Page 6 of Tye (Rage MC: The Prospects #8)

Ice

A fter dinner, everyone went their separate ways, but I headed to Dad’s study. I’d spent most of the day with Mom, now I needed time with Dad.

Dad was sitting at his desk, and as I entered, he looked up. I wasn’t sure what he saw, but he got to his feet as I settled in an armchair, and he walked to the cabinet. Dad poured two shots of whiskey and handed me one.

“How bad is the panic?” Dad asked, sitting opposite me.

I frowned. What?

“Son, it’s written all over your face, even if you are not acknowledging it. You’re panic-stricken,” Dad said.

“No. Not that I’m aware of,” I replied as I took a swallow of the whiskey. Damn, that was smooth.

“How many of your family are you going to lose in this war?” Dad inquired calmly, and I choked.

There it was, the fear Dad had seen in me. I struggled to breathe, and Dad leant forward and held my gaze. My stomach turned itself inside out, and my fingers clawed the arm of the armchair. My breathing broke into short pants, and I felt like I was crawling out of my skin.

“I can’t answer that, Tye. There’s nothing more I want than to send all my children to safety. The thought of losing one of you kills me. I wanna hunt Fury down, put a bullet in his head, and end this. Shit, if turning Rage over to him would stop his crusade, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

“But it won’t. Fury wants blood; he thinks he’s the next coming of fuck knows who. His ego is writing checks he can’t cash. If I step down, he’d still come after everybody. He’s a murderous lunatic, and how he’s treated his own family shows how he’d treat everyone else. This fight we’re facing isn’t one any of us picked, son, and God knows I need to protect my children. But some of you are adults now, and I can’t. Still, you’ve no idea how much I hope and pray you and Carmine have games on the day he attacks.

“At least I can then save you two and the kids. Christian, Cody, Harley, and Jared. They’re prospects. I’ll order them to accompany the families, and believe me, I am going to. But Fanatic? He won’t leave,” Dad said with a sigh.

“I can’t lose my family,” I gasped, and my fingers clenched tightly. Dad reached out and grabbed my hands.

“Son, I can’t either. I’m doing to do everything I can to protect my kids. Should we fall, you are our Legacies. You’ll need to rebuild,” Dad insisted.

“I can’t lose you.” I force the words through a closing throat.

“Tye. No matter where you go or what you do, I will always walk by your side. Whether I’m alive or dead, you’re never going to be without me in your heart. I love you, kid, and I am fuckin’ proud of the man you turned into. I’d like to think I had a hand in that, but it’s more Ma’s influence than mine. All you kids are my life, and that’s what we are fighting for. Your future.” “Dad, I need you,” I said as I tossed back the whiskey. It almost made me choke as I fought panic in my belly.

“Good. Because, kid, the day you do not need me is the day I’m superfluous, and I don’t want that. I’m your dad. When you have kids, I wanna be here and be grandpa and spoil them before handing them over sugared up,” Dad said with a smirk.

“Not nice, Dad.”

“Nope, but it will be fuckin’ fun. That’s my dreams, Tye. To sit on the porch with your ma, growing old together and causing chaos with our grandkids. This life is hard but rewarding. No shit, I’ve made mistakes, but loving your mother and you kids wasn’t one. I’m beyond blessed to have you.

“Son, I’m not sure what I did to deserve you, but somehow, I got all of you. You’re my miracles. Your ma and your siblings. Every fuckin’ night, I thank God for you, and I ain’t no religious man, Tye. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen with Fury. I can’t say what will happen tomorrow. But I can say I love you with every cell in my body.”

“I love you too, Dad. Never thought I’d have parents. Then Mom came along, and you followed soon after. We ain’t had long enough together, and I can’t think of losing anyone because that makes me want to curl into a ball and cry,” I admitted.

“We’re going to lose people; not even I can stop that, Tye. I’ll make all my kids safe apart from Fanatic. But I’m betting Chance will order Fanatic protected. This fight is for our family and for their right to live free and clear of Fury. We won’t back down, and we’ll lay our lives on the line for you to have the best life you can. Hear me?”

“Yeah,” I answered. I held Dad’s eyes. “Love you, Dad.”

“Aw shit. You’ve no idea how much love I got for you,” Dad replied in a guttural voice.

“You forget my name’s Ice now?” I tease, trying to release the tension in the room and in my gut.

“Ice is my prospect; Tye is my son. Two different things,” Dad retorted.

I heard the emotion in his tone. This conversation was one I needed. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing Drake Michaelson. A man whose heart was so big he could take in sixteen kids and not blink. Dad hid his love behind a gruff exterior, but none of us doubted he loved us.

We might not share blood, but we had a bond that no fucker could break. And should someone try, we’d rain hellfire down on them. And I realised, right there and then, that was something Fury was going to find out. No matter what happened, whether Dad made it or not, he’d be remembered. Drake Michaelson was a legend amongst his club brothers, his family, and his friends.

Dad had something Fury did not have. A loving family who’d not let him be forgotten. Fury had already lost and didn’t know it. Because my dad would always be in my heart and by my side. That’s what Fury was missing: unconditional love and loyalty. And I pitied him.

◆◆◆

After the frank conversation with Dad, I needed air and headed to the rink. As I walked through the trees, a smile crossed my face when I thought about how outraged people had been to realise Mom had built me an ice rink. They were even more disturbed that Carmine had a baseball field, too. Since then, she’d built Jared a dojo and Aaron an NFL field where he and his friends practised a lot. Add in the tennis courts and we had a veritable sports complex going on.

Peyton used the rink now. She was into ice skating, and to Mom’s surprise, she was pretty good. She had won a couple of kiddie competitions, and Dad was dead proud. I was glad the rink was getting used by a Michaelson still. Monday to Friday, the ice hockey players in the Michaelson Scholarships used it for four hours in the afternoon. Many might have thought the excesses would have gone to waste, but no.

The courts were in use. Jodie had hired a retired pro tennis player, and now we were recruiting kids with that talent. As I entered the rink, memories surged of my siblings and me skating here. And then my long solitary hours of practising repeatedly. Even with the talent I had, practise had been necessary as I was well behind my peers when I started.

I was shocked to find the lights on and more surprised to see someone sitting by the rink.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Sorry. I had to see it. Your mom told us about this, but it is worth seeing,” Demi replied.

“It’s just an ice rink,” I said, a little disturbed at having my haven invaded by her.

“No. It is more,” Demi muttered.

“What do you see?” I wondered as I leaned on the boards next to her.

“A parent’s love. A mother’s belief that her child could accomplish everything, and she’d do whatever was needed to aid him. Child’s dream become reality,” Demi mused.

I tilted my head at her. “You get all that from this?”

“Yeah,” she replied softly. “Because Pops did the same for my mom, aunts, and uncles. And he’s done the same for us grandkids. I personally do dressage, and some of my cousins are starting to learn barrel rolling and steer wrestling. A couple of the Rodeo’s we attend have started showjumping, and it’s interesting. One of my little cousins is into that.” “Sounds like Spike dropped his Harley for a horse,” I teased, but Demi nodded.

“Pops still has his hog and rides it often. But he’s just at home on a horse. We all are. Hell, Aunt Sienna nearly gave birth on the back of one,” Demi said with a laugh.

“Damn, really?” I asked, shocked.

“Yeah. She and Teddy had gone for a ride, despite knowing she was due. But Sienna was tired of being pregnant and thought riding Crimson might start labour. It certainly did. She gave birth in a field, and Uncle Teddy had to deliver Toby.” Demi snickered.

“Shit. I don’t know if that’s funny or terrible,” I answered as I laughed.

“The women in my family are something else. Mind you, so are my uncles. Uncle Carter proposed to his wife as they struggled to get to safety after being caught in a blizzard. Uncle Carter crashed the truck but knew there was a cabin close by. He and Aunt Orla attempted to reach it on foot, and he proposed on the way. Aunt Orla was so mad she stomped to the cabin. She stated it was the least romantic proposal ever. Uncle Carter basically told her he loved her, and it looked like they were gonna freeze to death and would she marry him.” “Holy shit!” I exclaimed, laughing loudly. “That’s terrible!”

“It’s awful, isn’t it? But she said yes.” Demi sighed.

“Is she with the children?” I asked.

“No. She died two years ago. Her passing broke Uncle Carter; he loved her so much. He keeps going for the kids, but there’s a hurt inside him that can’t be fixed.” Demi grew sad, and I felt bad for her.

“Sorry for upsetting you,” I murmured, reaching out and stroking her back.

“Don’t be. I have good memories of Aunt Orla, and we do not talk about her enough. We aren’t sure what really happened. She died in a car accident, but there were skid marks on the ground that weren’t hers, and there were scratches on her bumper. We think somebody hit her and forced her off the road. Her passenger door was open, so we know someone had stopped but not if it was the same person. The whole thing is a mystery,” Demi said thoughtfully.

“That’s rough,” I replied.

“Yeah. I think that shit haunts Uncle Carter. He doesn’t have answers to how she died, and worse, the fact she might have been murdered lingers over him. Uncle Carter loved her so damn much it hurts to see him. He’s a shadow of what he once was,” Demi whispered as her thoughts drifted to her uncle.

I didn’t want to see Demi sad. My hand rubbed her back, and I wrapped my fingers in a lock of her hair and tugged.

“Do you skate?” I asked as she looked up at me.

“Hell no! I’d end up on my ass,” Demi replied with a small laugh.

“No time like the present to learn,” I retorted, and her eyes widened.

“You are injured!”

“Demi, I can skate blindfolded, come on. We have skates in all sizes here,” I said, grabbing her hand and tugging her. I started to shuffle away, pulling her behind me.

“Ice, you’re crazy! It’s nearly midnight, and we should be in bed,” she cried.

“Chicken. Bock-bock, chicken!”

“I am not!” Demi exclaimed indignantly.

I yanked her to where the skates are kept and picked up my pair.

“What’s your size?” I asked.

“Six. This is madness!”

“Moores aren’t the only ones with a monopoly on crazy,” I replied and grabbed a set of size sixes and a spare pair of clean socks.

“Put those on, and you’ll have to help me,” I stated as I motioned at my broken arm.

“This is a bad idea. You could fall. No, you will. I have zero balance, and you have a concussion!” Demi kept arguing with me, which I was enjoying.

“Trust me.”

That gave Demi pause for thought. “I don’t know you.”

“From the roughly one hour we’ve spent together, plus the time over dinner, do you think I’d hurt myself?”

“No.”

“Then, based on those two hours, trust me,” I teased.

“Insane,” Demi muttered, and I grinned. I was sure that comment was aimed at me.

I toed off my boots, slipped my feet into my skates, and looked at her. “Can you tie them?”

Still complaining about my level of sanity, Demi bent down and tied my skates.

Shit, it felt good to have them on.

Demi put hers on and stood up, wobbling. I grabbed a pad and hit a button, and music came from the speakers. With a frown, I brought up the playlist and changed it.

“Sorry, Peyton must have been practising,” I said, chuckling as ‘Let it Go’ turned into Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’.

Demi rolled her eyes at the song choice, making me laugh again.

“Keep laughing, asshole,” she muttered as she flailed her arms to keep her balance. We weren’t even on the ice yet.

“Bend your knees slightly, that’s better,” I instructed, trying to help. I stepped on and instantly felt at home. I skated a few circles as Demi watched wide-eyed, and then I glided over to her.

“Come on,” I encouraged, and Demi gingerly stepped onto the ice. She clung to the boards, and I choked down a laugh. Demi didn’t look so brave now.

“It’s okay. Take my hand, I won’t let you fall,” I said in a reassuring tone.

Demi reached out, and her legs shot in two different directions, and she grasped the board with both hands again. Sending me a baleful expression, Demi shook her head.

“I’ll hang out here and cling tightly,” she replied, her eyes wide.

“Trust me,” I urged and beckoned with my fingers.

Demi chewed her lip and then finally placed her hand in mine.

I locked my core because I knew what came next.

She reached out with her second, and her legs slid in two different directions.

I hauled Demi in close, and she clung to my shoulders, wrapping her arms around me tightly. Before I could wince, Demi made a small noise and removed her arm from my bad shoulder and wrapped it around my waist.

Okay, my dick liked that.

“I’m going to move, and you move with me,” I whispered in Demi’s ear as she gazed at me wide-eyed.

Before she could refuse, I moved backwards, and her foot slid forward. Demi was plastered so tightly to me that she has no choice but to move too, and I continued moving backwards until we reached the other side of the rink.

“I did it,” she cried and let go to clap. Her feet automatically went in two different directions, and my good hand shot out and captured her again.

“I may not be too steady.” Demi laughed.

“Doesn’t seem it. Just hang on to me. You’ll be fine,” I replied, reassuring her.

“Okay,” Demi murmured as I moved us out. A slow song had come on, ‘Something Inside so Strong’, one of my favourites, and I began skating, taking her with me.

I sang as I took us slowly around the rink, moving her to my side and wrapping an arm around her firmly. Towards the end of the song, I brought her in close and enjoyed the way her body felt against mine as I gently skated us in a circle.

Demi’s eyes locked onto mine, and I watched as her tongue darted out and wet her lips. The electricity between us was tangible, and I knew she felt it.

Without a word of warning, I bent my head and kissed her.

We were standing still now, her body soft against my hard one. She tasted like strawberries, and I coaxed her lips open. The moment our tongues touched, I was lost. This was more than a kiss. This was heaven on Earth.

When we broke apart, we were both panting, and Demi looked confused. I decided I liked that look on her. I bent my head and claimed her again.

Cupping her head, I held her body close to mine as my cock surged up. Demi no doubt felt it because the fuckin’ thing was trying to escape my jeans.

She pushed close, and I groaned into her mouth. My fingers wrapped in her hair as I left her delicious lips and kissed my way down the side of her jaw before sucking on her neck.

Demi gasped and clung to me, and, without realising, she grabbed my bad shoulder. Another groan left my lips, but this time one of pain.

Demi let go and blushed a deep red. “I’m so sorry!” she breathed.

“Don’t be. I thoroughly enjoyed that.”

“I don’t usually kiss strangers,” Demi muttered.

“Good to hear. Makes me special.”

I laughed as Demi’s hand hit my stomach.

“You’re so cocky,” she snapped, but there was no heat behind the words.

“Nah, I’m just special,” I replied, and Demi rolled her eyes at me. On my sisters, that annoyed me, but on Demi, it was cute.

“Come on, we don’t want you turning into Cinderella, do we?” I teased as I skated us back to the boards.

Demi sighed as she stepped onto firm ground and plonked her ass on a bench.

“I can’t believe we skated, and even more… danced,” she whispered as she stared at me.

“Not a bad first date,” I replied as I followed her off the ice.

“That was a first date?” Demi asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Did not go too bad. Girl, didn’t fall over, I was highly attentive, and so was she. We shared a few special moments and two kisses I’ll never forget.”

“Never forget?”

“Nope. Your mouth is seared into my memory, and strawberries are now my favourite taste,” I replied.

“That’s my lip gloss.”

“You better buy stock in it, Demi, because on your lips, it’s addictive,” I said.

Demi’s eyes went wide. “What are we doing, Ice?”

“Well, we were talking and trying to be cordial. But you blew that when you kissed me. Screw being pleasant to one another. I am going to take you on a few dates, dazzle you, and then trick you into being mine,” I drawled.

If possible, Demi’s eyes grew even larger. “Don’t I get a say?”

“Sure. You can say yes. I’m happy with a hell yeah, too.”

“I do not do one-night stands nor casual, and I certainly don’t share!” Demi exclaimed.

“Good, because I don’t do those things either.” I stopped teasing her, grew serious, and let Demi see it. “You can’t deny the electricity between us. That spark is something I have looked for ever since I saw Mom and Dad fall for one another. I used to think love was bullshit. Not anymore. I’ve seen too many of my family find it and nurture it. Now I’ve found it, and I get you are worried and maybe a little scared.”

Demi opened her mouth, but I held a finger to her lips and continued, “We’ve known each other for two hours. Far too early for me to haul you off and drag you to bed. When I do that, you’ll know you’re mine and mine alone. The day I take you and claim you is the day I don’t let you go. Demi, I know what love is, and no, I’m not in love with you yet, but I know I fuckin’ will be, and I can’t wait for that. Babe, buckle up because I am going to claim your heart and make you mine.”

“Then that goes for you, too. If I’m to be exclusive, then so are you. I am well aware of what bikers get up to with their club whores,” Demi retorted.

“Rage MC doesn’t have club whores anymore. They got tossed aside a while ago. Trust me when I say you’ve got all my attention. You’re going to be fed up with me after a while, but you’ll know I’m deadly serious.” “Ice, you’re kinda frightening me,” Demi admitted.

“Good. Because you have the power to destroy me. But before I take you to bed, you need to know everything about me. I’m going to tie you down, put a cut on you, a ring on your finger, and a baby in your belly. You will know all of me, Demi, and there won’t be an excuse to run. And you’re gonna tell me everything because I need that. My mind is craving information about you as much as my body is demanding you.”

“Holy shit,” Demi muttered as she gazed into my eyes.

“Get ready, babe, I’m going to rock your world.”