Misled (30 page)

Sitting in the great room on Christmas day, Christopher sighed with contentment, a foreign feeling to him. Even his five sisters couldn’t kill the mood, although Zoann continued
with her self-righteous bitchiness and still harassed him for not keeping in contact with Patricia. As far as Christopher was concerned that was old news. Zoann didn’t understand, so that was
her
fucking problem. They didn’t understand staying away from them had kept them safe, which was also how he wanted to keep Megan. He refused to own up to his true feelings about her. If she found out how much she meant to him, that she’d become his heart and soul, she’d somehow get him to agree to put a ring on her finger.             

Then, she’d be
stuck with that hated fucking name,
Caldwell,
attached to her for the rest of her life. He wanted to give her her own cut, proclaiming her the
Property of Christopher “Outlaw” Caldwell
. Even that would give her too much leverage. Megan had a fucking way about her and the next thing he knew he was agreeing to shit.

Inviting his three brothers to spend Christmas with them, for instance. Buying gifts for those same
motherfuckers. Convincing them to bring those same gifts, wrapped with stupid fucking shiny paper and stupider fucking twirly bows. Making Digger and Mortician—and him—shift their weight restlessly when she’d asked why Val hadn’t come.

No one had answered, but Christopher didn’t think she noticed because Johnnie had walked in and swept her in a hug. Since Johnnie had saved him from coming up with an excuse for Val’s absence, he’d let the greeting pass. Besides, Megan’s Christmas Eve present had him nice and mellow. While he’d been in the shower, she’d been hookering herself up and greeted him in a tiny red thong lined with white fur, a Santa cap, and six-inch shiny red heels. Her hair had been wild, her lips stained
red. He’d gotten a dick stand the moment he’d seen her, posed on the bed. Instead of allowing him to touch her, she’d given him a lap dance to
Love In An Elevator
and a blowjob that curled his toes just thinking about it.

When they’d finally fucked, his dick had been as raw from her sucking him as her pussy had been from him eating her.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Megan scampered from the kitchen, the gingerbread apron she wore longer than the fucking dress it covered. The black dress had a plunging neckline that ended with a rhinestone. On her feet, she wore some kind of booties with metal ankle cuffs.

While he shot the shit with Johnnie, Digger, and Mortician, Megan was everywhere, helping in the kitchen, checking
on his nieces, and keeping their glasses filled. This time, though, she didn’t stop but headed for the door.

“Hey! Where the fuck you goin’?” he growled, not missing the way Johnnie was fucking her with his eyes. The other two were doing their best
not
to look at her, but she was fucking hard to ignore. She was one hot little bitch.

“With me, Christopher,” Ophelia said, appearing around the column to head toward Megan. “We’re going
to get some fresh air.”

At twenty-two, Ophelia was the youngest of the family. Her hair was about two inches long and spiked.
She was in some school for film production and sang in a band on the weekends. He knew she had a boyfriend, but she’d never introduced him.

“Girl talk,” Megan announced, opening the door, and stepping out into the overcast day. Eve
ry now and then, sunshine gleamed through, but, for the most part, it was dull and cool.

Ophelia paused and threw her arms around him. “She’s great, Christopher. I love her. Bev, Nia, and Avery are busy with their girls and Zoann offers advice when I don’t even ask her. Meggie is the best gift you could’ve given me.” She kissed his cheek and hurried after Megan.

Through the window, he saw Meggie climbing onto the banister and sitting on the edge. Fuck, but he had to grit his teeth to keep from yelling at her to get the fuck down. She laughed, looking young and carefree and at ease. Without warning, she slid to her feet again and started hopping before stopping and talking, her hands moving with each word. She was telling his sister a story, he realized.

“Uh, Prez, we over here,” Digger called.

Christopher dragged his gaze away from Meggie. Before he could answer, Zoann came in, carrying a bottle of red wine. She held it up.

“Anybody want a refill?”

“Yeah, but not that shit,” Mortician grumbled.

“Call Megs. She knows what we’re drinking,” Johnnie said, tipping his glass back and emptying it.

Zoann rolled her eyes and sat the bottle on the table. She sat near Christopher. Patricia and his other three sisters, along with his three nieces, trooped out of the kitchen.

“Where’s Meggie?” Sasha, his youngest niece, asked, craning her neck.

“On the porch with Aunt Ophelia,” Christopher answered, looking at the other two little girls, who seemed like they weren’t sure if they wanted to stare at him or run away from him. Shit, he knew they were young, but it’d only been a year since he’d seen them.

Sasha didn’t wait for any more conversation. She barreled to the door with all the determination of a four-year-old and struggled to open the heavy wood. Once she succeeded, she hurried out
and headed right to Megan. Megan ruffled her hair and lifted her into her arms. She was born to have a family, he thought, barely aware of his other sisters and their mother filling wine glasses and joining him. The other little girls stuck to their mother’s sides. Fuck him, he’d have to remember their names. Or ask Megan. He had enough names to remember with his sisters.

Wine in hand, Patricia announced, “The turkey still has a few minutes to go.”

“Sounds good to me, Ma,” Christopher said. He swept his sisters with a warning. “But I ain’t answerin’ no questions about nothin’.”

Nia, the oldest girl, sniffed. “Why? You got something to hide?” she challenged.

“I ain’t in your shit, stay the fuck outta mine.”

“Today is Christmas, so watch your language,” Patricia warned. “Besides, we have guests.” She smiled at Digger and Mortician just as Megan walked in, still carrying Sasha, and Ophelia behind her.

“They ain’t guests, Ma,” Christopher growled. “They’re my brothers.”

“We don’t want to show Megan a bad side of us,” Patricia tried again, gulping her wine.

“Don’t mind me,” Megan said, setting Sasha on her feet and walking to him, her hips swinging. She went to sit next to him but he pulled her on his lap. She scowled at him and sat ramrod straight.

“But Megan—“

“No, Patricia, really. I know how siblings are. My two best friends were always fighting with theirs. I only wish I had a sister or brother—“ She snapped her mouth shut and frowned, probably remembering she did have a brother.

A giant, diseased asshole, but a brother all the same.

Arm around her waist, he leaned forward to pull his jacket from behind him to settle it around Megan’s legs before dragging her higher on his lap. Perfect. Her hot pussy nestled against his growing dick.

“We’ll be your sisters,” Bev called, craning her neck
to see exactly where Megan sat.

Like she didn’t know.

Christopher shifted beneath her and Megan folded her arms, but not before Christopher saw her hardening nipples.

“Er, I-I’m flattered, um…” She glanced at his sister. “Bev.” She drew in a sharp breath and ground against him, giving him an innocent smile when he hissed. “You know your family better than I do, Christopher,” she purred. “Should I accept Bev’s offer?”

She moved again and Christopher let out a low groan. “Suit yourself. Just cuz I don’t get along with them, don’t mean you can’t.”

“Maybe, we’ll stop badgering you, if it’ll help you get along with us,” Avery announced.

“That’s a deal I can live with. Y’all stay outta my shi…outta my business and I don’t give a fuck about yours.”

Megan slapped his shoulder and burst out laughing. To his surprise, the others joined her, even his mother. In spite of himself, he laughed, too, this moment so rare, it frightened him. He’d never gotten along with all his sisters at the same time. Never. He contributed it all to Megan.

Megan, who’d come like a whirlwind into his disordered life.

“You’re impossible,” Patricia said with mock exasperation.

“See, Christopher?” Zoann began and he tensed. “This could be your life. If you stopped your criminal behavior. Tell him, Megan. You’re not going to hang around a man who society fears.”

“Not now, Zoann,” Patricia started
.

“He doesn’t even have normal friends, Mama,” she snapped. “He has criminals around your granddaughters. He
’s only comfortable with criminals.”

“You’re one to talk, Zoann,” Megan snapped. “As I recall, you were
flirting
with one of his criminals.”

Zoann’s mouth fell open and Christopher lifted a brow. He’d warned all his brothers away from his sisters, but the entire club could fuck Zoann for all he cared. She was a fucking mean bitch.

“Stay out of it,” Zoann warned, coming to her feet.

“Girls…” Patricia began when Megan shot to her feet, too.

Christopher grabbed her wrist to pull her back. “Zoann, get the fuck out.”

Megan jerked her hand away. “You brought me in it when you called my name and when you talked about Christopher.”

“Christopher, huh?” she sneered. “Outlaw. He’s Outlaw. It should be assassin, murderer, man-whore, pig.”

“Wow,” Ophelia muttered, “tell him how you really feel.”

“It’s Christmas,” his mother tried again.

Avery ushered
the little girls down the hall, toward the media room.

“I knew you couldn’t fuckin’ keep your fuckin’ mouth shut,” Christopher snarled to Zoann.

“Why should I? You have her here, glowing with happiness and living in a fantasy world. You’re never gonna do anything but bring her down to your level. If you had any decency, you’d let her go. Because this isn’t the real you. This—“ She gestured to him in his black slacks, white shirt, and cut. “You can’t even dress up without letting everyone know you don’t belong here.”

Christopher stepped
forward but Megan placed her body in front of his.

“If you’d pull your head out of your butt, you’d realize there’s more to Christopher than just his club,” she said fiercely. “You asked me to tell you, Zoann? I’ll tell you. You see what you want to see because of your own narrow mind. I’ll never ask Christopher to leave his club. It’s a part of who he is.”

“Then you’re a fool. They aren’t faithful. They aren’t nice. The world knows it. All you have to do is look at them—“

“Man, fuck this shit,” Digger barked, starting for the door.

“No,” Megan called. “Wait, please.”

His hands fisted at his sides, he paused but remained standing
, ready to bolt.

Megan walked closer to Zoann, stopping directly in front of her. Christopher contemplated following her. He didn’t trust the two of them not to throw down.

She put her hands on her hips and rocked
back on her fuck-me-heels. “There’s a man named Thomas Nicholls,” she began, ruining Christopher’s day a little more just mentioning that fuckhead’s name. She raised her chin and stiffened her spine. “You look at him and you see a model citizen. In private, he’s mean and he’s violent and he’s abusive. He takes pleasure in hurting people. If you want a man like that, a man the world approves of, because you don’t have the backbone to go with who your heart leads you to, then you’re the fool. Christopher and Digger and Mortician take better care of a woman than he
ever
would. You’re out of line talking to them like that and you don’t deserve to have Christopher as a brother if you can’t appreciate him for the man he is.”

Zoann and
Megan faced off in silence. Christopher swallowed. No one had ever stood up for him like Megan had and he wanted to kiss the ground she walked on. He wanted to hug her and love her and fuck her. And, he knew Digger and Mortician liked her before, and would watch out for her because he’d expect it of them, but she’d just gained servants for life with her defense of them.

Megan huffed out a breath. “There’s nothing in this world worse than having a family member whom you want to be in your life but they’re just out of reach because of something. You can either be his sister or you can walk away with all this anger in you. The choice is yours, Zoann,” she added, gliding
around his sister and heading toward the kitchen without another word.

Zoann glared at him and pursed her lips. “I guess you want me to leave?”

“You owe everyone an apology, Zoann,” Patricia said tightly, angrier than Christopher had seen his mother in a long time. “We were having a wonderful day, but you had to open your mouth and ruin it.”

“
They
ruined mine.”

“Maybe, you mean
he
,” Bev offered. “Megan said—“