22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mackenzie

D espite Aleko’s grumbles, I invited Emily to come shopping with me today. Well…me, Sledge, Grinder, Bear, and Flower—who decided to stick around to see how these bikers do Christmas after Tab, Glitch, and the other Mancini soldiers went back to New York. The woman seems like she’s been through some shit. She has no friends or family here, her step-son was killed, her husband is a walking dead man on the run, and it’s Christmas Eve.

There’s no way I want a stranger with us on Christmas day, especially not one connected to Jake in such a strange way. She was technically his step-mom as well as Preston’s. But Christmas Eve? I can do this.

To be honest, the invite was accidental as she overheard us talking about it at the bowling alley. She just seemed so forlorn about how strange the holidays were for her this year, and I figured this was the first step in me helping people.

Leaving my gift shopping until the last minute is a mixture of on purpose and running out of time…mostly running out of time, but I figured I’d make a day of it. One thing in particular, though, I had the forethought to plan and I can’t wait to pick it up.

Obviously, Aleko can’t come with us because I want to surprise him tomorrow morning, and Grinder was explicit about his housemate, Boner, not coming for the same reason. Bear is coming because Aleko doesn’t trust Emily, as well as extra muscle with Sledge in case Harrison Beaufort decides to make an appearance. I’m positive he won’t. He’s been untraceable for almost a month. It’d be fucking stupid of him to come out of hiding now. Too many people want him dead. Surprisingly, the Irish left in New Jersey are among them, blaming him for the massacre here. That doesn’t mean Aleko is taking any chances, and I’m totally on the same page.

“She scrubs up well. Swit fuckin’ swoo.” Sledge wolf whistles when Emily climbs out of her Uber and waves in our direction.

“You’re such a fucking dog.” Flower elbows him in the ribs, grinning from ear to ear.

“Woof woof.” They both laugh and I can’t help chuckling along with them. This afternoon is gonna be fun.

“I fucked a furry once—”

“Not the time for sex stories, Grinder.” I side-eye him as Emily gets closer.

“She looks like she’s ready for a night on the town instead of an afternoon of shopping,” Bear grumbles, almost under his breath.

The wine-red coat she’s wearing flares out around her knees, is nipped in to give her a tiny waist, and looks like something Mrs. Claus would wear. Paired with shiny red stilettos, presumably a skirt or a dress beneath the coat, and her hair in an up-do any bride would be proud of, I get more of a prim and proper vibe than a girl on the town.

“Hi, Emily.” I wave awkwardly, not sure if we should hug or whatever because it’s not like we’re regular friends or anything. The sleeve of Aleko’s hoodie slides up my arm and I pull it back down to cover my wrist because it’s fucking cold. I’m not showing yet, but the thick maxi dress I’m wearing is one of the only warm things I own that fits me. The bag of clothes Vanessa gave me last time is full of summer dresses, which won’t come in useful for a while.

“Hey. Thanks for inviting me. Shall we go in? It’s cold out here.” Emily kind of grimaces in the direction of the Sons, and I’m hoping she’s just nervous because they do look intimidating to the average person, I guess.

Flower is dressed exactly the same as the guys, in jeans and a T-shirt, the only difference is she’s wearing a neon pink leather jacket and the Sons are wearing their black cuts over their jackets.

“I say we make a stop at Starbucks first. Fuel up for all the browsing and shopping. Plus, I have a little extra treat to add.” Flower shakes a hip flask in the air before sliding it back into her black over-the-shoulder bag.

“Nice. Bear’s driving and Mac’s preggo, so Uncle Grindey and I will have to take one for the team.”

Hearing things like that will never get old. It still hurts in a strange way I could never describe, but it also doesn’t.

Inside the two-story mall, we turn left and head straight for Starbucks. I may not be getting coffee, but my fingers need warming up. A hot chocolate and a cookie seem like the perfect start.

The stares from other shoppers are beginning to annoy me. Some of them are friendly, but the majority are very judgy and I don’t like it.

“Hey, ignore them. The people that matter don’t mind, and the people that mind don’t matter.”

I raise both my brows in Emily’s direction. Her words came completely out of the blue, but I like them.

“Sorry, it’s just something my mom used to say when we were couch surfing for a while. Carrying around all your worldly possessions in plastic bags can draw some interesting looks.” She shrugs and grins, as though sharing parts of herself with a stranger is nothing.

Apart from Spencer and Aleko, I’ve never felt comfortable enough to share anything real about myself with anyone. Okay, so the rest of the Sons come as part of the Aleko package, but still, considering I’m twenty-two in a few months, that’s still not a lot of people.

“Silver lining: you had your mom to do it with.” Flower winks, swigging from her spiked coffee as we make our way into a store full of sports equipment. Grinder chose our first destination and we’re just going to browse from here.

“I suppose you could say that.” Emily grimaces again, and I’m beginning to think it’s her thing when she’s uncomfortable.

We shop for hours, all of us—except me—with hands full of bags. Bear insisted that he and the others would carry my bags or Psycho would rip them all new ones…his words. While I’m aware that I’m pregnant, not incapable, I know Aleko is only thinking of our safety; me and our tiny bean that I have vowed to keep safe with everything I have.

“I would like to get some of those self-care-style gift boxes for that new women’s home that opened a few weeks ago. The owner’s taken in a couple of new ladies and I want to donate something.” Emily points to an aisle with a variety of beauty products and I follow her because I see some things Mom, Sabrina, and Vanessa would like. There’s also a cool neon eyeshadow kit that I think Flower will appreciate.

“Do you know Mirabel well?” I’ve spoken to her on the phone after eventually meeting her, and the job she had in mind isn’t something I’m comfortable doing now that I’m pregnant. I could be in potentially dangerous situations if an angry husband or partner found their other half in Mirabel’s home. It’s a little far-fetched, but I’m not taking any chances.

“A little. I heard about what she was doing, taking women in who have suffered domestic violence and offering them a safe space, and well…once I took over my husband’s businesses—albeit temporarily until he is found either alive or dead—I offered to sponsor the home so she could get it up and running sooner. It’s her second location, but every little bit helps.” The way Emily talks about her husband is so macabre, like she’s totally unaffected.

I guess this chick’s a lot tougher than I thought. Good for her.

“Doing some good with the hand you were dealt.” I nod, because that’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. My dad gave me a specific set of skills, and I’ve never truly put them to good use.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Emily smiles. “So how far along are you?” She points to my stomach with her eyes.

“About eight weeks. The doc said we’re due at the beginning of August.” My hand automatically rests against my lower belly.

“Congratulations.” She sighs. “I can’t have babies of my own. Something bad happened to me and someone I knew years ago. We…” She pauses and shudders, shaking herself from whatever dark path she was about to travel. “Sorry. Too much. Er…where did the others go?”

Turning to see what she’s talking about, I notice that Bear is my only chaperone. Sledge, Grinder, and Flower have all disappeared somewhere, but it’s not the first time this afternoon.

The conversation dead, I shrug and pick up a few things, then we head to the cashier to pay. Emily is nothing at all like I imagined. She has her shit together, but she’s damaged. Not for the reasons I thought she would be though. Full of surprises. Still, we exchanged numbers earlier, and I get the impression she’s the oversharing type so I have no doubt I’ll hear from her.

“Where the fuck have you three been?” Bear’s rumble is deep, authoritative, and I swear Emily’s grinning. Maybe she likes a bit of Bear?

“Got a blowy from the shop assistant in the changing rooms.” Sledge is pulling up his zipper, a huge smile on his face.

“And I caught this little minx watching over the next cubicle.” Grinder laughs, pointing his thumb at Flower, who shrugs.

“And what were you doing in the cubicle, Grinder?” Flower puts a hand on her waist and tilts her head.

“Finding a good place to watch.” They both laugh, rubbing their hands across their own chests and making fake orgasm noises as they thrust their hips.

“Fuck off.” Sledge isn’t really angry with them, but he rolls his eyes and starts to head out of the store. “Pricks.”

The delicious stretch in my pussy makes me groan and roll my hips as I open my eyes. Aleko’s hand is cupping my breast, his thigh is between mine, and he’s slowly sliding in and out of me from behind.

“Merry Christmas, Cherry.” He chuckles into my ear and begins kneading my breast, pinching my nipple between his thumb and finger.

“Mmm.” This should be the way we wake up every morning. “You too, handsome.”

Sucking my earlobe, he hums, and it vibrates through my body, tickling at the hairs on the back of my neck.

“You feel so fucking good. Made for me.” Aleko begins nipping at my skin and his thrusts get harder, more urgent.

I push back against him, meeting him stroke for stroke, the sensations from where he has my nipple and breast in his grasp adding to the building orgasm. It hits like a tsunami, strong and fast, causing every nerve ending to spasm out of control as Aleko slows, with one final thrust, pushing all of our cum back inside me.

His palm slides down from my breast and he pulls his cock out of me. Using a towel he clearly prepared earlier, he pushes it between my legs and presses his lips against mine chastely before getting up.

“Fucking perfect.”

A couple of minutes later, he returns from the bathroom with a smile and a washcloth. One that he uses to carefully clean my pussy, soothing the delicious ache he causes every time he fucks me.

I lie back against the soft pillows, watching him take care of me with a reverence I’m in awe of. Once he finishes, Aleko plants a gentle kiss on my stomach, glancing up through his lashes to make eye contact with me. The way the tattoo above his eyebrow crinkles when he looks at me like this is just everything. He’s everything.

Fuck, I’m a lucky woman.

“Good morning, Cherry. Good morning, Baby Psycho.” He kisses my stomach a few more times and his large hands spread across my skin.

“No. We’re not doing the Mr. and Mrs. Psycho thing. Baby Kastellanos.” I push my hands through his hair and massage, grinning at my cheeky-as-fuck husband as he continues to place gentle kisses all over my belly.

“Sorry, Cherry, but it’s totally a thing now. Nothing you can do to stop it. Train left the station weeks ago.” He shrugs and chuckles.

“Well bring the train back because Baby Psycho’s not happening.” I purse my lips and raise my brows, feigning outrage, but the fucker is a cheat and he tickles my sides. We both burst into laughter, rolling around the bed, and a rustling from the dresser gets our attention right before Ninja pokes his head up to see what’s going on.

“Come on, then. Vanessa made you both a special treat.” Holding Aleko’s hands still at my sides, I sit up and kiss the top of his head. Vanessa loves these little guys, and while she was having a good day yesterday she made up some of the treat bags they love so much. I take a couple from the small fridge in the corner of the room and open them up. We decided to stay at the compound for Christmas Eve, because unlike the Toxic Rebels, the Sons of Khaos are a family who love to be around each other. Plus, Mom insisted that she wanted to make dinner for everyone with Sabrina and Hoops. Apparently, Hoops is a great cook. Who knew?

By the time I get back to the bed, Ninja and Bandit have made themselves at home between our pillows, enjoying all the fussing Aleko is showering them with.

“Morning, boys.” I scratch beneath each of their chins and pass them both an open bag. Clever little fuckers like to pretend they’re human and choose their own treat, reaching into the bags and pulling out vegetable sticks.

“I got you something too.” It’s impossible to contain my grin as I practically jump with excitement and pull out the little box I have for Aleko from the drawer in my bedside table. He takes it with that sexy-as-fuck grin of his and opens the black lid, revealing a chunky silver ring shaped with two skulls side by side and a cherry stem connecting them.

“This is fucking stunning, Cherry.” He immediately puts it onto the middle finger of his right hand. “Thank you.” Palming my cheeks, he pulls me closer to him and kisses me. It’s soft and gentle and full of promises, and he moves away too soon.

I grab some panties from the drawer and slide them on, watching as Aleko roots around his giant black sports bag. The pure nakedness of him is a sight to behold. Tattoos snaking across his entire body, weaving in and out of the natural dips of his muscles…

“Are you staring at my ass? I’m not a piece of meat.” Shaking his head, he turns and walks toward me with a rectangular box. “Stare at my cock, that’s the meat you can have.” He winks and I laugh, sitting back down on the bed where Ninja and Bandit move to snuggle into my thigh.

Sitting beside me, Aleko grips the box and wraps an arm around my shoulder.

“The brothers and I have been talking.” I try not to scoff and bite back with something sarcastic, nodding for him to continue. “Crow actually came up with the idea after you spent some time in the garage with him last week. I know it’ll take some time to get running, but you’ve got around nine months to prepare for…” He pauses and passes me the box like it’s the key to the world.

Gobsmacked. I’m completely gobsmacked by what I’m seeing.

Hundreds of small, red business cards, with “Cherry Racing Team” scrolled across them.

“Wha—?” I’m speechless, and elated, and I can’t believe the Sons knew what I wanted before I did.

“We all fucking love you, baby. Crow thought this would make your clit tingle, and after I knocked the fucker out for suggesting it, I agreed.”

“Oh my God, is that where the black eye came from?” The thought makes me chuckle.

“Yup.” Aleko’s like a proud dad, totally happy with his efforts.

“You know this means I’ll still be your rival during race season?”

“Makes life interesting, and if you beat me I’ll just have to think of a punishment.” He wags his brows.

“Or I could think of a punishment for you when you lose.”

“Oh, it’s on, Cherry!” Aleko pounces on me, making Ninja and Bandit jump down from the bed, snacks in their paws.

A few hours later, I declare that this Christmas day is one for the history books. The food is a banquet fit for royalty, and I’m debating forcing Hoops to move in with us because the pumpkin pie he baked is my new obsession.

“Where did the pie go?”

Whoops, they’ve noticed. I give zero fucks, ignoring Boner’s question.

“The pregnant lady has it. You’ve got no chance, mate.” Sledge laughs opposite me, eyeing the whole pie in my hands.

The rumble of conversation and laughter from the mass of tables we slid together comes to an abrupt halt when the doors to the rec room fling open.

There stands a soaking wet Spencer, red-rimmed eyes, a few butterfly stitches over a gash on his temple, and breathing heavily. I’m the first to stand, running to him as he falls to his knees and collapses on the ground.