Never Give You Up (Snakes Henchmen MC 4)

I stand back with my arms folded across my chest and watch him. “If he doesn't take care of you,” he winks, and my eyebrows shoot up. Maria is standing smiling at him, her hand in his. “I will, and I do mean in the bedroom... Or out of it.” He winks again, and I could kill the little shit!

“VJ!” I bark at him.

“What? I'm just sayin'. You're gettin' old, bro. You're,” he looks Maria up and down shamelessly. “Woman is damn fine.” Maria laughs, my father, on the other hand, slaps him upside the head, apologizes and takes my mother and younger siblings into the hall.

Little fucker.

Willow and Hammer, Nova and Tank, hand us their congratulations. Red and Tammy, Ace and Tessa, Roman, Hawk, BlackJack and Taylor, and many more congratulate us, and finally, the line comes to an end, and I grab my woman.

My woman.

Mine.

She giggles and wraps her arms around my neck. “I can't believe this happened.”

I hold her waist, pulling her closer, “Nor can I. He came to see me this morning at the clubhouse. Ordered me to come here and watch you marry that jackass. Had no idea he simply meant he wanted me to turn up and be a man about things.” She's looking at me like I'm a God to her. No woman has ever looked at me like that.

I lean in and take her mouth with mine. She melts into me, kissing me back like there's no one around us witnessing anything. Only there is, and now they're all whistling and awing at us. She laughs against my mouth. I lead her to the dance floor. My wife.

As wedding days go, this one has been pretty fucking awesome so far. We've sat down and eaten a massive meal. Something Maria's aunt Sofia said was a big tradition within their family. I'm all for eating I'm a huge fuckin' guy after all, but six courses? Fuck me! Can't deny it was delicious, though.

Ain't never been one for Italian food, always seemed too rich in flavor for me, I like the simple things. However, there was fish, meat, pasta, all sorts of sauces mixed in. I could get used to it.

I've watched Maria dancing with almost every person here, everyone from her aunts and uncles to my brothers in the MC. I watched her dancing with Draven and the way she looked at him like he's a hero, and I guess after what he pulled today he is a hero to her. Maria was so happy dancing with everyone, smiling so wide, I had no idea I could make her this happy without even doing anything.

However, when the guy with the mic on stage asked Hammer to come dance with the bride, another brother-sister dance like she had with Draven, he walked out instead. She stood there in the middle of the dance floor, bottom lip between her teeth, eyes to the floor. It hurt her so badly she clasped her hands over her face and cried.

Of course, I rushed over to her, held her and told her it was nothing to do with her, that it's Hammer's hang up. The man has a real problem getting close to women after Cindy was murdered, and then my sister had her throat slit, the man thought he was cursed when it came to the women he loved. I know he's finding it hard to get close to Maria in case something happens and he loses his sister.

Nothing is going to happen to Maria. He won't lose her just like he didn't lose my sister. Willow lived, obviously, but it took months for Hammer to claim her, to realize what happened to her was not his fault. However, with Maria, I also think he feels like he's betraying his parents. Hilary and Titus, good people, my parent's best friend's who were murdered over a decade ago.

Hammer had no idea Titus wasn't his birth father, and finding out the Joseph Vidal was that man crushed him.

Crushed or not, I won't have him treat her like that, and he'll be getting a piece of my mind sooner rather than later. My wife is pregnant. She doesn't need to be worrying about the man who is her brother not wanting anything to do with her and why especially when he's close to Draven and Avery. God, she must feel like a damn leper thanks to him!

I tip her head up with my knuckles under her chin. She looks at me and smiles slightly. There's too much sadness in her eyes. Today is not the day to be sad; this is our day. The day we've fought for since the moment she told me she was pregnant with my baby. I won't let anything spoil it.

By the looks of things, Draven has followed Hammer outside to give him a piece of his mind. They won't bring violence here. If I know nothing else about Draven Vidal, I know he won't do anything to scare Maria. She knows all about the man he is, she knows about the man Hammer is, and they may clash, but they won't fight.

That's not to say they won't be having strong words. I just hope Draven can talk some sense into Hammer because I can see me knocking his teeth down his damn throat! I won't have him upsetting Maria like this.

“Look at me, baby,” She's trying to fight more tears. “No tears, princess.”

“I just feel so humiliated, Jett. I know he hates me, but he could've pretended in front of my family that he cared a little. Why is it he can talk to Draven, meet the members of the family he was yet to meet, and even smile at them as they hug him and welcome him into the family, yet he can't even bear to look at me? What's so wrong with me, Jett?”

I grab her and hold her to me. “There is nothing wrong with you, Maria. He's struggling a little, but he'll come around soon. I don't want you getting upset. I know it's hard, but I don't want you hurting yourself or that baby inside of you.”

“I would never...”

“I know.” I kiss her head. I know she'd never do anything to hurt the baby, but these things happen. Things are out of our control, but I can do my damned best to make sure nothing goes wrong. I've seen women who've lost babies and what it does to them. It's not happening to my woman. I couldn't bear to see her in pain like that.

“Maria?” I smile at Brooke, Hawk's girlfriend. Pretty little blonde thing. Not very tall, looks like a fifteen-year-old. She's not fifteen she's in her early twenties. Shouldn't be here, however.

We all know about her old man. A racist old bastard that would kill her if he knew she was here, especially in a room full of both Italian's and Black's. Hawk himself is part black. Taylor, his mother, my mother's best friend and an aunt to me and my siblings in many ways, is half black. I used to have a crush on her when I was a kid.

Oh, c'mon, she's fuckin' gorgeous. God, the early teenage dreams I used to have about her, wet ones at that. Couldn't look her in the eye at one point. Thank god for Helen Jenkins and the fact she helped my infatuation with Taylor Anderson vanish overnight.

Regardless, Brooke's father, not good. However, little Brooke has fallen for our Hawk and can't keep away from him, and he's fucking mad about her. I have no clue how the hell she hides their relationship from her father, but I do know every man in the MC will protect her with his life. She's Hawk's old lady, and that means something.

My Maria turns in my arms to face Brooke. They met at Hammer and Willow's wedding. They hit it off and danced their asses off, laughing and drinking.

Why was Maria at Hammer's wedding when he refuses to have anything to do with her? Because Willow invited both her and Draven, he attended the ceremony, but only stayed at the reception for one drink before he had to leave, taking Maria with him.

Couple months later was Ghost and Avery's wedding. Both Draven and Maria attended. A few of their relatives from Ita

ly – less than what came to our wedding. Draven stayed an hour into the reception before he left because of business. As you know, Maria stayed, and we hooked up, and that's what led us here.

“I just wanted to check you were okay?”

“I'm fine, Brooke.”

Brooke rubs Maria's bare arm and smiles. “Good. I just want you to know that I'm always here if ever you need someone to talk to, for any reason at all. Even if you just want to grab a decaf tea sometime and talk about the weather.” Both women giggle.

“Thank you. I would love that, and the same goes for you. Any time.” Maria hugs Brooke, and I see a close friendship forming before my eyes. Good. My wife could do with some better friends. There are a handful of her old friends here. The ones whom she socializes with, the same ones who have turned their snobby fucking noses up at me.

Bitches, all of them. They're also unimportant to me in every way.

“Is it time for us to leave yet?” Maria whispers in my ear the second Brooke is out of earshot.

“You wanna leave the party when it's in full swing?”

“It's expected that we'll sneak off at some point.” I cup her round ass and sway her gently to the soft music playing in the background. Bodies all around us, dancing, having fun. “I want you so badly, husband of mine.”

“Is that right?” I yank her closer, causing her to gasp and groan a little in my ear. “What is it you want to do to me so badly, little girl?”

“I want to taste you. I want to suck your cock until you explode down my throat.”

There are hundreds of sets of eyes on us right now, hell, they have been all day. However, right now, she's pressed up against me, her hips grinding subtly against my groin, and my cock is so hard I could pound nails! There's no fuckin' way I'm going to be able to walk out of here without someone noticing.