d asked for help from the Nomads, too. Which led me to asking what the Nomads were. I was getting a crash course in biker life, and while it scared me, it also to some degree made me calmer. I wouldn’t be left alone.

Two days after we’d gotten back together, he asked me if I wanted to tag along to his dad’s for dinner. I’d thought it would be just his family and us two, but there were a lot of people there from the club and also two of Eliza’s friends. It was a total of sixteen people, but Mel didn’t seem to care at all. Brick obviously loved it, and he seemed genuinely glad to see me there with them. I once again stuck to Violet—she really had the technique down of getting away down.

“I hope it’s okay that I’m following you to the quiet corners,” I said.

“Sure,” she smiled. “Just thought I’d get Joshua away from the noise while I feed him.”

“Is it always like this?” I asked and gestured in the general direction of the kitchen.

“Not always, but pretty often. Edie can’t really cook, so they often bring their kids here to eat. Mace and Sisco are single and want a home-cooked meal now and then. Mac and Mitch grew up with this, so they like it.” She shrugged. “So they all tend to show up here a few times a week to eat. Also, if they don’t show in a week, Brick gets pissed. He likes to have them around. He bought that massive dinner table for a reason.”

“It is massive.”

“Think about it this way, it’s easier when there’s a lot of people than if it’s just five or six. That’s when they’re really trying to force you into conversations.”

I nodded. It was easy to just sit quietly and listen to the others talking, and it was also quite fun. “I hadn’t thought about it that way, but you’re right.”

Violet looked at my cane, and when she noticed me noticing, she blushed.

“I just…” she started.

“It’s okay,” I shrugged.

“No, I like the flowers on it, and sometimes when I see things, I start drawing in my head,” she explained. “It’s really beautiful.”

I looked at the flowers, and then at her. “Like a tattoo?”

“Anything could be a tattoo. You want more?”

“Maybe. I’m quite fond of these flowers.”

She gave me a big, honest smile. “Let me know if you do.”

“I thought you weren’t working. That you’re at home with your little man,” I said and pointed at Joshua.

“Yeah, but I like doing one now and then. I’m trying to get one of the guys to agree to some ink when they get back from Amsterdam. Mac is trying to save some space for later ideas.”

“He’s getting pretty covered.”

“I’ll draw up a few suggestions for you, and then you can let me know what you think.”

We stayed there for a while, and I wasn’t sure how it happened, but I somehow ended up with Joshua in my lap, and I felt really pleased when I managed to get him to fall asleep.

“Look at you,” Mitch said with a smile when he found us.

“He fell asleep. Not sure I need you. This seems pretty easy.”

“I’m gonna remind you about that comment, Gimp,” he chuckled and leaned down to give me a kiss. “Ready to head home?”