Crash (Brazen Bulls MC #1)(57)
Rad stepped out so that he was between her and Ollie and the others, and for a moment, two men stared at each other. One was average height and slight build, wearing Reeboks with his pressed jeans and collarless button-down shirt, with wire-rimmed glasses on his face, and the other was Rad—tall, broad, bearded, inked, and wearing a Bulls kutte and heavy engineer boots.
As showdowns went, it was a bit lopsided.
“Go on, now,” Rad said. “Ollie here won’t move till we say. You’re safe.”
The guy put his arm around his woman and their dog and moved past, keeping as much distance from Rad and Ollie as they could get without walking into traffic.
“Assholes,” Rad muttered as he took her hand and they resumed their own walk. “What was I sayin’—right. Kids. I’d say I don’t want kids, but after Oklahoma City, I wondered if maybe we pushed our luck too much. Thought didn’t bother me like it should’ve.”
“We didn’t talk about that at all. I wasn’t sure you’d noticed.”
“I didn’t notice I was free range inside you? Shit, Wills. I f*ckin’ noticed. I noticed so much I couldn’t stop.” He shrugged. “But there was nothin’ to talk about unless it was a real thing. And it wasn’t. Anyway, I guess my answer is I could go either way. Got no need to be a dad. Had a shit one myself. But I’m not freaked out about it like I used to be. Not with you.” He squeezed her hand. “What about you?”
“I have no idea. Jesse’s loomed in the back of my life so long I’ve barely thought about what I want. And the world is such a shitty place. I don’t know how people bring babies into it knowing all the terrible things that could happen to them.” Ollie had stopped for a sniff, so she turned and slid her arm around Rad’s waist. “But while I was waiting for my period, I felt like I almost wanted it, too. With you. I don’t know.”
He bent down and kissed her, sliding his tongue along her lips, then pushing gently into her mouth. With his beard still brushing her skin, he said, “Sounds like we’re on the same page, then. Let’s just roll on, do what feels right, and see what comes.”
It seemed a good answer. One that gave Willa some peace of mind.
oOo
When they were back at home, Rad didn’t push for the clubhouse party. Instead, he suggested they order in and watch television until they were ready to f*ck each other unconscious. That sounded like a perfect Friday night to her.
While he called for pizza, Willa went back to her bedroom and washed her face and hands, then changed into shorts and a camisole. Dressed and feeling fresher and calm, she opened her grandmother’s rosewood jewelry box. Her mother had shipped it to her after the funeral. She lifted the top tray and picked up a set of keys from the velvet floor of the bottom compartment.
In the living room, Rad had just turned on the television and was standing before it, scrolling through the guide. He’d taken off his kutte, boots, and socks, which was about as comfortable as he ever got until he was naked. She went and stood beside him.
He saw her and smiled, plucking at a strap of her camisole. “I love these little shirts and how you don’t wear a bra with ‘em.” He drew a finger down her chest and flicked at her nipple until it beaded up under the cotton.
“Rad,” she gasped and flinched away before he could distract her.
She held up the keys and waited for him to get it. When he did, he cocked an eyebrow at her, and she swallowed to loosen her throat for the next words she wanted to say: “I love you.”
He stared for a long time, his expression unreadable except for the hot shine of his brown eyes. Willa stood there, holding the keys he hadn’t taken, not knowing what to think.
Then he tossed the remote at the sofa and grabbed her. As his mouth slammed over hers, he lifted her up and charged to the wall, crashing them both into it so hard that Willa lost all her breath and the keys clattered to the floor.
Ollie, lying by the fireplace, was quiet. He’d gotten used to their antics by now and knew not to worry.
Willa tore her mouth free and sucked in a breath. She thought she understood his feeling in this wild passion, but it wasn’t enough. “Say it. Please say it.”
“I love you,” he growled. “Fuck yeah, I love you.” He bit down on her neck and took them both to the floor.
They were still going at it when the pizza arrived. Rad didn’t even bother to get dressed before he answered the door—just shoved some cash at the shocked kid and yanked the box from him before he slammed the door shut so hard the light over the dining room table shook.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Rad leaned back against the bar in the clubhouse and nursed a beer. Most of his brothers and their guests were drinking with enthusiasm, but he was keeping a level head. The Volkovs hadn’t arrived yet, and he wasn’t entirely confident that the meet would go smoothly. Neither was Delaney; he’d noticed his president eyeing the front door and nursing his whiskey.
The Night Horde was in the house, the whole club, and the Russians were on their way. The Bulls had called in all the sweetbutts, regulars and occasionals, as well as a few of Maddie’s ‘models,’ to keep the men entertained. Slick and Wally, the prospects, and a couple of the more established hangarounds, kept the booze flowing.