Craving Cecilia (The Aces' Sons 6)

“This place is a trip,” Lu said around a bite of pizza as she walked up beside me. “The men look at me like they can’t figure me out, and the women don’t bat an eyelash.”

“That’s because most of these guys don’t have any clue how much the women pitch in,” I replied quietly. “These women have been kicking ass and taking names for years, they just do it from behind the scenes.”

“Yeah, that’s the vibe I’ve been getting.”

“When I was a kid, the men in the club paid an interest—especially after my pop died—in teaching me how to work on engines and fire a weapon. Hell, one of the boys taught me how to drive. But it was the women who pulled me into the fold—made sure I had clean shit to wear, kept me fed, made sure I was doing alright.”

“Men did the surface shit, women did the real heavy lifting,” Lu said with a hum.

I chuckled. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“But you lived with your mom, right?” she asked.

Cecilia was handing the baby off to someone and I paused until I realized it was Eileen. “Yeah,” I told Lu distractedly. “But she worked two jobs, so I went to my pop’s a lot, and later, to different club members’ houses. I spent most summers there.”

“Like a big, extended family,” Lu mused.

“Pretty much.”

“Must be nice. It was always just me, my brother and my mom. Now it’s just me.”

“It’s not just you,” I argued, throwing my arm over her shoulder. “You’ve got your niece up north, and the team, too.”

“True—if her mother would answer my calls. Do I have to claim Siah, though? I’d rather not.”

“If I had to pick and choose, I’d leave out Wilson,” I joked.

“Nah, Wilson may be a pain in the ass, but he doesn’t go out of his way to irritate me.”

“Fair point.”

“We’ve got an audience,” Lu said under her breath. “Better keep your hands to yourself.”

I scoffed, but dropped my arm. I’d felt the stares, too, I just hadn’t paid them any mind. The club was like a big family, and because of that, everyone talked about everyone else. It was par for the course.

“In order to keep things simple, Casper told the boys I was Cecilia’s man. I’m always welcome, but I don’t know these guys like I know the ones in Eugene, so they would’ve been leery to let the team camp out here.”

“Politics,” Lu said, nodding her head.

“Something like that.”

“I’m telling you, don’t even make eye contact with any of the women,” Eli told Forrest as they strode toward us. “I thought that monster with the pot belly was going to gut me.”

“They don’t give a shit about me,” Forrest said, irritated. “It’s your pretty face that’s makin’ ’em jumpy.”

“And the way you check out every female you meet,” Lu added as they reached us.

“I can’t help it,” Eli complained, shrugging. “I love women, and every single one of them has at least one attractive attribute. Farrah, for instance—”

“I’ll stop you there,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “Casper really would gut you—and no one would ever know because your body would never be found.”

Lu laughed, but Eli turned a little green.

“Casper likes me,” he argued.

“He don’t like anyone that much,” Forrest said with a chuckle. He turned to me. “We still leavin’ bright and early?”

“That’s the plan. Why?”

He jerked his head toward Cecilia. “Just thinkin’ that a little more time to rest and feel comfortable would be good for her. She can make another day trip, but by the time we get to Oregon, she’s gonna be worn the fuck out. Those antibiotics are only gonna do so much—she needs to rest.”

“Thought she’d be feeling better by now,” I replied. Cecilia was picking at her food, shoulders slumped and eyes tired, even though she was smiling at the people talking to her.

“A couple’a days here isn’t gonna hurt,” Forrest said. “Just a thought. Give us some time to hear from Wilson, too.”

“You’re forgetting that they’ve got an emergency up in Oregon,” I replied. “Cecilia’s cousin is still missing.”

“Right,” he muttered. “But she ain’t our mission. Your girl is.”

I nodded and slapped him on the back as I moved toward the group gathered around the massive pile of pizza boxes.

“You guys all know Doc’s son, Woody, right?” Farrah asked, smiling up at me from her seat next to Cecilia.

“Don’t think we’ve ever met,” an older guy said, reaching out to shake my hand. “I’m Throttle.”

“I didn’t spend much time down here,” I replied, as I shook his hand.

“Lost your old man pretty young,” he said in understanding. “Tough.”

“It happens when your old man was old as shit before you were born,” I replied, making him laugh a little.

“You got a point there,” he said, nodding in agreement. “Never figured out how the man did it—and I understand it even less now. Randy old bastard.”