Heart of Steel: A Satan's Savages MC Novel #1 (20 page)

“Nikita—”

“Please, call me Niki,” she informs me.

“Niki,” Lookout says rolling the name off his tongue making me inwardly laugh.

“Okay, Niki, I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell Willow about this.”

She smiles kindly and nods. “Don’t worry, Steel, I won’t be telling anyone about this.”

I nod and she smiles again as Lookout takes her hand and she grins widely.

“Let me show you around,” he says and then drags her off.

Techie steps up next to me and I take in a deep breath. “What do you think?” I ask.

He looks up to the ceiling and I roll my eyes.
I wanted a simple answer!
There’s never a simple answer around here.
What the fuck do I have to do to get one?

“She seems grateful. The likelihood of her ratting is probably around 0.4% based on her pupil dilation and her lack of throat clearing, jaw manipulation and suprasternal notch touching. I’d say the woman is either an extremely good actor, or she’s telling the truth when she says she won’t tell anyone.”

“So you believe her then?” I ask just wanting to jerk his chain.

“Fuck! That’s what I just said. Do you even listen to me when I talk?” he asks huffing and stomping away.

Chuckling, I saunter over to the bar to see Doug covered in beer again. You’d think he would have the hang of it by now?

I turn around to see Lookout taking Niki back down the hall toward his room. I raise an eyebrow and smirk. It’s not for me to judge, but wow that seems fast, especially for a guy like Lookout. But Niki seems to be the type to fit in here. She has a tougher edge to her than Willow.

Willow.

Damn, I haven’t seen her in days and I need a fix. Mind made, I’m going to go and visit her. Standing up, I walk over to Behemoth and grab his attention.

“I’m headin’ out. Keep an eye on everythin’ while I’m gone. Message me if anythin’ goes down.”

“Sure thing, Steel,” Behemoth answers slapping my shoulder. Making my way to my bedroom, I change into more suitable clothing and walk right out of the packed clubhouse to find some peace with my Flame.

The ride to the child care centre is smooth and easy. My excitement for seeing Willow is growing with every kilometer I inch closer to her. It’s close to the end of the working day and I want to surprise her. Pulling into the centre car park, I stop my bike and walk in through the gate and into the centre. The kids are screaming and making a general ruckus, and as I gaze around suddenly something attaches to my leg. I stare down and see Jackson cuddling into me tightly. Chuckling, I lean over scruffing his hair as he cuddles into my leg.

“How are you goin’, little dude?”

He chuckles as I tickle his side and he squirms against my leg.

“Good. Dad’s gone, and I miss him. But Mum’s happier now.”

Instantly guilt floods my veins and I take in a deep, steadying breath as the beat of my blood pumping can be heard vividly in my ears.

“Are you happy your dad is gone, too?”

Jackson shrugs and tilts his head frowning like he remembers something. “Dad used to hurt Mama, he won’t do that anymore.”

I nod bending down to his height and pull him to me squeezing him tight. “Do you know where Daddy went?”

Jackson shrugs and shakes his head.
Good, that’s good.

“Steel?” Willow’s voice echoes through the centre. I glance up and immediately notice she’s wearing a red apron and has white powder all over her face.

Chuckling, I look at Jackson, who’s giggling along with me. Raising an eyebrow while smirking at her, I stand up and Jackson re-attaches himself to my leg. “Um… I think you’ve been hittin’ the freakin’ sugar a bit hard, Miss Willow,” I suggest and Jackson chuckles.

“Yeah, Miss Willow, you’re hitting the freakin’ sugar—” Jackson repeats and I laugh and high-five him as Willow huffs putting her hands on her hips with a frown as she cuts him off.

“What have I said about that language, Jackson?” I pout and look at Jackson, who frowns and dislodges from my leg.

“Sorry, Miss Willow.”

Trying to hide my smirk, I walk up to her as Jackson looks at me then runs off in the other direction while yelling, “But you look freakin’ funny.”

I grab her powder covered hands. “You been doin’ hardcore drugs at the child care centre, Miss Willow?” I ask and pick up her hand bringing it to my lips, taking a sugar covered finger into my mouth and sucking on it seductively. Her frown turns into a sultry smile as the sickly sweet taste of icing sugar invades my taste buds.

“You’re a bad influence on Jackson,” she says as I lick up the side of her finger.

“Mm-hmm,” I murmur putting her finger back into my mouth and sucking it again.

She laughs and pulls her hand away from me shaking her head and slapping my chest. “Stop it, there are children present!”

Chuckling, I look around at the kids all staring up at me. “What time do you finish?”

“In about ten minutes. Just getting the cookies ready, then I can leave. What’s your plan?”

“Was thinkin’ of headin’ back to yours. Have some dinner. Spend most of the night deep inside of you. That sort of thing?”

She opens her eyes wide and looks around the room. I chuckle and pull her to me kissing her head. “Don’t worry, no one heard, I wouldn’t do that to you. Tina’s helpin’ Jackson with his bike in the sand pit outside. The other girl is helpin’ with the cookies in the kitchen, and the kids don’t understand what we’re talkin’ about.”

She looks up at me and blinks a few times in shock. “You noticed all that just standing there?”

“It’s my job to know my surroundin’s ma’am.”

She looks up at me through her lashes and inhales. “Mmm… I suppose it would be.”

I kiss her hair once more inhaling the flowery scent that’s all her. She lets me go and I look down to see the icing sugar is now all over my black leather jacket. She smirks and wipes it off and then shakes her head.

“Okay, let me finish the cookies and then we can go back to mine. Just go and sit in the corner, and keep out of trouble. Okay?”

I nod and smirk. “Yes, ma’am.” I give her a two finger salute and walk over to a little pink stool and sit down on it. My knees come right up to my chest as I perch on the tiny thing. I must look like a complete tool, but for Willow I’d look like a fool any day of the week. She turns back looking at me, and I pick up a Barbie from the table and wave it from side to side at her as if I’m playing with it. She laughs loudly and turns back around finishing off her cookies.

Placing the doll back down on the heap I look outside to see the kids playing. I wonder what it would be like to have my own? Then my mind flicks to Willow, seeing her belly protruding all fat and pregnant with my kin inside her. The thought actually fills me with something. Excitement? Hope? I have no idea. I’ve known this woman less than a week and I’m thinking about her spawning my child?

That shit’s not right.
I have to watch myself around her, she could have me whipped in no time. And being whipped leads to mistakes. And mistakes gets motherfuckers killed! I don’t wanna be dead yet. Especially if Willow is going to be in my future. I need to keep my shit together. Keep my head in the game. Or I’ll be pushing up daisies before I’m thirty.

Jackson runs into the room distracting me from my thoughts with Tina chasing him. He bolts right up to me and jumps into my arms with such force that I jolt backward and the little pink stool gives way. The snapping of the plastic legs startles me as I fall back onto the plush carpet with Jackson in my arms. He’s laughing hysterically as Tina looks at me with her hand over her mouth and a slight giggle escaping her lips.

“Oh my goodness, I am sorry. Are you okay?” she asks as Jackson cuddles into me while I lay on the floor with a broken stool underneath me.

I chuckle and nod. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“I wish you were my dad, Steel,” Jackson announces wrapping his arms around my neck and hugging me so tightly I can hardly breathe.

I crease my eyebrows and cough slightly as Tina stands there with a dazed look on her face. I grab Jackson’s arms and loosen them, then sit up placing him on my lap and hug him back.

“Well….” I trail off, I have no idea what to say.

“I want you!”

“Jackson, leave the poor man alone. You’ve broken his back. Don’t make him feel bad as well,” Tina says and Jackson pouts and clings onto me tighter.

I smile at Tina and mouth ‘It’s okay.’ “Hey Jackson, I’ll come and visit when I can. How about that?” I ask and his cute little brown eyes sparkle so brightly it’s like he’s going to cry.

“I’d frickin’ love that—”

“
Jackson
, don’t swear!” Tina reprimands. Jackson and I both smirk and glance at each other.
I love this kid.

“Why are you on the floor? And what happened to the stool?” Willow asks the questions in quick succession while walking over with the cute as fuck apron now off, and all the icing sugar seemingly removed from her delicious body.

I chuckle as does Tina while Jackson smirks.

“Jackson got a bit excited,” I reveal and she opens her eyes wide.

“Okay, well that sounds like I missed a treat.”

“You sure did,” Tina says and I fake a scowl at her. She stops smirking and her face turns serious like she’s not sure if I’m going to shoot her.

I love that I can scare people with just a look.

“It’s fine, Tina… I’m kiddin’.”

Her shoulders slump and she breathes out heavily. “Oh, I thought I’d really offended you.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “No, not at all.” Picking up Jackson I place his feet on the floor, then stand up next to Willow as Jackson takes a seat on my foot and grabs hold of my leg. I look down at him and smirk.

“Is he like this with everyone?” I ask.

They shake their heads. “Nope, only you,” Willow replies and bends down to Jackson’s height.

“Jackson, sweetheart, we have to go now. So can you say goodbye to Steel?” she asks him so sweetly it makes me think some of that sugar seeped through her skin and into her brain.

“No, you can’t go. Dad left, you can’t go, too.”

My chest tightens and my stomach knots. I run my hand through his thick brown hair and take in a deep breath. “Hey, buddy. I swear I’ll be back. I just gotta take Miss Willow home, and give her a nice dinner for workin’ so hard and makin’ you those delicious cookies today. But I promise mate, I’ll come back and see you. I frickin’ swear it—”

“
Steel!
”

“You frickin’ swear it?” Jackson asks.

“
Jackson!
—”

“Yeah, mate, I do,” I interrupt Willow’s berating of Jackson.

He looks up at me with watering eyes and clings onto my leg tighter.

Fuck, I thought that would work.

“Can I ride your leg to the door?” he asks with a smile, and I look at Willow slightly confused.

She laughs and shakes her head. “Jackson, I think you can walk to the door with us, okay?”

He pouts and clings on tighter. “But I wanna frickin’ ride—”

“
Jackson seriously!
Your language young man has
got
to stop!”

“Pleeeaaase, Miss Willow?”

She looks at me and I shrug guessing I just walk with him attached to my leg. Doesn’t seem too hard, and if it’ll make him happy that’s all I want. Anything I can do to make Jackson feel loved I’m gonna do it.

“You wanna ride? You got it kid!” I smirk down at him as he smiles up at me and I begin stepping toward the door. I have to walk sort of like Frankenstein to maneuver with him on my leg. The kid is actually quite heavy, but as his fits of laughter echo through the centre I figure it’s all worth it. On arrival at the door, he lets go and jumps off my leg.

He smiles up at me. “You’re the best, Steel! Thanks for the cookies, Miss Willow!” Then he runs off to the kitchen where the other lady is serving out more cookies.

I can’t help but chuckle at the kid’s energy. “Okay, ready to go biker boy?”

“Sure am. Ladies first.”

“Off you go then,” she teases. I open my mouth to say something, but she grins and tilts her head down and looks up at me through her eyelashes knowing she’s in trouble for that one.

“You better move your arse, Flame,” I suggest and she giggles and sashays through the door quickly, as I slap her arse making her jump slightly. We continue moving outside and through the gate that I fixed the day we met to my bike.

“I’ll meet you back at my place?” she asks as I pull on my lid.

“Definitely.”

She leans in pressing her lips to mine and I kiss her back quickly before she turns around. I swiftly pinch her arse, and she jumps again, turning back to look at me and smirking as she walks to her car. Putting on my sunnies, I start the engine and pull out onto the road.

When Petunia greets me as I walk through the door, I must admit that I’m still a little freaked out that someone so clean cut as Willow owns a pet pig.

“Honestly, I expected you to be more of a cat or rabbit kind of girl,” I say as I lean down petting Petunia on her hairy little head.

Willow giggles and shrugs. “Guess I’m full of surprises.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” I smile at her and she walks into the kitchen.