Chapter 4

CHAPTER

FOUR

PIKE

I pulled up on my bike to Dimitri and Hollis' house, feeling out of sorts. Both of the fuckers had given me a ton of shit about coming to this shindig until I caved. Now, I wasn't sure why I was even here. Dimitri claimed it would be a good distraction from everything going on. I hesitated for a moment before ringing the doorbell, wondering if the bottle of whiskey was inappropriate. Too late now. I wasn't used to being a guest at people's houses. Typically, that wasn't my role in people's lives.

The door swung open, and there was Hollis, her face lighting up with a careful smile. She was new to our little circle, but Dimitri had rescued her from a trafficking situation, and there was still some residual fear around other men that he'd been worried about. I could see him hovering in the kitchen, and I was positive that he had spotted me on the security feed before my bike stopped at the curb. We agreed on many things but were all on the same page about how we treated our females.

"Pike! Come in, come in. We're just getting started. I'm so glad you came."

"Thanks, Hollis," I said, stepping inside, making sure not to crowd her. The house was filled with the delicious aroma of home-cooked food, and I could hear laughter and chatter from the dining room.

I followed Hollis through the hallway and into the dining room, where I was met with a chorus of greetings. Maddox and Helena were already there, along with Olive, Hollis' little girl, who was busily arranging her stuffed animals around a chair. The little orange kitten that Dimitri had bought her was curled beside her, undisturbed by all the noise. Dimitri carried the fucking thing around so much that I was surprised the cat even hung around Olive at all anymore.

And then there was Natasha.

She stood near the table, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw me. She recovered quickly, but I caught the slight flush in her cheeks. It made me smirk, knowing I affected her at least a little.

"Pike," she said, her voice steady, but her eyes betrayed her annoyance. "I didn't realize you'd be here."

"Dimitri invited me," I said, walking over to stand beside her. "Hope that's alright," I smirked at her, suddenly happy that I had come.

"Of course," she replied, a smirk at the corners of her mouth. "The more, the merrier." I wasn't sure what it was about this woman that interested me so much, but she was the flame, and I was the moth.

"Pike! Good to see you, man!" Dimitri's voice boomed as he entered the room, clapping me on the back. "Grab a seat, dinner's almost ready." Shoving the whiskey into his hand, I kept my eyes on Natasha, noting that she'd changed her hair — did something with the front of it.

"Ronnie!" Dimitri suddenly shouted up the staircase. "Dinner."

A waifish blonde I'd never seen came down the staircase moments later. She was extraordinarily pale for Arizona, with alabaster skin, the kind that would burn in a second in here. Her steps were quick and light as she headed straight for us. "Hi, I'm Ronnie." She stuck her hand out to me formally. Folding it into mine, I took care of it as I shook it, noting the tension in every line of Natasha's body. Ronnie's hand felt just as delicate as it looked.

"I'm Pike." She knew who I was, but it seemed weird not to introduce myself.

Ronnie withdrew her hand and gave her sister a look that was difficult to interpret. "Ah, you met the other cousin," Dimitri said from the kitchen. "Ronnie, dinner is about ready."

"I'm Nat's sister." She fiddled with a hairband on her wrist, her eyes focusing on it while she twisted it before she raised her eyes to me coyly. "And hacker extraordinairee."

"Fucking hell Ronnie!" Natasha exclaimed.

"Language," Hollis said.

"Swear jar," Olive said in sing-song. "Aunt Nat has to put in a dollar." The kid was relentless. To Olive's delight, Hollis had put in the swear jar system. She said she was saving for a puppy. I'd thought about just bringing one by to fuck with Dimitri, but Hollis would kill me even though Dimitri had wanted one forever.

"Ronnie, we don't blab to people. Remember our rule," Natasha said in a low voice of admonishment. Then she pulled a dollar from her pocket, went to the jar over the fridge, and stuffed it inside. "Sorry," she said to Hollis.

I peered at Ronnie with interest. "Hacking, huh? What do you hack?"

"Anything Nat needs." She shrugged a shoulder and looked over at Olive, playing with her stuffed animals.

We all settled around the table, the conversation flowing easily as we chowed. It was a nice change from my meals alone or at the Pit with club members. This was a family atmosphere, and even though I was single, it was nice to see such normality. Maddox had a rough time, and seeing him with Helena softened something in me. He deserved some peace.

They held hands under the table, gravitating towards each other. He'd pushed his chair as close to her as he could. "More salad, princess?" he'd asked. "The baby doesn't like carrots," he explained to the rest of us." Helena wrinkled her nose. She'd pointedly picked out all the carrots and placed them on his plate, which he'd dutifully eaten even though I knew Maddox loathed them.

"I normally like them. It's all his fault," she grumbled. "Eating them his is penance."

Even Dimitri and Hollis were cutesy as fuck, looking at each other every few seconds like they wanted to find a dark corner. Olive sat between them, chattering about everything and nothing, but they both seemed to find it endearing. So did I, which was weird — unsettling. Kids always freaked me out a little. They were fragile and made me remember that there was a time in my life when I was the same way.

"Genes carrying over dumbass? That baby already hates carrots?" I said, harassing Maddox.

"Swear jar," Olive sang. The whole table laughed as I groaned.

"Pay up, sucker," Dimitri chuckled.

"At this rate, you'll have college paid for," I muttered, digging for a dollar.

We had ice cream outside on the patio while Hollis and Helena set up some crazy game that we all looked at with wide eyes. We were supposed to pull blocks out and not make the tower fall. Maddox and Dimitri had been domesticated enough to play games in backyards, but I wasn't some dog on a leash. I was looking for a place to dump my Drumstick and get on my Harley to ride out of there.

"I'll watch," I grumbled, taking a bite of chocolate coating.

"No, you'll play." It was Ronnie, to my surprise, who insisted. " Everyone plays."

"Whatever." To my surprise, her feelings looked hurt.

So I stayed and played, chuckling when Dimitri toppled the tower and had to pay a dollar to the swear jar. The bright, happy laughs pressed on me so much that I said my goodbyes and hurried to my bike. I stood for a second, breathing deeply over and over again, realizing that I had forgotten all about Eli and the past for a moment.

"Pike?" The soft voice came from behind me. My fists clenched at my sides.

"What?" I barked out more harshly than I meant to. Turning, I softened my expression as Natasha stepped out of the shadows, her expression unreadable.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I said gruffly. "I have business to get to." It was a lie, but she didn't need to know that. "Unless you want a ride." The offer was out of left field. I never took chicks on my bike, but I pressed my lips together in a line, grinding my teeth, not willing to take it back.

"I'd like that." Natasha rocked back on her feet a little, and my brain stutter-stopped for a moment before it kicked back in.

"Let me just go ask Dimitri if we can borrow a helmet. I'm sure he has one for Hollis that will fit you. I don't carry an extra. Maybe put some long pants on. It's not a good idea to ride in shorts." I strode away from her, not trusting myself to say anything else. It wasn't that I didn't love seeing those hot, long legs of hers with toned calves from wearing those heels she seemed to favor, but if, for some reason, we were in an accident, it was better to be covered by something.

After some serious shit from Dimitri, I secured an extra helmet and came back out front to the bike. I'd expected to have to wait, but Natasha was sitting outside on the curb in the dark next to the Harley, retying her sneakers. Wordlessly, I handed her the helmet, not bothering to help her with the straps, only because I didn't trust myself to stop if I touched her again. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, one that I imagined wrapping my hand around while I fucked her from behind. Cutting those thoughts off, I straddled the bike, enjoying the pinch of the zipper against my cock. I had no business thinking about her. She had no business on the back of my bike. What the hell was I doing?

Once I felt her hands lock around my waist, I kicked off from the curb, twisting the throttle and letting the Harley pull us into the night. Not paying attention to the body behind me, I gave myself over to the ride, the enjoyment of losing myself in the shadows on the road and the throbbing of the engine.