A Love So Hard (Aces High MC - Charleston Book 2) Read online

  “Come on, sugar, let’s go take a walk.” My daddy came in the kitchen and gently pushed me toward the back door. The screen door squeaked on its hinges announcing our exit from the house just as well as the creaky porch steps did once we stepped out onto the beautifully landscaped lawn.

  “Are you going to keep me from the garage?” I asked without pretense, because I already knew what was coming. My daddy sighed heavily as if the weight of the world had landed on his shoulders, and it was starting to be a bit too much to hold there.

  “Baby girl, your mother is in a snit about you being there, and about you helping out Johnny with his bike this afternoon. She thinks it’s unbecoming, and something you need not be doing.”

  I growled out my angry response while my daddy just chuckled at my efforts. “I know,” he managed to get out as he ruffled his fingers through my hair. “The thing is, she isn’t all that wrong.” When I huffed and stomped my foot in frustration he held up his hands. “Now, hear me out. You know where we live, and women just don’t do the things I have you doing at the garage. It ain’t women who bring their vehicles in to be fixed; it’s their men. No man likes to feel emasculated by a woman knowing more about engines than he does.”

  “Well, it’s obvious they don’t know jack since they had to take it to a mechanic in the first place,” I argued.

  “Yeah, well, they think it’s all right if the person who knows more is another man.”

  “That’s stupid,” I argued.

  “That may be, but sweetheart, you know how people are. I can’t change everyone’s mind for you.”

  “I know that, daddy.” I sighed, but kept marching right around our big backyard with him in tow. “That man today didn’t seem to mind me working on his bike.”

  My dad chuckled a moment and then got a stern look on his face. “Honey, that boy,” he corrected, “today at the garage didn’t mind you being there because he had something pretty to look at. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it was his only motivation in allowing you access. He wanted to be able to see you again. Since we’re on that topic, I think it’s important that you know I won’t tolerate that. He’s too old for you, for one. He’s also a member of the Aces High Motorcycle Club. While they don’t mess with underage women, they don’t exactly treat women right either. Most of them cheat on their women, honey. Is that the type of man you want in your life? Someone who will run through all the less than desirable whores that hang out around their clubhouse while you’re at home being a good wife and waiting up for him?”

  “I’m not trying to get married to anyone, daddy,” I explained.

  “Not now, but one day, Lucy, you’re going to find a man who stops your heart and keeps it beating all at once, and you won’t want anything more than to make him happy. He better feel the same about you too. That man will never be from a motorcycle club. There’s a reason I’m not a part of them, even though I love to ride too. I love your momma more. She wouldn’t tolerate me being her man and your dad if I happened to be in that club.”

  “There’s a lot of stupid stuff she won’t tolerate,” I added belligerently.

  “And you’d do well to take heed of some of those things. She knows what she’s talking about, even if you don’t understand just yet.”

  “So, does this mean she’s getting her way and I won’t be allowed at the garage anymore?”

  My dad laughed and shook his head. “No, sweetheart, she ain’t getting her way on that just yet. When I turn you loose into this world you will never have to worry about a man trying to take advantage of you when you need work done on your car. If that’s the best protection I can send you into the world with, then at least I’ll know I did that much right.”

  “You do a lot more than that right, daddy.” I gave him a big side-hug and we continued wandering around the back yard for a little longer before the mosquitoes came out and decided to try to feast on us. “Hey,” I started as we walked through the squeaky screen door once more. “Johnny has some issues with his bike. I think he has an intake leak.” I chewed on my lip a bit before continuing. “From the looks of things probably more than one, but also an issue with his fuel. I’m not sure if it’s a line or a pump because I wasn’t able to get close enough to find out earlier.”

  My dad hugged me to him and gave me a kiss on the head. “Tell you what, honey, I’ll inform Johnny that the labor cost is on us if you get to look it over and fix it. He’d be an idiot to turn that deal down.”

  “He doesn’t want me looking at his bike,” I grumbled.

  “I bet he takes the deal. Just wait and see.”

  Chapter 2

  (Lucy – age 16, Double-D – age 19)

  Some days these club functions were all I looked forward to. This wasn’t one of those days. I’d been helping my mamma by pulling out cabinets that got water logged and warped when her sink pipes had broken and saturated the entire works underneath. Beyond that, the only thing worth looking forward to was having one of the club sluts suck me off or something to relieve some stress, but ever since yesterday I had a particular girl on my mind that I just couldn’t get out of my head, and I didn’t think any other bitch would do to take the edge off. Damn shame, considering the one I wanted was so far off limits she may as well be on the damn moon.

  It was late when I arrived. After dark the clubhouse was off limits to club kids and that also meant most of the old ladies would be gone too. It only took a few steps in the door for me to see I was right. The club whores were already here in a way that they weren’t having to slink around in the background out of sight and out of mind. That meant the respectable women and children were all gone for the day, and the dirty business of partying MC style was about to kick into full gear.

  Sure, some of the guys who had girlfriends and old ladies, but no kids, had their women around too. Only the ones who were able to sit back, shut up, and keep what they saw to themselves were allowed to remain though. It wasn’t a hard and fast rule that you had to fuck around on your woman. Hell, some men, like my own father, seemed to think it was. Others though – I lived by their better example. If I ever made a woman my old lady, she was getting all of me. I’d seen my mom cry her heart out one too many times after she found my dad with a whore the next morning, or when he’d come home smelling like cheap skank and wearing half her worn off makeup on his clothes and skin.

  I didn’t understand why she stayed. Hell, I’d begged her to leave more times than I could count. My dad never raised a fist to the woman, never said too many unkind words either, but he knew he was breaking her heart and continued to do it time and again. In my book, doing so was just as bad as the damage done by assholes who told their women they were worthless repeatedly. My dad didn’t tell my mom, he showed her with his actions whether that was his intention or not. I swore I would never do that to a woman when I gave her my heart and took hers for myself. I would never be the kind of low man who would show the love of his life that she wasn’t worthy. It was a vow I made to myself to be a better man one day, and it was one I meant to keep.

  I spoke to the prospect at the door as I entered, and I had only crossed half way through the expansive party room before two girls I went to high school with, who were now officially club whores, came strolling over to me. “Tracey, Shannon,” I greeted them both by name. I don’t think most of the guys knew their names yet, they were that new, but like I said, I’d gone to school with them. No use in pretending I didn’t know who they were. Both of them had been all over me in the past couple weeks that they’d been servicing the MC men during their unofficial job interview, if you could call it that. I think they assumed since I already knew them that they’d have a better chance of landing me as an old man one day. They couldn’t have been any more wrong if they tried. It all went back to that promise to myself to be a better man than my father. That meant holding out for a better woman too. There was nothing wrong with what they were doing, but I wanted a woman who was in it only for me. Any woman wh
o would sleep with my brothers while waiting for that to happen wasn’t anything I could trust to be with only me later on. I knew this from observing both the men and women of the club for so long.

  Don’t get me wrong. My momma was a damn good woman. I’m just saying if a woman, like these two, would spread their legs for anyone and everyone just to be here they weren’t worth my fidelity, or any of my time beyond blowing a quick load to relieve stress, until I found the one chick that was worth giving up the quick fucks for. Hell, at the rate my brain kept going back to the girl from the garage I would think I’d found her already. I knew what the guys would say too. They’d think I was dumb as fuck. I could hear it now. “You’re too young. She’s too young. What’s the rush?” I’d heard all their shit before. Some of the guys were in their 30s already and had never settled down, even though a couple of them had kids out there by different women.

  I would be a better man. My kids would be raised by their mother and me. Their mother would also be the woman I was in love with. No questions. No deviations. That’s just how it was going to be. In the here and now where I had Shannon and Tracey trying to climb my jock in the middle of the clubhouse I wished my timing was better, and the girl I’d met today was of age already. Most everybody was outside enjoying the warm summer evening. There were a few stragglers inside though, these two among them. “Ladies,” I said, knowing full well neither was fit for the title.

  “Hey there Double-D, we’ve been waiting for you,” Tracey cooed as near to my ear as her short stature allowed her to get.

  “Yeah, we didn’t even bother going outside when we noticed you weren’t there. Figured we would snag you before you went out, maybe offer up some pre-party stress relief,” Shannon confirmed their intentions. “We don’t mind playing together with you either.” I knew they didn’t. I don’t know why she bothered to add in that little bit. I guess she thought threesome action would entice me more than if either of them had come at me solo. Whatever. Shannon’s hand had already reached down between my legs and was stroking my cock hard through my pants while Tracey was still trying to reach my ear, missing, and kissing along my neck instead.

  Something felt off in the room though. My neck started tingling near my hairline like it does when I’m being watched. I glanced around the room quickly taking in everyone who seemed to be lingering inside rather than outside where the food and booze was tonight. A couple prospects lingered here and there. One was by the door where I’d left him, but another was off closer to the bar bagging up the day’s garbage and talking to… someone who was sitting there. That someone happened to be a female who had just been turned toward me until I started glancing around. Damn if that blond head didn’t look a little bit familiar too. She glanced back over her shoulder, looking straight down from my eyes to my dick that Shannon was still working on through my jeans. Holy fuck! It was the mechanic girl. Jack Carter’s daughter was sitting at the bar in my clubhouse.

  I went from excited to see her to pissed the fuck off the moment the prospect with the trash moved closer to her. I think his name was Johnny Thomas. He hadn’t earned a road name yet, and if he kept fucking around with my girl, he never would. The hell if I was going to be warned off by her daddy only to have this fuckwit come in and swoop her up from the shadows.

  I pushed the two bitches, who couldn’t take my disinterest as a hint, off my body and started strolling over to the bar to my girl. “The fuck are you doing here?” I bellowed out louder than I meant to. The reddening of her cheeks showed just how much my outburst had embarrassed her.

  “I um, I was just waiting for my ride.” She informed me with more than a little hesitancy as I glanced around, looking for a chick she might have come here with today, or maybe her dad. Seeing no one who could fit the bill I started in on her again.

  “I know your dad wouldn’t want you here, so I’m asking again, why are you here?”

  “Calm down, Brother,” Prospect Fuckwit tried to interject.

  “We ain’t brothers yet,” I informed him snidely.

  He ignored that jab and carried on as if he didn’t give two shits what I had to say. “She dropped my bike off for me just a bit ago, but I’ve been too busy to give her a ride home just yet. Her friend was supposed to come get her, but got held up.”

  “The fuck was she doing with your bike?” I asked, completely confused, because no man worth his shit allowed another person to ride their baby, let alone a chick.

  “She fixed it for me and drove it over so I’d have it tonight.”

  “You let a bitch fix your ride and drive it? Are you fuckin’ crazy?” I asked, completely bewildered.

  The prospect got pissed. His face was starting to turn red, and his fists were clenched tightly as he ground the next words out between clenched teeth. “Lucy’s a damn good mechanic, and a better rider than most of the men I know.” It looked as though it pained him to say it, and I didn’t think he did it for her benefit. He was trying to save face. Judging from the defiant once over he gave me I was included in the lesser rider batch.

  I ignored his jab at me though and turned back to her. Lucy. I finally had a name for the woman who wouldn’t get the fuck out of my head. Then it hit me. This fuckstick knew her name when I didn’t. That did not sit well. Not. At. All.

  “Come on babe, I’ll take you home.”

  “No thanks. I know Johnny. He’ll see me home safely when he’s done.”

  What the fuck? “Babe, he won’t be done until like three in the morning and trust when I say you don’t want your innocent little eyes seeing what goes down here late nights.”

  She glanced worriedly towards the prospect again. He sighed and nodded, as if letting her know I was correct. “He’s right, Lucy. They’ll never let me out early. I can call my mom to come get you, if you’d be more comfortable,” he offered, all chivalrous like.

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Prospect?” I yelled in his face, not liking the insinuation that Lucy wouldn’t be safe with me.

  He held his hands up defensively. “Nothing man. Lucy is my neighbor. I know she’d be safe with you, Double-D, but I just want her to feel comfortable since I’m the reason she was here in the first place.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” I blew him off and turned back to the woman I’d be dreaming about again tonight. “Look, you want a ride home or not, babe? We met before at your dad’s shop,” I started to say.

  “I’m not stupid,” she sassed. “I know who you are. I just… well… you seem really angry with me for some reason, and I…” she bit her bottom lip hesitating on what she wanted to say next.

  It didn’t matter because whatever it was would have been lost in the mix when Shannon came up from behind me trying to give a reach-around to my deflated chub.

  “The fuck are you doing?” I asked as I spun around, knocking her hands free from my body.

  “Finishing what we started,” she cooed while giving the evil eye to the girl sitting behind me. Oh, I saw what she was doing all right. This bitch was trying to run the good girl off, because she knew competition when she saw it. Fuck that!

  “We didn’t start shit tonight, or any other night. You’re a hole for any asshole to use and unless you want to lose that place here you don’t ever put your hands on my body without permission again, we clear?”

  “Yeah, Charles,” she gritted out derisively.

  I slammed my fist into my own chest, and pointed to the name that was embroidered on the kutte I wore. “Double-D, not Charles. Never Charles to you.” I stated clearly. She nodded and whimpered, realizing her mistake as she took a couple steps back from me. I guess it was just my night to scare all the girls off with my attitude.

  Only I didn’t care about this one in particular, which reminded me. I turned to the girl who was waiting on me to take her home only to find she was no longer there waiting. She was headed out the front door with the prospect in tow. “What the…” I started to say as a large hand came down on my shoulder. It was our Pr
ez, Timeless.

  “I sent the girl with Johnny-boy. You looked busy with Shannon and she lives next door to the kid. Only asshole here her dad would trust to do it anyway. You know she’s under club age, and off limits, yeah?”

  “Of course I know. Does Johnny-boy?” I seethed as I used the nickname Timeless clearly had for the prospect.

  “He’s got an in bigger than you ever could if she wanted to give him her time, boy.” He chuckled then as a sick, twisting feeling churned in my guts.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Those two have been best friends for a long damn time. Hell, they used to take baths together. Their moms are best friends, and no doubt have plans to put their spawn together in wedded bliss one day. I’m betting that boy would have no problem with their planning either. Best to stay clear of that, D. Nothing good can come from you going there. She has two years until she’s club legal, and her dad has already called to have me warn you away.”

  “Great, but that fuckstick is good enough? He was seriously going to have her hanging out here all night to witness the shit that goes down on party nights,” I informed him.

  Timeless just shook his head at me while grinning. “Since when have you ever cared what happens in the clubhouse or who sees it?” Well, he had me there. Nothing I could possibly say to that would help my case.