CHAPTER 16

Abby

It was ten o'clock when the men had all just left to go and recon on the sites that Gunny and Beverly pinpointed. To say I was concerned was an understatement. I had to keep reminding myself that they had done far more dangerous things during their time in the military. It would be like a walk in the park for them.

It had been a bit of a shock finding out who Alec's father was. It meant that Alec was Sam's uncle, as Alec's father was Sam's grandfather. I needed to speak to Katie and Maggie for advice on how to tell Alec and Sam they were related.

Like most of the family, I had always assumed Gunny was Alec's father. They had a close relationship and did most things together.

I left Bren and Ellie's room after getting them settled and their new clothes packed away. Ben had decided to sleep in the room with Sam and Alec. I headed there next. The door was partially open. Knocking on it, I heard Sam call out, "Come in."

Pushing it open, I looked in to see the three of them in bed, each with a book, reading.

"You boys all good for the night?"

"Yeah, we're good, mum. What time do you expect Reaper and them back tonight?"

"I'm not sure, but probably not until early morning."

"Cool, it's Saturday tomorrow. Can you drop us at the gym at six? I don't think Draco will be up to take us if they're coming in late."

"Yeah, of course, I'll set the alarm. Although I'm sure they will be up to take you in. Either way, I need to go to the house and check on things anyway, as we haven't been there for a couple of days."

"Okay. Mum, are we moving in here permanently?"

Sighing, I walked into the room and sat on his bed, very aware that we had two other boys in the room listening to our conversation, even if they were pretending not to while focusing on whatever they were reading.

"I don't know, Sam. Kane and I haven't had much time to talk. The last few days have been full-on. I'm not denying there is something there, but I will speak to you before I make any decisions. Will it be a problem for you if we move here?" I asked him.

I got a wide grin at my question, "No, it's not a problem for me. I would prefer it. Alec lives here full-time now, and with Ben and the girls moving in, I think it would be good. I still want to keep my woodwork shop, though. But I thought if we lived here, we could strip everything out of the house, redo it, and rent it out to get some extra income?"

I mulled this over, it was a good plan, but I needed to speak to Kane first. I knew we could still move in here even if Kane and I didn't work out. Katie had offered several times since dad had passed away.

"Let me speak to Kane first, but it is a good idea."

Getting up to leave, I said, "Night, boys, lights out in an hour."

I got three goodnights.

Just as I was about to close the door, Alec stopped me, "Leave the door ajar, Mamma A. Ben likes to be able to hear the girls if they need him."

Nodding, I did that before heading for a shower. I find Avy sitting on the bed when I open Kane's door, doing something on her phone.

"Kids all good?" she asked.

"Yeah, they're good. What's up, hun," I asked while I headed to the dresser and grabbed trackie bottoms and a T-shirt intending to head to the shower.

"We're going to meet in the family room and wait for the guys. Aunt Kate and Aunt Maggie have opened up the wine and told me to come to get you," Avy replied.

"Okay, give me ten minutes to grab a shower, and I'll be down," I confirm, heading into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, I'm in the family room with some of my favourite women. Wine bottles are open, and snack boards with salami, cheese, and olives are on the coffee table. We are all dressed for comfort in leggings, trackie bottoms, and t-shirts. Even Aunt Kate was dressed for comfort, although she still looked elegant in mauve-fitted yoga pants with a matching shirt.

Taking the glass of wine she handed me, I got comfortable on the floor by her legs. Then, taking a big sip of my wine, I lean my head back on her knees and sigh.

I feel her hand run over my head, and I tilt up to look at her to find her smiling at me.

"So, sweetheart, do you want to talk about what we learned from the men after their little meeting," she questioned kindly.

I groaned, rubbing at the tension in my forehead before replying.

"I suppose I should. I don't really know if I should tell them or not that Alec is Sam's uncle. It was a bit of a shock finding out."

Thankfully the kids had all gone up when Gunny shared the news with the rest of us after dinner. He had looked straight at me when he had told us the news. I could see as soon as the penny dropped with the rest of the Oldies. I had seen Kane had questions. Gunny had offered to fill him in while they travelled, and I had agreed, so by now, Kane would know that my son's grandfather and Alec's father was the man in government who was in charge of the ACES and the cause of the drugs in this area and the cause of Kane's father being in hospital in a coma.

"Do they need to know?" Noni asked.

"Yeah, I think they do in case they are approached. I know Alec's sperm donor thinks he's dead, but I'm not sure if he even knows about Sam, as I never went to their house. When I told Todd I was pregnant, we'd only been together for six months, and he said to have an abortion.

"He didn't want anything to do with Sam. He signed his rights away as soon as he had the paperwork and disappeared. We've never had any contact. The last I saw of him was in some celebrity rag. He's married and living in the USA now. He has two girls and a son. I doubt he will be getting in contact, but I suppose forewarned is forearmed.

"I don't think there are many people left in the village who would remember who his father is other than Todd's girlfriend he had after me, but I think she moved up north somewhere."

"I'll speak to them tomorrow, and I'm sure Kane has questions too.

"Anyway, enough about me. What are you all doing here, especially you, Noni? You'll not get much sleep if you're opening the bakery tomorrow morning."

"Pshaw," she snorted, waving a hand at me with a grin. "I knew we would be up late, so I asked Marie if she would mind opening for me. She's saving for a holiday, so she was happy about the hours. Plus, I miss our girls' nights of wine and whispers. We haven't done it in months. And now that it looks like you're going to be part of the family, we can have them more often," she teasingly said.

Her happiness was catching, and I grinned back at her before asking, "Yeah, explain this Crow man thing to me, by the way. What the hell, he sees me, and I'm claimed?"

Maggie and Kate laughed at my annoyance. "Oh, my girl, let me fill you in on the Crow men and how they operate. But first, you'll need more wine for it," Maggie stated, filling my glass to the brim.

I spent the next few hours listening to Maggie and Katie tell stories about their men, and learn more about the MC and how it was started. Maggie and Katie had never been in this position before either of sitting up and worrying because their generation didn't have any issues, and the MC had nearly gone defunct.

"It was a different story for my fathers-in-law's group in the 50s and 60s. Things were wild in that era, especially in London. By the time Shep was ready to take over in the 70s, everything had calmed down, so there wasn't much need for the MC. It was only Shep, Dog, Thor, Gunny, Jones, and Roman by then. Unfortunately, we lost both Roman and Jones in the Falklands. It hit them hard when Jones died but Roman, he was the one that hurt them the most," Katie said sadly.

"Ah, Roman," Maggie murmured, smiling softly. "He was a sweetheart, for sure. Always a kind word or a hug when you were feeling down. He was the soul that bound those men together. They weren't the same after he died. It was like a spark left them all. This is the first week I've seen that spark back in my Robert."

"You're right, Maggie. All the men seem to have a bit more pep in their step this week. Now, if only Alan would wake up, my life would be complete," Katie said.

"It's so weird hearing you call them Robert and Alan. I sometimes forget they have other names other than Shep and Dog," Noni said, grinning. She was slouched down on the couch with Avy's head on her lap. She'd fallen asleep about ten minutes ago.

"Lightweight," I said as I nudged Avy with my foot, making her grumble at me.

"Yep, the girl has never been able to hold her liquor. I better get her to bed, then head out to the hospital," Katie said, standing up.

It was nearly two o'clock, so I got up from the floor where I had been sitting and started clearing away the remnants of the last couple of hours. Taking it all into the kitchen, I help Maggie and Noni load the dishwasher and clean up before saying goodnight as we all head up the stairs to bed.

After checking on the kids, I make short work of brushing my teeth before falling into bed with a groan, leaving the lamp on in the corner so that the room isn't in full darkness. Just as I start dozing off, I hear Kane open the door quietly.

Sitting up, I ask him, "How did it go?"

He was smiling as he came over to the bed, leaning over me, his palms cupping my face, tilting my head up as his lips landed on mine. He smelled of the night and the slight musk of a man. His kiss was long and wet. I lifted my hand and threaded my fingers through his hair tugging him closer with a moan. His mouth left mine and feathered kisses down my cheek, then towards my ear, where he nipped at my lobe.

"It was good. But coming home to you in my bed is even better," Kane growled in my ear. I clenched my thighs together as I whimpered at how his voice was turning me on.

"Kane," I whispered, my hands tugging at his hair, bringing his lips back to mine.

"Give me five minutes to shower, baby. I've been crawling around in the dirt for the last four hours. I'll be back before you know it," Kane said with a last kiss on my lips before standing.

"Or I could join you," I said, throwing the covers back and standing. I pulled my T-shirt off and threw it at him as I walked towards the bathroom. His guttural groan made me feel like the most beautiful woman on earth. I tossed him a wink and a smirk as I opened the bathroom door. I laughed out loud when I heard what sounded like boots being thrown down in the corner and, a belt hurriedly opened, then a zip being pulled down.

I started the shower just as Kane walked in, in all his naked glory. I licked my lips as I looked at him, taking the time to peruse him. Starting with his magnificent muscular legs, his thick thighs heavy with muscle. His cock, long and hard, standing upright against his belly, and my mouth watered for a taste. I raked my eyes up his flat stomach to his chest and over his broad shoulders before raising my eyes to his. Only to find him doing the same to me.

"God, you're beautiful," he muttered thickly.

Walking over to me, he took my mouth again before lifting me into the shower, pulling me close, he picked me up, my back resting against the wall. My legs tightened around his waist, and I gasped slightly as his cock hit my clit as he thrust his hips against mine. It had been a long time for me, and this man had worked me up for days. I could feel my orgasm building.

"I'm close, babe," I whispered to him.

"Birth control," he asked, pulling back to look at me.

Brushing his wet hair from his face, I smiled at him, "I'm clean and on the pill. You?"

"Well, I'm not on the pill, but I'm clean," he grinned at me. Then more seriously, he said, "I haven't been with anyone in two years, and the military checks us regularly."

"Okay," I told him.

"You're sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure," I whispered, nudging him with my hips. "Now fuck me already before I combust."

He pulled back and thrust up into me. I hissed as his cock stretched me.

He stopped when he bottomed out, waiting for me to adjust to his size. His forehead rested against mine. Opening my eyes, I saw him watching, I rocked my hips slightly, and he bit his lip and shut his eyes.

"Move, babe," I whispered.

That was the only encouragement he needed as he started to pound into me. Before long, I could feel that familiar tingle. Plunging a hand between us, I rubbed at my clit. My head was thrown back against the shower wall as I came hard.

"Wow, why did I wait so long?" I gasped.

Kane chuckled, his head resting on my shoulder as he caught his breath. "Better than teenage sex then," he chuckled as his softening cock slipped out of me. Pressing a kiss to my neck, he gently let my legs down. Not letting me go, he held me tight in his arms until I was steady on my feet.

"Uh, yeah. I actually got to come," I laughed.

This was a first for me. I'd never had this before, and I found I loved it. There was no awkwardness, just pure happiness. I smiled as Kane grabbed the soap and loofah and began to wash me. I returned the favour, and by the time we finished, he was hard again.

Picking me up, he tossed me on the bed, followed me down, and proceeded to blow my mind by going down on me. Another first for me.

Sated, I snuggled into him and fell into a dreamless sleep. Woken only by the alarm at five-thirty. Groaning, I switched it off, flopping back down on the bed.

It was only then I noticed I was by myself in the bed, the bathroom light was on, and the door was cracked.

Kane switched off the light and came out. Seeing me awake, he came and sat on the bed, leaning over to kiss me.

"Why are you up so early?" he asked.

I snuggled back down into my pillow before answering, "I thought you'd still be asleep, so I promised the boys I would take them to the gym."

"Go back to sleep, baby. The guys and I'll take them. We're used to getting by on a little sleep."

"Okay," I said, my eyes already closing.

He tucked the covers around me before kissing my forehead and quietly left the room.