A Perfect Christmas with Chaos (Harbingers of Chaos Book 2) (2 page)

“I know, baby.” He cups my face, and rubs my cheek. “I promise, I’ll talk to you, okay? No more jumping to conclusions.”

I nod. “I will, too.”

I let him pull me closer so I’m lying against his chest. His heartbeat drums away next to my ear. His hand slides up and down my back.

“Thank you,” he says. “It was the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten.”

“Did you see the due date?”

I can’t see it, but I know he’s smiling. “Yeah, June. It seems like a long time from now, but I know it’s going to go by fast.”

“When do you think we should tell Will?”

He thinks it over for a while before answering. “Tomorrow?”

I grin, because I was thinking the same thing. I’m just a little nervous though to see how Will takes the news. What if she doesn’t want to share us with another baby? Right now she’s the center of attention, how will she feel having to share the spot light?

“So about this other present?”

It doesn’t take long for my mercurial biker to come out to play like I knew he would. His fingers start to tease edge of my panties, then they slip down and one large palm covers my ass cheek. Bending his head, he whispers into my ear, “This body should never be wrapped in this color.”

I smile against his chest. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

Ignoring my question, he asks, “You think she’s asleep yet?” When I sit up and place my hands on his shoulders. He steals a glance at the stairs.

I follow his gaze and then turn back to him. “Yeah, I checked. She’s out.”

His finger begins to trail over my bra strap. Pulling it to the side, he lets it fall off my shoulder. Then he does the same to the other side, so my bra sags and reveals more of my breasts. He shifts back on the couch and positions me over his knees so he can get a better look at me.

“Fuck, Doll. I want to pinch myself just to make sure I’m not dreamin’.”

His large hands come up and cup my breasts. He tests the weight and feel of them both.

“These are definitely bigger.” I scowl at him. I can’t count the number of times he’s said that over the last few days. Laughing at my glare, he eyes them again. “I’m not complainin’. At all. They’re…” Drifting off, he licks his lips and rubs his calloused thumbs of the tops of them. “They’re just hard not to stare at. My dick gets hard merely thinkin’ about them. But this…”

He smirks mischievously. “I almost wanna take a picture so I don’t ever forget what they look like like this. Fuckin’ dressed in red lace, and practically busting out of this bra.”

Coming forward, he pops one from the confines of the lace, and then swirls his tongue around my pebbled nipple. As if a string runs directly from where his mouth is to my sex, I arch due to the ache there. Cupping the back of Mav’s head, I hold him to me. His mouth lavishes over my tender breast and with every kiss my core tightens. When he’s paid homage to both, he trails kisses up my neck, until he’s breathing into my ear.

“Turn around,” The low tone of his voice has every hair on my body springing up, but in the best way. With his help, I turn and face the tree. Afterwards, I glance over my shoulder to look at him. Mav groans long and deep. He’s stroking himself over his pants and one hand comes up to stroke softly down my spine. “Jesus, Doll, I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m so fucking thankful you’re mine.”

His eyes blaze with fiery heat. “C’mere.” His hand snakes into my hair, fisting a handful. He half turns me so his forehead touches mine. He scoots me back so my back is to his chest, and his harsh breaths spike the lust crawling through me. His other hand skates around and thumbs one of my nipples making it rock hard for him.

He peers down at his hand on me. “I’ve been soft with you until now.” The hoarseness to his voice gives him away though. He’s not my Mav anymore. This is Luce, and just the idea of what’s coming has moisture coating these new panties I’m wearing. He kisses me then, his mouth covers mine, and his tongue slides right past my lips. He delves into my mouth and plays with my tongue, working me over from the inside out. When he pulls back his teeth sink into my bottom lip and cage it between his teeth for a moment before letting go. “But I don’t want to be soft tonight, Doll.”

He presses on my back, forcing me bend forward, and I plant my hands on his knees to keep myself from falling. As I do, he grinds his erection against my ass. The friction has another growl vibrating in his chest. In a rocking motion we move together. Then he pulls me back into him, and Mav’s lips eat at me. My shoulder. My neck. He lifts my hair and kisses the most rarely touched skin right by my hair line.

The action has me moaning like crazy, and I don’t care. It feels so fucking good. Wet lips press into my nape. Teeth scrape against the pulse point on my neck. His tongue digs into my skin behind my ear, and dear God I nearly come from that alone. His hands all the while massage every part of me. They roam and knead my chest, shoulders, and scalp. His fingers dig so deep into my skin, I lose myself. The sensations of his mouth, hands, and cock, making me damn near mindless.

When Mav’s hand snakes around to my stomach I’m only seconds away from unraveling. He moves my panties aside and without warning, plunges two fingers knuckle deep inside me. Shouting, “Luce!” I instantly come apart. My insides pulse and squeeze his fingers over and over again, until slowly the muscles relax.

It’s a long time before he withdrawals his fingers from inside me, but when he does, he moves them up my skin, over my stomach, chest, and neck. He doesn’t say a word as he rubs them against my lips, but he doesn’t have to. I open and he slides them inside.

I make love to his fingers with my mouth. I suck every bit of myself off him.

His kisses have slowed but not stopped. Not until he sucks my earlobe into his mouth, and then breathes out, “Spin around baby, and give me that sweet mouth.”

I do as he says and straddle him once again. Before he can kiss me, I yank at his shirt and wait for him to pull it off over his head and throw it to the floor.

Then his mouth clashes against mine. The kiss is hot and fierce. Hard and demanding. He hungrily devours me. His hand works at removing first the barrier of his pants, and then he lifts me so he can slide my panties aside quickly before forcing me down. I moan and caress every inch of his chest as he fills me. Mav’s fingers once again begin to knead my flesh. But one hand stays on my waist and powers me to move forward and up, and down and back. Rolling with the thrusting of his hips.

“Jesus, baby. That’s it. Ride me, and let me feel those fuckin’ tits hit my chest.”

Our breathing is heavy and we’re both gasping as we grind together. Every so often he growls and with each one, his movements become more powerful, more frantic to reach his release.

Throwing my head back, I let it all out. “Luce. Yeah, oh shit. So close. Ugh, no right there. Oh my god.”

Lifting me up, he drives deep and hits me right where I need him. He does it again. And fuck again. Feeling my muscles tense and my legs shake, I fight a little longer to endure. But then his mouth leaves mine, and his teeth clamp down on the skin between my neck and shoulder. I lose it as the pain shoots straight to my core.

When I close my eyes to let it all wash over me, little lights like the ones on the tree behind me, dance over my eyelids.

Mav rocks savagely one more time into me. He rasps, “Sweet Jesus,” against my skin as his body releases into mine. And as my inner walls begin to relax, his cock pulses over and over again, filling me with his warmth.

When the last bit of his release leaves him, Mav falls back against the coach and takes me with him. His arms wind around me and hug me tightly to his chest.

“Mmmm.” He murmurs tiredly against my temple. “We’re gonna have to do this again next year. And the one after that.”

“Like our own Christmas tradition.”

“Yeah. Just mine and yours. Hot fuckin’ sex in front of the tree. Sounds perfect.”

Mav reaches over and grabs the throw blanket off the edge of the couch. He pulls it around my shoulders and covers us both. I snuggle closer and breathe him in.

“You make me happy, Mav. I love you.”

Using his knuckle, he tips my chin up, and kisses my lips. “I love you too, baby. Thank you for making this the best Christmas.”

Chuckling I say, “It’s just getting started, just wait til Will wakes up.”

He grins. “I can’t wait to see her face.”

“You know she’s going to tear through all of those presents in seconds, right?” He doesn’t reply. Instead he closes his eyes, and his smile spreads wider. “Then she’ll be begging you to teach her how to ride her new bike.”

“Like I said. I can’t fuckin’ wait.”

I laugh. “She’s got you wrapped around her finger.”

His eyes open and focus on my face. They dip to my lips and then come back to my eyes. “So do you, Doll. And there’s nothin’ wrong with that. I love my girls.”

After shaking my head, I rest it under his chin.

We’re both quiet for a long time. The only sounds are that of the clock on the wall, and our breaths.

Finally, I break the silence. “We’re making a huge mess.”

He laughs and begins to lift me up off of him. “How about we go upstairs and finish this?” Standing, I wind the blanket around me. For a second I think he’s joking.

But then he sweeps me up into his arms and it’s so sudden, I let out a big shriek. “Mav!”

“C’mon. I want to show you why I’ve never been on the nice list.”

MAVERICK

As predicted the wrapping paper is flying in a million directions. Will is ripping through her presents like she’s on some kind of time limit. My attention is riveted on her. The excitement coiled in her tiny body is a wonder to behold.

I don’t remember ever having a Christmas like this one. Not as a kid. Not even when it was just my mom and me. It was a long time ago, but I think I would have remembered it if it had ever been like this.

Thinking of my mom has a rock wedging itself inside my throat.

I can’t fucking believe she’s coming here, and that my asshole of a stepdad isn’t coming with her. She’s finally going to meet Ember and Will, and I just know she’s going to love them. I thought for sure when she called to tell me that Paul was sick, that it meant neither of them were coming. It pissed me off. I figured it was just an excuse. And I’d been on the verge of begging her to reconsider when she dropped a bomb on me. Her and Paul were having problems. It turns out my not so saintly stepfather slipped up and had an affair with one of her friends from church. They’d been trying to work it out, but she thought maybe spending this holiday apart wouldn’t be a bad thing after all.

It’s sick, but that news was the best news I’d heard since finding out Ember was pregnant. I hate Paul. He’s a self-righteous dick. And he’s been pulling my mom away from me bit by bit over the years.

If my mom’s no longer sold on him being Mr. Touched by God then maybe she’ll finally see that just because I’m not a choir boy, doesn’t mean that I’m not a good man, and still the son she raised, who loves her.

A scream pulls me from my thoughts. Will yanks the giant plush unicorn from the box and gives it the biggest hug I’ve ever seen. “Mommy, look!” I chuckle at her response and then spare a glance at Ember. Her eyes light up every time Will calls her that. It’s something new and it shocks the both of us daily, but it also feels exactly right.

As Ember pets Saint, and keeps him from attacking Will’s new unicorn, she laughs and exclaims, “Oh my gosh! Look at that thing!”

Giddy, Will squeaks. “I know! It’s hu-mongus!”

Bending over I reach under the tree—scowling at the ominous gold mystery present as I do—and pull out the last present I have for Ember. Handing it to her, I say, “Second to last one, babe.”

Ember takes it but frowns. “Jeez, Mav. You’ve already got me enough.” She glances over at the pile of clothes, jewelry, make up, and other odd and ends that I’ve gotten her.

“Yeah, but these last few presents are special.”

Without Ember holding him, our puppy, Saint, saunters towards Will and her unicorn.

Ember takes her time unwrapping, almost as if she knows what’s inside. I tense as the paper comes off, and bite my lip as she removes the top half of the box. The subtle changes to her expression have me holding my breath.

Is it too soon?

Will she say yes?

Ember’s face flushes with color, and she too bites her lip. Her eyes dart up to my face for a second, and back to the leather vest inside the box. The one with her name on it, and mine. The one declaring her my woman and a part of our little HOC family for life.

“Mommy! You got a jacket like me!” Will claps her hands and then runs her tiny fingers over the patches on the back of the vest. “Ooohhhh…it’s like aunt Birdie’s too.”

My chest tightens with unease as Ember’s fingers follow the same path Will’s did. They slide over the HOC insignia. Then she picks it up like it’s a fragile piece of cloth and gently turns it around. Her fingers don’t touch the actual patch, but they trail over the words on it,
Property of Luce.
Then they move to the other side and scroll over her nickname,
Doll.

Her silence causes my stomach to roll like the ocean in a storm.

Not able to stand it a moment longer, I move towards her and crouch down. I comb her hair away from her face. Cupping her jaw, I turn her face a little so she’s looking up at me. “Baby, you’re gonna give me a stroke. What are you thinkin’? You don’t like it?”

Shaking her head, she relieves my fears. “No, I was just wondering what took you so long. Lily said you ordered this thing months ago. Did you forget how to spell my name?”

Still with the smart fucking mouth.

“She wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

“Yeah, but Lily can’t keep secrets. Especially when she’s drunk.”

Grinning wide now, she picks it up, and stands. With great care she slides her arm through one side. I stand behind her and help her put her other arm through. Seeing her red waves cascade down over my colors gives me instant wood.

Thankfully, I’m behind her so Will can’t see a thing.

Gripping Ember’s shoulders, I turn her. Her face is down and taking in the look of her new property vest.

“God, Doll. Say somethin’. You’re killin’ me here. Do you like it?”

As an answer, she grabs a hold of my t-shirt and yanks me closer. Going up on her tippy toes, she kisses me hard and long. Then pulls back for a mere second to whisper, “I love it,” before she plants her lips over mine again and sweeps her tongue along my lips. “I love that it tells everyone you’re mine, too.”

A rumble rattles off in my chest. In the background I hear Will saying something about kissing being gross, but I couldn’t give a fuck. Weaving my fist into Ember’s hair, I deepen the kiss, without words, I tell her exactly how much I love her.

We only pull away from each other because Will has wedged herself between us and is pushing on both of our stomachs. “Can we show her the surprise now? You said after all the presents were opened.”

I groan. I don’t want to stop. But I also smile, because Will is an impatient little shit, and I love it. Even though she’s not biologically mine, she’s so much like me it’s uncanny.

“Yeah. I think now’s a good time.”

Will jumps up and down, not at all containing her excitement. “Will you help me ride my bike after?”

Ember smirks up at me. “I told you.”

At the thought of teaching Will to ride her first bike, and finally showing Ember what I’ve done with the space above the garage, my grin spreads.

Could anything ruin this day? Nah, I don’t think so.

But then my eyes drift down to the damn present. The one that just happen to come when I wasn’t home. If I had been the one to get it from the postman, I would’ve thrown the damn thing in the trash, because I’m pretty sure I know who it’s from.

Count my words. Nothing good is in that present. Ember’s only going to regret opening it, and I swear to God if someone fucks with her today of all days, there’s gonna be hell to pay.

EMBER

A preschool. He designed and built me a freaking preschool above the garage. As I look around at the space, I gape and cover my mouth with my hands. It wasn’t enough that he went and made half of the space an apartment we could rent out. A space that I’d asked him if we could offer to Ivy when I find her. But then this gorgeous man goes and builds me a damn preschool.

Good God, what am I going to do with him?

Love him.

Hell yes. I am.

Because this…this is amazing.

There’s a huge tree in the middle of the room. It’s not real, obviously, but it’s so cute. The center of the trunk is hallowed out, and it’s massive. Mav says it’s for reading time. But God…it’s the neatest thing I’ve ever seen.

My gaze travels from the tree to the line of shelves of kids’ books. Will’s beaming beside them. “She helped me pick out some good ones,” Mav motions to Will.

“Jeez, Mav. This is incredible.”

“Bethany helped too. I didn’t really know all the stuff you’d need, so I gave her a little money and she did some shopping. She got the little table and chairs, and the mats. The rest of it, I ordered online and had delivered to the clubhouse.”

Leaving his side, I walk through the room. It’s so colorful, and the tiny chairs make my heart flutter. When I get to the other side of the room, I see a plethora of supplies: boxes and boxes of crayons, paint, paint brushes, toys, blankets, nap mats. “Oh my God. How did you know?”

“Like you said. Lily spills everything when she’s drunk.”

“Drunk. Drunk. Drunk,” Will sing-songs. Mav’s brows purse together and he gives me an
oh shit
expression.

I laugh. Looking around again I breathe out, “I can’t believe this. This is amazing.”

His hands circle around me from behind. “So you like it?”

“Love. Love. Love.”

He kisses my neck. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

Holding my hands over his, I whisper it back to him. “Merry Christmas.”

A few minutes later, after thoroughly taking it all in, we decide it’s time to tell Will our news.  She takes it a whole lot better than we thought she would. She simply asks if it is a boy or a girl, to which we tell her we don’t know yet, and we’ll be able to find that out in about a month. She probes a bit to see if she’ll have to share her toys, but otherwise she’s not really concerned. Only shrugs and asks if Mav will teach her how to ride her bike now.

So we go outside, and as I help Will put on all the protective gear we bought her, Mav double checks that the bike is safe and ready. Will catches on quickly and yells for Mav to let go. Something I can tell from where I stand on the driveway, he’s reluctant to do. Will’s a lot like him though, talented in so many ways, and honestly it doesn’t surprise me one bit that she took to that bike like she’s been riding it for months. What does astonish me is Mav’s response. He seems almost disappointed, and follows her around like a sentinel ready to run to catch her if she even wavers for a moment.

An act that both fills me with amusement and pride.

It also makes me realize how valuable second chances are. To think I could have missed out on all this…

I guess sometimes for the right person, giving them another chance, is the only choice that makes sense.

Eventually, Mav realizes Will’s got this, and backs off. He makes his way to me and when he comes to stand at my side, his arm circles my waist and he brings me in close. He rasps rather closely to my ear, “God, she’s a talented little shit, isn’t she?” and little tingles of desire sparkle along my neck.

Smiling, I snuggle into his side and wrap my arms around him. “Yep, like someone else I know.”

“So you really think it’s a good idea to have everyone over?” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. After checking the time, he says, “I could cancel now and we could spend the rest of the day with just us. Wrapped up. On the couch. All cozy and warm. We could relax and watch some movies.”

Chuckling, I pinch his side. He flinches and tries to pull away. “I’m kidding.” After a beat of silence he adds, “But it’s tempting, ain’t it?”

Yeah...it is. But I promised I’d cook a Christmas dinner for an army of HOCs, and I plan to do just that. Plus, with Nick gone, someone needs to step in and make sure these men eat a home cooked meal on occasion.