“All right. Let’s get this show on the road,” Eli calls out to the room. “Who gives this woman away?”
“Her grandfather and I do,” I answer. “The way her mother would’ve wanted.” Avery smiles, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“Thank you, Daddy.” She kisses my cheek and then turns to Russ. “You too, Gramps.” She kisses him too. Jake takes her hand again and leads her to stand in front of Eli. Russ takes his seat, and I take my place behind Ethan.
Eli starts talking about the sanctity of marriage and the promises made between two people. I tune him out after that last part and focus my attention on Linzie. She’s listening so intently to every word Eli’s saying with a soft smile gracing her lips. She seems genuinely invested in their wedding, almost as if she were the one about to exchange her vows. Her eyes are glassy as she holds a fist to her chest, drawing my attention to that deep, plummeting neckline and the edge of fabric barely covering her nipples. My mouth waters at the thought of tasting her, and my hand is twitching to spank her ass.
Her ass.
I wonder what she might have on under that dress. The slit is cut so high that if she moves just right, my brothers will all get a good look at those sexy satin panties she likes to wear.
If she’s wearing any.
Fuck me.
Eli goes on to say something else, and Jake and Avery exchange rings and repeat Eli’s words to one another. Linzie bends her knee, and I get a good look at her black leather knee-high boots and her firm, tan thigh. I know from experience how soft her skin is, how firm her muscles are, how hard she worksto keep her figure in the amazing shape it’s in. She gives new meaning to the word sexy.
“You might wanna wipe your mouth, Pres.” Ethan throws quietly over his shoulder.
“Fuck you.”
Ethan chuckles. “I’m taking a stab in the dark here, Pres, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the one you want to be fucking right now.”
“Face the front and shut the hell up,” I bark, catching Hawk’s attention.
“Leave him be, Ethan. It must be hard standing there watching the woman you pushed away be not even a few feet across the room—looking fine as hell, by the way—and knowing all the other single men who are also locked in this clubhouse with her for the next couple of days are staring at her too,” Hawk says, quietly. “Do you think she might give Eli a chance? They seemed pretty cozy in the kitchen together.”
“Don’t think because I’m not strapped now I won’t shoot your ass later,” I threaten.
“You would taint the memory of your daughter’s special day by spilling blood?” Hawk teases. “Pres, I’m disappointed.”
“For you,” I growl. “I just might make that exception. Keep talking, asshole, and we’ll both find out.”
When I look back at my daughter, it’s to see her biting her bottom lip with her cheeks slightly pink. Does she know what we’re talking about? Is this what the women were up to earlier?They set this shit up.
I narrow my eyes at Avery and watch as her blush deepens. She gives a subtle lift of her shoulders. The very essence of innocence. It’s all bullshit, and we both know it. My daughter may have arrived in Oakridge completely innocent and naïve to our way of life, but being Sadie’s best friend and hanging around this bunch of assholes has changed all of that. Sadie may bethe one with all the computer skills, but Avery can be sneaky as fuck when she wants to be. It’s how she managed to leave the clubhouse grounds and get out of town before any of us knew about it. It’s also what landed her ass in Cusenza’s warehouse and eventually in the hospital with a gunshot wound.
I shiver at the memory. Seeing Jake holding my baby girl in his arms in the SUV while she was bleeding and unconscious brought back a flood of memories from the night I held her mama for the last time. Watching Maggie’s life drain away from her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life. Giving up my daughter was the second. So, the day she got herself shot and damn near killed, I made a vow to keep her sneaky ass under lock and key. Marrying one of my brothers is actually pretty close to the same thing.
And now the little shit is looking at me like the cat that ate the canary, trying to keep a secret, but I know it was her and the girls who put Linzie up to wearing that sexy as sin outfit. Just like they were the ones who went with her to the mall and helped her sneak my special Christmas tree into my office without me knowing about it. They’re all in on this little plot to get me and Linzie together, which I will happily use to my advantage after all the miscommunication we’ve had going on between us. What I won’t let slide is the way they putmy womanon display for all my brothers to drool over.
Payback’s a bitch, and I’m their men’s president. What I say goes.
Jake kisses his bride, and Eli announces them to the clubhouse as Mr. and Mrs. Jacob MacKenzie. When they turn to face the room, Avery makes eye contact with me again, only this time when I smile back and raise my right eyebrow, her smile falters just a little. Then she mouths, “Love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, but it’s not gonna save your ass this time.” Avery lets out a loud, boisterous laugh, to which Jake frowns,looking around for the source. I salute him with two fingers, and the wedding party begins to follow them back down the aisle, making their way into the dining area where everyone else will wait while we take pictures.
CHAPTER 15
LINZIE
The wedding was beautiful. Jake and Avery were so tuned into each other when they said their vows, I don’t know if they realized we were all in the room sharing that wonderful moment with them. I was completely enthralled with the two of them, taking in every word Eli was saying, until I felt the heated glare of a certain grumpy president.
I tried to ignore him, but I can’t help the way my body reacts to this man. It’s quite a pain in the ass, or more accurately, my pussy. Especially when I’m not wearing any panties.
“I should’ve never listened to Sadie,” I grumble to myself just as Gabe reaches me, placing my hand in the crook of his arm.
“What was that?” he asks.
