CaelinThe garage is hopping, like always. I don't think I can remember a time since I've been born that we've been slow. If you ask the old-timers, like my dad and Liam, they'll tell you of lean years for the club. I'm glad I haven't had to experience them. Today I'm working on this truck by myself. Which is nice because of the thoughts rolling around in my head. This morning with Justice was more than I thought it would be. Telling her that she scares me was a declaration I didn't intend to make. But here we are. Once words are said aloud, they can't be taken back. That's a lesson I learned at a young age.There's a smell and a sound that reminds me of home every time I work at Walker's Wheels. If I can't be in my office, then this is where I would much rather spend my time. My wrench slips, causing me to bang my hand against the metal of the part next to it. "Shit." I wince, dropping the wrench with a clatter onto the floor and pulling my already-bruising knuckles out."You okay?"
JusticeSome guy showing up at my front door, kissing me senseless has never been my life's dream. At least not for just any guy to show up and do it. If this was ever a wish for me, it always included Caelin. Now, that wish is coming true.I make a noise against his lips as he pushes me into my apartment. Luckily for the two of us, we're alone, and as I press against him, he lets up on the kisses stealing my breath away."What is happening here?" I pant, trying to figure out if I fell in the shower and now I'm concussed, having a soap-opera type highlight reel."I talked to your dad. There's a lot of stuff we discussed." He holds my cheeks in the palms of his hands. "One of those things is he gave us his blessing."My heart pounds so loudly it reverberates in my ears. "You talked to him? He's okay with it?"The only reason we haven't discussed it with him previously is because I thought it would cause friction, and I didn't want that for Caelin."He is, that's not to say he wants us
Caelin"Y'all go on and take your lunch, I'll deal with it," I tell Wild and Bishop a few days later, as I see a relatively well-known truck pull into the parking lot and come to a stop. "You sure? He's always a pain in the ass."Don't I know it? Almost all of us have had words with this dickhead, but it is what it is. Alec Tinsdale gets out of his truck and starts walking toward the garage bays before turning around, gesturing at the passenger seat. Because of the angle of the mid-afternoon sun, I can't necessarily see who's sitting there, but I have a feeling. His voice carries to where I'm standing, and the sharp tone he uses is a dead giveaway. Pearl Van Hampton.It sounds like a last name from one of the remaining southern dynasties. Like she should be eating off the most expensive china plates, she should have a hair appointment ready to go every week, and she must have debuted at a ball.Unfortunately for her. None of those entails anything to do with her life.Abandoned as a
Caelin"What the fuck is happening?" I mumble to myself as I watch one of the trail cams we have on the Heaven Hill property. Since Dad and Liam have retired, they've tried many different things to occupy their time.Their new thing?Chickens. Fucking chickens.We have a coop and everything. I watch over these things as much as I do the people in our club. It's dark, later than I like to be sitting in my office, but I had a few kinks to work out on a new system we've installed. Leaning forward, I try to see better in the monitor. There's something prowling around out there, and it doesn't look human.I hear someone scrounging around in the kitchen. When I stick my head out, I see Bishop. "Yo, come here and look at this. What the fuck is that?"He strolls in, eating gelato out of a container of Talenti. One hundred percent Harley's turned him on to that shit. Leaning forward, he squints. "It's a goddamn fox. We need to go down there. It's going to kill those chickens.""Are you sure?"
Justice"Are you and my uncle dating?" Meri asks as she swims alongside of me. A little while ago I climbed up onto a float, enjoying the sun and the hot weather.Tilting my sunglasses up, I focus my attention on her. "Why do you ask that?""I heard my mom and dad talking about it the other night. Something about it being about time for it to happen. I don't know what that means, but you've always been honest with me, so I thought I'd ask."This girl…"Yes, we're dating, and between us, it is about time. Don't let your parents know they were right though," I whisper like it's our little secret.""That's exciting. Caelin is my favorite person."It's obvious the way she says the words with a lilt to her voice, he very much is. "He's one of my favorite people too. What makes him your absolute favorite?" I want to see him through her eyes. "Usually he has time for me, no matter what he's doing." She grabs another float, and I hold it while she hoists herself up. "Or if he doesn't he finds
CaelinShe runs toward me like one of those romance movies my mom and Addie like to watch all the time. Where there's fake snow and someone's either a baker or a secret prince. I try not to notice the way her tits bounce as her steps beat against the pavement. She's wearing a sleeveless shirt in the heat of the afternoon."Hey," I greet her, pulling her in by her belt loop for a kiss. "You got your stuff." I hitch my chin at her backpack."I'm a girl, I require a lot," she defends herself."You don't need anything other than yourself."Her face flushes. "You're going to be so good for my self-esteem.""You ready?" I hand her a helmet."You've never made me wear a helmet before," she pouts."Well, Drew heard you weren't wearing one the other day and made me promise if you're riding bitch on my bike, you're protected. "Ugh, who tattled on me?""No idea, but as soon as I find out, I'll let you know."She gets on behind me, immediately closing her arms around my waist. This feels right. H
Justice"Thanks for agreeing to sushi, Harley hates it. Can't even stand the smell of it.""And she's your best friend, so I'm sure you never get it." He picks up a piece with his chopsticks before dipping it into the soy sauce and wasabi mixture.Out of habit, I shrug. "Harley's the last person on the face of the earth I want to argue with. Even though as kids we argued all the time. It changed.""When you were kidnapped?" he finishes for me."Yeah, it's like we realized how much we love one another. It wasn't easy for her. Just like it wasn't easy for me."He's quiet for a few minutes, eating along with me. "Is it true what people say about twins?"People have said a lot about us over the years, and I wonder exactly what he's talking about. "Which part?""That you can feel when she's in trouble and vice versa. It's just something I've always heard, and I've wondered."I think of all the times I've known something happened to her, how I've felt the need to reach her before anyone else
CaelinI've never had an issue holding myself back, but with her. It's there, the desire to do whatever I want, consequences be damned. The only thing stopping me is how much I respect her, and how far she's wormed herself into the fabric of who I am. My hands at her waist lift upward of their own accord, needing to feel the soft heat of her skin, the way it ripples as I go higher and higher. My knuckles snag on the fabric of her shirt, pushing it, along with my resistance up to her ribs. Superhuman strength allows me to pry my lips from her shoulder. We face one another, both breathing hard."Can I?"Most of the time, I'm an "ask for forgiveness, instead of permission" guy, but this is extenuating circumstances. She rolls her lips in between her teeth, making them appear even pinker than they already are. I try not to notice the drunk expression in her eyes and the bee-stung fullness of her mouth. "Yeah." She nods her head, bashfulness making her face pink.So fucking slowly, I li