Chapter Twenty-One
Evie
Excitement bubbled through me at the fact I was finally getting to meet Kick’s friends. As we walked into the clubhouse, I let my gaze roam over it, taking it all in. I’d imagined something similar, but not exactly the same. The non-descript brick building didn’t scream biker to me, however the high fence surrounding the large building, and the obvious presence of security and a guy manning the front gate, did tell me something. The club took their security and protection seriously.
Once inside, I noted the dated paint on the walls, the worn carpet and the tired furniture. This clubhouse had seen better days, but I doubted the guys even saw it. The front door led down a long hall that was lined with framed photos of members. A quick glance told me some had passed, but mostly it appeared these photos were of current members. Once we were about halfway down the hallway, Kick turned left and walked through a wide doorway that led us into the bar area. And shit if I didn’t get a surprise in there. This room had been freshened up, and it seemed to me it had been done by a woman. It had a lick of new cream paint, the carpet had been pulled up, and the cement floor had been polished. The lighting in this room was also different, brighter. Not to mention the furniture. New wood tables and chairs were scattered throughout, and today they were all occupied as bikers laughed and drank. My eyes narrowed on the couches. They were the only things in the room that did not look new, and by the quick glance I took, they didn’t look like anything I would ever sit on.
Kick’s arm came around my shoulder and he pulled me close. “You okay? Are your ribs giving you grief?”
Always looking out for me.
It had been a few weeks since the car accident and while I was still in a great deal of pain, I’d assured Kick I was up for today. A barbeque with the boys . . . no way was I turning that invitation down.
“This must be Evie!” a voice boomed from behind me.
Turning, I found a tall, built guy coming towards us. His dark hair hung down to his shoulders, and although it was messy looking, and he had a scar running down the left side of his face, and even though the glint in his eyes seemed crazy, I had to admit, this man was hot. Scary hot. Scary as in crazy, fucked-up, but hot nevertheless.
“Evie, King,” Kick introduced us, and I gave King a huge smile. I didn’t care if he came across as scary, he was the man who helped save battered women from their abusive husbands, and he was the man who helped Kick take care of the asshole who tried to kill me.
“Hi,” I greeted him.
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Fuck me, how the fuck did Kick score a woman as beautiful as you?”
“Fuck off,” Kick said, and I practically felt the possessive vibes circle me.
Shit, my man’s caveman side had kicked in.
And I kind of liked it.
King laughed, and Jesus, if that man was hot before, he was fucking sexy when he laughed and his eyes lit up.
Another guy entered the room and zeroed in on us. Shit, another good-looking dude. This one had short dark hair and a beard. His arms were covered in tattoos and his brown eyes held a sadness to them. He smiled at me, but it was like his mouth was pretending because the smile sure as hell didn’t hit his eyes.
Kick introduced him, “Nitro, this is Evie.”
“Hi darlin’,” he said, his voice deep and husky.
Good Lord, he would make some woman very happy one day. Kick had sent him over to look out for me once but he’d stayed outside so I hadn’t gotten to lay eyes on him, and what a damn shame that was.
“Hi,” I said, watching as his gaze on me changed from looking at me to pretty much looking through me. His eyes turned vacant, and I wondered where he went. My arms wanted to circle him in a hug and make it all better for him, whatever it was.
He excused himself to go and get a drink, but almost as soon as he’d left us, another two guys wandered in and came straight to us.
Huh . . . turned out Kick’s friends were mostly all hot. Out of these two, I found one of them extremely attractive with his almost bald head, tattooed muscles and piercing blue eyes. It turned out his name was Devil, and I instantly liked him the minute Kick introduced us. The other guy scared the hell out of me. Sure, he was good looking, but I couldn’t get past the hard, cold eyes that tracked my every movement, or the indifference I heard in his voice. It was like there was no feeling there, and as far as I was concerned, people who felt nothing were the scariest of them all.
“Hyde,” he introduced himself.
“Evie,” I replied, giving him a small smile. Even if he scared the shit out of me, I could still be polite to him. He surprised me with a smile back.
“Do you want a drink?” Kick asked.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t want to chance it interfering with my painkillers.”
“Shit, I forgot about that. Good call, babe,” he said.
“You want a beer, Kick?” Devil asked.
“Yeah, thanks, brother,” Kick replied, and Devil left to take care of it for him.
Hyde walked away, too, which left only me, King and Kick. King lowered his voice a little when he spoke. “The info you gave me on that drunk driver last week? I took care of him for you.”
Kick stared at him and then nodded. I had no clue what they were referring to, but kept silent. If Kick wanted to fill me in, he would. And it turned out he did. He looked at me with a new sadness in his gaze that hadn’t been there before. “The guy that killed Jeremy,” he said softly, and I felt the pain in his words.
“Oh,” I said, not sure what else to say, guessing that when King said he took care of him, he meant he took care of him.
King’s face clouded over with anger. His gaze shifted between Kick and me when he said, “Assholes like that don’t deserve to fucking live, sweetheart.”
I sucked in a breath. He was right. “No, I don’t suppose they do,’ I murmured, holding his gaze.
He stared at me for a couple more moments, the angry mask still in place, and then he broke out in a grin and turned to Kick. “I like her,” he declared, and then he left us to go and talk to the woman behind the bar.
I soaked in the atmosphere, looking around the bar at everyone having a good time. Without knowing these people, I could still sense the family vibe. Kick had spoken to me about his reasons for joining Storm, and the main reason was the family he found within the club. And I could grasp that now.
Devil came back to us, handing Kick his drink. Eyeing me, he said, “I hear you’ve agreed to marry this fucker.”
I laughed and nodded. “Yes, not that he actually proposed to me.”
“Bullshit,” Kick said, “I proposed.”
My eyes widened, and I placed a hand on my hip. “Oh, really? Was I asleep or knocked out from painkillers when you did it? Because I don’t remember it,” I challenged him.
Chuckling, he leant close to me, and let his lips brush mine before saying, “I suggested we should get matching rings. Do you seriously not remember that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh my god, Kick, that is not a proposal.”
Devil interjected. “What would a proposal look like, sweetheart? Like, say, if Kick were to propose right now, what should he do?” There was a glint in his eyes that I couldn’t pinpoint, but I decided to play along anyway.
“For a start, there’d be a really big, fucking ring. And then he’d get down on one knee and tell me how much he loves me and that he can’t live without me. And he’d assure me that I was the only one for him and that we’d be together forever.” I stopped and took a breath. They were both staring intently at me, and it unnerved me.
Devil raised his brows. “Anything else?”
I looked at Kick and shook my head. “No,” I said softly. He was watching me with a strange look, almost as if he was soaking in everything I’d said and filing it away for later use.
And then Kick made my heart expand and find more space inside it to fill with love for him. With his eyes firmly on me, he reached his hand out to Devil who placed a box on his palm.
A ring box.
He took it and got down on one knee. Devil put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. Kick looked up at me through eyes that were full of love. Taking my hand, he said, “Evie Bishop, I’ve loved you since I was a kid. I’ve never stopped loving you. And I never fuckin’ will. I can’t live without you, and I’m not just saying that. When I don’t have you, I wander aimlessly; I have no purpose. But with you by my side, I belong, and I know what I’m doing. And as far as there being any other woman for me . . . no woman even comes close, never has, and never fuckin’ will. I could be in a room of women and all I’d see would be you, and all I’d want would be you.” He paused and pulled the ring from the box. It was a really fucking huge diamond ring. “Sweetheart, will you let me get us some matching rings? And then spend the rest of your life with me?”
Tears threatened to fall down my cheeks. I smiled through them, though, and nodded. “Yes,” I whispered, and as he slid the ring on my finger, the room erupted with whistles and cheers, and lewd comments being yelled out at us. I was too damn happy to pay any attention to any of it. Instead, I threw my arms around Kick when he stood. I ignored the pain shooting out from my ribs. This wasn’t an occasion to let a little bit of pain interfere with. “I love you, Kick Hanson,” I said as his arms came around me.
He kissed me, and when he ended it, he said, “I love you, too, baby. And I’ve always known we’d be together forever. It just took us a little time to figure our shit out.” He grinned and added, “You made me work for it, but I knew you still loved me, and that I’d eventually get you to relent.”
“You’re a sneaky bastard,” I chastised him.
Grinning harder, he admitted, “Only where you’re concerned. Anything for you, Evie Bishop.”
I let the tears fall then.
Tears of happiness.
It had been a long, hard journey for us, but we’d eventually made it to where we were meant to be.
And I was so damn glad he’d made me relent.