Bad Boy's Baby: Wicked Angels MC (7 page)

Tristan

I was angrier than I’d ever felt in my entire life, and it was all because of Jenny. Well, Jenny and Darius.
God damn them both
, I thought bitterly. First, Jenny disappeared. Then she had my fucking kid and didn’t even tell me! I laughed humorlessly. This was rich, alright. This was the fucking funniest thing I’d ever heard in my goddamn life. I spent my whole childhood growing up without a father and hating it, and then the first girl I fuck does the same thing to me. It made me so angry because she didn’t have any right to keep me shut out. It didn’t matter whether or not Jenny and I worked out in the long run, I still deserved to be around for my son. A kid does better with both parents, and I didn’t want him growing up to hate me because I’d never been around.

I shook my head. This was why I didn’t do relationships anymore. Sure, it might start out all well and good, but after a while, shit was bound to hit the fan. When that kid grew up, he was gonna start asking a lot of questions. And I wanted to be around to answer them.

Darius was another story altogether. I’d always had an uneasy feeling about him, but this was unprecedented. The Iron Fangs had always been on our case, ever since we first caught them running guns. Now, Darius wanted to make sure the Wicked Angels would bend to his will.
Well, good fucking luck, buddy
, I thought grimly.
Good fucking luck
.

I didn’t want to think that Darius, my old buddy, my former best friend, would be dangerous. But I knew better; thinking like that would only lead me down a dangerous path in the future. If I didn’t assume the worst, the worst was likely to happen. And if Jenny didn’t understand that, she and Phin were in serious trouble.
My son
, I thought in awe. I still wasn’t used to having a son. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the idea. But used to it or not, if I didn’t act soon, he’d be in just as much danger as Jenny. The Iron Fangs loved using their enemies’ children as bargaining chips. I prayed desperately that Phin would go his entire life without ever meeting Darius.

“Jenny, I have to talk to you,” I said as I grabbed her arm and dragged her inside the library. At first, she resisted, but I was stronger.

“No,” Jenny said. I could feel her pulse pounding in her body and I knew she was just as scared as I felt. She had the look of a frightened rabbit, and suddenly I was hit with the overwhelming urge to wrap my arms around her and comfort her.

“Yes, Jenny,” I said in a low voice. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true.”

Jenny closed her eyes and shook her head defiantly. It wasn’t a gesture I’d seen in years, and the impact of the memory was powerful.

“I don’t want to listen to anything you have to say,” she said softly. The anger welled up in me and I grabbed her arm and looked into her green eyes.

“Darius knows about you,” I said in a low voice. I figured if she wasn’t going to listen to me, I’d probably have to scare her into reacting.

Jenny wrinkled her nose and tried to pull her arm back. It was obvious she wasn’t aware of the threat Darius posed. She giggled nervously.

“Who’s Darius?”

I licked my lips. Even though I was filled with rage, filled with anger, filled with hurt and betrayal and confusion, I couldn’t deny that being around Jenny was doing something to me. Even the most inane of her gestures drove me wild. When she looked at me with curiosity, I imagined it was because I had said something to turn her on. She was just as feisty as ever, that Jenny.

“He’s a bad man, Jenny,” I told her sternly. “And if you don’t listen to me, he’s going to hurt you.”

She bit her lip. “Fine,” she said softly. “Come with me.” Jenny led me to a corner of the library. The whole building was quiet, but in this corner of sunshine and dusty books, I felt like we were alone in the world. The sunlight played off of Jenny’s red hair, turning it to liquid copper whenever she stood in a patch of light. Her green eyes glinted like jewels as she focused her shrewd gaze on me. She looked as beautiful as ever, and my cock twitched in my pants thinking about what it would feel like to take her as my own, once again.

“Jenny, I know you don’t want to hear this,” I said. I leaned down so close that I got a whiff of her delicious scent—fruit and musk—and I groaned inwardly. I was fucking pathetic. Here I was, a twenty-eight-year-old man, and I could barely keep it together in front of an old girlfriend.
She’s not just an old girlfriend, mate
, I thought grimly.
She was the only woman you ever loved, and you can’t stop thinking about her. Not even for a fucking second
.

“I don’t,” Jenny said pertly. I saw her breath was coming fast and shallow and she kept swallowing nervously. Even though she was able to hold it together pretty well, I knew she must be feeling just as unsettled by all of this as I was. After all, it wasn’t every day that I waltzed back into her life.

“But you have to listen,” I said sternly. “Darius was a friend of mine, a long time ago.” I paused. I had been just about ready to say “back when we were together,” but it didn’t seem right. I couldn’t acknowledge it, not to her face. I couldn’t let her see how much it had damaged me. “He was an old friend who turned bad when I didn’t wanna run down the same bad path,” I said. “He’s in a rival MC, and they’re into crooked shit. Guns, drugs, pussy. They do all of that, and it’s not good, Jenny.”

She shrugged. “So what does he want with me?”

Damn!
I looked away. “He thinks you’re a hot little number and he’s thinking about making you his,” I lied. There was no way I could tell Jenny that the only reason Darius was interested in her was to hurt me. I couldn’t let her have that leverage over me. Not yet, not by a long shot. Even if Jenny would never be mine again, I couldn’t tell her just how deep a hold she’d had on me.

Jenny tossed her red hair. “I can take care of myself,” she said stubbornly.

I burst out laughing. “I don’t believe that, not for a fucking second,” I told her. “After what happened the other night? Seriously?”

A delicious warm flush covered Jenny’s cheeks. “Fine,” she snipped. “Don’t listen to me. But I got along just fine without you,” she said softly. Her blush colored as she spoke; I guessed that somehow she hadn’t meant to clue me in about just how well she’d done without me around. Our past was like a fire in the room that we could both feel but neither of us could see. The hot air of past sins and transgressions licked at our backs as we stared at each other, and the smoke of lust clouding our heads was making it harder than ever to breathe. I couldn’t even look at Jenny without wanting reach out, grab her, and crush her to my body, just as I had done the other night at the bar. She’d yielded to me instantly, that was the strength of my pull on her. Now that she knew who I was, what would it be like next time?

“Jenny, this is serious,” I told her. Her name tasted like candy in my mouth. “And if you don’t pay attention, you and Phin are both going to be in danger.” I hadn’t wanted to drag the kid into it, but if that would make Jenny listen, that was what I’d have to do.

Predictably, Jenny’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t mean that,” she said softly. “Phin hasn’t done anything to hurt anyone. Why would Darius want to bother my son?”

“To get to you,” I said simply. “I need you and Phin to stay with me for a while. I need to take care of you, okay?”

Jenny shook her head. “That’s not going to happen,” she said. She looked into my eyes and I felt a bolt of lust course through my body. “Not a chance, Tristan.”

The way she said my name sent shivers through my body. “You have to let me do this,” I growled as I leaned in close. “If you don’t, you’re seriously going to regret it. What happens if Phin is kidnapped? What happens if you’re kidnapped and you have no idea what happened to your son? What are you going to do then?”

Jenny crossed her arms over her chest, looking defiant. She took a step closer and stared into my eyes until our foreheads were practically touching.

“Look, asshole,” she said with gritted teeth. If I hadn’t been so shocked by her change in tone, I probably would have laughed. “I know the other night wasn’t a great indication, but for the most part, I
am
great at taking care of myself. And just because you haven’t been around doesn’t give you the right to judge me on that, you understand?” She pointed a finger in my face and I took a step backwards. “I’ve done a great job providing for myself and Phin, and that’s more than I can say about you!”

The anger swirled through my body and I had to make a conscious effort to close my eyes and fight it off. What the fuck was she talking about? She didn’t know anything! She was the one who left
me
!

“Fine,” I snapped. “You really want to keep up that selfish attitude? Do it, then. I’m sure you can’t wait to see Phin,
our son
, hurt. Just keep trying to take care of yourself and wait.”

Jenny’s eyes filled with tears and her face lost its look of resolve. She blinked and I could tell that I’d really said something to hurt her. I felt some of my anger melting away as Jenny sniffled and reached up to wipe at her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “But you really need to think about his safety, Jenny. You both need to stay with me until this all dies down.”

Jenny swallowed hard. She was still just as pretty as she’d been, but she looked softer now, more like a woman. Where she used to be almost angular, she was still slim but there was a little roundness to her belly. I imagined putting my hand against it and cupping the hot skin. The image made my cock jump in my pants and I felt a shiver of lust.

“I’m sorry, too,” Jenny said. She bit her lip and looked deeply into my eyes.

Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed Jenny and pressed my lips to hers. Her mouth was soft, yielding, just like it had always been, and I slipped my tongue between her soft lips. Jenny wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me close, pressing her dynamite body against mine. I could feel her nipples stiffening into little pebbles of desire and pressing against my chest. My cock twitched and chafed in my pants and I was rock hard in seconds. As Jenny slipped her little hands down my back, I nibbled her lower lip between my teeth. Jenny moaned softly and arched her back. My hands wormed around her body and squeezed the cheeks of her ass until she was moaning and grinding her hips against me. Her ass was just as succulent as I could remember, and just as firm.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Jenny broke apart from me and jumped back. Her lip was glistening with saliva and I could see her pulse pounding in her throat.

“Leave me alone,” Jenny said in a shaky voice.

I shook my head and laughed. “Fat chance, mama,” I told her. “I’m going outside. I’m going to wait for you until your shift is over. Then, we’re going to pick up Phin and take you both over to my place.”

Jenny opened and closed her mouth without speaking. I thought she was going to try fighting me again, but finally she sighed. “Okay,” she said. “Fine. You win.”

Jenny

When I left the library at the end of my shift, I wasn’t surprised to see Tristan in the parking lot. He was sitting on the back of his bike and giving me a cocky smile. Whenever I saw him look at me like that, my insides melted. I hated that he inspired that reaction, but I couldn’t help it. Tristan was like oil to my water—we’d always clash, but we looked so damn good together. Part of me wanted him to bend me over and take me right there and then. The other part of me remembered my responsibilities, my life. My son.
Our son
, I corrected myself.
Our son.

“You ready to go get your boy?” Tristan winked at me and I felt my stomach do a flip-flop.

I nodded. I almost corrected him—the words “our boy” would have fell out of my mouth without a second thought. But when I realized that he’d likely spoken that way for a reason, I changed my mind. A numbness sat over me. He knew that Phin was my son, the son I’d raised alone. And he apparently didn’t even want that to change.

“Tristan, this really isn’t necessary,” I said, giving him my fakest smile. “I mean, we’d only be in your way. You know that’s true.”

Tristan sighed. “Stop trying to talk me out of it, Jenny,” he said. “You know that once my mind is made up, it can’t be changed.”

“Nice to see that some things haven’t changed,” I snapped. I blushed as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I was such a bitch sometimes! No wonder no one else had pursued me since Tristan left.

“Jenny, come the fuck on,” Tristan said softly. “I’m not fucking around. You both need to come with me, and the sooner we do it, the better. Get on,” he said, tapping the back of his bike. “Leave your car here.”

I shook my head. “No way,” I said quickly. “I need to drive, okay? That’s my one caveat.”

Tristan set his mouth in a thin line. I knew he wanted to argue with me, but he kept his mouth shut. I could tell that he was probably even more stubborn than he’d been as a teenager, when I’d last known him. Back then, it was impossible to get him to change his mind about anything. I thought that I’d mellowed with age, but being around Tristan was showing me that I still had a spine of steel underneath everything else. He was a different story; I could tell he was even
more
stubborn than he had been all those years ago.

“Fine,” Tristan muttered. “You drive. We’ll go get Phin, and then we’re going to my place.”

He gunned his bike and was out of the library parking lot before I could even turn the engine on my old station wagon. I rolled my eyes. For someone who wanted to protect me, he was doing a great job of showing off.

When we pulled up in my driveway, Lindsey ran out in the front yard. After what had happened before, she was totally right to be cautious. But I couldn’t shake the sense that she was also annoyed, like somehow this was more than she’d ever wanted to deal with. I shook my head. Now I was just being paranoid. If Lindsey knew what was going on, she’d want Phin to be safe, just like I did.

“Hi,” I said. A guilty look crept on my face as I looked into Lindsey’s naïve face. “I’m taking Phin on a little trip for a while.”

Lindsey frowned. She put her hands on her slim hips. “Why? What’s going on? What about school?”

“He’ll be fine,” I said. “He’s smart, he’ll catch up. We need to stay with Tristan for a little while.”

Lindsey’s eyes narrowed and went immediately to my arms. I cringed when I realized she was checking for track marks. I’d never given her a reason to suspect my behavior, but I knew that I was acting strangely. After all, she was Phin’s caretaker. If I had been in the same position, I probably would have acted the same way.

“Okay,” she said after a few seconds. “I’ll get his bag packed.”

She went back into the house and I could hear her calling out to Phin, her voice packed with false cheer. I frowned. I didn’t want to upset or startle Phin, but I was beginning to get the feeling this was serious.

Darius. That name was familiar somehow. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d met him before. Back when Tristan and I were together, I actually met a lot of his friends. Most of them obviously didn’t care for me—they made no secret of showing how they thought I was stuck-up and obviously a bad choice for their friend. But some of them had been nice, although not really accepting. I racked my brain, trying to remember their names. Darius
sounded
familiar, but I didn’t get a face popping into my mind. Maybe he was just someone Tristan had mentioned.

“Are you coming by to get me tonight?” I dropped my voice to a whisper. I was on the phone with one of my friends, Amanda. What my parents didn’t know is that Amanda lived right next door to Tristan, and sometimes Tristan would call me from her house.

“I can’t,” he said. “I’m sorry, baby, I have some shit to do with Darius.”

“I don’t like the sound of this guy,” I admitted. “You’ve been blowing me off to hang out with him for a few days now.”

“I know, baby,” Tristan said in a soothing voice. “I’m sorry, but it’s really important. We’re trying to set shit up for the future.”

I blinked myself back to reality. So that was where I’d heard the name. He had been a friend of Tristan’s for the second half of our relationship, the part where we fought all the time. The part where things weren’t as good as they had been at first, even though we still loved each other more than ever. Things had been different alright, and at the time I’d hated Darius for taking Tristan away from me.

Then, right before we broke up, I stopped hearing about Darius. Tristan said they had some kind of fight, but he wouldn’t tell me what it was about. I never suspected that it had anything to do with me. Until now.

Lindsey and I got Phin settled in my car.

“Mommy, where are we going?” He looked up at me with curious eyes. “Tell me.”

“We’re going on a little trip,” I told him softly. Phin grinned. He liked changes from routine, as long as they weren’t too scary. He never even minded when I only had money to make pancakes for dinner. He was a trooper, and I loved him. He had a big heart. When he got older, I knew he’d have girls swarming around him for miles.

Phin was quiet as we drove to Tristan’s house. It was in a nicer part of town, and his house was nicer than I expected. It was Spartan, but clean. The grass was cut military-short, and the inside of the house was done in masculine hues of dark grey and black. It was so different than my homey little cottage. A little thrill of excitement washed over me when I crossed the threshold and Tristan’s scent of leather and sandalwood washed over me.

“You can pick a room,” Tristan said. I thought he was talking to me, but I turned around to see him squatted down on the floor and looking at Phin.

“Really?” Phin grinned. “That’s awesome!”

“Just make sure your mom approves,” Tristan said. He winked at me and I felt my insides flutter. “I wouldn’t want to start any beef with her.”

“’Course not,” Phin said in a playfully tough way. He looked to me for approval and I nodded. As soon as he saw me smile, he took off and raced around the house.

I shook my head. “You’re good with him,” I admitted. “You used to being around kids?”

Tristan snorted. “Jenny, come on,” he said under his breath. “You know that I’m not.”

He was right, but I remembered that Tristan had always been really good at reading people. It made sense that he’d be good with kids. He’d been downright charming with Phin. I had to smile at that, even though he was as cocky as ever, he seemed harder now. More determined.

I wonder what else has changed
, I thought to myself.
Maybe I’ll never find out.