Black Sheep (Rawkfist MC Book 1) (4 page)

"I can't
imagine staying in a relationship so long when you're not in love. I'm too
easily distracted for that shit."

"Good to
know," he says, gently tapping my foot. "When you're young like I was
and a kid's involved, spending a few years with someone you don't love ain't so
bad. I wouldn't do it now."

"An old
man's got to have some standards."

"Sure
do."

"How often
do you see your kid?"

"Are you really
interested?"

"Of
course. I like the idea of there being another version of you out there in the
world. Makes me hopeful about the future of mankind."

Grinning, Court
shakes his head. "Never in my life have I met a girl with a mouth like
yours."

"My mom
raised me confident, so I don't really filter much."

"I heard
your step-dad was a nasty fuck."

"Did my
dad tell you that?"

"No, I
heard it from Julia at Mimi's Diner. People talk around here. You ought to get
used to that."

"I like
being famous enough to have gossip about me," I say, waving over the
waitress for a refill. Once I get my new drink, I think of my step-dad.
"Paul is a coward wrapped in the facade of an asshole. His worst quality
is his nagging. He was always harping on how we dressed or walked or ate. He'd
never say my mom was getting fat, but he'd talk around saying that. He was
never satisfied. Mom is way hotter than he deserved, but he wasn't happy. He's
that kind of person who is always looking at what he doesn't have. Mom put up
with him because she didn't love him like she loved my dad. Paul was manageable
while my dad ran roughshod over her heart."

"How did
he do that?"

"Mom can't
tell him no. She wanted things like becoming a vet. She needed out of Tumbling
Rock. Dad wanted to stay here and have her raise his rugrats. She couldn't say
no, so she ran off when he was in prison."

Court gives me
a look, and I frown at him. "Don't judge her. You just live your life and
don't worry about how others live theirs."

"Your
dad's a good man. Always treated me well and watched out for my boy when I was
in prison."

"Why were
you locked up?"

"It was
mistaken identity," he says, giving me the same answer Jared did when I
asked about his prison time.
Club business stays in the club.

"Poor,
Court. How long were you falsely imprisoned for?"

"Two
years. Should have been five, but I was very well behaved."

"Oh, I bet
you were."

Court grins.
"You ever worry step-dad will show up here and cause trouble?"

"No. I
told you he's a coward. Coming here would take balls. Hell, the man is scared
of Journey. Do you think he'd mess with my dad?"

"Scared of
her why?"

Grinning, I
think of my sister. "Journey is like Dad without the sweet demeanor and
forgiving nature."

"Ah,"
he says, laughing. "I guess I got lucky with the sweet sister."

I give him a
wink. "You have no idea."

"Let me
ask you this," he says, tapping his long fingers on the table. "Did
you have someone back in Indy who rode roughshod over your heart like Jared did
to your mom?"

"Oh, I've
loved plenty of men like my dad and Martin Riggs from
Lethal Weapon
one
and three. I loved the man who found my backpack I left at the donut shop. He
saved me restarting my senior research paper. Of course, my greatest love was
Elton Miney, who let me carry his books throughout my junior year of high
school."

"You
carried his books?" Court asks, trying not to laugh. "How did that turn
out?"

"Not bad.
I still have some shoulder pain, but I'll never regret loving that boy."

"Did he
love you back?"

"Elton
loved everyone. He was a hippie who played guitar on the quad during
lunch."

"Sounds
like a real man of the people."

"Most definitely.
I'm sad to report I didn't get any up close loving. I had my shot, but he'd
smoked too many clove cigarettes, and my gag reflex acted up."

"No
regrets?"

"I don't
believe in regretting things. Why look back at wonderful mistakes when I can
look forward to making new worse ones?"

Court studies
me with those smoky brown gems he calls eyes. My skin warms ever so slightly
under his gaze. He's not flirting but figuring me out. I'm flirting, though.
It's why I keep winking.

Finally laughing,
Court shakes his head. "I feel like you're a dangerous woman, and a smart
man would run in the opposite direction."

"All true
but when was the last time anyone accused you of being smart?"

Wagging a
finger at me, he nods. "Fair enough."

"Don't
worry. Smart is overrated. Journey is smart, but that only means she thinks too
much and never has any fun."

Court
looks at his watch and frowns in a grumpy
way that makes me want to climb across the table and suck on his bottom lip.

"I fucked
up."

"Sounds
about right," I say, stretching.

He grins.
"I didn't know how this would turn out. You're Jared's daughter, and I
like keeping my balls safe."

"I am, and
you should.”

"Yeah,
well, I made plans to pick up Felix tonight for a movie. I figured you and I
would be done quickly, and I’d have an excuse to ditch you."

"I like
your honesty. Wait, this is you being honest, isn't it? I'd hate to think this
is you trying to be smooth."

Court grunts.
"I'm not ready to ditch you for the night."

"Yeah, but
you have responsibilities. I mean, the poor kid's name is Felix. He certainly
doesn't need more hassles in life."

"Funny,"
he says, waving the waitress over for the check. "If it were someone else,
I'd ditch them, but like you said, it's my kid."

"I live
here now, Court. No reason to rush anything."

Holding my
gaze, he nearly whispers, "I like when you say my name."

Grinning, I say
nothing because he's getting all regretful about over scheduling. I decide not
to be more irresistible so he won’t have another reason to miss me. He pays the
check only after I pretend to reach for it. When he rolls his eyes at my lame
attempt to pay, I laugh like a loon.

We ride back
home with my arms snugly around him. Court feels exquisite, and I'm nursing the
kind of crush that'll get a girl in big trouble.
Good thing I don't do
regrets.

Court
doesn't turn off the roaring Harley when we
arrive. He's worried about reaching his kid late and missing the beginning of
the movie. I like how much he cares for his boy. Paul never worried over
blowing off Poppy. She never worried much over it either, but most kids aren't
Poppy.

"How soon
can I pick you up again?" he asks, holding my hand while I stand next to
the Harley.

"Can you
bear waiting until Thursday?"

Court smiles
softly, and I feel like a tiny tornado is swirling in my gut. This man is too
damn handsome to be real.

Leaning down,
he only gives me a quick kiss, yet the gesture holds a hell of a lot of
promise. His lips are gone too fast, and I'm already thinking about the next
time when he rides down my driveway.

Justice

R
ick smells like Old Spice and hair gel. My
mom’s date no doubt slicked back his hair before arriving, but the thin, blond
strands won't rest on his forehead, and he keeps swiping them aside.

No doubt he
isn’t accustomed to dating women with Christine’s hotness score. That or he
hasn’t dated in a few decades. Either way, Rick is nervous as he stands on the
front porch and waits for our mom to finish getting decked out for her first
date in fifteen years.

“Christine has
children. I’m sure she explained this fact,” Journey says, crossing her arms,
so her muscles flex in that butch way of hers.

“Yes.”

“She has
responsibilities, so I hope you’ll keep that in mind when you’re gallivanting
around town.”

“We’re going to
the movies and dinner.”

“Did you have a
point?”

“I think it’s
nice you’re worried about your mom.”

“Nobody cares
what you think, Rick,” I say.

“I’m curious
what he thinks,” Journey says just to be a pain.

“Because you’re
a kiss ass cheap trick.”

Poppy steps up
and glares at Rick. “My mother is a delicate flower. If you forget that, I will
harm you with my gifts.”

Rick looks us
over and then nods. “Is Christine almost ready?”

“You like to
rush women, do you?” I ask.

“I’m here!”
Christine calls out as she hurries from her room. “Sorry to make you wait.”

“You have
nothing to apologize for,” I tell her.

“I hope they
weren’t busting your chops, Rick,” she says, giving him an anxious smile.

“They care
about their mother. That’s a good thing.”

“What’s that
noise?” Poppy asks.

We all stop and
listen, but the only sounds are the TV quietly playing
Property Brothers
and Hal snoring on the couch.

“He’s a
horrible guard dog,” I mumble.

“Honey, I don’t
hear anything,” Christine says to Poppy.

“Wait for it.”

“Wait for
what?”

Poppy shrugs,
and Christine gives her an angry mom look.

Rick looks
ready to bolt. “If tonight isn't good for you, we can reschedule.”

“No, everything
is fine. The girls are bored, and this is their entertainment. We should…”

Christine’s
voice trails off as the sound of an approaching Harley grows louder. Her eyes
widen, and the angry mom look shifts into rage mode.

“Wasn’t me,” I
immediately say. “Could be Journey. She’s a troublemaker.”

“Thanks, turd muncher,
but it wasn’t me either.”

Christine
focuses on Poppy, who shrugs. “I must have butt-dialed him.”

“Rick, I’m
going to take you up on your offer to reschedule,” Christine says, hurrying him
off the porch and to his car. “My ex is on his way. He isn’t dangerous or
anything, but it’ll be awkward.”

“Not dangerous,”
Journey mutters, wearing a grin as we follow Christine off of the porch.

“Is everything
okay?” Rick asks.

“Yes, he’s fine.
Everything’s fine. I’ll call you. I promise.”

Rick opens his
mouth to say something, but Christine hears the approaching Harley and nearly
shoves her loser date into his car. Hurrying back to where we stand, she’s
pissed.

“Why did you
call him?” Christine demands from Poppy. “What were you thinking?”

“You left my
father, and I’m acting out.”

Christine
narrows her eyes. “Bullshit.”

“Prove it.”

“I’m…”
Christine stops short when Rick’s car passes Jared’s arriving Harley. “Crap.”

Hurrying into
the house, she holds the doorknob and waits for us to trail inside so she can
shut the door on her ex. Poppy decides to stare at the moon while Journey rests
in the doorjamb.

“Ladies!”
Christine cries, begging us to get our asses in the house.

“Look, Mom,
it’s Dad,” I announce to be obnoxious. Hugging her, I smile. “You didn’t like
that dud, did you?”

“No, but I need
to get back out into the dating scene.”

“Dad’s single.”

“No, he’s not.
He’s dating a woman named Tina.”

Frowning, I
look at Jared climb off his Harley. “I did not know that.”

“Well, now you
do. Get your sisters into the house so…”

Christine
trails off again as Jared strolls up the steps and smiles at her. “Hello,
Christine.”

The five us of
share a wonderfully emotional moment where Journey smiles like Jared, Poppy
glares at everyone because she’s a psycho bitch, I wonder about this Tina hussy,
and Christine loses the ability to blink.

“You texted
about an emergency,” Jared says to Poppy.

“My butt texted
that. I remained willfully ignorant.”

Jared once
again realizes talking to Poppy is a dead-end. He directs his attention on his
ex-wife, who is doing an extraordinary impression of a mannequin.

“Are you okay?”
Jared asks Christine.

Her blue eyes
remain frozen as we all stare at her staring at him.

“Great job,
Dad. Your raw animal magnetism broke her,” Journey says, patting his shoulder.

I take
Christine’s hand and pull her away from the front door and down the hall to her
bedroom. Once she’s shoved into the bedroom with the door shut, I return to
where Jared stands confused.

“Who’s Tina?” I
ask.

“Is your mom
all right?”

“She was going
on a date, and you showed up and scared him off.”

Jared glances
at Poppy, who is now curled up on the floor watching TV with Thelma.

“I didn’t know
about the date.”

“Are you okay
with that?” Journey asks.

Shoving his
hands in his pockets like a disinterested kid, he says, “Your mom is free to do
what she wants.”

“Because you’re
busy banging a chick named Tina?” I demand. “Who is the hussy? Will she be our
new mom? Is she hotter than our first mom? Should I be throwing a bigger fit
than I currently am?”

“You and I need
to talk about Court.”

“Don’t change
the subject.”

“Fine. What was
the subject?”

“Your whore
Tina.”

Jared crosses
his arms, mimicking a silent Journey. “How did you know about her?”

“Everyone in
the entire town told me.”

“Your mom
heard, huh?”

“Who?”

Journey senses
I’m losing control of the conversation and steps between Jared and me. “Mom’s
date came out of left field, and my younger sisters might have overreacted. Sorry
that you got involved. If you’d like to share info with us about your slut,
we’d love to hear it, but we also understand if you’re shy about the tawdry
details.”

“Shy,” I snort.

A frowning
Jared glances between us. “I sometimes forget how you two gang up on people.”

Giving him a
dark glare, I struggle not to laugh. “Is that your way of saying you’d like to
keep private the disgusting details of your sordid sex life with the hussy
Tina?”

“Tina is a
friend I occasionally spend the night with.”

Journey cocks a
bushy eyebrow. “A friend with benefits arrangement, huh?”

“Do you love
her?” I ask.

Jared laughs. “You’re
so weird.”

“What’s your
point?”

“So who’s the
guy Christine was going out with?” Jared asks, glancing at her door.

“His name is
Rick, and he smells immaculate.”

“Rick, huh?”

“Are you
jealous?” Journey asks, and I realize she’s in the mood to cause some serious
trouble. The world is likely shuddering in horror with this knowledge. “Do you
still have feelings for Mom?”

“I haven’t
spoken to her in over fifteen years, so I can’t answer that.”

I mosey closer
and nudge Jared. “Did you notice how she’s still super hot? Mom looks better at
nearly fifty than Journey does now.”

Jared doesn’t
respond to my comment, likely fearing Journey’s wrath. The fact is we all know
Mom’s the hottest member of our family.

“I’m a little
confused why I’m here. Did you only want me to scare off Christine’s date?
Couldn’t one of you do that? That one,” Jared says, gesturing toward Poppy “is
terrifying.”

“Thank you,”
she replies, never looking away from the TV.

“We didn’t
request your assistance,” I remind him.

“Should I
leave?”

“Or stay and
tell us more about Tina.”

“She and I hook
up when I have needs. We’re friends, but she hooks up with other guys too.”

“Do you hook up
with other hussies?”

“No.”

“Do you wear a
condom when hooking up or does your dick ooze green now?”

“Condoms,
ma’am. Thanks for watching out for me.”

Sharing his
grin, I shrug. “Well, I didn’t know what your sex education was like growing
up. After all, you knocked up Christine twice.”

“On purpose
both times.”

“Even with Journey?”

My sister takes
a swipe at me before walking into the kitchen. “Would you like a drink, Dad?”

“No, I should
probably head out so your mom can think again.”

Jared turns to
leave but catches sight of the family photos on one of the walls. He walks over
and smiles at the images of Journey and me in our youth.

“Look at my girls,”
he murmurs while staring at a picture of us in the pool with Christine.

“There are
pictures of us with you in the hallway,” Journey offers.

“In the hall at
my place too,” he says.

We share a
nostalgic moment ruined by how none of us are nostalgic people. I wish Jared
would stay, so we could all hang out. Unfortunately, Christine will never
settle down as long as he’s in the house. After he finishes looking over the
photos, Jared walks back outside where we hug him goodbye.

“That went
well,” Journey says as we watch him disappear down the road.

“Do you think
he could ditch Tina and Mom could ditch Hair Gel and then they could live
happily ever after?”

“How old are
you?” Journey asks, giving me a sideways frown. “No, scratch that. I know the
answer, so just grow up. Our parents are fully functioning adults, and they’re
perfectly capable of running their lives. Leave it alone.”

Journey walks
into the house while I remain outside. I want to stay out here for a long time
and get pensive. I’d like to imagine a world where I get everything I want and
people always bow to my will. In the real world, though, mosquitoes call the
shots, and I must flee their blood thirst by running into the house.

Even the
best-laid plans…