Page 36 of Property of Stone (Kings of Anarchy MC: Pennsylvania #1)

Taryn wondered what made any of them unavailable. A lot of them lived at The Castle and seemed to not have to leave for actual jobs. In fact, it didn’t seem like Stone or his brothers followed any kind of schedule at all.

They had managed to turn a hobby into a complete lifestyle.

The few times she’d been on the back of his bike, it had been for the quick trip between The Castle and his house. Even in that short amount of time, she could see the appeal of “having the wind in my face and my knees in the breeze” as Stone explained on more than one occasion.

So, yes, she’d love to go for a longer ride with him. Only one thing—more like two small things—stopped her from immediately agreeing. “What about the kids?”

“Can get someone to stay with them for the time we’d be gone.”

She groaned. “A sweet butt?” Their whole living arrangement was questionable enough, she really didn’t want a woman used by the club for sex to be babysitting. She had to draw a line somewhere. Even if that line was a bit wonky.

She shook her head. “I can ask my mother to come stay at the house.” At least her mother wouldn’t be wearing a skirt short enough to show off her butt cheeks.

“Guessin’ that’s a yes.”

“As long as she’s free.”

“If she ain’t and you don’t want a sweet butt hangin’ at the house, can get one of the prospects.”

As if that was any better. But life had been so crazy lately, she could really use the break. Going for a motorcycle ride might clear her head. It also might stave off the impending dread of Vic’s upcoming release, at least for a little while. “How long are these runs?”

“A few hours, dependin’ on the route our road captain takes. We try to stick to back roads.”

“To avoid law enforcement?”

“To avoid dickheads who can’t drive.”

“That’s a good reason, too,” she murmured as she glanced out past the former serving line to see what her son was up to. He hadn’t bugged her in at least a half hour.

What she found wasn’t surprising. Wren loved animals, so whenever he saw one, he was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

He currently sat on the cafeteria floor— dirty floor, she noted—using Thor, Ogre’s scary looking dog, as a backrest. Her son was mindlessly petting the canine and rubbing his ears while reading out loud from a book Taryn made him bring along to keep him occupied.

The huge dog’s eyes were nothing more than slits because he was eating up the attention. At least the hundred and fifty pound dog wasn’t eating Wren.

“I’m glad Thor’s tolerant to Wren’s attention and his long-winded story time. He reminds me of some of you bikers. Intimidating on the outside and…” She was going to say mushy on the inside, but that wouldn’t be correct. “Never mind,” she muttered.

Stone grunted. “Dog’s well trained. Can do some damage if ordered. Despite that, Thor’s a good babysitter.”

Taryn said, “The dog can’t watch our children, Stone,” before he got that idea in his head. “Plus, I’m pretty sure that’s…illegal. Oh wait…” She rolled her eyes. The Kings certainly didn’t give a crap about what was legal and what wasn’t.

“Ain’t sayin’ the dog’s gonna babysit on Sunday since Thor rides shotgun with Ogre.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, got a sidecar for him. That beast ain’t ever far from him. But ain’t sayin’ the dog won’t keep an eye on the kids when he’s near them. He’s known Sunny since she was a tiny nut nugget.”

She swallowed down the frustration from him constantly using that term. To stay sane, she needed to learn to laugh at it instead. “Anyway, if my mom has plans, I’ll just stay behind with the kids.”

“Ain’t gonna happen.”

“It’s not up to you.”

“Sure as fuck is.”

Since he still had her caged in with his arms, when she turned to face him, they were only inches apart. With a tilt of her head, she locked eyes with him. “I thought it was an invitation, not a demand.”

“It is.”

“Which one?”

“Both.”

She sighed. “Are all bikers as bossy as you?”

“Haven’t met them all, but if I hadta guess, yeah.”

“Must be in the genes.”

“Got somethin’ in my jeans.” He grabbed his crotch and shook it.

She rolled her eyes. “Genes with a G .”

He snorted. “Huh. Musta spelled it wrong my whole fuckin’ life.”

“I’ll ask my mother about Sunday and let you know. By the way, you never did answer me about the percentage the club wants, and I also need to know who’s going to do the delivery tomorrow. I’ll need to give him some pointers before he goes.”

His eyes dropped to her chest, even though it was covered by an apron.

He straightened, took a step back to put some space between them, and curled his fingers into his palms. “Tempted to touch you right now. Maybe the kids can take Thor for a walk.”

“They are not taking that beast for a walk. And we agreed to keep it behind closed, locked doors.”

“Regrettin’ that agreement,” he muttered.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“What question?”

She sighed. “Really?”

His cocky grin should be a total turn-off, not the exact opposite.

Goddamn it! Why did he have this effect on her ?

“We debated chargin’ a percentage or a flat fee per delivery. The officers agreed to take a percentage of your sales when it comes to the delivered shit. This way the club can continue to pay for the ingredients for you.”

Sometimes talking to him was like pulling teeth. “And what’s the percentage?”

She braced herself, worried that it would be some outrageous amount. Having them buy the ingredients was a huge help but she still needed to make a profit. She wasn’t going to do all the work for free.

His answering grimace made her stomach flip. “What?”

“Started to discuss it and the meetin’ got off track.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head.

“How ‘bout this? Won’t charge you for the stuff delivered tomorrow. Will corner Ransom soon and get a number for you.”

“Can you convince him to keep that number low?” Very low, if it was up to her.

His answering smile blinded her. “Might be easier to convince him if you suck my dick tonight.”

“Why does everything have to be a negotiation?”

Stone shrugged. “Okay, then I’m just gonna tell you…suck my cock tonight.”

“Stone…”

“We ain’t gonna fuck you.” He leaned in closer again with a look in his dark eyes that made her lose her breath. “The Kings won’t, but I sure as fuck will.”