***Simi***

I glance over my shoulder and see Sico still sleeping in my bed. Very carefully I close the door behind me and make my way downstairs where I can smell fresh brewed coffee. Ransom is sitting at the kitchen table, his phone in front of him, seems he’s watching some kind of video stream or something.

“Good morning,” I mumble and grab myself some coffee.

“Mornin’.” Ransom tucks his phone away.

I take a seat across the table from him. “The video feed show anything threatening?”

The corner of his mouth twitches. “Nosey one, aren’t you? It wasn’t a feed involving the house or anything related to the shit we’ve got going on. It’s a feed of my house actually.”

“You have a house?” I wonder out loud. “I thought a nomad went from club to club and didn’t have a house. Okay, that sounds weird. Sorry, I don’t know very much about things MC related, only stuff I’ve seen or heard.”

Ransom chuckles. “It’s not a big secret or some shit, it’s just that not very many people know I own the house, I inherited it actually. I only go there every once in a while, to clean it up or when I need some peace and quiet. The last time was around Christmas. I actually got to meet my new neighbor, gave her a key to pick up my mail and such.”

His face lights up and dots connect in my head. “Is she pretty?”

Ransom stands up and grabs his cup, heads for the counter to pour himself some more coffee. With his back still facing me, he tells me, “She ain’t like any other bitch I’ve had. And that’s all I’m willing to say about the matter so your nosey ass stops right there with this discussion.”

Okay, then. I would say ‘good luck with that’ but I don’t think he’d appreciate my sneer because he’s got some serious issues. Those few words he said clearly states he fucked his neighbor. He’s a little peeping Tom so that would have meant more than losing his cum.

“You two paint the basement?” Ransom’s voice rips me out of my thought.

“Yeah.” I take a sip from my coffee and spit that diesel right back into my cup. “What the hell?”

Ransom’s laughter fills the kitchen as I wash it all down the drain and start making some new coffee. “Christ, how can you even stomach that stuff? You’re not normal.”

“That shit makes the hair on my chest grow.” His husky chuckle annoys me somehow.

“Weirdo.” I shiver. “Even the thoughts of that coffee, or your chest hair, makes me wanna vomit some more.”

“There was a point in life where,” Ransom starts, but I cut him right off.

Stepping closer, I poke my finger into his pecs. “No. Just, no. If I ever flirted with you, it was to annoy the guy I truly wanted.”

A strong arm grabs me from behind, Sico’s beard tickling the skin on my neck as he murmurs his words on a hot whisper in my ear, “Morning, beautiful.”

I let myself melt against him.

“What the hell?” Ransom shakes his head. “Who are you two and who have you been fucking? Each other? That little fluid exchange you two got going even the war you guys had? It’s like what? A handful of days and the two of you went from that ‘War of the Roses’ movie to some kind of fluffy romance shit. I repeat...what the actual hell?”

“Fuck off, Ransom,” Sico growls from behind me, then feathers some more kisses against my neckline before he steps away. “Any coffee left?”

“I made a new pot, sit and I’ll grab one for the both of us.” I make myself busy with grabbing a new cup and place both filled cups on the table before I sit down next to Sico.

“Any news?” Sico asks.

Ransom shakes his head. “Nah, man. Jean pulled through surgery but they won’t let anyone in. Well, except for Ridley, she was allowed to pop in for a few minutes but he’s not conscious. They fucked him up real bad.”

“Anything about the Cape Town crew?” Sico urges and I hold my breath, hoping something has changed.

“No, seems like they’ve retreated and shifted their attention. They’re back to petty shit like robbing gas stations and causing uproar here and there across town. Or they’re trying to throw us off. Fuckers. But we’ve got a close eye on them and so does Casey.” Ransom’s voice is fierce.

The doorbell rings and automatically Sico stands up and leaves the kitchen. Ransom is still eying me.

“What?” I snap, irritated to be under his stare.

“Nothing. Except for my admiration. I mean, it’s not dog shit to put your faith in that guy.” Fury builds inside me as Ransom’s hands go up. “Hey, I mean that in a good way. To the both of you...not that he’s dog shit, or you for that matter for putting your faith in him. But he’s got a reputation you’re very aware of and no woman alive, up till now, wanted to touch that man more than a few spare minutes of fucking.”

His words sink deep in my stomach as an ache settles in my chest. My guy hasn’t been one who has felt what it is to be...in a relationship, to belong, to...to be cared for. Shit.

“Yeah, well...all those bitches never saw who he really is.” I keep my eyes on Ransom and don’t say anything else.

Eventually he gives me a nod. “That’s exactly it, clever girl. You’ll do just fine. If you or your ol’man ever need anything, lemme know.” 

Sico strolls into the kitchen with Calix right behind him. Before either of them can throw out one word, the doorbell rings again.

“What the hell? Who can that be?” Ransom wonders out loud.

“Carpet,” Sico and I both say in sync.

Sico disappears again while I let the two other bikers know. “We ordered carpet yesterday for the game room. That’s why we painted it until late last night. I’ve also ordered a lot of other stuff that will be delivered over the next few days after this weekend.”

“Game room? So that’s finally happening in the basement, huh? Nice...we can come over any time and enjoy that too, right?” Ransom quips.

“No. You can’t. And if my ol’lady and I decide to invite people over down there, you’d need to take your shoes off,” Sico snaps as he walks back into the kitchen, his eyes narrow. “Come to think of it...no. We won’t allow others down there. That carpet is fucking perfect and mine.”

Laughter escapes me when Sico talks this fiercely and possessively about the carpet. I know how he had this dreamily look when he picked it out...something about his bare feet and the feel of it. The words Ransom said come back to me, how no one gave him the time of day. Even his brothers he lets in to a certain level of friendship.

Things inside me settle even more as I walk to Sico and rub a hand over his tight abs. “That’s right. He put in the effort and paid for it too. It’s safe to say it’s all his.”

Sico wraps an arm around my waist and whispers in my ear, “Like you, all mine.”

I’m swooning inside and yet I turn and twist his nipple, making him growl. “Put on a shirt and make sure everything goes well downstairs because you’re in charge of the carpet. I’m going to make breakfast because I’m hungry.”

I’m about to step away and yet I’m spun around finding Sico’s mouth crashing against mine in an open-mouthed kiss that lasts three heartbeats. He spins me around again and smacks my ass twice. Hard.

“That’s a count of two. See, Calix? She got them. Now you can relax.” Sico chuckles and leaves the kitchen.

“What the hell?” I mutter. Stunned.

“About time, dammit. He should have done that yesterday.” Calix’s voice sounds strained.

Ransom’s laughter rumbles through the kitchen. “What the fuck did you do to deserve punishment, girl? Everyone around him knows not to screw up when that man is near.”

Calix glares at Ransom and dammit, it’s not funny. “Something about not being civil. Never mind. Lesson learned.”

“Oh, yeah. No one does shit twice around that guy.” Ransom points at Calix. “And how was your club? You went there last night, right?”

Calix grabs the cup of coffee he poured for himself and sits down at the table. “I’m thinking of selling. It’s not giving me what I need anymore.”

“Woah, there, mister detective. That’s some heavy shit. Have you thought it through?” Ransom is just as surprised as I am.

“I thought you liked it...when you talked about it, I thought...did anything change? Why do you want to sell? Can’t you step back for a while instead of selling?” I question.

“Maybe it was the two of you, how you guys go head to head and interact. Or all the other brothers and their ol’ladies. I’ve been trying to work it out for a while, like a puzzle. The stuff I see at the club can be between two total strangers, or life partners. There’s always some hint of a connection or a bond, a mutual like no matter how long it lasts. I like watching, observing and fixing problems people don’t even know they have.” Calix rubs his fingers over his jaw. “I don’t want to own the club and call every damn shot. I like bartending for the time being so I’ll still do that and maybe hand it over, or switch to silent partner and give my buddy half or something like that. I just think it’s time for a change. The long detective hours are putting pressure on everything too. I might have said I was on vacation but the truth is...I turned in my badge. I’m going to take a week or two and think things through.”

“If you need to talk, I’m right here you know,” I tell him and pat his hand from across the table.

Ransom snorts. “No one matches his thinking, pretty girl. Calix is one who has the world divided into fragments and those fragments are shattered into other fragments and other and other...for real, that man handles heavy shit and still manages to keep his suit wrinkle free. Why do you think he needs to know you got your punishment that he ordered? Riiiiiight. Because it keeps crawling in his head, a fragment that’s escaped its box. See? Let him clear out some of that shit inside his head, he’s a tough fucker. Hey, maybe you need to get back into underground fighting, release some good ol’ steam. That would make some of the static in your brain evaporate for sure.”

Calix eyes him for a moment before he says, “I’ll let you know.”

Okay, then. Geez, these guys are weirdos. “I’ll leave you two to bond some more. I’m going to grab my stuff because I might have a few weeks off I scheduled to do my game room, but I still need to make some sketches for the appointments I have set up after that.”

Walking into the living room, I grab all my stuff and pick up the paper where I started working on the anaconda sketch that is about to wrap itself around a crocodile. I only have to work out the lines so I can show the client. I’ll add the color and shading when I’ve put the lines on his skin. I grab my earplugs and put on some music and start to work.

I don’t know how long I’ve been sketching when my left earbud is ripped out. “Hey, beautiful, wanna come check out the basement? They just left and it’s fucking perfect.”

Dropping my pencil, I follow Sico down to the basement. Just before he opens the door, he looks back and tells me, “Take off your socks. No shoes or socks allowed, only bare fucking feet in this room, okay?”

“Those bikers are all a bunch of weirdos I tell you,” I mutter to myself but take off my socks anyway.

I’m absolutely taken back once I step inside the basement. It’s gorgeous and perfect. One wide open space with only soft, fluffy carpet.

“That’s where the big flat screen will be. The seats go right here, then we’ll put the pool table right there. Did you order a fridge? We need a fridge in here. Right?” Sico’s face shows worry and it takes everything in me not to laugh.

“We’ll pick one out later, okay?” I soothe him because I haven’t seen him this excited.

This game room I saved for last. I enjoy some huge chunk of my time playing video games and wanted a place where I could separate myself from the world. I don’t know why I even left Sico in charge of decorating. Well, not so much, but he stashed a note in my blueprints with directions, a setup he drew along with some links to stores for me to check out.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he growls. “Or would you like to earn ten bucks?”

Asshole. But I hold out my hand anyway. “Give it up,” I tell him and with that his eyes flare, both knowing what’s going to happen next.