An Outlaw Wedding (3 page)

He
turned and glanced down at her. “Well, come on, Alexis.” He grinned. “Let’s get
you wet.”

Oh
God, did he know how dirty that sounded? Judging by the way he winked and how
his grin widened, she knew he had said that on purpose. He held his hand out,
and she took it. Once she was standing he still hadn’t let go of her, and in
fact pulled her in so close that their breath mingled together once more. The
other guys in the water weren’t paying them any attention as they laughed and
splashed each other, but she and
Nico
were out in the
open like this, and that had a little thrill moving through her.

“I
could kiss you again, Alexis.” He lowered his gaze to her mouth. “I want to
really damn badly.”

Her
heart started pounding again like a freight train was moving through it.
“Someone would really see then,
Nico
.”

“I
don’t care anymore, Alexis.” He tightened his hold on her hand. “I have tried
to act like we are just friends.” He shrugged. “But I haven’t been trying that
hard, because honestly I don’t care if I get slack for wanting a girl that is
off-limits.” They were both breathing fast and hard now, and he leaned in
another inch. “I know you’re not blind to the fact that I stare at you.”

She
shook her head.

“But
your dad watches you like a damn hawk, and the way he looks at me…”
Nico
grinned, but it was one of those sexy ones that only
had the corner of his mouth lifting.

“He
watches you?” She looked at his mouth. She had been too focused on
Nico
to realize that her dad stared at him, probably giving
him the “Back the fuck off” look.

“Yeah,
that
look
.”

She
had said that last part out loud, and that had them both laughing. They had
been through a lot together, and if not for him, she would have felt so lost
even when family always surrounded her. Maybe it was because she tried to push
away her feelings for
Nico
that she felt like this
little part was missing from her. Did she believe in soul mates, even at her
young age? Yes, she did, and the longer she stared into
Nico’s
eyes, that more that cemented the fact that sometimes people were just born to
be together.

“Get
a damn room,” Lucas yelled and splashed water on them.

Alexis
turned and looked at him. The sun caused a swatch of golden color to slash
across the water, and made it look like there were a million little diamonds on
it.

“Just
ignore him. There only needs to be you and me, Alexis,”
Nico
said.

She
looked back at him, and just staring at him had Alexis’s heart racing. There
wasn’t a girl in Steel Corner, and maybe even as far as River Run that didn’t
want
Nico
Landon, but here he was, saying he wanted
her
. “It’s hard to ignore them when I
can feel them staring at us.” She laughed this almost nervous one, and then she
felt her cheeks heat again from being embarrassed over the sound. Being around
Nico
seemed to cause the wires in her brain to malfunction
all at once.

He
tipped his chin toward the lake, and they both turned toward it. The sun was so
bright, and she lifted her hand to shield her eyes. She could see
Tarren
on Lucas’s shoulders, and Odin was trying to pull
her off.

“One
day we won’t have to worry about anyone’s rules, Alexis. We will be free to
live our lives the way we want.”

She
turned and looked at him, but he kept his focus on the water. He tightened his
hold on her hand and pulled her closer to his side.

“You
ready, Alexis?” He turned and grinned down at her.

She
knew he wasn’t just speaking about jumping in, but about all the shit they
would probably go through if they did give this forbidden relationship a
chance. She squeezed his hand and took a deep breath. “You’re by my side, so I
am ready for anything.” She smiled, and before she knew what he was doing he
leaned down and kissed her hard and passionately. There was a round of catcalls
from Odin and Lucas, and she broke the kiss and felt her cheeks become hot as
fire.

“Come
on, babe.” And then he pulled her off the deck, and they crashed into the water
together, still holding hands.

****

Brick
stared off as his baby girl and Jagger’s son splashed together in the water. He
had come back here to make sure they were okay because he had seen Lucas
carting off a cooler. Brick wasn’t born yesterday, and knew enough about the
teenage years from his own reckless ones that the cooler had not been filled
with only pop. But he had seen them only drink one each, and he didn’t have a
stick up his ass to go and stop them from experimenting with a little harmless
beer. But he did watch them to make sure they were safe. And then he saw
Nico
kissing his little girl—and even at sixteen she was
still
his
little girl—and it took
everything inside of him not to go smack
Nico
around
for touching her. It didn’t matter that this was Jagger’s kid, because any boy
that touched Brick’s daughter would have to deal with him. Hell, he wasn’t even
against the idea of cleaning his guns in front of a guy she brought home. He
wanted anyone that wanted to date Alexis to be afraid, because if she were hurt
because of some little asshole he’d turn into the bad motherfucker that
everyone knew him to be. He’d tear shit up without thinking about the
consequences.

“You
stare at them any longer and you might have an aneurism,” Jagger said in his
deep, take-no-shit voice from behind him. Jagger stopped beside him and tipped
his beer back to his mouth for a long swallow.

“Your
kid kissed my girl.” Brick growled low in his throat.

Jagger
looked over at the kids in the lake. “Which kid?”

Brick
glared at his President. “You know which fucking kid I’m talking about.”

Jagger
started chuckling, which had Brick glaring harder and curling his fingers
harder into his palms. “You and I both knew that this was bound to happen. I
mean they have been giving each other the
googly
eyes
since they could walk.”

“
Googly
eyes?
Did the president of The Grizzly MC
actually just say
googly
-fucking-eyes?” Brick would
have laughed if he weren’t so damn worried about Alexis getting involved with
Nico
.

“Brick,
you need to chill. Alexis is a smart girl, and wouldn’t take shit from anyone,
least of all one of my sons.”

Brick
grunted and looked at his daughter again. She was laughing as she splashed
water at
Tarren
. “Jagger, your kids are just like you
when you were that age, and have one thing on their minds, just like every
fucking asshole boy out there.”

Jagger
stayed silent for a moment. “I can’t argue you on that. Shit, we were like
that, man.”

Brick
didn’t even respond to that. That still didn’t ease the parental side of him
that wanted to protect and shelter Alexis.

“It’ll
work out for the best, because whereas I don’t think
Nico
would ever break Alexis’s heart, if things did end up being sour between them
she’d be the first to kick his ass.” Jagger grinned at Brick. “Besides, there
is
a slew of big brothers and bikers that are like her
uncles to her and will put anyone that hurts Alexis in his place.” Jagger
clapped him on the back. “But I trust my boys, and I trust your girl. I know
that those two are meant to be together.”

Brick
looked at Jagger, knowing that what he said was true, but not knowing if he
could ever fully be on board with Alexis being with a bad boy—and Jagger’s sons
were definitely that.

Chapter Two

Alexis and
Nico
, eighteen years old

High
school had been like stagnant water. The smell of it was toxic, and the people
moving up and down the hallways like larva that had been freshly laid on the
top. But thank fuck that was over with as of five hours ago. They had walked
across that stage, gotten their diplomas, and then flipped off the building
that they had gone to for the last four years. It hadn’t just been he and
Lucas
who had graduated, but also Alexis,
Tarren
, and Bodhi. The graduation party being held was at
The Grizzly clubhouse, and although some thought it a bit too “adult” for this
purpose, it had the most space, a kitchen, pool table, and a big ass back yard
that held the tent and food. Besides, the clubhouse had been used for many
family gatherings and parties.

He
brought his bottle of water to his mouth and took a long drink as he watched
Alexis over the rim. Ever since that kiss they’d shared back at the lake two
years ago they had been seeing each other. In fact, they were inseparable. But
aside from some heavy groping and making out they hadn’t done anything else. It
wasn’t because he didn’t want to, because fuck him he did. In fact he was
sporting a semi-hard on just from looking at her in that short jean skirt and
tank top that showed off her curvy body. She wasn’t thin like most of the girls
they had gone to high school with, but had curves that went on for miles. She
had a body on her that made him imagine gripping onto her thighs, or her wide
hips, and sliding into her deep and hard. To say Alexis had an hourglass figure
would have been an understatement.

“Keep
looking like that, boy, and I’ll make it so you can never see again.” Brick’s
voice was deep, low, and filled with fatherly warning. He pulled a chair beside
Nico
and sat down, but he kept his focus on Alexis.
“You guys have been going out for a while now,” he stated flatly.

“Yeah.
Two years,
sir.” Maybe if he played the polite boyfriend card right now Brick wouldn’t
bust his balls like he had been the entire time
Nico
had been dating his daughter.

“It’s
sir now?” Brick looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow. “Come on,
Nico
, you know I’m not a fucking sir.” Brick glared at him
for a moment and then grinned. But it wasn’t one of those “I’m just messing
with you” smiles, but a “watch your fucking step, kid” one.

“I
don’t want to be disrespectful, but it’s kind of hard not to look at her.” At
the low growl Brick gave him
Nico
lifted a hand in
surrender. “She’s a beautiful woman, Brick.” They might both be bear shifters,
but Brick was a full-grown male, a biker in one of the meanest and toughest MCs
around, and he was the Sergeant at Arms. He was bred to be a bad motherfucker
that could tear a man in two. No way was
Nico
fucking
with him over his daughter.

Brick
turned and looked at Alexis once more, and
Nico
did
the same. She was standing over by Mason, Court’s son who had graduated a year
before them, and Cain, Jagger’s younger son, who was now a junior in high
school. Dakota, Molly’s son with Malice from the Brothers of Menace, walked up
to them and immediately started talking to her. He had graduated three years
before them, and whatever he said had Alexis laughing. But it was the way the
human was looking at Alexis that had
Nico’s
bear
rising. Maybe it was nothing, but either way
Nico
was
a territorial
asshole,
and Alexis was his. He didn’t
care if Dakota was three years older than he was, or built like a fucking tank
like his old man.
Nico
did not like the way he
reached out and brushed a strand of hair off of Alexis’s shoulder, innocently
or not.

“Easy,
boy,” Brick said and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him as he was
about to get up and kick Dakota’s ass.

“He’s
putting his hands on my girlfriend.” The words came from
Nico
on a low, very animalistic growl.

“You
go over there now and bust open Dakota’s head you’ll look like a jealous fool,
and start shit on my baby’s graduation day.” Brick patted him on the back and
went to stand. “Besides, Dakota is a member of this family, and not just some
fucker making a move on what’s yours.” He looked down at
Nico
and finished off his beer. “I think you may be thinking things are there when
they really aren’t.”

“You
bust my balls that I’m looking at Alexis, but Dakota can put his hands on her?”

Brick
stared at
Nico
. “And that’s what it is …breaking your
balls. I trust you with my daughter, or you wouldn’t be fucking dating her.
Besides, Dakota just brushed her hair away. Now, if he would have gone any
further I would have personally gone over there and cracked his skull.”

“Why
don’t you give Dakota a hard time then? You sure as hell give me one.” Why are

Brick
shook his head and leaned in close. “I love you like you were my own son,
Nico
, but I know how you were before you got with my
daughter, hell, how a lot of guys are at that age.”

Yeah,
Nico
had slept around before he made it official with
Alexis, and that wasn’t to say he wasn’t ashamed of the girls he had been with
before he got with his girl. But that was two years ago, and even though he had
loved Alexis for longer than he could even remember, that didn’t mean he
thought it was best to pursue her, or that he had a chance. She was off-limits
to the guys in the club, to the guys associated with the club, to the kids of
the club—fuck, to the male population in general.