Aaron: SEAL Riders MC Series, #5

By Molly Black

April - With my brother murdered and my daughter's deadbeat father suing for full custody, I need to come up with a plan, quick. I need someone to protect me, someone to help me convince the judge that I'm fit to keep my daughter. And that someone just happens to be an alcoholic asshole who enjoys one-night stands and pissing his biker brothers off. My brother told me to find Aaron if I needed help, but he didn't mention that Aaron was a drunk who laughed at me when I told him I needed a fake husband to keep custody of my daughter and make sure the same guys who murdered my brother don't come for me. But when he changes his mind, I find myself married to a virtual stranger, wearing his ring and his ink. And he's already told me that he expects us to be man and wife in all senses of the word. Can a wedding night of unbelievable sex create a permanent connection? And when my daughter's father and his goons come calling, can Aaron keep me safe?
Aaron - She asked me to be her husband and protect her, and I laughed in her face. Sure, I was an asshole, but I couldn't be that big of an asshole. My former best friend's sister needs me. Her brother's dead, and her daughter's father wants to take her baby away from her. But I'm not going to let that happen. I'll protect her, keep her safe, fulfill her every need. But it isn't long before I realize that I have needs too. I need her body. And it turns out, I need her heart too. Once she's wearing my ink, I'll never let her go, and if her baby's daddy wants to make trouble, he'll find out that Trouble is my middle name.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MB
• Release date: Aug 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393682127

Book preview

Chapter 1

April

Get My Free MC Book For A Limited Time

The sound of the rain falling on my umbrella and dripping to the ground filled my mind. It wasn’t raining hard. Rather like a mist than actual droplets. But it was enough to gather on the tops of the umbrellas that were gathered about and hit the ground in light, steady streams.

My raincoat was black and uncomfortable, not quite fitting me right. But it was all they had at the thrift store, and it was better than nothing. It had been raining a lot lately, and I hated showing up anywhere with damp clothing.

I didn’t want to keep thinking about the rain on the umbrella, or the sound of it patting against my coat, but it was better than letting my mind dwell on the fact that I was standing right in front of my brother’s grave.

His coffin had already been lowered, and the few of us gathered around stood somber and quiet. The preacher stood at the head of the grave, saying a few words. It was clear this was the standard speech he’d given at many funerals in the past. Hell, I knew Tim better than half the things that were coming out of this man’s mouth.

But then, I supposed when you were at a funeral, you didn’t talk about how people were, you talked about how you wanted them to be remembered. Tim might be remembered a certain way by his acquaintances who had shown up to pay their final respects, but I knew the truth.

And so did several of the other men who were gathered around. These weren’t just men who were friends of Tim’s. They weren’t his coworkers; they weren’t people he knew from around town. These men were like brothers to him. They were his family when we didn’t have any other to speak of.

These were the members of his MC.

I didn’t feel comfortable hanging around them. I knew if I was entirely honest, I could say that with complete certainty. I hadn’t had much to do with any of them, though Tim had dedicated his life to the cause.

Hell, he had been in one MC or another for as long as I could remember. The last one he’d thought he’d dedicate his entire life to, but they had a lot of issues with the leadership and each other. Though he felt close with some, they eventually disbanded and went their separate ways.

I still missed some of the men from that MC. To me, they were the men who were far more upstanding than the new club he’d joined. These men made me uncomfortable in every sense of the word. I hated the way any of them looked at me when they were talking to me.

Hell, they didn’t even bother to hide the fact they were checking me out. And, there was a time when I was stupid enough to fall for the attention. I had to admit, there were some I found insanely attractive. Others, I felt were just bad boys who’d gotten lost in life and were looking for a sense of belonging.

Tim hadn’t ever wanted me to get involved with any members of the MC. He liked them all well enough, I’d say. He’d called them his brothers on more than one occasion, and I was sure he’d put himself in more life-threatening situations than I cared to know about.

But he still acted weird if I were to ever point out that there was a guy I liked. He’d turn on the tough-guy act when they hit on me in front of him, and he’d do his best to shield me from any advances.

He’d always been that way. There had been several men in the last MC I’d thought were sexy, one in particular. But Tim told me straight they weren’t the kind of guys I wanted to get involved with. Selfish, dangerous, uncaring – they weren’t what he had pictured when it came to my partner in life.

And since he had practically raised me after the death of our parents, I respected his opinion.

Mostly.

If only he had gotten to me before Hansen.

Hansen Hinks, a man who was eleven years older than myself, was the MC member who finally got me to go to bed with him. He treated me like I was a princess, the only one in the world he wanted. He had a shaved head, piercing blue eyes, was muscular, and had tattoos.

At twenty-four and rather innocent, I fell hard. Our so-called romance was a whirlwind, and before I knew it, I was pregnant. Of course, as naïve as I was, I thought that would mean he and I would be together forever. I went over to his apartment and gave him the news, happy as could be.

And that’s when he told me.

I was nothing to him. I was just one of the thousands of women he had taken to bed over the years, and he had no interest in raising a kid. This was my problem, either to deal with or to get rid of, but he didn’t wish to and wouldn’t have anything to do with it.

I was devastated. Of course, I told Tim I was pregnant, but never who the father was. I didn’t want him to know it was one of his own club brothers. He would have flipped, that was for sure.

And now, let’s have a moment of silence out of respect for the deceased, the reverent brought my attention back to the moment, but only for a moment. The fact that Hansen himself stood only a few feet away from me made me sick. I had nothing to say to him since the day he told me he wanted nothing to do with our daughter.

Sabrina, now seven months old, was my entire life. But I wasn’t ready to have a child when I got pregnant, and it had all but ruined the life I was living. I wouldn’t have traded her for the world. But now, I struggled. I could barely make ends meet, and I had a hard time holding down a job.

It was hard finding people to watch her for me, too. Hell, I was beyond grateful that the MC’s den mother, Mama Rose, was watching Sabrina for me now. I didn’t want her to come to the funeral, and I really didn’t want her to be around her father.

This was a somber enough situation, it only made matters worse that a cloud of mystery engulfed what happened. Tim had been healthy. He was active. He didn’t do drugs or drink – too much anyway. He was careful. I trusted he knew what he was doing when he was out on his assignments, and I didn’t think he would take too many risks.

Hell, he had all but been the father Sabrina had needed in her young life. It was hard for him to make the time to come see her as much as he wanted with work and the club, but he was there as much as he could be. He was there a lot more than Hansen, that was for damn sure.

But yet, he passed. The coroner ruled the death as an accident, but I didn’t think so. There was way more to it than that, I could promise anyone who asked. Tim was too smart to get into a fatal accident. It had nothing to do with a car or his bike. No, he had to have been murdered. I just knew it.

And by the faces of the other members of the MC, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were behind his death. It wasn’t anything I’d ever be able to prove, and I’d not try to go after any of them on my own, but I was sure there was something going on no one was talking about.

The sound of a Harley engine broke the silence, and I looked up. I’d thought everyone who was going to show to the graveside service had already arrived. This man was late, and he seemed very unapologetic about it. He drove right up and parked with the rest of the bikes, not caring that his engine was ungodly loud for the moment.

Then again, my brother lived for the Harleys. He probably would have enjoyed the tribute had he been standing there.

As the man got closer, I immediately recognized him.

Aaron Jackson, my brother’s best friend from his former MC. The two had been close and, I had to admit, he was my favorite of all. I had wanted him since the day I met him, and he was the main person Tim had always warned me against.

I could see that the years apart hadn’t done him any harm. He was still as tall as I remembered, but perhaps with more tattoos. His hair was shaved on the sides but longer on top. Blonde, with green eyes. Yes, this man was gorgeous. And, if there was a single other member of these terrible clubs I’d trust besides Tim, it was Aaron.

He gave me a nod and stood a short distance away from the grave. The rest of the group ignored him. I knew there was a lot of tension between MCs, and Aaron had joined another. He didn’t agree with many of the politics that were upheld in Tim’s, and the two parted ways.

I was sorry to see him go. I liked him a lot better than any of the other men who were standing around the graveside now. Hell, if I could bring back the rest of the old MC, I would be a lot happier. Those were men I felt more comfortable around, not these guys.

Not criminals who got away with riding around on their bikes because of the emblem on their backs. Not a guy who got me knocked up and left me to deal with it all on my own. I was already looking forward to when we could wrap up the rest of the ceremony.

I just wanted to get out of there.

I didn’t want to say goodbye to Tim. But, after losing my parents. I learned that the only way to move on with life is to say goodbye. He wasn’t coming back, and I could be as pissed off as I liked about that fact, but he wasn’t.

At long last, the reverend broke the silence, and I stepped forward. I grabbed a clod of dirt from the pile and dropped it down on the coffin, trying not to think about the hollow thump that it made when it hit. Others followed my lead, but I was already turning to head to the car.

I didn’t want hugs from any of them. I didn’t want to hear them tell me how sorry they were. I still thought that they were the ones responsible in one way or another, and I wasn’t going to buy the bullshit story they had nothing to do with it. Or, that they were even upset that he was gone.

Tim had been rising in the MC. It was only too convenient he wasn’t a threat anymore. And I felt vulnerable. Alone in the world. This wasn’t my MC. It was his. I didn’t have anyone to turn to anymore.

Mama Rose could help me from time to time, but she had her own obligations, and I wasn’t her problem. Neither was Sabrina, my dear, sweet Sabrina.

April! a familiar voice said. I cringed. Turning, I saw Hansen stalking up to me. Leaving so soon?

I’ve got stuff I need to do, I said.

I need to talk to you, he replied.

I’ve got nothing to say to you, I shot back. I didn’t even care to be civil with the man anymore.

Good, because you’re going to shut up and listen, he snapped. I want to be recognized as the kid’s dad.

She has a name! I said defensively. Of course, I didn’t want to hear her name on his lips. I hadn’t even bothered to list him as the father on her birth certificate.

Sabrina’s dad then, he said condescendingly.

Why? You didn’t want anything to do with her before. Why now? I demanded.

Because I do, he said. And I’m petitioning for custody of her.

The fuck you are! I said with a sneer. You’ve had nothing to do with her from the day she was conceived. You aren’t getting anywhere near her!

And you, he said with a smirk. Are going to be hearing from my lawyer.

He turned and walked away before I had the chance to respond. My mouth fell open, and I was in shock.

What the fuck just happened?

Chapter 2

Aaron

I stood at the edge of the grave, staring down at the coffin. It was so strange to think that Tim, my buddy, was lying inside. I’d not spoken to him in quite some time, and I regretted it now.

There had been a time in our lives when we had been close, really close. But that had been years ago. I remembered hanging out with him a lot, his little sister hanging with us when she was on break from college. God, she was a dime piece, still was.

Seeing her when I walked up to the grave was like a punch in the stomach. I’d always had a bit of a thing for her, but Tim had been sure to stay between us. He didn’t want her involved in any MC activity, including sleeping with members. She had been barely eighteen at the time, and sharp as a whip.

Hell, she’d graduated early, with honors, and had gone to college that fall. Their parents had been dead a couple of years by that point, and Tim was determined to make sure his little sister was going somewhere in her life.

He paid for her college tuition and much of the things she’d need for the school year, and when she wasn’t able to live on campus any longer, he put her in student housing on his dime as well.

The only thing she had to do was keep her grades up and her shit together, and she seemed to be doing a good job of both. Now, looking at her, I guessed her to be in her mid-twenties. She couldn’t be twenty-five yet, but she was getting close.

Hell, Tim was about four years older than her, so that would make her twenty-six. I wondered who was going to keep an eye out for her now that he was gone. The thought of it alone was enough to make me need to head back among the gravestones for a few minutes.

I looked down into the grave once more. "I’m sorry, Bud. I should have reached out to you a long time ago, just to see how you were doing. I