Free Sassy Christmas (Storm MC) by Nina Levine Page A

Sadness washed through me when I saw Nash. His face and body both revealed his torment, and all I wanted to do was wrap some love around him and take all his pain away. His eyes came to mine, and he shook his head. It was one quick shake, intended only for me to see because it accompanied a hard glare that spoke of his desire for me not to bring it up with him. He knows me so well.
    Ignoring all the signals he gave me, I smiled and greeted him. “Hey, Nash.”
    He returned my greeting with a jerk of his chin and a gruff, “Madison,” but he didn’t stop to talk with me. Rather, he followed J to the table and taking a seat, proceeded to do his best to ignore me.
    Shifting my attention back to Velvet, I mused, “I see what you mean. He seems fairly moody today.”
    “This is what I’ve been dealing with,” she replied, her voice teetering between sad and pissed off. “Don’t get me wrong, I understand this would have dredged up all his pain over his son, but I want him to work through that with me rather than without me.”
    “I have faith he’ll come to his senses soon,” I said, feeling less confident of that than I was before seeing him, but determined to do my best to help him get there.
    She listened to me but she didn’t seem convinced. “I hope you’re right,” she said.
    As I opened my mouth to say something else, movement in my kitchen caught my attention, and a moment later, Scott came through the door, his hand firmly gripping Harlow’s who walked close behind him. “Holy shit,” I said under my breath.
    Velvet spun around and was equally stunned. “Well, damn.”
    I hadn’t seen Harlow look as happy or as good as she did today, or the two of them together like this in far too long. As he came to a stop, she easily moved into his side while he put his arm around her shoulders. Her arm snaked around his waist and she smiled at me. I took in her sexy, black dress, and the flush on her face, and knew something good had happened.
    “Hey, you two.” I greeted them with a huge smile as I made my way to where they stood. Directing my attention to Harlow, I said softly, “You came.”
    “Let’s just say I was kinda told I had to come but that by the end of the conversation, I wanted to come,” she replied, a smile on her face.
    I squeezed her hand. “I’m so glad that you two have had this conversation – whatever it was – and that you’re here together, looking the happiest I’ve seen in a long time.”
    The hard set of Scott’s jaw didn’t waver but I caught the way he pulled Harlow closer to him. My brother had a lot on his mind these days, however it appeared at least one of his worries had eased a little.
    “Is Mum coming?” he asked, not acknowledging what I’d said. The fact he ignored my statement didn’t surprise me – he’d hardly spoken to me about his troubles with Harlow, preferring to deal with them in his own way.
    “Yes, but she said she’d be a little late because she has a surprise for us.”
    His brows pulled together in a frown, but he didn’t pursue whatever thought he’d had. Instead, he gave me a quick nod of his head before leading Harlow to a seat at the table. I watched them, loving the way Harlow allowed Scott to pull out a chair for her and settle her next to him, and the way her body leant into his when his arm rested across her shoulders. It gave me hope they would be okay. I should never have doubted my brother. When Scott Cole decided he wanted something, he never rested until he had it.
    Nash Walker on the other hand…. he might need some help.

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    T wo hours later , the party was in full swing. The guys had loosened up a little and were laughing and joking about random things – stuff that was keeping their minds off work. Wilder had joined us, as had J’s sister, Brooke, as well as Crystal and Serena. Brooke was single again, and I couldn’t help but notice the way she looked at Wilder. Perhaps something could be worked on there.
    “What