Making Choices (Black Shamrocks MC Book 2) (13 page)

She’s right. I
am
scared, but I’m also smart enough to know that my fears are legitimate and based in reality. Pick Lucas—lose my father and more-than-likely my career. Pick my career and my father—lose Lucas. Seems like whichever way I choose, I’m left with regrets and “what ifs”.

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter anyway. Lucas is in love with
you,
and we’ll never work because of that.”

She’s damaged my pride with her pointed—and deadly accurate—barbs, so I throw the only thing I have to use against her straight back at her.

Let’s see how she likes it?

Time drags; disappointment creeps in when she’s doesn’t take my bait.

I’m about to mentally admit defeat when she lets out a frustrated huff.

“So what if he is? He knows I’m not in love with him. I love him, but not like I love Mik. If you’d pull your head out of your ass and ask about his past, instead of just using him for his cock, you’d understand why he thinks he’s in love with me, and you’d work out how to fix it. Didn’t you just say that you’re smart? I’m not seeing any evidence of it.”

Did I call her an infuriating cow earlier?

I’m upgrading that to an infuriating, bossy, smartass bitch. No wonder she’s a lawyer. She can argue like nobody I’ve ever met before.

“Fuck you, Maddi.” My temper gets the better of me. I refuse to take her shit anymore. “You think you know everything. You know fucking nothing.”

I’ve never spoken to anyone like I just spoke to her, and she’s not even moved in the slightest by my hostility. I might be nearly five years older than her, but I think she’s won this round.

She doesn’t even dignify me with her attention when she replies.

“Right back at ya, JJ.”

JJ

Four months ago

“A
re you sure what I’m wearing is all right?” I ask Lucas as I smooth down my shirt.

My decision to wear a nice pair of black dress pants with a silky green blouse that’s the same color as my eyes and shows a nice peek of my minimal cleavage, seemed like the right one when I made it. My heeled boots give me some much-needed extra height—some superficial confidence—but looking at the people milling around in their jeans and leather, I can’t help feeling a tad overdressed.

“You look fucking gorgeous, Doll,” he tells me without hesitation, dropping his voice low.

Shivers break out over my body at his seductive tone, my thong becoming damp straightaway.

Damn, the man can get me going ridiculously easy.

“My mama will love you. My brothers will all want a piece of you, and all the Old Ladies will wanna be your friend. The Club knows all about you, and they’re stoked that you finally fucking agreed to come to one of our family nights.”

Handing my helmet to him, I smooth down my hair, and ignore the slight censure in his tone at my delay in accepting his offer to meet his club. I’m trying to keep this thing between us casual and just between us, but he keeps pushing the point about meeting parents and introducing each other to our friends. So far, I’ve managed to keep him from exposing us to my father and everyone at the hospital. It’ll be easier now that he isn’t around all the time watching over Joel.

His discharge today will not only benefit him, but me too.

“Come on.” Lucas beckons me with an outstretched palm, and I eagerly slide my hand into his.

I really like him.

He’s gorgeous.

The sex is phenomenal.

And he’s much better read than I expected a biker to be, so the conversation is always interesting.

If he wasn’t a biker, and liable to make my daddy’s head spin off his shoulders with that fact, I wouldn’t have a second thought about introducing him to everyone.

Drawing in a deep breath, I reply, “Let’s do this.”

We start walking toward the imposing brick building that dominates the front part of the huge block his Club owns. Lucas fits right in with the men I can see—tight black jeans, and his ever-present leather vest thrown over a skin-tight T-shirt. On the other hand, I stick out like a sore thumb in a sea of short denim skirts and skimpy tops. Most of the women I can see have a leather vest over their tops that display Property of so-and-so patches on the back.

I’m not sure what that’s all about. It feels like I’m entering a foreign world.

Everything seems strange to me—alien and scary. Tamping down my need to fidget, I let go of Lucas’s hand so I can wipe my sweaty palms on my thighs.

My regret at my outfit grows as we move further into the crowd until I spy another woman who’s dressed similarly. She’s wearing a business skirt, with a satin shirt, and heels. I’d feel a little better if she didn’t look like a supermodel, but for now she’ll do as a potential person to target as a friendly face at this party.

We look like we might have a little bit in common.

As we draw closer, I realize that I know her.

She’s Joel’s sister, Maddi. And the gorgeous man she’s in a heated discussion with is Mad Dog. I’ve seen them at the hospital many times.

“Fucking hell.” Lucas groans when he spots them. He gestures urgently to a heavy-set, smiling older lady who’s only a tiny bit taller than me.

She comes over to us quickly.

“Mama, this is JJ.” He gestures toward me, and the woman’s smile becomes impossibly bigger as she runs her eyes over me.

“JJ, this is my mama, Colleen. You can call her Mama C—everyone else does.”

My answering smile falters when he tells me to call her Mama C. I know all of the men have strange nicknames, but I didn’t know that the women do as well. I don’t know how comfortable I feel calling a woman I barely know “Mama” when I wouldn’t even address my own mother like that.

“I’ve gotta go sort out Princess and Mad Dog. Can you stay with Mama for a minute?” he asks me, not even waiting for my answer as he strides through the crowd to the now loudly arguing pair.

“So, JJ, tell me a bit about yourself. How old are you? Are you a Brisbane native? How did you meet my Lucas?” she peppers me with questions, dragging my attention away from Lucas throwing his arm over Maddi’s shoulder and hugging her to him as Mad Dog storms away.

“Uh, I’m a doctor. Nearly a surgeon, actually. I’m twenty-seven. Born and raised in Brisbane. I met Lucas when I operated on Joel O’Brien after he was shot.” I respond to her questions by rote—the answers technically correct but not quite. I was taught by my parent’s how to answer prying questions without offering additional details a long time ago.

My eyes keep straying back to Lucas and Maddi as they huddle deep in conversation, my heart dropping to the pit of my stomach when I watch him gently wipe away the tears that are running down her cheeks with his thumbs.

Colleen—calling her Mama C is going to take some time, I think—notices where my attention has wandered, and she gently pats my forearm.

“Don’t worry about those two. Maddi just moved into his house. She’s going through a very hard time at the moment, and my Lucas is looking after her. He’s a good man.”

Patting my arm again, she points to the bar. “Would you care for a drink? We have almost everything.”

I doubt they have the expensive moscato that I usually drink, but I let her lead me over to the bar where she introduces me to the assembled men and women, and gets me a glass of a not-too-bad white wine. All of their names go over my head, except for the large grey-haired man who’s an older version of Lucas. He’s introduced to me as Conan, but Colleen whispers that his actual name is Colin.

“Colin and Colleen, it must have been meant to be.” I point between Lucas’s parents and laugh after we’ve been talking for a little while.

His mother gets my joke straight away and giggles.

She’s had a few more drinks than my three glasses of wine, and I think they’ve gone to her head, if her rosy-red cheeks and shiny eyes are any indication. Lucas’s father, doesn’t find my joke as funny, giving me a half grunt, half chuckle response before he signals for another bottle of beer and walks away without another word.

“Sweetheart, you need to call him Conan when we’re here. It’s a respect thing. He only answers to Colin when he’s at home with me,” Lucas’s mom chides out of everyone else’s hearing.

That would explain his abrupt departure, I guess. I’ve accidentally insulted him.

A woman called Wendy grabs Colleen’s attention, so I’m left standing there awkwardly on my own. Searching the crowd for Lucas, I find him still huddled with Maddi, although they both seem happier now. They’re smiling at each other and laughing.

My heart skips a beat when she places her hand on his chest and he clasps it to him with both of his.

What the hell? He brings me to this party and then dumps me with his mother so he can hang with his
housemate
. My legs have a mind of their own as they carry me over to them.

Pushing my way between the pair, I wind my arms around Lucas’s waist.

I’m immediately rewarded for my bold move when he squeezes me to him, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

“Maddi, you remember JJ?” he asks as he turns me around so that my back presses against his stomach and I’m facing Maddi.

Searching her face, I’m surprised when I don’t detect any signs of jealousy at my interruption.

Her eyes are approving, and her grin broad as she welcomes me.

“It’s awesome that you’ve finally made it to one of our family nights. Everyone’s been dying to officially meet the woman brave enough to take on Timber and his cheesy lines.” Her eyes dance as she watches his response to her dig.

Lucas reaches over me and flicks her earlobe. Her delighted giggle pisses me off.

“Personally, I find his lines charming. Don’t I?” I turn in Lucas’s arms, and wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull his face down to mine. He comes willingly, responding without hesitation when I dip my tongue between his lips and kiss him with passion. Entwining my tongue with his, I slip my hands into the back pockets of his jeans and pull him against me, kneading his tight ass until he groans in my mouth. Our height difference makes it difficult to maintain our position, and I reflect on how much better Maddi’s much taller frame would fit against his.

I falter at the thought, pulling away from him, the moment lost for me.

Lucas refuses to let me go; instead sliding his hands up my sides until they are under my arms. He lifts me into the air, our mouths meeting once more. Our kiss regains its intensity as he settles me on his waist.

I wrap my legs around him and my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his hair.

Pulling his head from mine, he winks at Maddi as he walks past her, and she gives him a thumbs up. The bar erupts in whoops and hollers as Lucas carries me out of the bar and into a brightly lit hallway. I bury my red face in his shoulder as embarrassment overcomes me.

I can’t believe I behaved like that.

I guess the old adage that jealousy makes you do stupid things holds true tonight.

“Fuck, that was hot, Doll,” Lucas declares.

Pushing a door open, he struts into the vacant room and throws me on the bed.

I bounce like a rag doll, and he laughs at me.

When he locks the door behind him, I pull my boots off and take the opportunity to check out the room. It’s clean, but pretty basic—there isn’t much personality stamped over it.

“Is this your room?” I ask. I hope so, because I’m not keen on fucking him in a bed that everyone else uses.

“Yeah, this is where I stay if I spend the night. Haven’t spent too much time here lately, though.”

I begin to ask him if that’s because Maddi now lives with him, but he distracts me by pulling off his T-shirt. His eight-pack never ceases to take my breath away, no matter how many times I see it.

The man is built like a Greek god—every muscle perfectly defined, and in proportion with his extraordinary height.

As he unbuttons his jeans I crawl from the bed, coming to stand in front of him. Knocking his hands out of the way, I take over undoing his pants, pulling his jeans and his boxers to his feet, and holding them so he can step out of them.

“You’re perfection, Lucas,” I whisper as my greedy eyes take in his erect cock and his bulging thighs.

He grabs my hair, tilting my head back roughly.

Staring into my eyes for a long minute, he graces me with a sexy smile.

“Nowhere near as fucking perfect as you are,” he murmurs. “Still fucks with my mind that someone like you lets someone like me fuck her every which way to Sunday, and still comes back for more.”

My core clenches at his words. The man has a crude way of speaking, but I adore it.

“Well, big boy, how are we doing it tonight?” I ponder aloud as I fist his huge erection with both of my hands, working him up and down with a leisurely pace.

He hisses at my caress, his hips bucking when I squeeze him.

I’ve found over the last few weeks that Lucas likes a tinge of pain with his sex, just like I do. Taking him into one hand, I rake his balls with my fingernails, and delight in the feeling of them tightening under my touch.

“Do it again,” he demands, screwing his eyes shut as he shudders.