Sinner's Son (Savage Sons Motorcyle Club) (20 page)

A
fter Sable picked her jaw up off the kitchen counter, she stood up and folded me into a big hug. "First of all, congratulations. I know that you and Luke will be wonderful parents."

I wiped the tears from my eyes -- tears that had kept spilling over since the night before. "But Luke said he doesn't ever want kids," I all but wailed, knowing that I sounded like a spoiled child and completely unable to do anything about it.

"Honey," Sable said, letting me go and sitting back down at her seat at her breakfast bar. "That isn't exactly what he said, was it? Is it possible that you're exaggerating just a little bit?"

"It's what he meant, though. He doesn't know why anyone would want to have children." For the record, I knew I was being ridiculous, but I didn't really care. I wanted someone to tell me what I already knew -- that Luke would be a wonderful father and would be pleased to know that I was pregnant -- and that I was being silly.

"Krystal, you know I'm not exactly a warm and fuzzy person. I tell it like it is."

Sable won a little half-smile from me at her comment. "That's an understatement," I said, reaching for a Kleenex to blow my nose.

"And even though it was many years ago, I remember the flood of emotions I felt when I was pregnant with Luke. One second, I was just sure that I'd ruined my life forever, and the next second, I couldn't imagine giving him up for adoption. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, leaving him. Every now and then, I still question whether or not it was the right thing, but he has had a good life. His adoptive parents gave him a better life than I could have, and he got more of an education than he ever would have if I'd kept him.

"And now that I think about the person his father really was ... I know that I did right. Anyway, that's not what really matters now. What matters is that you're in a much different position. You have a good man who loves you and will be a wonderful father to this child. He's going to be ecstatic when you tell him. You'll see."

"But what he said..."

"Krystal, listen to me. Your hormones are all out of whack, and you're being silly. You know good and goddamn well that Luke's going to love this child and be happy that he or she is on the way. You need to pull yourself together, girl."

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so."

"You don't think he'll be mad at me for getting pregnant?"

"The last time I checked, it took two people for that to happen. Had you discussed having a family?"

"Not really. It just kind of happened. It had to have been right after he got out of jail. We were careful and used protection most of the time, but clearly we didn't use it every time. I guess we should have been a little more vigilant."

"Well, that's no more your responsibility than his. Krystal, I suggest you tell him just as soon as you can, and I suggest that you forget what he said last night. He was talking about how terrible Don Roberto is, not about how much he doesn't ever want to have a child. You know that. You need to let it go."

I sighed and put my face in my hands, moaning through my fingers. "You're right. I'm an idiot." I picked my head up. "I just feel so overwhelmed with everything that's happened, and to add a baby to the mix -- well it just seems like a little too much to handle."

"That's what mothers do, honey -- handle more than they think they can. You're gonna be just fine."

"Thanks, Sable," I said, starting to feel a little better. "You won't tell him about this, will you? I don't want him to know that I flipped out and completely overreacted to what he said last night."

"Of course I won't. Your secret's safe with me. So he's at the FBI building again today?"

"Yeah. I don't envy him. Spending all day reliving the stuff that's happened has to be hard."

"And spending all that time with fucking feds. I don't know how he does it."

"They're not actually that bad. At least, Kate isn't."

Sable shook her head, and I could tell that she didn't agree with me. "I still say you can't trust a one of them. I guess they're necessary, and they are going to put Joker in jail where he belongs, but they'll lie to you soon as look at you. You never know when they're going to decide you're not useful anymore and stab you in the back."

"I think Luke's pretty safe. Oh!" I'd just realized that I hadn't told her that he'd negotiated for Maria to be able to legally enter the US and stay. "He's gotten them to agree to bring Maria across the border to live, if she wants to."

"I can't imagine why she wouldn't," Sable said. "Poor woman. She's been through so much, and I'm sure she's still in danger. Even though Don Roberto's going down, there will be someone -- inevitably -- who takes his place."

"That's exactly what Luke told them. She's in danger because she provided the information that we needed and that, ultimately, the DEA needs to go into Mexico and clean up."

"Well, I'm glad it's going to work out for Maria. I'd like to meet her."

"I think you'd like her. She's beautiful -- and still young for as much as she's been through. I think she can make a happier life for herself here. She won't have to be looking over her shoulder all the time."

"So she and Moses exchanged letters after he left Mexico?"

"Not exactly. Moses wrote to her, but she never answered a single one of his letters. He told her everything that was going on -- from his first meeting at the FBI to the way he felt about the meth business. He told her that the whole thing -- the MC itself -- sickened him."

"He never said a word," Sable said, shaking her head.

"No, he didn't," I agreed. "But I could tell that something was different about him when he came back from that trip. At first he just withdrew -- wouldn't talk, wouldn't laugh. I knew something was wrong, but he wouldn't let me get close enough to figure out what it was."

"You and Moses were very close."

"We used to be. Before Nadia. I think part of me loved Moses like a brother. He was kind of an asshole. I mean, some of the stuff that used to go on in his tattoo shop -- let's just say he had a good time and didn't really care who he hurt. But I think Maria changed him. Once I heard her story, everything made sense. He'd finally been smacked in the face with the ugly, awful consequence of the kind of business the Sons were getting into. He couldn't just walk away scot-free from her."

"I told Luke that something had gone on with Joker and Moses in Mexico. I could just feel that something had shifted between them. I had no idea that Moses could hide all that he did from us. Knowing that he was telling the FBI all the details about the businesses they were in -- Jesus, we're lucky we're not all spending the rest of our lives in prison."

"It's scary, huh?"

"You know that the Sons aren't gonna forgive Luke easily."

I sighed. "Luke and I have talked this to death, Sable. He thinks that they'll be willing to move on because what Joker did was so evil. He may be right -- I mean, they seem to have taken him at his word about what was going on, but I have my doubts. I don't think Luke can ever really understand these men. He thinks he's one of them, but at his core, I don't think he'll ever really be an outlaw. It's not in his nature."

Sable studied me, and I wished that I could read her mind.

"Krystal, it makes me happy to hear you say that. I think you're right. I knew right away that Luke wasn't cut out for the Savage Sons. When he said that Joker was going to get him voted in, I never thought it would happen. It's not that I think he's better than Sally and Nate and the guys, but he's different. He took a couple of rides on a bike, liked the feeling of the wind in his hair, and he thought he could do it. He never realized that being an outlaw isn't like a t-shirt you put on. It's in your soul, and Luke just isn't an outlaw."

"I'm going to try to get him to get out. He can do it without any blowback since he's not a full member. Since we have other things to worry about -- with a baby on the way -- he needs to change his priorities. This MC bullshit has nearly wrecked his life, when you think about it. He ended up in jail, could have been killed a week ago or in Mexico. He's been forced to see his father for the horrible person he is. It's just too much. I want some peace."

Sable covered my hand with hers. "Can I give you some unsolicited advice -- as your soon-to-be mother-in-law?"

"Of course."

"If you tell him to quit the MC, he'll resent you, maybe for the rest of his life."

"What?" I stood up and went to the sink to get a glass of water. "I thought you'd be on my side. Don't you think he should get out?"

"Of course I do. And I'm not saying that you can't encourage him to do it. But you have to find a way to do it so that Luke thinks it's his idea."

I smiled and shook my head. "You're pretty smart, Sable. I hadn't thought it through, I guess. You're right. If I start nagging him to leave, then I'm the bad guy every time he sees a bike on the road and wishes he were on it."

"Exactly. You're going to have to be smart. And you have one thing going for you."

"And that is?"

"Actually, you have two things. One: Luke loves you and wants to make you happy. And two: I'm on your side. I want my grandchild to grow up better than his grandfather. And I'm going to see that it happens."

I walked over to Sable and gave her a hug. "Thanks. For everything. I'm going to try a do-over on last night. I'm going to cook Luke a good meal, take him to bed, and tell him he's going to be a daddy tonight."

"I'd wish you luck, but I don't think you'll need it. You have a lot to be proud of, Krystal."

"I know I do. And I am proud. It wasn't that long ago that I was a coward -- flinching anytime Bug made a move toward me. I'll never go back to living that way."

"You deserve to be happy."

"For the first time in my life, I agree with you."

"Well, I'm off to do a little quality control," Sable said, putting on a jacket.

"How are the plants?"

"Couldn't be better. Nate's going to meet me at the clubhouse, and we're going to harvest a bud. The thing is fucking huge. We may even sample a little, even though it'll be better after we've cured it."

It occurred to me that I had no idea what Sable was going to do now that her soon-to-be ex-husband was in jail and her direct connection to the MC was gone. I planned to bring the subject up later. All I could think about was getting home and getting my fiancé into bed. I had wicked plans for the father-to-be.

I spent the afternoon alternating between thinking about how much I didn't envy Luke for having to spend another full day at the FBI building and thinking about how much I wanted to spend the evening having mind-blowing sex. We hadn't done anything other than sleep together since I'd gotten home from the hospital, and I don't know if it was the dry spell or early pregnancy hormones, but all I could think about was sex.

Since the night before hadn't gone exactly the way I'd planned, I decided to step things up a notch. The grocery store had already-prepared individual beef wellingtons, and the puff pastry-wrapped morsels of beef were ready to go into the oven the second Luke walked through the door. I'd gotten him a bottle of red wine, and I'd washed and peeled carrots, potatoes and parsnips to roast with the main course. Dinner was going to be delicious, but I planned for Luke to be my appetizer.

I got out of the shower and decided to take my time getting ready. I left my hair loose, and put on one of the obscenely-expensive gowns that I'd bought while Luke was in jail. The black cherry colored silk gown had wide, braided straps and fell nearly to the floor. A high slit that ran all the way up my right thigh kept the design from being too modest, and the color looked fantastic next to my skin. I ran my hands over my stomach, knowing that it wouldn't be completely flat for much longer, but I realized that I was actually looking forward to seeing a baby bump.

I thought about putting on a little makeup, but Luke had always said that he preferred me without it. I sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace to wait for my man to come home. I got a little reading done for school, and when I heard the garage door open, I hurried to dim the lights, turn the oven on, and put dinner in. I figured we'd have a chance to take the edge off by fooling around at least once before dinner, and I set a timer just in case we got distracted for too long.

Luke hadn't even gotten all the way inside the door before I attacked him, winding my arms around his neck and pulling him down so that I could kiss him.

"Well, my goodness," he said, kissing me back and running his hands down my sides. "I guess you're feeling better?"

"You'd better believe it," I answered. "Can I pour you a glass of wine?"

"Absolutely. Crap day."

"I'm going to take your mind off your crap day for a few minutes, then I'm going to feed you dinner and take you back to bed. That okay?"

"Krystal, that's the best news I've heard in a very long time."

I poured the wine and handed it to Luke, who took a huge gulp.

"Better," he said, setting the glass down on the counter. "You look gorgeous, and I want you, Krystal."

"You can have me. Any way you want me," I answered, feeling the tingling sensation of thinking about Luke's hard cock penetrating me.

He walked over to where I leaned against the counter, and he kissed me hard and deep. I could feel his hard-on through his jeans, and I gasped when he ran his fingers over my hardened nipples. He squeezed, and I could feel myself getting wet between my legs.

"Luke, will you take me to bed and make love to me? Right now?"

"You wish is my command," he said, and I was startled when he scooped me up and carried me into our bedroom.

He tossed me onto the bed. "As gorgeous as you look, I want you naked," he said, pulling his shirt off.

I looked at him -- firelight showing his flat, chiseled abs off to perfection, and I lifted my hips to wriggle out of my nightgown. I lay on the bed, naked but for the string bikini panties that matched my gown.