Page 30 of Priest

“A man of many talents.” I smile, giving him a wink.

“Are you being saucy?”

“Maybe.” I shrug.

“Saucy girls get spankings,” he jokes. I should be shocked, but I’m not. I look at him through lowered lashes, and he stops eating. “You into that, precious?”

“I don’t know. Never done it. But, well, m-maybe, with you,” I stutter.

“It takes a lot of trust to put yourself in someone’s hands like that. We’ve got to give us time, but we’ll get there. If you like it, great. If not, I’m good with what we’ve got.”

“You are?” For me, I think our lovemaking is off-the-charts amazing. But Priest seems to have a lot more experience, and I wonder if I’m enough.

“You’re kidding, right?” he asks. “What we have, I’ve never felt with anyone else. You do it for me. You’re gorgeous, smart, funny, and loyal. You’re amazing in bed, and you’ve got the sexiest ass I’ve ever had my hands on. You’re the whole package, baby. Never doubt that.”

Well, what do you say to that? “I think you’re pretty special too.”

“Finish your sandwich, drink your beer, and later, I’ll show you how special I can be,” he teases.

I raise my bottle, and he clinks his against mine. “To careers and beers, and more nights like this one.”

“I’m all for that.”

THIRTEEN

The Visit

PRIEST

Steady and I coordinate so we’ll get to the hospital at the same time. Saint was already there when I texted him. His friend Zane was taking time out to speak with him about Dad’s current condition and go over the options.

During the ride over, Quinn keeps glancing at me. I’ve never had a woman care for me as much as Quinn does. Mostly, my relationships have been a mutual good time for a couple of days and then I’m done, or the woman is done with us. It worked for me because the last thing I wanted was to care about a woman’s feelings. In reality, I was shielding myself from getting hurt. I’ve let my history dictate my future, but all that stopped the moment I met Quinn.

“Quinn, quit worrying,” I say the next time she looks my way. “I’m fine.”

She narrows her eyes, then throws her hands up in exasperation. “I’m a mess!” she declares. “I’m scared that your dad’s really sick, or that you’re bottling it all up, or that Camille will fall apart. I want to be able to make this all go away, and I can’t. I don’t know how to make this better for you. Or for Camille. I’m useless.”

It’s a good thing we’ve arrived and I can park. As soon as I do, I pull Quinn closer to me. “You’re doing it all. You’re here with me. Besides Camille and my brothers, no one’s ever done that for me. We’re not here to solve the world’s problems, or even my father’s. We’ll go in and see how he is. If he’s an asshole, then I’m leaving and I’ll just provide the cash he needs to recover. If he’s somewhat human, we’ll have a chat and see what comes from that.”

A shy smile comes across her face. “I want this to go well.”

I touch her cheek. Her skin is so soft. Her heart is so pure, filled with warmth and sweetness. I hate the idea of her meeting my father and seeing the ugliness of my past. But not having her with me isn’t what we’re about. We decided to do the hard stuff together. That’s the couple we’re going to be.

“It probably won’t, and I need you to prepare for that, but no matter what, we walk out of here and we’ll go back to your place and move on,” I lower my voice, then lean in and kiss her cheek. “You ready?”

“Ready,” she whispers.

Camille and Steady are waiting for us in the lobby. With them are Guard and Ava. It shouldn’t surprise me that he’s here, but it still does. Guard is here for every member of Satan’s Pride. I hear stories all the time about how he picked Demon up. He found him in the cemetery on the ground in the rain, high as a fucking kite. Literally lifted the bag of bones that he had become into his arms and carried him back to the club. It’s not just the men he watches over, it’s everyone. Hanna had a hard time letting people in. It was fucking with Risk’s head. In his way, very gently, Guard got Hanna to open up to him and to Risk. It’s a nasty story, as bad as Camille’s, maybe worse.

The hardest brother he had to bring home was his own. Ghost is his brother in every sense of the word except blood. Raised by the same man, they were treated like they were siblings from the beginning. The ugliness of racism from unaccepting and judgmental individuals tried to tear them apart and incite hatred between them. Guard stood true to Ghost until one day, they were pushed beyond measure, and the brothers were forced to part.

Luckily, Guard found a man who led him to the world of MC. A great leader who molded Guard to become the president of his own club. Ghost, on the other hand, enlisted in the army, special forces. The commander he had was a shithead and led his troop on a mission of certain death. Ghost survived, though, and for all intents and purposes became a ghost to protect those he loved.

It took fucking years to get him home and meeting the love of his life, Abigail, to make him take a chance on a new identity and a new beginning. But to ensure all that happened, the Pride stepped in to make it so.

Yeah, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that Guard’s here. I walk right up to him, and he embraces me in a manly hug, slapping my back. I murmur a barely audible “Thanks, man.”

“This is where I gotta be,” he replies. I look over and see Ava chatting with Quinn and taking her hand for support. Camille’s on the other side, looking strained, but holding firm.

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