Page 1 of Two Weddings and a Shoot Out

Chapter One

HopeGatescarriedhershoes and slipped out of the suite of rooms of the man who equally infuriated her and set her pulse thrumming. She considered herself a pretty happy person most of the time. She could always see the possibilities and positives in a situation.

But that man, holy smokes! When he actually didn’t speak and just showed her how he felt, he made her body sing. Which was something considering she was fifty-two and he was in his seventies.

Hope had given up any possibility of growing old with someone. She’d been married, lost a good husband, and had taken over raising her grandson because, despite trying to raise him right, her son was a good-for-nothing waste of space currently serving time for multiple crimes. How he fathered such a sweet boy like Benji, she had no idea.

If Benji had been with her last night, maybe she wouldn’t have made the colossal mistake of falling for Locks’ temptingkisses and his hands running down her body. But Benji had been having a sleepover at Slice and Faith’s house as an end-of-school party. Faith had planned this huge weekend, kicking off at their house on Friday night and moving over to a huge sleepover and gaming tournament at the clubhouse tonight.

Thank goodness Hope was on task to help with tonight so she wouldn’t drop her panties and invite Locks to have a repeat. She wouldn’t be quite so furious at herself if she and Locks hadn’t been playing this same freaking game for the last couple of months since her sister Faith’s wedding to Slice.

She and Locks had spent the night before the wedding making love for the first time. Well, she’d considered it making love. She assumed they were making a commitment to each other, and she’d actually dreamed of a happily ever after—even after she’d warned herself that she could never live up to the love he and his deceased wife had had.

But then she’d opened her legs to him like some two-dollar floozy on a Friday night. Hope snickered. A two-dollar floozy had been her and Faith’s mom’s term for a loose woman. Venetia cautioned her daughters to not give it away because why would a man marry a woman who didn’t value herself. Things had changed for women, at least some, but Hope still felt cheapened after her first night with Locks.

The man had more stamina than someone his age should, and he’d even gotten up for refreshments to tide them over. She’d fallen asleep on his shoulder and then woken up to the cold shoulder. He’d been dressed with that grumpy look on his face that she only usually saw directed at her or the MC’s prospects. He’d tossed her bra and panties at her and said she needed to get a move on, kicking her out like she hadn’t given him something special. It had been over three years since she’d had a flesh-and-blood man between her legs, and he’d acted like he’d bought her for the night.

Hope dropped her shoes inside her suite and locked the door, sliding the special lock that only someone inside could open because, fuck her life, she lived in the man’s house, and he could go anywhere.

Why, after that first night, did she continue to put up with him and his blowing hot and cold? She’d always had more respect for herself, but it seemed when she was in Locks’ presence, every self-preservation instinct she had flew out of her head, and her brain ceded control to her pussy. And her pussy was a hussy who had been lonely. Neither she nor her pussy should be trusted around Locks with his tousled gray hair, lean body, and comforting smell that she thought meant she’d found home.

She walked into the beautiful en suite, flipping on the hot water. She needed to wash this night away. Too bad she couldn’t wash the tenderness between her thighs away along with how she’d begged Locks to take her harder last night. If only she could wipe the memories away.

She couldn’t keep doing this to herself. It was two weeks until the club’s second annual D-Day Commemoration weekend. Benji loved the kids on the compound, and she needed to figure out how she could move from Locks’ home but still give Benji the growing-up experience he deserved.

She and Benji had moved onto the compound when there had been a threat to little Michael, Slice and Faith’s youngest. The threats had been over for a while, but neither she nor Locks had ever brought up her moving out.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes of the tears filling them. This wasn’t the first time Hope would need to start over, but hopefully, it would be the last. She could live without a man, but she would not live with a man who didn’t value and love her.

She’d start today by chatting with her new friends. These women at Bluff Creek had welcomed her, and she couldn’t believe how close they were. Maybe Clara, Regina, or Meg couldguide her to some solution. She just knew her heart couldn’t handle the ups and downs. Last night was the last time she would give in to Noah ‘Locks’ Franks’ talented words and lips. Nope, never again. If she was horny, she’d see about ordering a vibrator. It would be safer for her heart.

Noah ‘Locks’ Franks kept still, feigning sleep. He felt like the biggest jackass on the planet. That woman went to his head, well both of them, quicker than his favorite liquor, but today, in the light of day, he couldn’t face her.

He knew he was doing her dirty, but he wasn’t who she needed anyway. He was way too old for her. Hope had so much life left to live. Locks was already on the downhill slide, but she was just barely there.

But then she’d brush by him, and he’d smell her light, citrusy scent, and he’d want to be closer to her. Tug her into his arms, and then he’d find himself taking that first taste of her lips. And then every bit of blood would leave his brain to show him that even at seventy-two, he could still satisfy a woman.

He didn’t compare her to Kathryn because they were such different people. And while in the moment, Kathryn wouldn’t even cross his mind. What kind of man was he that he could pull another woman into his arms and not even remember the woman who birthed his children and built a business and a life with him?

And what would his girls think if he replaced their mother? Jesse and Winnie both had kids. Remi and Sarah were pregnant, and Beth had left on an assignment in Texas. How would they feel if he brought someone into their family as his one? He’d already hadhisone, and did people really get blessed with more than one person who could complete them in their lifetime?

He rolled over and stared at the drapes Kathryn had picked out, then looked at the dresser he and Kathryn had found at an auction and she’d refinished. They’d gotten it during the lean years, those years when they’d been building their business and having kids. As each girl was born, Kathryn kept saying she’d want one more. Locks knew it was because she thought he needed a boy to pass things on to. It had taken Kathryn a couple years to realize Locks didn’t care whether he passed it on to a boy or a girl or all his kids. He just wanted the sense of family to be instilled in them. If none of the girls had wanted to take over the company, he would have been disappointed, but he wanted his girls happy more than he needed his company to go on. He was just fortunate his girls loved the bail bonds business.

Each of the girls was blessed with different skills. Kathryn had taught them all basic skills for the kitchen, but she’d also taught them that it was okay for a woman to be fierce.

When Locks thought about Hope and the woman she was, the crazy thing was he could see his late wife and Hope being friends if Kathryn were still around. Hope was fierce in her own way and had that same sunny, happy personality like his daughter Winnie. Winnie and Hope could both see the good side of anything. Why Hope was putting up with the crap way he treated her was confusing Locks, but when she was in his bed, whether he was inside her or just cuddling together with her leg lying over his thigh, Locks felt something warm in his chest that he hadn’t felt for a long time. He wasn’t sure if it was affection or contentment, but he wanted more of it while he was in themoment. In the cold light of morning, that feeling made him want to throw up.

He sat up and threw the covers off, standing to stretch his arms over his head, listening to his back creak. His hair was grayer. Jesse kindly called it salt and pepper, but most days, Locks just felt old. And when he looked in the mirror, he didn’t recognize that old guy with the deep creases by his eyes. At least he’d kept relatively in shape and didn’t have a beer gut hanging over his belt.

He flipped the shower on to let it heat up while he peed; he chuckled at the word and then flushed the toilet. He’d used the word “piss” for years, but the kids on the compound had a swear jar. Locks paid their subscription fee to be able to cuss sometimes, but he wasn’t going to be blamed if one of his grandkids got in trouble at school for using curse words.

Kathryn had taught the girls that there was a time and a place for cursing. She didn’t care if her girls cursed, but she also explained that as business owners and women, sometimes people would look down on them and not think they could do the job. They needed to choose their time and place.

He still remembered the smile on Kathryn’s face when he and Remi had returned from Remi’s first skip. They’d sat at the table and gone over everything that had happened. Their skip had called Remi a couple of nasty names while they were chasing him. His oldest had not said anything back as the guy was calling Remi names and telling her women were trash. Then Remi took him down to the ground when she dove for his legs and then had him handcuffed in less than a minute. She’d helped him up, and then just as she put him in their vehicle, she’d leaned close to him and said, “Hey, maybe next time you should show up for court so this weak, sniveling, walking pussy doesn’t have to chase your fat ass down before putting you in cuffs. The Franks sisters are badass, and this next generation is just as toughas our mom and dad. You should pass that along to all your deadbeat friends.”

The company was definitely in good hands with his girls, which left him entirely too much time to think of Hope.

Locks soaped up and washed quickly. He was having breakfast at the compound, and then he, Compass, Rascal, and Baron were taking a ride. They’d thought about asking the younger ones, but Baron had said he wanted them together. Compass was at their compound for a couple weeks through the brotherhood’s D-Day commemoration activities.

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