Page 32 of Shine: Sins of the Father (Evil Dead MC: Second Generation #8)

Fiona—

We ride for about an hour before Shine pulls into a little roadside diner. The silver exterior and the large sign reading Shirley’s Café in neon red make it look like something out of the fifties.

“I’ve never seen this place. It’s so cute.” Pulling my helmet off, I climb from the bike.

“I just hope it tastes as good as it looks.” Shine stretches.

“Mmm, the smell of those burgers has me salivating from here.”

Shine’s eyes catch mine, and I can see his mind has gone to last night. He quirks a brow at me. “I can think of something else that has me salivating.”

His words come out in a husky voice that causes a wave of desire to rush over me.

“You’ll need sustenance first.” I wink and pull him along behind me toward the door.

A little bell chimes as we enter.

A woman in a teal and pink waitress uniform approaches.

“Just two?” She glances between us.

“Yes, ma’am,” Shine replies.

The corner of my mouth tugs up. “I thought you didn’t say ma’am anymore. Since when did you start saying it again?”

There’s a twinkle in his eyes when he gestures for me to follow behind the lady, then leans to whisper in my ear. “Since the sweetest thing that ever fell into my lap said she liked it.”

We’re led to a booth by the window. “Here you go. Carol will be over in a moment to take your order.”

After devouring the best smash burger I’ve ever had, we return to the bike. I thought about telling Shine about Dylan, but there were too many patrons around who would have overheard every word. I mentally kick myself for stalling when we climb on the bike. Am I just searching for excuses?

It’s not long before we end up back at the clubhouse.

I breathe a sigh of relief when the lot is mostly empty and notably absent is my father’s Harley.

It’s early yet, so finding TJ and Gigi inside with their little Caleb with them isn’t surprising.

“Oh, Caleb, you’re getting so big,” I croon, making a beeline for him.

“Thas caz Ima big boy.” He puffs his little chest out, and I can’t help but scoop him into my arms.

“Shine.” TJ nods, lifting his beer to his lips and taking a swig.

I glance his way. He looks the portrait of nonchalance, except for his eyes which are definitely assessing. Shit. How must this look? Me riding up here on the back of Shine’s bike.

“Reckless told Shine about my bakery and how good the cupcakes are, so he thought he’d try one.” I scramble to supply an excuse but then kick myself when I realize it literally explains nothing about why I rode up here on the back of his bike.

“I see,” TJ says slowly, clearly seeing way too much.

“Speaking of your bakery, I was wondering if I could have Caleb’s third birthday party there?” Gigi ruffles Caleb’s hair.

Thankful for the distraction, I pounce on it. “Absolutely! I’d love to throw his party. Do you have a theme in mind? I’ve mostly done girl’s parties, but I could definitely decorate it in cars or dinosaurs or whatever little man’s into nowadays.”

“That would be construction trucks,” Gigi supplies.

“Okay, okay.” The gears start turning as my mind races with different ideas. “I could get traffic cones and caution tape. His cake could be a whole construction project, like the different vehicles are building the cake.”

“Yes, I’m already excited for this now.” Gigi claps her hands together.

Gigi and I talk for ages, coming up with different ideas until we have an entire elaborate party planned, Caleb adding his input about needing to have a “digger” and a dump truck. He also loves the idea of hard hats instead of party hats for all his little friends to wear.

Sometime around cake flavors, TJ and Shine move off to play pool. But when I walk by on the way to the restroom, they seem to be just finishing up.

When I return, Shine is holding Caleb in his arms and tickling him.

The boy is laughing, saying, “Again. Again.”

Shine’s face is lit in happiness, and for a moment, I imagine him holding Dylan like that.

“You got any kids, Shine?” Gigi asks.

“No, ma’am, but I’d love to have some.”

“Well, you should. I can tell you’d make a wonderful father.”

“Thanks. Hopefully someday.” He passes Caleb to TJ and turns when I walk up. “Hey, you ready?”

“Yeah. I need to get home. I’ve got a lot of baking to do for tomorrow. Monday is always a busy day. One of my best sales days. I’m putting my Orange Dream on special. That always brings them in.”

“Well, let’s go then. I don’t want to be responsible for there not being enough Orange Dream cupcakes to satisfy the town.”

I lean and kiss Caleb, and he gets bashful and buries his head in TJ’s neck.

When we arrive at my shop, Shine parks and dismounts to kiss me goodbye but doesn’t push to come upstairs.

“I’m glad we’re starting fresh.” He leans his forehead against mine.

“Me too.”

He kisses me one more time—a soft kiss that sends tingles over my body.

Then he climbs on his bike, winks and rides off down the road.

***

“That’s when you should have told him” Janey chastises as we sit on my couch rehashing the date after she helped me bake dozens of cupcakes, which are now downstairs cooling on racks.

Was it a date? Janey claims that since he fed me and kissed me goodbye when he dropped me off, it qualifies.

She points a finger at me. “Right when he said you were starting fresh.”

I grimace.

“Or better yet, when you first left.”

“We were riding. I’m not exactly going to scream it in his ear. Besides, he’d probably lay us down if I did.”

“Okay, how about when you were sitting in a nice quiet diner?” She quirks a brow at me with her arms folded across her chest.

My shoulders slump. “Okay, I know. I thought about it, but I didn’t exactly want an audience.”

“Wow, you are just full of excuses.”

My phone dings, and we both look at where it lies on the coffee table.

Janey snatches it before I can get to it with Dylan sitting on my lap.

Her eyes flick to mine. “He wants you to stay the night with him.”

I grab the phone from her and read the message, my eyes flying across the screen.

SHINE: I know I only just dropped you a couple hours ago, but I can’t stop thinking about you.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I walked in the clubhouse on Reckless’s birthday.

Hell, if I’m honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the night I dropped you off at Sonny’s. Come spend the night with me.

“It says a hell of a lot more than he wants me to stay with him.”

“I was summarizing.” Janey shrugs.

I decide to put my heart out there and tap out a reply.

ME: I haven’t stopped thinking of you, either.

SHINE: You don’t know how good those words make me feel. Come over.

ME: Where are you?

SHINE: Reckless is letting me use his room at the club.

ME: Someone will see me or my car.

SHINE: I don’t care. Come over.

ME: I care.

SHINE: You’re being difficult, woman. Come over so I can whisper sweet nothings in your ear and tell you how sexy I find your confidence and how easy you are to talk to and how I haven’t felt this way with a woman ever.

ME: Really?

SHINE: Yes, now come over. Or I’m going to come get your ass, messy house or not.

I bite my bottom lip and glance at Janey as she leans over, reading our messages.

“Hey.” I pull the phone out of view.

“Go,” she orders.

“But what about Dylan?”

“I’ve got him. Go. You need to make this right, so your son has a father in his life. Go over there and fucking tell him .”

ME: Okay, I’m coming.

SHINE: Not yet… but you will be when I get my hands on you.

I blush, knowing he’ll keep that promise. Probably more than once.

I decided to call a ride, so I can hopefully sneak in unnoticed.

Thankfully, the new prospect that filled Cody’s old role is the only one in the open area when I come through the door an hour later.

Before he can say anything to me, I rush past him and down the hall. He saw me, but I’m not even sure if he knows exactly who I am yet. I don’t really care, as long as he keeps his mouth shut.

I slip into the room, not even bothering to knock, to find Shine lying shirtless in bed, his chest and abs on full display.

My slow gaze traces down his body and back to his eyes to find them sparkling with mischief.

“C’mere, pretty girl.” He crooks a finger, and my feet move of their own accord, carrying me to him, to the man who used to feel off limits, but now feels like home.

“Did you mean all those things you said?” I whisper, coming to stand at the foot of the bed.

He props himself up on his elbows. “Every. Single. One. I thought if I stayed away long enough, I could get you out of my head. But as soon as I saw you again, I knew I was done for. Knew I’d been lying to myself all this time. I could never get you out of my head, because that’s where you belong.”

My eyes skate over his body again. “I can’t get you out of my head, either.”

“Good. Then stop building walls and let me in.”

I nod. He’s right. I have to be vulnerable if I really want to give this a shot.

“Now that that’s settled, get over here.”

I don’t move closer, but instead take the hem of my shirt and slowly lift it over my head.

His eyes rake down my body, and my pulse quickens.

“Don’t stop now, beautiful.” There’s molten heat in his gaze.

I shimmy out of my jeans.

His eyes drop to my matching black lace bra and panties.

I see his gaze pause for just a second at my stomach, where a few stretch marks from carrying Dylan are faded but still there.

Before panic can seize me, his eyes move to mine, like he didn’t notice.

“So fucking beautiful.”

I crawl up the bed, stopping at his waist to unbutton his jeans and tug the zipper down. His bulge is evident underneath and bobs as I tug the jeans and boxers halfway down his legs.

I lick my lips, his only hint of what I’m about to do before I take his head into my mouth.

“Oh God.”

My mouth curls into a smile around him before I pull off. “Fiona will do just fine.”

His rumble of laughter is cut off by a quick intake of breath when I take the entire length into my mouth.

I lick and tease before starting a steady rhythm, pumping him in and out of my mouth. He thrusts up, meeting me each time I take him deep into my throat.

His fingers thread through my hair, and soon he’s pumping frantically until he jerks and releases his warm ejaculate onto my waiting tongue. I lap up every drop while his wild eyes watch every stroke of my tongue.

“That was better than I could ever have imagined. And trust me, I’ve imagined it.”

“Have you now?” I crawl up his body to lie across his chest.

His hands stroke up my sides, and he stares at the ceiling, reciting the list. “Abso-fucking-lutely. In the shower. In my bed. In my dreams. Before you came.”

My tinkling laughter draws his attention to me, and before I know it, he’s flipped me onto my back.

“My turn.”