Sinned: Chained Kings MC Read online

  “Yeah, well, after enough time went by, thought it might be weird to show up here.” He leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking under his weight. He almost looked like a parody at her table; this burly man in leather, too handsome for words. Matt ate like a bird at his side, and tenderness was evident on Avon’s face.

  “Now you know where I live.” She offered a tight smile, drying her hands on a towel longer than necessary. This man made her skittish. She could crumble under that intense gaze. “Hope you don’t forget tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” The corner of his mouth turned up.

  “Yeah.” She felt her cheeks heat up. “I assume you’ll come back in the morning or something?”

  His gaze darkened, head tilting down. “I’m not leaving.”

  Chapter Four

  Robyn stared at the ceiling of her bedroom for way too long that night, every cell of her body alive and listening for any rustle from the spare room next door.

  Avon had made it clear he would be spending the night, but he’d gone as far as sleeping on the floor next to Matt’s bed. Just so Matt knew he was safe. The sight of him bunkered up on the makeshift spread of pillows and sheets next to that bed was enough to make her heart break. Why was he so sweet and loyal? It was harder to cast him as a rugged outlaw when she saw firsthand how much he loved little Matt.

  But it wasn’t just that. The man still possessed a scary amount of control over her libido, and being in his presence again showed her that it wasn’t just alcohol that pushed them into her back seat that night at the bar. No, there was something scarily explosive between them.

  Unless it was just on her end and Avon had become immune over the past three months.

  She turned onto her side, huffing as sleep once more eluded her. She had a big day of work up ahead, and she needed to be well-rested. But that might be impossible now with her unexpected roommates. One big, broad-shouldered roomie in particular.

  By the time her alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., she’d managed to drift off to sleep for a few hours. Still, it wasn’t enough, and she started the day bleary-eyed and yawning. Coffee was out of the question – since it made her puke this early in the pregnancy. So all she had to run on was fumes and a desperate desire to get back home and keep sleeping.

  Robyn waited around until the nanny showed up, a professional that the agency kept on standby for instances like these, where a foster parent was called upon suddenly and didn’t have childcare in place. Besides, Avon wasn’t technically allowed to be alone with Matt yet. She didn’t think he would take kindly to the news, either. Once Jenna showed up, Robyn left a basic list of rules and tasks for her before hurrying off to work.

  Her workday dragged on, thoughts constantly careening back to Avon and Matt. Wondering what they were doing. Resisting the urge to call Jenna and demand an update. She’d left strict instructions for Jenna to call in the event of an emergency, dispute or confusion. And from 8:00-4:00, her phone remained silent.

  Once Robyn made it back home for the day, she opened the door to a surprising sight. Jenna and Matt gathered around the coffee table coloring, while Avon leaned against the glass sliding door to her small balcony, looking down at the two of them with a smile.

  “Hey, guys.” Robyn set her purse down on the table before carefully joining Jenna and Matt. “Can I see what you’re working on?”

  Jenna explained the series of pictures they’d been working on while Matt continued coloring, remaining silent. Avon’s gaze sizzled on her, and she suddenly wondered what might have happened between him and Jenna in her absence.

  Jealousy zipped through her, and she tried desperately to squash it, hating that it had even dared make an appearance. It had to be the pregnancy hormones. They could make women feel insane, and this surely qualified.

  “Thanks so much for your help today, Jenna,” Robyn said near the front door, pressing money into her hands. “See you tomorrow, same time.”

  Robyn shut the door quietly behind Jenna and turned slowly back to Avon and Matt. She offered a bright smile. “Anyone have a request for dinner tonight?”

  “I’ll make it,” Avon said, uncrossing his arms as he headed toward the kitchen. “You’ve been at work all day.”

  Her mouth parted and she tried to crush her surprise. “You know how to cook?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I dunno.” She followed him into the kitchen, curious to see where he might head first – if he’d gotten to know the lay of her land in her absence. “Seems like your lifestyle might involve a lot of fast food. Or fast women. I dunno.”

  A smirk creased his face. He bent in front of the cupboards, rifling through her pots and pans. They clanged as he searched for one in particular. “You callin’ yourself fast?”

  Her cheeks heated up, and she sighed, heading for her bedroom. “I’m gonna get changed. Do you know where everything is?” She had to ignore any and all references to the physical act of sex. Sex had gotten her into this mess. And more sex didn’t seem like it would help.

  Because, why would it? More sex would only make her fall in love. And Avon, for however sweet or loyal he appeared to be, didn’t look like he needed a wife and a kid.

  Robyn had made her peace. She would raise this kid on her own. And that started now.

  She changed into loose pants and a soft tank top, Avon’s words running through her head on repeat. He turned her on when he wasn’t even trying. He could have stood there and recited the Pledge of Allegiance and she would have gotten wet. Girl, get your shit together.

  When she came out into the kitchen, he had a pot of water boiling and Matt at his side.

  Avon talked slowly, in a calm voice. “Once the water boils, what do we do?”

  Matt said something so softly that Robyn couldn’t hear. Avon was the only one who could get him to talk. She slid onto a stool at the kitchen island as quietly as she could.

  “And how long do we wait?”

  Again, Matt whispered his response. Avon nodded. “Good. That makes it al dente. Do you remember what al dente means?”

  Matt shook his head.

  “To the tooth. It’s Italian or something.” Avon snapped a big handful of spaghetti in half and dropped the pieces into the boiling water. “Or maybe Spanish.”

  “Italian,” Robyn said.

  Avon turned at the sound of her voice, surprise etched onto his face. “You speak Italian?”

  “No. I just know that al dente is Italian.” She smiled over at Matt. “Do you want to learn another language someday?”

  Matt buried his face into Avon’s side. Avon turned back to his cooking.

  “So how was your day? Did you hang around here?”

  Avon nodded, rummaging in a cupboard beside the stove like he owned the place. There was something so comical yet beautiful about this gorgeous man with rough edges searching for oregano. He pushed his hair back with his free hand as he squinted at the label on a spice jar. “It was a chill day. Lots of TV and coloring.”

  She sniffed, watching as he sprinkled herbs into oil over low heat. “Are you gonna go back for your bike?”

  He shook his head. “It’s already taken care of.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My boys picked it up. No need to worry your pretty little head.”

  She wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or reassured. “Your boys?”

  “I’m the president of an MC. Or did you forget?” He sent her a dark look, but it was accompanied by a smile. “Thought you knew all about my rap sheet.”

  She traced an invisible pattern on the island countertop. The MC was definitely mentioned in his rap sheet, and it didn’t look good to be the head of a nationally known motorcycle club that bordered on a gang. “Yeah, speaking of which. If you have any hope of getting custody, we need to make it look like you’ve left that far behind.”

  Avon poured tomato sauce into the sauté pan, stirring slowly. “How so?”

  “Well, ideally you’d actually leave the MC. Cut all ties.”

  He snorted. “You think I can just do that?”

  “Then you might as well kiss custody goodbye.”

  A long silence stretched between them. Matt eventually wandered off, back into the living room, plopping down in front of the coloring books.

  “The first step is setting up a good home for Matt. Something neat, organized. Good part of town. That’s probably the most important part for now.”

  Avon nodded. “That’s easy. I can start tomorrow.”

  “Don’t you already have an apartment or something?”

  He jerked his head. “Nah. I live at the clubhouse.”

  She drummed her fingers against the countertop, trying to think of other first steps he could take. “Well, once you get that set up, we need to work on your presentation. It’s not just me you’re convincing. We need Lisa and the other social workers to see that you’re a good fit for Matt.”

  “I’m the best fit for him,” he said in a low voice. “I’m the only family he’s ever had.”

  “I believe you.” She looked over her shoulder, making sure Matt was still in the other room. “What about his parents?”

  Avon shook his head. “Matt’s dad, my uncle, passed away when Matt was almost three. He barely remembers him. And his mom was never in the picture. She died of a drug overdose. Relapsed after he was born.”

  Robyn sighed, burying her face in her hands. “God. This kid has been through a lot.”

  “Yeah. And I’m gonna make sure he doesn’t go through anything else. Enough’s enough.”

  Robyn pulled a glass out of the cupboard and poured herself some water. “How did he get kidnapped? Who was with him?”

  “A recruit.” Avon must have seen the confusion on
her face, because he quickly added, “Someone wanted to join the Chained Kings. It was a probationary period. Anyway, Matt was home with him one night when he disappeared.”

  “So I guess that guy didn’t make it in?”

  Avon hefted with a dry laugh. “Nope.”

  Robyn massaged her face, the scent of tomato sauce and garlic reaching her. It was nice to come home to an actual home. With people in it. Even if it was Matt and Avon and this fucked up situation… there was part of her that was deeply grateful for it.

  “So, has Matt talked at all today about what happened to him?”

  “Not a word.” Avon’s shoulders stretched wide and inviting under a simple black T-shirt. She couldn’t force her gaze off him if she tried. “He’s almost as silent as you.”

  “As me?” She snorted. “What are you talking about? I’m talking right now. I’m not silent.”

  “So are you pregnant?”

  She clamped her mouth shut, eyes narrowing to slits. God damn this guy. A slow smile crept across his face.

  “Sound pretty silent to me,” he muttered.

  Chapter Five

  It was day three at Robyn’s place, and Avon wasn’t sure if he was going crazy or perfectly happy.

  He’d never moved in with a one-night stand before; hell, he’d never even lived with a woman before. His whole life had been the MC. His brothers. The one girl he’d been serious enough to date had practically lived in his room in the clubhouse.

  But then that relationship went down in flames after a whopping five months. For most of his life, Avon had been programmed not to want a relationship: first by youth, then by his brothers, then by his twenties.

  Now that Matt was in his life and he was seriously considering saying goodbye to MC life forever… why not add a woman to the mix? Shit, if he was going to mix things up, might as well go all the way.

  Even still, for living with someone, he didn’t see much of Robyn. And that was a crying shame. The woman oozed sexiness, and the sexiest part about it was that she had no idea. The same thing that had drawn him to her that first night at the bar still hooked him like a fish now. The expressions on her face as she got lost in thought. The fluid flick of her wrist as she tried to shrug something off. The depth in those blue eyes that promised something he wasn’t sure he was ready for.

  After breakfast, Avon rounded up Matt so they could check out a few apartments. Jenna, the nanny, was there, watching TV as Avon headed for the door.

  “We’re going out for a bit,” Avon said, steering Matt by the shoulders. “Be back in the afternoon.”

  “Uh, wait a minute.” Jenna snapped off the TV, sitting up with a worried look on her face. “You can’t leave.”

  Avon cocked his head. “And why is that?”

  “Because Robyn said.”

  Avon sighed. Of course she’d tried to keep him from leaving with Matt. It probably violated the bullshit guardianship clause. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought. He had to secure an apartment for him and Matt… but he couldn’t do that if he were trapped here. And he sure as hell wasn’t leaving Matt behind. He’d made that boy a promise, and he didn’t intend to let him out of his sight for the next year. Maybe longer.

  “Then let’s go.”

  Jenna nibbled on her bottom lip. “Wh-what do you mean?”

  “Come with us. I need to go; this is important. You got a car?”

  She nodded, slowly getting up.

  “Then you’ll drive.”

  Jenna pulled on her shoes and soon the three were off. Avon led her around town to different apartment complexes, leaving his kutte in the car each time he got out to speak with building managers or rental offices. He submitted five applications by lunchtime, and they were all attractive, affordable options. He just had to hope his record didn’t bite him in the ass again.

  Avon offered to pay for lunch after Jenna carted him around town all morning. By the time they made it back to Robyn’s apartment, it was almost time for her to come home for the day.

  And after three days living under the same roof… he was excited to see her again.

  He supposed it had to do with the fact that Robyn was one thousand percent his type. Blonde, smart and adventurous, even though she played the rulebook type because of her job. It wasn’t every day he could go from introductions to back seat fucking within a three-hour timespan and still want more. And try as she might, Robyn couldn’t hide the fact that she still liked what she saw.

  Hell, so did he. But with this clusterfuck of a situation around him, he didn’t know where to begin. But getting Robyn to admit she was pregnant seemed like a good first step. He didn’t know if she was hiding it because it was his or because she had a boyfriend and didn’t want him to know, but he planned on finding out.

  “Welcome home.”

  He sent her a cheesy grin as she walked in the door, a white bag dangling from her arm.

  “Hey.” Her bright eyes took in the scene; Matt was doubled over a coloring book while Jenna gathered her things to leave. “Nice to have a welcoming committee.”

  “What’d you get?” He nodded toward the bag in her hand.

  She blanched. “Nothing.”

  Avon’s smile widened. She was a bad liar. “Is it for Matt? Or maybe it’s for me.”

  She flicked her wrist, trying to breeze past him. “Neither, unfortunately. Jenna, how was everything today?”

  Avon watched as Robyn caught up with Jenna, the bag still tight in her grip. Avon leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. When Robyn turned his way, she was startled.

  “You seem jumpy today,” Avon mused out loud as she walked by.

  Jenna waved goodbye to everyone as she left.

  “I’m not. And besides, you don’t even know me.”

  He sniffed. “Hey, there’s some mail waiting for you in the office downstairs, but you have to sign for it.”

  Robyn sighed, setting her purse down on the kitchen island. Along with the white bag. “Okay. I’ll go do that real quick.”

  She nearly bolted out of the apartment, leaving Avon smiling to himself. There hadn’t been mail; he just wanted to be nosy. He strutted over to the white bag and peeked inside. The sight stole his breath.

  It was a vibrator.

  Robyn had bought a motherfucking vibrator.

  His cock twitched at the thought of her alone in her big bed, rubbing that long piece of plastic between her legs. He could help her with that. Why hadn’t she said anything? He took one last look at the long, lime green imposter before she returned. When she came inside, her gaze immediately went to him, and then the bag.