Her Grizzly Outlaw (10 page)

“Listen, as a brother, and member
of the MC, you are strong and loyal, and I’m proud to say that I trust you with
my life and those of my family. But as a father that knows about your reputation
with the female population…” Dallas shook his head, a low growl leaving him. “I
don’t want you anywhere near my daughter. Do you understand me, Lucas?” Dallas
asked, taking a small step forward, and his body heat slamming into Lucas. “I
know how you go through women, fucking the club whores because they offer their
easy cunts like the Sunday paper to be passed around.” Dallas shook his head,
turned and looked at his cabin, and then faced forward again.

Lucas wasn’t about to tell Dallas
he hadn’t been with anyone but
Tarren
for the last
year, and that when he had tried to be with other women he couldn’t even get a
hard-on.

“You’ll break her fucking heart,
even if your intentions are good. I won’t stand around to watch it happen. This
right here,” he pointed to Lucas, and then at the cabin, “doesn’t go any
further. Whatever is going on between you and my daughter ends right here.”

Lucas gritted his teeth, wanted
to tell the hardened biker that if he wanted to see
Tarren
on more than just a friendly level he fucking would. But this was an original
Grizzly member,
Tarren’s
father, and Lucas needed to
show respect. If it was the other way around and Lucas was the dad that had
just walked into his house smelling of sex, he’d be pissed, too.

“Are you sure that’s what she
wants?” He fired back low, just as hard, and showed Dallas that although he was
younger, Lucas wasn’t going to just roll over. What kind of club member would
he be if he didn’t fight back for something he wanted?

And
I want
Tarren
for more than just the sex.

He did love
Tarren
,
had for a long time, but it didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t any good for
her.
It doesn’t matter what you want,
because you’ve already thought about this on more than one occasion. You’re not
good for her.

“She doesn’t need a member in her
life like that, Lucas, especially one who has been with more females than he
can probably even recall,” Dallas said a little softer this time. “I love you
like my family, Lucas, and have watched you grow into the strong male you are today,
but my daughter is not meant to be a part of your life in that respect. You
understand me?” Dallas clapped him on the shoulder, stared right in his eyes,
and he saw his bear flash across the older man’s face. “She’s my little girl,
even if she’s an adult, and I’ll always protect her.” And then Dallas clapped
him once more, turned, and left.

Lucas stared at the other man as
he walked up the porch and went into the cabin without looking back. The door
shutting was almost a final saying from Dallas that Lucas just needed to back
the hell up. Lucas knew he should just go and not look back, but knowing that
Tarren
was in there, a feeling that he wanted to hold her,
to tell her that he
didn’t
want to
walk away, rode him hard.

His phone vibrated with an incoming
call now that he had turned it back on, and he saw his father’s number flash
across the screen. He answered the call, put the phone to his ear, and stared
at the kitchen window where he could see
Tarren
standing in front of.
“Yeah.”

Jagger, his father and the
president of The Grizzly MC, started bitching him out for not picking up his
previous calls.

“Phone was off and I was
preoccupied.” Lucas pushed the thoughts of being with
Tarren
out of his mind, because thinking about it wasn’t going to make this situation
any less screwed.

“Well, I have you on the phone
now, so I’ll just get to it. I need you in Arizona to help with a new charter.
They are trying to get connections for some firearms and ammunition, and I want
you,
Nico
, Brick, and Diesel on it this time.”

“How long?”

“For however long it takes,
Lucas,” his father growled out. “Be at the clubhouse in an hour ready to hit
the road.” And then Jagger disconnected the phone.

Lucas shoved the phone into his
pocket, watched as
Tarren
turned and faced him, staring
at him through the glass, and gave him this sad smile. Dallas stopped up behind
her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and she turned around. Even though
Lucas couldn’t hear them very well, he knew they were fighting. He wanted to go
in there, to tell her that he cared about her, wanted her by his side, but her
father’s words echoed in his head. Dallas had been right in the fact Lucas had
been with more women than he could even remember, but that didn’t mean he
couldn’t be there for
Tarren
and love her.

Yes,
it does, because that, along with everything you have done in your life this
far, means you are toxic for her.

He put his helmet on, turned on
his bike, and pulled out of the driveway. The entire trip back to the clubhouse
he had to keep telling himself that this was for the best, because if he didn’t
remind himself of that he was bound to go back to her, shout to the fucking
world that he wanted her as his, and say fuck it all. And right now he didn’t
think that was what they both needed. They were young, she had her whole life
ahead of her, college in her future, and he wanted her to be happy. He just
didn’t think he would be the male worthy enough to make that happen.

Chapter Seven

Present day

Years.
Days.
Minutes.
Seconds.

It had felt like forever since
she had
seen
Lucas, like really had
seen him. And then one year later she had been with him again, slept with him,
and let her love grow even stronger. But when her father had caught them, all
but pushed Lucas away, she knew that things would never be okay with them. How
could they be together when even her dad was against it? And even if she had
wanted to be with him Lucas had left yet again to help set up a charter in
Arizona. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to distance herself from Lucas,
no matter how far away he was, or how long he stayed away.

But he was back in Steel Corner,
and she was supposed to go to the clubhouse tonight to welcome him home with
the other Grizzly kids and original members in attendance, too. She was
nervous, scared even, of his reaction when she got there and saw him for the
first time in several years.

She pulled up to the clubhouse
and saw it already rocking with club members, their families, music, and
laughter coming through the open window. Her heart was beating so fast and hard
she thought it would burst right through her chest. Holding the steering wheel
and clenching the leather in a tight grasp, she told herself that everything
would be fine. Once she had enough courage pumping through her veins she grabbed
her purse sitting on the passenger side seat, and was about to open the
driver’s side door when the sound of someone tapping on the glass beside her
had her pulse jumping even higher.

She looked out the window, her
mouth drying, her heart stopping, and everything inside of her coming alive at
the sight of Lucas standing there with this goofy as hell grin on his face. He
wore his MC cut so damn well. He had a toothpick between his lips, and when he
gestured for her to come out of the car she realized that was harder than it
should have been. Her legs were like Jell-O as she climbed out of the driver’s
seat, and her palms had suddenly become so sweaty so felt this sheen line her
flesh.

He took a step back and eyed her
up and down. “Damn,
Tarren
,” he said in this voice
filled with heat, and continued at look at her body.

For the last year he had been
working outside of the Arizona charter. Although things had ended awkwardly
after he left her father’s house, and she had thought things would never go
back to the way they were, she had been surprised when he had invited her to
dinner about six months after he had left. He had come back to Steel Corner for
about a week, and seeing him again after all that time, after things had ended
the way they did, was awkward to say the least. But then she had seen him, felt
her desire rise like this violent monster inside of her, and of course one
thing had led to another.

She had slept with him again,
just like that, like she was this animal in heat or something.

“What are you doing out here when
the party that is being thrown for you is inside?” she asked.

He grinned and took the toothpick
out of his mouth. After he flicked it aside he grinned at her, but didn’t speak
for several seconds. “I needed air. Those Grizzlies are crazy as fuck in there
and have far too much energy.”

She nodded, not sure what she was
supposed to say, because even if she had seen him just six months ago, fucked
him even, this was still a touchy encounter. “It’s good to see you, Lucas,” she
said in a soft voice.
Tarren
meant it. God, did she
mean it. How could she just turn her back on her emotions for this male just
because her father didn’t think them being together was a good idea? How could
she stop loving Lucas just because she didn’t think things would work out
between them because all this shit seemed in their way? The hard truth was she
was in love with him, and that would never change. If anything it would only
get stronger, more consuming. She’d either have to let Lucas know how she felt,
or push all of that to the back of her mind, deep into her soul, and hope she
survived not expressing her emotions to him.

He didn’t speak for several
moments, and all they did was
stare
at each other. The
chemistry between them was stronger than ever, and she knew it couldn’t just be
one way. She knew he cared about her, even thought he might love her, but he
was a reserved man, kept his emotions and heart close to him, and he never said
anything to her. She wished he had, because hearing him say that he loved her,
too, would change the entire dynamics of their relationship.

“I’m really glad I got to see
you,
Tarren
. It’s been a long fucking time.”

Yeah, it really had been, even if
she had seen him once or twice during that year. They stared at each other for
several seconds, and then
Jakob
and Bodhi came out of
the clubhouse, cigarettes in their mouths, and clearly already a little bit
drunk by the way they were laughing loudly.

“Dude, Lucas. Come on, man, come
do some celebratory shots with us,”
Jakob
said and held
his arm up.

“Maybe later,
man.”

Jakob
scoffed. “Get the fuck in here
and do some shots with us,” Bodhi said in a whiny voice, and then
Jakob
started laughing.

“Please, Lucas, before he starts
whining like a little bitch for the rest of the night.”

Lucas started laughing, and then
glanced at her. “You’re coming inside?”

She smiled but didn’t respond.
“I’ll be in a little bit later.”

“Okay. I’ll see you inside.”
Lucas said, and gave her this sympathetic smile. The exchange was still a
little tense, but she was glad she had seen him.

She smiled and nodded at him. He
stared at her for another few seconds, and then she watched as he walked over
to the guys. He gave her one last look before he followed the other two
Grizzlies inside. She got back in her car, not about to head into the clubhouse
when she knew they all would be getting drunk, and that club whores were
probably swarming inside. She had no claim on Lucas, and he could fuck whomever
he wanted, but if she saw him with another female she didn’t think her heart
could take it.

****

Dakota was repairing one of the
engines of the broken down Harleys at The Grizzly MC compound. The scent of
motor oil filled his nose, and he loved the fucking smell. It reminded him of
growing up around his old man, Malice, Sergeant at Arms for The Brothers of
Menace. That was his club now, and being a fully patched in member meant that
he had certain responsibility, had a family for life, and bled for his club.
Had he
seen
himself actually being in the club since
he was old enough to understand what the fuck was going on? Yeah, he had, had
always wanted that connection, and wanted to work alongside his father. But it
wasn’t just about being in the MC that made him feel complete.

He had always been around the
lifestyle, and even if his mother Molly hadn’t wanted him involved in this
violent and dangerous life, it hadn’t been all bad. Sure, he had seen things
his mom and dad hadn’t wanted him to witness, but it was more of the fact he
had sought out those situations and had gone looking for the excitement. Even
as a teenager he had hung around his father and the club during the summer
months, stayed with them and learned all he could on an unofficial level. Now
he was in this world, in this life, and he didn’t ever want to fucking leave.

The sound of someone approaching
had him turning and facing the woman that he hadn’t seen in what felt like
forever. “Well holy fucking shit.” He grinned at the sight of Alexis, Brick’s
daughter, and the girl he had wanted when he was younger. It might have been a
while since he had seen her, what with her in college in another city, but they
had pretty much grown up together.