I shook my head, rolling my eyes at him the same way our daughter had done to me only minutes ago. “She performs in front of an audience at school all of the time, and you’ve never had a problem with it before.”
“That’s different,” he insisted, a muscle jumping in his jaw.
“Because the school auditorium is a controlled environment where you’ve already looked into all the boys who might attend one of her concerts?”
“Exactly.” Sebastian flashed me a triumphant grin. “I know what guys in the audience are going to be thinking about my little girl, and there’s no way in hell I won’t have to punch some motherfucker for letting their thoughts show on their face.”
I quirked a brow and planted a hand on my hip. “And you’d know because they’re the same things that were in your head when you saw me on stage the first time?”
His clear blue eyes filled with desire as his gaze raked down my body. “Only if they want to find themselves six feet under. She’s only sixteen.”
“Uh-huh.” I walked over to him and poked his chest. “And I was only four years older than her when we met.”
“Don’t fucking remind me.” He dropped his forehead against mine. “I can’t believe our little girl is growing up so quickly. I’m gonna have to lock her up in the clubhouse soon to keep guys away from her. She’s too damn beautiful, just like her mom.”
“Good luck with that when we both know she’d figure out a way to break out of the place since she also takes after her dad.” I laughed softly. “Nice try with the flattery, though.”
He flashed me a cocky grin. “I’m betting it’ll get me in your panties later.”
And he’d be right.
Rider
Aiden “Rider” Brand knew the Silver Saints MC rule about sisters being off-limits. But he had no clue that his VP was Wendy West’s big brother when he met her. And after their night together, nobody was going to keep him away from the woman he’d claimed as his own.
1
Wendy
“You have got to be freaking kidding me,” I muttered, clenching my cell phone in a tight grip as I forced myself not to throw the damn thing against the nearest wall.
The manager at McClaren’s, where I worked as a bartender, had messed up the schedule and put me down for a shift tonight even though I was supposed to have the whole weekend off for Breaker and Ireland’s wedding. I’d tried getting him to change it the day the schedule was posted, but he refused to budge, so I was stuck finding someone to cover for me. Which I did. Immediately. Only it turned out to do me no good.
Jabbing my finger against the screen of my phone, I pulled up Ireland’s number and called her. She answered after one ring. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I am so, so sorry to do this to you at the last minute, but I won’t be able to make it to the rehearsal tonight.” I heaved a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger. “The coworker I was supposed to trade shifts with just sent me a text to let me know she isn’t going to be there, and my shift starts in thirty minutes.”
Ireland’s band, Chuffed Up, had played at McClaren’s enough times for her to be familiar with how things worked there. “Dang, that’s not nearly enough time to find someone else.”
“Nope.” I let the P pop as I strode toward my closet to pull out a pair of ripped jeans and one of my McClaren’s tank tops. “Since she waited until the last minute to let me know, I’ll be lucky to get ready and show up before my shift starts.”
“Well, don’t worry about the rehearsal. We’re just going to do a quick run-through before having dinner,” she assured me. “I’m not even sure why it’s necessary, except maybe as an excuse for everyone to get together. Really, all you’re going to miss is a free meal and an open bar.”
“Not so much the free bar. I’d be lucky to get one drink.” I snorted as I put the phone on speaker and set it down so I could step into my jeans. “We both know that even though I’m a grown-ass woman, my brother has no problem butting in where he doesn’t belong.”
Ireland’s answering giggle made me smile. “Yeah, I can totally picture Scout swiping a drink right out of your hand and chugging it down himself because he thought you were past whatever limit he set for you.”
“Feel free to torture him a little for me.” A wicked smile spread across my face while I zipped up my jeans. Most rehearsal dinners only included the bridal party and immediate family, but since Breaker was a member of the Silver Saints MC, essentially a brotherhood, that was pretty much all the guys and their old ladies. “He probably would’ve glared at any of the guys who dared to get too close to me if I was there, but it’ll drive him even more up the wall not to know why I’m missing from the rehearsal when I’m one of the bridesmaids.”