Page 27 of Unbound By You (The Viper’s MC #1)

SILAS

I hand off grill duty to Vik and head inside to grab another rack of beer for the cooler.

The sound of laughter greets me as I round the corner into the kitchen.

Harlow’s at the island, plating food for the crew outside, while Lexi chatters a mile a minute about something involving her job, though she talks so fast I can’t catch half of it.

The beer can wait.

Harlow’s presence pulls me in like a siren’s call, magnetic and impossible to ignore.

I veer off course, slipping in behind her and caging her against the edge of the countertop.

Her body tenses for the briefest moment, just a flicker of old reflexes, before she melts into my chest. It’s a reaction I wish she didn’t have, but I understand.

After everything she went through, it’s not something that fades overnight.

Her familiar coconut scent drifts up to greet me as I press a soft kiss to the side of her neck. I can't see her face, but I know she’s smirking. It’s the same serene smile she wears every morning when we end up in this exact position while she makes her coffee.

I’m hooked. Addicted to the way she fills our space.

Once, I was content being a bachelor. My house was functional and sparse.

A place where the guys were always welcomed for a few beers when the compound was too much.

But now? Now, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I love how her stuff’s constantly scattered across every surface, her clothes slowly but surely taking over my half of the closet.

Hell, we even had to add another gun locker in the garage to house all the weapons she had stashed away at her old safe house. Domesticated bliss.

“The guys are starving out there, baby,” I murmur, my lips still close to her skin. “You about done in here?”

She turns in my arms with a little spin, her lithe frame moving like a woman who used to break into places for a living. Those time-stopping, meadow-green eyes sparkle with amusement as they meet mine.

“You can tell those big babies the food’ll be out when I’m damn well ready. Got it, handsome?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I grin and dip down to steal a kiss from her soft, full lips. It’s the kind of kiss that makes me consider blowing off the entire backyard full of my closest friends and dragging her straight to our bedroom for round two of this morning’s activities.

A dramatic gagging sound erupts behind us.

Harlow’s shoulders shake with quiet laughter as Lexi rolls her eyes from her spot on a barstool.

“God, you two are disgusting. Can you please go back to being two separate entities in my life? I miss my best friend.”

“Never gonna happen, sis,” I say, tightening my arms around Harlow. “This one’s never getting rid of me.”

“Unless it’s in a body bag,” Harlow murmurs just for me to hear, and I give her ass a playful pinch in response.

Pierce waltzes in from the backyard, silent as a ghost, and heads straight for the fridge without saying a word. Right, the beer. That was supposed to be my job.

The kid's been so damn quiet ever since we lost Branson. I knew they were close, but I hadn’t realized just how deep it ran.

He still shows up and still rides with his brothers, but that wild, loud-mouthed version of him hasn’t made an appearance since the day Branson was laid to rest with the rest of our fallen members.

My sister throws intense daggers at his back from her spot by the counter.

It goes completely unnoticed by Pierce, who’s laser-focused on the fridge, even though the beer’s front and center and can’t be missed.

I don’t know the entire history between them.

Harlow clammed up the one time I tried asking.

Whatever went down, though, Lexi’s still holding onto it.

Suddenly, a harsh pounding rattles the front door, breaking through the awkward silence radiating between the four of us. I glance over at Harlow, brows raised in silent question. She just shrugs. We weren’t expecting anyone else tonight for the cookout.

“I got it!” Lexi calls out as she hops down from her perch on the barstool, her bare feet pad across the hardwood as she heads for the front door.

I return to the food, stacking plates to start hauling them outside for Harlow.

But before I can take a step, Pierce surprises me; he sets the rack of beer down on the counter beside me and slips after Lexi like a silent shadow.

The way he follows her, not quite close enough to tip her off but still in her orbit.

It feels less like curiosity and more like instinct. Protective.

Then Lexi’s shrill voice cuts through the air. “Excuse me?!”

That one word has Harlow and me moving fast, abandoning our dinner prep to follow the sound.

“Ma’am, I just need to ask you a few questions. There’s no need to get hysterical,” comes a man’s voice, calm in the kind of way that only makes things worse.

As we round the corner, I clock Pierce, casually leaning silently against the hallway wall like her personal security. His eyes are locked on the unfolding scene.

“What’s going on here?” I bark, stepping into the entryway.

The cop, because that’s what he is, it’s plain as day in that uniform I’ve run into one too many times over the years, lifts his eyes over Lexi’s small frame. Now, he bristles with controlled fury, taking in the rest of us filing in behind her.

Harlow steps forward, her protective instincts kicking in without hesitation. She pushes in front of Lexi, shielding her with her own body. “Garrett, what the hell are you doing here?”

Perfect. Another one of Harlow’s charming acquaintances to deal with.

I shift slightly, guiding Lexi back toward Pierce’s side, placing her within arm’s reach of someone I trust and, more importantly, out of reach of this jackass at our front door.

“Harlow,” the cop says, his voice oozing familiarity. “Long time, no see.”

The way his eyes drift down the length of her body has my blood heating fast and my muscles coiling with the barely restrained urge to lay his ass out on the porch.

Consequences be damned. But I don’t. Not now, when I’ve got too damn much to lose, mainly the fiercely loyal and protective woman standing at my side.

Without thinking, I snake my arm around her waist and pull her close, anchoring her to me before I say, “I think my wife asked you a question.”

"As I explained to Miss Kane, I just have a few questions about her connection to Evan Montgomery."

Lexi’s still in the dark about everything regarding Evan and his all-too-sudden expiration.

But if this pig is standing at my front door and not hers, it can only mean one thing: there’s an official investigation underway into his unexpected adventure across South America. A final parting gift from Branson.

“Does she need a lawyer?” Harlow asks, biting down gently on her bottom lip.

She’s not nervous. My girl knows exactly how to play the part to coax answers out of men who don’t even realize they’re giving her what she wants.

“No, that won’t be necessary for these questions,” he replies, standing a little straighter. “Unless you think you need a lawyer, Miss Kane?” He cranes his neck, trying to peer past me to where Lexi stands tucked behind us.

“Uhm, no. I don’t need a lawyer. I didn’t do anything,” Lex says, her voice trembling with a nervous wobble.

She’s telling the truth. She hasn’t done a damn thing. But she’s also never been in real trouble. I doubt she’s had any contact with law enforcement unless it involved a charity gala or local fundraiser. The difference between our life choices couldn’t be more black and white right now.

“There you go. That’s all you need to know. She didn’t do anything. She doesn’t know anything about that asshole. Now, get off my property. We’ve got a family dinner to start.”

Without giving him a second look, I haul Harlow a step back and slam the door right in Officer Garrett’s smug fucking face.

“Babe, you okay?” Harlow turns immediately to Lexi, draping a comforting arm around her shoulder as she gently steers her back toward the kitchen.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Pierce again, his gaze never straying far from my sister.

When I lift an eyebrow in silent question, he gives a tight shrug, shakes his head once, and stalks off after her.

I watch as he stalls and veers off toward the backyard, choosing not to go back for the beer in the kitchen.

The sound of happy conversation and laughter outside swells, spilling into the house as he leaves the door ajar for Harlow and Lexi to follow.

I push the whole encounter from my mind, gather up the last few plates of food, and head out to rejoin the rest of the group.

“There you are!” Vik calls out. “What’d you do, run to the distillery in Austin just to grab the beer?” He snatches one from my hand, popping the top off with the edge of his ring.

“Fuck off. You better not have let the meat burn.”

He grins, grabs the plate heaped with burgers and dogs, and slaps it down at the center of the picnic table, surrounded by all the sides and fixin’s everyone brought.

“Let’s eat!” I clap my hands together, and the chaos begins.

Harlow breezes past with a cold beer in hand, and I know that contemplative look on her face too well. I reach out, catch her wrist, and tug her effortlessly into my lap. She lands with a soft huff and slips her arms around my neck.

“Yes?” she asks, lips twitching with the ghost of a smile.

“You’re not worried, are you, wildcat?”

“What’s there to be worried about?” she replies easily. “I’ve got a cold beer, a plate of good food calling my name, and a husband who’ll worry enough for both of us.”

“It’s not going to come back on you.”

“I know. But this isn’t just going to blow over like I’d hoped. Lex is going to get dragged into it whether she’s ready or not.”

“Yeah,” I say, scanning the table, my voice low. “I don’t think there’s any avoiding that now. But I think she’s in good hands.”

She narrows her eyes. “What do you mean?”

I tilt my chin down the length of the table toward Pierce. He’s not eating, just nursing a beer. His eyes are fixed on Lexi as she laughs at something Vik’s wife said, her whole face lighting up, obviously over our unexpected visitor already.

“Oh, boy.”

“You ever going to tell me what the hell happened there?” I ask.

“Nope,” she replies without missing a beat. “Girl code, baby. And no offense, I love you, but Lexi’s my ride-or-die.”

How she says it, so effortlessly loyal, pulls a deep laugh from my chest. I gather her tighter against me, soaking in her warmth as the sounds of our friends and family carry on around us.

The pink flush rising in her cheeks tells me she knows eyes could be on us, but she’s not exactly immune to the attention.

Not that I care. If I had my way, I’d strip her down right here and show every damn one of them just who she belongs to.

But I settle for what won’t start a brawl.

I close the distance and claim her mouth.

She melts into me instantly, her tongue tangling with mine in a dance for dominance.

Then, out of nowhere, she jerks back. “Ow, what the fuck?”

A hotdog bun hits the porch beneath us. Lexi glares from across the table, the same expression of exaggerated disgust she wore earlier plastered on her face.

“People are trying to eat. Take that shit elsewhere before you make me throw up.”

“You heard her,” I say, standing suddenly. Harlow lets out a startled scream as I scoop her up and toss her over my shoulder.

“Great seeing y’all!” I call out as I stride toward the back door. “Enjoy the food. Lex, lock up when you leave!”

Whoops and cheers follow us through the screen door as Harlow bounces on my shoulder, her laughter raw and unfiltered as it joins the chorus.

“Finally,” I murmur, tossing her onto our bed, “just how I wanted you, wildcat.”

“Oh?” she grins, propping herself up on her elbows. “What? Willing and ready?”

“No, baby,” I say, crawling over her and brushing her hair back. “Happy—and mine.”