Chas's Fervor: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 3) (3 page)

The ring of her landline made her jump, and she held her breath until she heard the canned voice of a solicitor trying to sway her to purchase life insurance. Every time the phone rang, a cold sweat broke out over her neck in anticipation of hearing Ian’s deep voice over the receiver. Even though she was becoming more relaxed the longer she went undetected, she still had pins-and-needles moments, and she longed for the day when she could shake off her past once and for all.

Going underground was harder than she’d thought it would be, but Addie was able to create a new identity for herself using her maternal grandmother’s last name and her paternal great-aunt’s middle name. Amazed at how easy it was to purchase a new social security card for the right price, she became Addie O’Leary in less than four weeks after running away from Ian. Hoping a small town in Colorado would be the last place Ian would look for her, she laid down her roots in Pinewood Springs and was pleased by how well she liked it and the town’s residents.

After kicking off her heels, Addie went into her tiny kitchen, poured herself a glass of red wine, and made up a small plate of cheese and crackers. Opening the French doors, which led to a small balcony, Addie let in the cool, autumn air as she inhaled deeply the scent of pine needles riding on the light breeze and the rich, earthy smell which accompanied a good rainstorm.

Since the rain had let up, she took her wine and cheese plate and went out on the balcony, sitting on one of the chairs around a small table, the bright yellow awning keeping her dry.

The cool air made her shiver in spite of the warm wine coursing through her body. Looking out at the street, she watched the rustling leaves skip down the wet pavement, and her mind wandered back to Chas. The disillusionment in her marriage and life on the lam had made her suppress her urges; but when she’d seen Jack’s father, her strong reaction to him had stunned her. Never had she experienced such a pull toward another person as she did when she shook his hand, and the way he cocked his eyebrows told her he’d experienced the intensity of their encounter, too.

Addie, you’ve got to get laid. It’s been too long, and you’re thinking all kinds of shit. You need to sleep with someone, but definitely not Jack’s dad. That would be a disaster.
She had to stay away from him—he was bad news. Belonging to an outlaw club wasn’t a mark in his favor, either, since he was probably into all kinds of bad things. One thing was for sure: Addie was not interested in starting up with a carbon copy of her husband. One mean man was enough for a lifetime; but then, Chas was so sweet and tender with his son. Someone cold and calculating couldn’t be that loving with his kid.

Could he?

Popping another cracker in her mouth, Addie shook her head. Who was she kidding? Chas dripped sex, and she’d love to have his hands all over her body, his mouth on parts of her that made her heat up just thinking about it. But even if he were a great guy, she didn’t know when she’d have to take off again. Her life was destined to always be one step ahead of staying alive.

No, the best thing was to minimize her contact with him, even though she’d like to taste him and have him explore her body. Chas had to be relegated to her fantasies only; anything else would be insane.

An ache gnawed at her as she watched the lights wink on around the neighborhood as people came home from work. Normally, she loved sitting by herself, enjoying the solitude after a long day at the library, but that night, for the first time since she’d come to Pinewood Springs, she was acutely aware of how alone she was. She would love to share the moment with a man—a dark-haired, tall man dressed in denim and leather whose ass looked very hot on his Harley.
He’s your student’s father. Get a grip, Addie.

Sighing, she poured herself another glass of wine and gazed out vacantly at life as it passed her by, while she nibbled on a slice of cheddar cheese.

S
cooping vanilla ice
cream on his spoon, Jack opened his mouth and shoveled it in, grimacing as the coldness slid down his throat.

Chas laughed. “Better take smaller bites. You don’t wanna get brain freeze.”

With bulging eyes, Jack took a gulp of water, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and shoveled in another scoop.

Chas grinned widely as he watched his son devour his banana split. Maybelle’s Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street was Jack’s favorite place—at least, for the time being. The previous few months, when Jack was in his hotdog craze, it had been The Last Mustard Stand. Chas was glad Jack changed his tastes, because he didn’t think he could eat another hotdog for a long time.

Snuggled in a booth for two in the popular ice cream parlor, Jack’s brown eyes sparkled as he looked around to see what the other customers ordered. The large, round light fixtures outlining the counter, the windows, and the back wall made the room bright and cheery. White, wrought-iron parlor chairs around circular glass-topped tables filled the middle of the ice cream shop, while black leatherette booths hugged the walls.

Seeing a friend from school, Jack waved vigorously then recanted a story about how his friend had taken all the substitute teacher’s pencils, erasers, markers, and she was so mad and flustered that she’d run out of the classroom. Eyes wide, Jack covered his mouth to quiet his snickering. Chas laughed after telling Jack the friend shouldn’t have done it, though he didn’t think he sounded all that convincing because the story
was
funny, and boys will be boys.

Jack rambled on with other stories. Chas listened intently, a smile around his lips, loving the way his son’s brown eyes sparkled with excitement, and the way his voice became high-pitched when he told stories about what had happened at school with Tyler, his best friend. Watching him, Chas couldn’t believe the boy was all his. Jack was the only good thing to come out of the disastrous pairing with his ex—he was everything to Chas.

After finishing his story, Jack looked hard at his dad and said, “Dad, why can’t I live with you all the time? Don’t you want me to?”

Chas’s heart squeezed and a gnawing ache clenched his insides. His son’s earnest eyes scanned Chas’s face. More than anything, Chas wanted Jack with him all the time, but he knew it was important for a boy to have his mother around, even if she wasn’t the best one, like Brianna. Since he and Brianna had divorced two years before, they had agreed to split time with their son: Chas had him every other weekend and three weeknights every other week. This week was his weekend visit. If he had to do club business or a bike run, his parents and sister took care of Jack.

When his son was with him, Chas barely blinked before their time together was over until the next week. Jack had become Chas’s little shadow. He helped him mow the lawn, clean out the garage, and work on the bikes. Jack was the only eight-year-old Chas knew who had put new brake pads on a motorcycle.

Taking a deep breath and breathing out, Chas said, “I’d love to have you all the time, but your mom wants you, too, so that’s why we’re sharing you—so we can both have you.” He reached over and raked his fingers through his son’s hair, hating that he had to divide his time between them. A twinge of guilt stabbed Chas’s heart. He had grown up with both his parents in the home. They’d stayed with each other through thick and thin, and it tore Chas up that his son didn’t have a loving family unit. The disappointment in Jack’s eyes hit Chas right in the pit of his stomach.

Jack tilted his head sideways and said, “I don’t think Mom really cares if I’m there. She’s always having Tilly stay with me because she’s busy with work.”

“Work? Does your mom have a job?”

“Yeah, a night one. She goes out and comes home late. She dresses up and always wears some girlie perfume that makes me sneeze.” He shoveled in a large bite of ice cream and banana.

A scowl darkened Chas’s face. “I’ll talk to your mom about it. Just enjoy your ice cream.” He’d agreed to split time with Jack so his son would have the semblance of two parents in his life consistently. He didn’t agree to it so his fucking ex-bitch could whore around. When he dropped Jack off at home, and he was out of earshot, Chas would talk to Brianna to see what the fuck was up. If she couldn’t take care of their son or was tired of it, Chas would gladly have Jack live with him full-time.

“Oh, yeah, and Mom has to talk with Ms. O’Leary about me going more for my reading, and her helping me with that.”

“The librarian I met today?”

“Yeah. She told me she could work with me two days a week extra, but only if my parents said it’s okay. I wanna do it ’cause I wanna read better. I don’t like being stupid.”

“What the fuck? Who said you were stupid? You’re a sharp kid, and you know lots of shit others don’t know.”

“Like what?”

“You can build a small engine for a go-cart, and I don’t even help you much. You can shoot steady, and always hit the target dead-on. You know a lot about Harleys, and you did a killer job installing the brake pads on the Glider. I couldn’t have done that when I was your age.”

With wide eyes, Jack said, “For real? You couldn’t have done that?”

“No, and I’m not just saying that. I bet you know more about Harleys than anyone in your class or even in your school. Don’t think you’re stupid ’cause you’re not. Who told you that shit? Your teacher? Classmates?” He wanted to beat the shit out of whoever told his son he was stupid.

“Mom, and I know she’s not gonna take me for extra reading help.” Jack’s voice hitched slightly, and a veiled mist covered his eyes.

A darkness covered Chas’s face as his jaw tightened. “She doesn’t know shit. No worries, I’ll talk to her and make sure you go for your extra reading lessons.” Gazing at Jack’s sweet face, with a few freckles dotting his nose, Chas’s own softened. He reached over and wiggled Jack’s chin with his fingers. “Finish up your dessert. I’ll take care of this shit. Just remember, you’re not stupid, okay, buddy?”

After wiping his nose with the back of his hand, Jack wiped it on his jeans, nodded, and broke out in a wide grin. “Okay, Dad.”

Pretending everything was cool was difficult since Chas was seething inside. The heat of his anger steadily rose.
Fuckin’ bitch! How dare she tell Jack that bullshit? All she gives a fuck about is spreading her legs and taking cock.

Jack’s small voice broke into his thoughts. “Ms. O’Leary gives us the bestest candy. She gives us the regular-sized candy bars, not the tiny ones, or the hard candy like other teachers do at school.”

Happy that Jack appeared to have moved on from their conversation about his sorry excuse for a mother, Chas said, “Sounds like you really like Ms. O’Leary.”

“I do. She’s the best. She makes reading fun, and she always brings us snacks, and stickers, and other stuff. She’s real pretty, too, don’t you think, Dad?”

“Uh… I didn’t really notice, but she seemed nice enough.” Who in the fuck was he kidding? Didn’t notice? He couldn’t believe the hot redhead with the cat-shaped green eyes was his son’s teacher when he’d walked in. Someone that curvy and built had no business hiding away in a library full of books. And her sassy-as-shit mouth made his cock grow hard.

The sexy librarian was definitely someone he’d love to have sucking his cock as he watched her big jugs sway with every bob of her fiery head.

“How long has she been helping you?” Chas asked.

“Since school started. I dunno, maybe three weeks? She’s been the librarian since I was in second grade last year.”

Chas didn’t remember any librarian looking like her when he was in school. Images of white-haired, older women came to his mind when he thought about the librarians from his school days. If a hot-looking woman like the O’Leary chick had checked out books when he was young, he would’ve been an avid reader. Just thinking about her blushing face with a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks and nose drove his cock forward. He didn’t need to have a hard-on in Maybelle’s Ice Cream Parlor with his eight-year-old son. Seeing the hot librarian again seemed like a good idea, though. He’d love to know what was under all those clothes she wore over her soft, curvy body.

“Can I have another ice cream, Dad?” Jack’s small voice said.

Glad to have his thoughts turned from sexy curves, he said, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. You just finished a big-ass banana split after a pizza dinner. If you have anything more, you’re gonna have an upset stomach for sure.”

With large, blinking eyes, Jack said, “Please, Dad? Please?”

Shaking his head, amusement danced in Chas’s eyes. He ruffled his son’s hair with his hand. “Bud, don’t try that shit on me. You’re cute and all, but that’s not gonna get you more ice cream.” Looking at the wall clock, whose hands were ice cream cones, he said, “We gotta get going. I know you have homework, and it’s getting late.”

Throwing his dad a crestfallen look, Jack slowly slid out of the booth. Chas stood up and pulled his son toward him, his arm around Jack’s small shoulders. “We’ll come back. We always do.”

The rain had stopped, and Chas took out a large towel and dried off the seat of his Harley. After strapping Jack in, he jumped on and blended into the traffic on the wet streets.

Chas stopped in front of a small, brick house. Hearing a loud squeak, he looked at the house and saw his ex-wife open the screen door, her scantily clad body illuminated under the glow of the porch light. Smiling broadly, she stepped down on to the porch and said, “Hey, Jack. Come up here and give your mommy a hug.”

Jack walked slowly up the porch steps and twisted out of his mother’s arms when she seized him and squeezed him tightly. “Bye, Dad!” he yelled as he ran into the house, the screen door shutting behind him.

Leaning against a brick column, Brianna slid her hungry gaze up Chas’s body. “You look real good tonight, honey,” she told him in a thick voice.

Brushing her off, Chas said, “I wanna talk to you ’bout something.” After taking two steps at a time, he walked past her, and leaned against the brick wall.

“Do you like what you see?” Running her hands over her body, she lingered on her ample cleavage while her pink tongue skimmed her upper lip.