Wyatt had been on the road for about a week. We hadn’t been able to talk much. Wherever he was had terrible cell service. Whatever he was up to was top secret. I already knew what guys like him did on a run. My mother cried about it every time my dad left, then drowned her sorrows in alcohol and dick. Married or not, the guys who visited the MC I grew up in tapped every club whore when they came to town.
So I had a pretty good idea what Wrath was up to.
And that was fine. We hadn’t made any promises to each other. I had no intention of ever becoming some biker’s ol’ lady. Except for three spectacular, mind-blowing nights together, we barely knew each other.
All of this was going through my head when a new customer walked in. The bar was jumping. Storm up and quit two days earlier, so I was stuck training a new girl. Basically, my workload had tripled. Most of the customers were a blur.
Not this one.
No, Jug was an unexpected nightmare from my past. In living, hateful color, he sat on a stool as if he weren’t a vile piece of human garbage.
I glanced up and we both stared at each other. His hand circled my wrist. “Lizzie.” He drawled out my hated nickname with a nasty smirk twisting his mouth.
I jerked out of his grasp, but he yanked me back.
“My name is Trinity,” I answered as calmly as my trembling body allowed.
“Whatever you say, bitch. Tyler’s been looking for you for years. Got a fifty-thousand dollar bounty on your tight little ass.”
Oh my God. The idea that Tyler wanted me back that bad was terrifying.
“I’m done with the Saints, Jug. Get lost.”
His evil sneer brought long-buried memories to the surface. “You may be done with the Saints, but they ain’t done with you.”
“Leave me alone.”
“Bitch, you can either walk out of here with me quietly, or I’ll call some guys in and we’ll take you with us not so quietly.”
“You do what you have to. I’m working.”
I wrenched myself out of his grasp and walked to the other end of the bar. When Jug was distracted, I slipped into Marky’s office and called Rock. No point calling Wrath. He was too far away to help me.
“Hello?”
“Rock? It’s Trinity.”
“Hey, sweetheart. What’s going on?”
“I need help.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at work. Rock, please, there’s someone here who’s going to hurt me.”
He was silent for a minute. “There a door that leads to the alley?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to send Dex in. You can trust him. Point out the guy to him. Don’t be obvious. Once you do that, meet me in the alley.”
“Okay. I’m scared.”
“It’s okay. We’re leaving right now, Trin.”
I felt bad for bothering Rock and ditching Starla, but Jug wasn’t someone I wanted to fuck around with. Whatever condition he returned me to the Saints in would not be pretty. Then, only if I were super lucky, Tyler would kill me.
Maybe ten minutes later, I spotted Dex and another guy. They took seats at the opposite end of the bar from Jug.
“Which one, Trinity?” Dex asked.
“The one in the Iron Saints cut at the end of the bar.”
Dex nodded but didn’t even glance in Jug’s direction. The prospect smiled, instantly reassuring me.
“Get us two Cokes, honey,” Dex instructed.
I poured the drinks and handed them over.
“Is he alone?”
“Yeah, he said if I didn’t come with him, he was going to call in guys to take me. Their nearest charter is at least five hours away, though. Saints shouldn’t even be in this area.”
The prospect placed some money on the bar, picked up his drink, and walked away.
Dex checked his phone.
“Where’s your stuff, sweetheart?” he asked without looking up.
“In the office.”
“Can you grab it without him seeing?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, go get your things and meet Rock out back.”
I slipped the money into the register and handed Dex his change. With every fiber of my being shaking, I walked into the back room. Marky was nowhere to be found, thank God. I grabbed my stuff and, without looking back, pushed open the door to the alley. Rock waited patiently, bike rumbling beneath him, and handed me a helmet.
Balancing my hand on his shoulder, I threw my leg over the bike, and we took off.
I was still trembling like crazy when we got to the MC. Rock ushered me straight into his office.
“Trinity, I like you. I know you been spending time with my boy. Not sure where that’s headed, and I’m sorry I had to send him on that run.”
“It’s okay.”
“You want to tell me more about tonight?”
“Can you protect me?”
Rock studied me for a second. “How serious is this thing with Wrath?”
Shit, I didn’t know how to answer that. “He hasn’t said he wants me to be his ol’ lady or anything like that.”
That didn’t seem to surprise Rock.
“Look, we’re moving up to the new clubhouse in a week or so. I could use a girl up there to take care of stuff. Cooking, cleaning, that sort of thing. I think I can trust you. You’ll be safe up there. You interested?”
From the little bit I’d gathered from Wrath, the place was a large, secluded piece of property at the edge of Empire County. I was extremely interested. “What else will I have to do?” I asked because I wasn’t stupid. Any MC providing me with shelter and protection would expect more than a little cleaning in return.
He cocked his head and studied me for a moment. “Nothing you don’t want to do, sweetheart. I promise. Now tell me why this guy got you so rattled.”
I gave him the most concise version of my life story that would leave me with some dignity yet still convey how desperate I was for his club’s protection. Even so, it was an ugly story. Rock remained stoic as I laid everything out for him, but his ticking jaw muscle told me how furious he was about what he was hearing.
As soon as I finished, he said, “Trinity. I give you my word that shit does not happen in my club.”
I nodded because I believed him to a certain extent. There was something different about the Lost Kings. I sensed I would be safe under their protection and would do whatever I had to do to earn it and keep it.
Rock glanced at his phone. “Dex says the guy’s starting to cause trouble. I’m going to have him take care of it so word’s not getting back to Tyler about you just yet.”
“Okay.”
He sighed. “I got a spare room here. Nothing fancy. You can stay there until we figure this out.”
“Okay. Thank you so much, Rock.”
A couple days later, Dex took me to clean out my apartment. I packed up anything I cared about and stuffed it into my car. He handed me directions to the new clubhouse, and I made my way there.
Rock eyed my little beater car suspiciously when I pulled up to the building. He opened my door and looked the car over. I was mildly embarrassed, but up until a couple days earlier, I tended bar. What did he expect me to drive? It was bought and paid for and good on gas. That’s all I cared about. Men—they were all the same when it came to vehicles.
“You’ll need four-wheel drive up here in the winter,” he finally said.
I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off before I got a word out. “Club will find you something, Trinity.”
Not sure how I felt about that. I mean technically, I was offering to be a whore for the club, right? It still felt weird to have the club president talk so casually about taking care of my transportation arrangements that way. I’d never heard of an MC that worried about shit like that for someone as insignificant as a club whore.
The space was pretty fantastic. I’d never seen such an elaborate MC setup. Most were rundown, converted warehouses or trailers. Nothing so flashy. Rock explained it belonged to some sort of religious group that used to hold fancy retreats. That made more sense.
He gave me the grand tour. “It’s a lot for one person to keep up on, especially with ten guys messing it up, so if you need to hire someone to help you out, just let me know.”
“The club has other girls, right? Regular sweetbutts?”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a bit of a smirk. “We’ve got regular club girls. Good luck getting any of them to help you clean, though.”
What the hell? Any girl who wanted to enjoy the benefits of an MC, their weed, booze, protection… dick, ought to be prepared to give back and help out. I told Rock that and he laughed.
“Okay. You want to whip them into shape, I’ll back you all the way, Trinny. Any of them give you shit, they’re gone.”
Lot of power for one club girl to have, but I think Rock knew I wouldn’t abuse it.
The last place we stopped was a room across from a partially furnished workout room. My mind flashed to Wrath telling me he was saving to buy his own gym. I wondered if he’d hang out here a lot.
Rock opened the door and stepped inside. It was a decent-sized suite with a little walk-in closet, its own bathroom, and lots of built-in bookshelves.
“This is nice. What are you going to use it for?” I asked.
“It’s yours.”
My mouth dropped. I assumed I’d be expected to bunk wherever. Couch, floor. Whoever wanted me in their bed for the night. I’d never heard of a club girl having her own room, unless she belonged to the president or something.
Oh.
Rock sensed the shift in my attitude. Two fingers pressed under my chin, tipping my head up. “Trinity, I want you to have your own space, where the guys won’t bother you if you want to be left alone. Nothing more.”
Oh, wow.
“I’m asking a lot of you. Cooking, housekeeping, running the other girls, and overseeing party stuff. The least I can do is make sure you have your own room.”
“Okay.”
“That’s all I expect from you.”
“Okay,” I whispered, not entirely convinced.
“You want to be with any of the guys, that’s your choice.” He studied me for a moment before continuing. “Wait for Wrath to get back before you make any decisions. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him.”
“You think he’s going to be mad?”
Rock shrugged. “All the brothers are good guys. I don’t expect you to have any problems. But if you do, talk to me.”
Surprised, I just nodded my head.
With another glance at the empty space, Rock clapped his hands. “We’re going to be ordering furniture for the rest of the house. I’ll drop the catalogs off to you. Just make a list of what you want, and I’ll make sure you have it.”
I was dumbfounded but managed to mumble an okay.
His face broke into a warm smile. “Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll be safe here.”
I wished I believed him.
Stopping to take a break would have been the smart move, but I never claimed to be smart. I needed to see Trinity. We’d talked a few times, but she’d stopped answering her phone a couple days ago. Had she gotten fed up with me? Found someone else? I needed to find out.
This run seemed to take forever. For the first time in my life, I hated every second I was away. My first stop, of course, needed to be the MC to give Rock an update. Naturally, he was nowhere to be found.
Dex stopped me with a big, manly bro hug as I came out of Rock’s office. “How’d it go?”
“Good. Long trip.”
Z and the prospect shuffled in behind me and headed for the showers.
“Anything new?” I asked.
“Naw, man. Got us a club mama installed at the property, though.”
That’s new.
“Girl was being hassled by some shady fuck at the bar she worked at. Rock brought her in. Total sweetheart.”
A bad feeling curled in my gut.
“Prez up there now?”
“I think so.”
Christ, the last thing I felt like doing was getting back on the road. But I pushed aside my fatigue and made my way to the center. I spotted the prospect’s bike and a couple others, but not the one I was looking for.
Laughter greeted my ears as I entered. Immediately, my gaze darted to the left where someone had placed barstools along the front desk area. A flash of blond hair turned my vision red.
No.
Trinity—my girl—was the new club mama, Dex mentioned?
No. Fucking. Way.
“Trinity?”
She turned and almost fell off her stool. Guilt or surprise flashed in her eyes. I couldn’t tell which. She certainly didn’t welcome me home with open arms.
The prospect shot me a welcome home wave, but I ignored him.
Trinity’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
I approached her with slow, precise steps. “Can I speak to you outside, Trinity?”
“You guys know each other?” the prospect asked.
I glared at him. Prospect was dangerously close to being murdered. “Shouldn’t you be outside, prospecting?” I growled at him. He hustled out of the building.
Now I could focus all my rage where it belonged. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
She blinked, but still didn’t offer any explanation.
“Because someone said something about us having a club girl on a permanent basis, and I just know that isn’t you.”
“Well, I, uh… Rock offered.”
Motherfucking Rock. I was going to gut him. My president. My best fucking friend. I’d fucking kill him the second I saw him.
“You are not doing this, Trinity.”
That finally loosened her tongue. “Wrath. I need protection and a safe place to stay. There are people—”
“You need a place to live, I’ll fucking get you an apartment. You’re not living here, spreading your legs for my brothers.”
Those pretty lips I’d been dreaming about wrapping around my cock for the last three weeks screwed up into a pissed-off pout. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re right. I don’t. Were you so goddamned desperate for cock while I was gone you decided to do this?”
Her face twisted into a scowl. “I haven’t done anything, Wrath. Would you listen—”
Fury and exhaustion overwhelmed me. “No. You fucking listen. You’re not doing this, Trinity. I thought we had something. But this? This ends now.”
Girl had her own fury going. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You better talk to Rock.”
“Where is he?”
“Down at Crystal Ball. Said he had interviews.”
Rage that she knew where he was when Dex—a brother—didn’t consumed me. What the fuck went on while I was away? “Yeah, babe, interviews means he’s busy fucking dancers,” I said to twist her.
She shrugged. “That’s his business.”
Shit. Was I reading things wrong?
I stormed out the door, Trinity behind me. “Wrath, please—”
I turned and took her in. All that beauty was mine. Jesus, it physically hurt to look at her.
It was a miracle I didn’t crash my bike on the way back to Empire. I was so livid. I barely remembered the ride. One minute I was tearing out of the center, and the next I was storming into Crystal Ball. Throwing my fist against Rock’s office door earned me an invitation. Could have done without the visual that greeted me on the other side. Rock was busy pounding into a petite brunette he had bent over his desk.
He glanced up long enough to greet me. “Welcome back, brother.”
“We gotta talk, prez.”
He waved a hand over the girl’s back. “Join in or get the fuck out.”
She wouldn’t have been the first chick we spitroasted. And since I’d just spent three weeks turning down club bitches from here to Cali only to come home and find my girl had installed herself as club ass at my MC without anyone having the decency to warn me, I could have used the stress relief. The chick on the desk crooked her finger at me inviting me closer.
Neither my heart nor my dick were interested.
I put my back to the wall and crossed my arms over my chest. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll wait right here.”
“You mind an audience, darlin’?” Rock asked her with a cocky smirk I wanted to punch right off his face.
“No,” she grunted out.
Lucky me.
“Why the fuck is Trinity at the house?” I grumbled while I inspected the paint on the ceiling.
“That’s what you’re so bent over?”
“Yeah, I want her out.”
I flicked my gaze down and found the girl watching me a little too intently and considered waiting outside. Instead, I jerked my chin at him. “Hurry the fuck up, old man.”
He closed his eyes. “Christ, give me a second, asshole.”
That did the trick.
Rock groaned. Slapping Ginger’s ass, he pulled out. “Off you go, sweetie.” Rock dismissed her with another slap on her ass.
She straightened her nightie and gave Rock a peck on the cheek. “Can I dance tonight?”
“Sure, darlin’. I’ll make sure you’re on the list.”
“Thanks, Rock,” she squealed.
I turned away while he fixed himself up.
As the girl walked past me, she paused and brushed her hand over my arm. “What’s your name, big guy? I’ll wear you down eventually.”
Doubtful.
“Honey, that’s Wrath. He’s a scary-ass motherfucker. You’re best off looking elsewhere,” Rock joked.
“Well, Wrath, I’m Ginger, and I hope to see you again real soon.” Bold little bitch. Normally that turned me on. Today it irritated the fuck out of me. She fluttered her lashes and strutted out the door.
Whatthefuckever.
Feeling… shitty about the scene that just went down, I decided to needle Rock. “She’ll make a great ol’ lady.”
He stared at me before waving a hand in the air, dismissing the idea. “Fuck that. I ever meet a bitch that doesn’t drop her panties at the snap of my fingers—maybe.”
“Good luck with that. Is there a chick in this joint you haven’t bent over your desk?”
“One or two. What are you so pissy about? Thought a long ride woulda fixed your attitude.”
Dick. “Why is Trinity at the house?”
He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “She needed a place to stay.”
Same thing she said. What’d they do, rehearse this shit? “I don’t want her there.”
“You with her?” he asked.
“We were starting something. Can’t do that if she’s fucking brothers.”
“She’s there to cook and clean, asshole.”
“Bullshit.”
He sighed and dropped into the chair behind his desk. “I ain’t running this MC the way it was before, so knock your bullshit off.” He flicked his hand at the door. “Go fuckin’ talk to her.”
The last night at the old MC, we threw a huge party. It was the first official party I put together for the Lost Kings.
I hadn’t seen Wrath in a couple days. Not since he threw a bunch of shitty accusations at me and stormed out of the new clubhouse.
It didn’t stop me from looking for him every couple minutes.
Since it was right next door, dancers from Crystal Ball filtered in and out all night. Most of them were fine. A few catty bitches were downright rude to me.
One petite, curvy brunette—who introduced herself as Ginger—caught my attention by asking about Wrath.
“Haven’t seen him yet.”
It was killing me not to ask how she knew him.
“What’s your name? Are you a dancer too?” she asked me.
Going around insulting the MC’s strippers would be a good way to get myself kicked out. Good thing I caught the Fuck no on the tip of my tongue just in time. “Trinity. No, I… um take care of the clubhouse.”
Her eyes went saucer wide at my name. “Oh yeah, Wrath was saying the other day how he wanted you out of the house. That sucks.”
The words were almost sympathetic but her smug face was anything but. My breath caught, burning the back of my throat. He asked Rock to kick me out? Even worse, he asked Rock to throw me out in front of this skank?
Embarrassment heated my skin and made me want to throw up.
Of course, that’s when Wrath walked in. His eyes swept the room, finally landing on Ginger and me. His mouth twisted and he turned away.
I felt like the worthless trash I’d been called so many times before.
I needed to get away.
“Hey, Trinity.” I glanced up to see Marcel, the prospect the guys had started calling Teller. By this point, I’d heard two stories about how he’d earned his road name. One involved fucking a girl who worked in a bank. The other involved him doling out advice chicks didn’t like to hear. In the short time I’d known him, he’d been a sweetheart, so I didn’t know which story to believe.
“Hey, cutie, anyone break you in yet?” Ginger asked, running her hand over his arm.
He flashed a tight smile at her, then turned to me. “Let me know if you need a ride home,” he said before one of the brothers called him away.
“That’s what you need to do. Get tight with one of the prospects so he’ll patch you right away,” Ginger informed me. I almost laughed in her face. That so wasn’t how it worked.
Sick panic threatened to leave me blubbering on the floor. The guys were getting drunker and raunchier by the minute. The whole scene brought back a lot of unpleasant memories. This had been a mistake. I had to be out of my mind to get involved with an MC again.
Pushing through the crowd, I found Rock in a clinch with some skanky blonde who’d followed him over from Crystal Ball earlier. Looking away, I cleared my throat. Instantly, he pushed her back and straightened up.
“What’s up, Trin?”
“Would you mind if I head up to the clubhouse? I’m not feeling so hot.” That was an understatement. Between Ginger, Wrath and the ever-growing crowd, I was nearing a meltdown.
“Of course not. You need someone to drive you?”
“Nope, I have the Jeep.”
The blonde kept staring daggers at me, and I realized I’d taken up enough of their time.
“Thanks, prez. I’ll be back down tomorrow morning to help out.”
He reached up and grabbed my hand, giving me a gentle squeeze that oddly calmed me. “Nah, stay up there and chill.”
Pushing my way back into the kitchen made me antsy to get out of there. Someone grabbed my arm and I let out a short scream. My anxiety had reached red-zone levels.
“Trinity, where you going?” Wrath rumbled.
“Home. Sorry you couldn’t talk Rock into kicking me out,” I snapped.
My throat closed as I choked back a sob. Blinking back tears, I straightened up and met his confused gaze. He glanced in Rock’s direction. “Who told you that?”
As if she’d heard my thoughts, Ginger appeared at Wrath’s side. I nodded to her. “Your girl, Ginger told me all about it.”
Ginger grinned. I bit my lip, on the verge of tears and stormed away. No fucking way would I cry in front of him. And I sure as fuck wasn’t crying in front of her. I just had to hold on to these tears until I got to my car.
Everything around me was a blur, and I stumbled into more than one person on my way to the kitchen. Teller was in there by himself, a giant black trash bag in each hand.
He looked up and smiled. “Hey, Trinity. You leaving?”
His simple greeting and smile eased some of my panic. “Yeah, I’ve had my fill of bitchy dancers.” I huffed out a laugh and rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, hopefully none of them will find their way out to the new clubhouse.”
I arched a brow at that. “Thought having a houseful of strippers would be a dream come true for a young stud.”
He grinned even broader. “Nah. It gets old quick.”
“Wow, first guy I’ve heard say that.”
He shrugged. “You know the wrong guys then.”
“Guess so.”
“Need a ride?”
“Nope. Got the Jeep.” I couldn’t call it mine yet. Still felt too weird that the club had given me a car. Well, technically, the other prospect, Blake, had been restoring an old Jeep the club had rotting in the backyard. When he finished, Rock turned it over to me.
“Well, at least let me walk you out,” he offered. He held up the trash bags. “Got stuck with garbage duty tonight.”
I chuckled. If that was the worst thing the Lost Kings did to their prospects, Teller was lucky.
We said good night by my car.
“Drive safe, Trinity.”
At least by the time I got on the road, I didn’t feel like crying anymore.
Trinity’s anger made no sense to me. I didn’t hide the fact that I wanted her out of the clubhouse.
“Come on, big guy. Show me your room,” Ginger shouted at me.
“Later.” I brushed her off and went looking for Trinity.
I ran into one of our guys from our downstate charter. “Hey did you see a blonde go by?”
He shook his head, but before I could give him a more specific description, Ginger latched on to me. “Why are you looking for that girl? I’ll take care of you.”
Jesus Christ, the bitch wouldn’t quit. “I need to talk to her. I’ll catch you later.”
“She got a ride from one of your prospects.” She wiggled her eyebrows as she said it.
“What?” She shrugged and I wanted to throttle her.
“I dunno. Come on, show me what you can do.”
“Not tonight.” I finally brushed her off for good. She bitched and moaned as I stomped off to my room, but I really didn’t give two fucks. Sure, fucking Ginger would have given me a perverse sense of getting even with Trinity—as sick as that was—but I didn’t have it in me that night.
A week later, we’d all moved into the new center. At church, we voted Teller in as a patched member. He’d earned his three-piece patch by being reliable and loyal. Did plenty of bitch work without complaint. Most importantly, he’d had our backs when the club went through the change in leadership.
In another year or two, we’d vote his best friend, Blake, in. He was two years younger than Teller but hardworking, smart and knew a lot about not only bikes but cars too. Also one hell of a fighter.
Surprisingly, I hadn’t seen much of Trinity all week. I wasn’t even sure where she was staying. Asking Rock was as pointless as asking an actual rock, so that was a dead end.
After church, I spotted her leaving the kitchen and followed her like some creepy, lovesick teenager. She ducked into the room across from the gym. Duh, why hadn’t I thought of that before? I remembered the little suite tucked away down here. Made perfect sense. Before I knew what I was doing, I raised my hand and knocked.
She took her time answering, and when the door finally swung open, her face didn’t exactly light up at the sight of me.
“Hey, I was wondering where you’ve been hiding. This your room?”
Her jaw tightened and she slipped out, closing the door behind her. “Yes.”
“Can I see what you’ve done with it?”
“No.”
Stunned, I took a step back. She folded her arms over her chest. “Rock said it’s my space and I don’t have to let any of the brothers in there if I don’t want to.”
“So who’s been lucky enough to see it so far?” I kept my tone light, but inside, I dreaded her answer.
She flinched and the corners of her mouth turned down. “No one.”
Huh.
Before I had a chance to ask if I could see it, she craned her neck, and swept her gaze up and down the hallway. “Where’s your little muffler bunny?”
“Who?”
“I should’ve known. Got so many you can’t keep track, right?”
What the actual fuck? By her narrowed eyes and crossed arms, it was obvious she was serious. Seriously pissed.
“Trinity—”
“Hey, Trinity, got a sec?”
Motherfucking Rock and his shitty timing.
Trin’s face lit up when she saw him. “Sure, prez, what’d you need?” she asked with a genuine smile.
Fuck this.
After the guys left church, I scurried out of the kitchen and back into my room. I still didn’t feel quite safe when all the brothers were in the house at once. Everyone was surprisingly nice, but I knew from experience how people you trusted could turn on you, so I wasn’t about to let my guard down.
I tried ignoring the knock at my door, but whoever it was wouldn’t go away.
Finding Wrath on the other side shocked me.
Thank God, Rock interrupted us. I couldn’t argue with Wrath again. If he had his way, he would have booted me back down to Empire where I’d live in fear of being found by Tyler or one of his minions.
Rock had a big grin on his face, until Wrath bumped his shoulder and stormed off. Shaking his head, Rock focused on me. “He giving you shit?”
“Nah, we’re whatever. Don’t worry about it. What’s up?”
He didn’t seem satisfied with my words, but didn’t question me either. “We patched Marcel in finally. Think you can organize something for him on Friday?” He handed me a credit card. “Get whatever you need, okay?”
I met his eyes briefly. “Okay.”
“You know what to get?”
“Alcohol and condoms?”
Rock snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, pretty much. Should I ask any of the CB girls to come up for him?”
I remembered my conversation with Teller the night we said good-bye to the old clubhouse. “Nah, I don’t think he’d care for that. He doesn’t seem that into them.”
He chuckled and ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Can’t blame him. They give me a fuckin’ headache sometimes.”
“Doesn’t stop you from nailing them though, does it, prez?” I asked with a laugh.
He shook his head, looking almost embarrassed. “No, it doesn’t.”
Crap, how could I insult Rock so brazenly after he’d taken me in, protected me, and given me shelter?
“Shit, prez, I’m sorry. That was rude.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “No worries, Trin. Let me know if you need anything else, yeah?”
Excited about Marcel’s party, I sat at my desk and scribbled down a list of supplies. I’d finally get to put that fancy, industrial kitchen to good use.
Cake. I hadn’t baked in forever, but I enjoyed it when I had the money for ingredients and someone to do it for. Now I had a houseful of hungry bikers to feed.
Rumor had it Wrath was making a run to our downstate charter right after church, which was why I’d been so surprised to find him at my door. Would he make it back for Teller’s party?
Do I care?
Sure enough, the rumble of his bike reached my ears as it left the clubhouse grounds.
Yeah, I care. I knew which motorcycle belonged to Wrath by the sound alone. How pathetic.
Shoving Wrath out of my mind would take a lot of effort. To distract myself, I hustled down to the kitchen and took stock of what we had on hand.
I wasn’t in there long before Teller strolled in with a huge grin on his face, proudly sporting his new cut.
“Didn’t they rub any dirt on your patches?” I teased.
He grinned big and goofy at me. “You heard already?”
“Sure did. Congrats.” I gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Gonna celebrate Friday. Got any special requests?”
“You?”
It took a second for his meaning to sink in. “I, uh—”
He blushed and glanced at the door. “Never mind. I thought now…” He ran his hands over his cut. “You’re not with anyone, right?”
“No. Not really. No.”
His gaze roamed over me for a brief second. “I should get going. I gotta pick up my sister.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll catch you later, Trin.”
Friday came quick. I had a mild freak out that I wouldn’t have everything ready in time. Ginger, of all people, showed up early to help me out. I had no reason to hate her fucking guts, but I did. I worked hard to be civil to her because it wasn’t her fault and I really needed her help that afternoon.
Wrath showed up shortly after, and it made a whole lot more sense why Ginger was here to “help.”
“Hey, baby!” she squealed, rushing to his side. Wrath caught me rolling my eyes and smirked. My heart plummeted and bile rose from my stomach as she reached up to give him a welcome home kiss.
That should have been my job.
Instead, I was standing in front of a hot oven, covered in flour, batter, and Betty Crocker only knew what else.
Like an idiot, I sighed with relief when Wrath nudged Ginger aside. “Whatcha making, Trin?” he asked, edging closer. It was utterly pathetic how happy his interest made me.
“Cake for Teller’s patch party,” I answered proudly, then cursed myself for sounding so perky.
His mouth turned down as he took in all my party preparations. “You do all this for him?”
I shrugged, unsure of the right answer. “Well, yeah. Rock asked me to put something together—”
“Motherfucker,” he swore under his breath. At his sides, his hands curled into fists.
Ginger had apparently reached her limit of being ignored. She rushed over and grabbed for Wrath’s hand.
“Not now. I gotta talk to prez. I’ll catch you later.”
Based on some tips from Teller’s best friend Blake, I chose to make a triple layer chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting. Messy but worth it, judging from the way the guys demolished the entire thing within minutes.
Warm breath on the back of my neck startled me as I set the remnants on the bar top.
My heart actually skipped.
Wrath.
But then two hands that were definitely not Wrath’s circled my upper arms.
“Got any of that frosting left?” Teller whispered in my ear.
His lips against my skin tickled, and I giggled. “No, why?”
“I wanted to smear it all over you and lick it off.” His lowered voice and the slow way he dropped each word set off a shivery sensation over my skin. I twisted around to face him.
Holy fuck.
Mixing food and sex never interested me much, but the fierce expression he wore actually turned me on and made me reconsider.
He wanted me. Bad.
The familiar need to feel wanted by someone consumed me.
Over Teller’s shoulder, I caught sight of who I wanted—Wrath. The crowd shifted and I spotted Ginger glued to his side.
I moved my gaze back to Teller’s hungry eyes. “Next time I’ll save some just for you.”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a cocky smirk I’d never seen on Teller before. It was sexy on him. “I wanna show you my new room, babe.”
A voice in my head whispered I better get this over with. And at least Teller had always been nice to me. “Okay.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the stairs. We had to pass Wrath and Ginger to get there. My gaze collided with Wrath’s and held. I willed him to say something. Anything to stop me from going through with the inevitable. Because I knew what would happen when I stepped inside Teller’s room. I also knew once I slept with Teller, Wrath and I would be done for good.
My heart shattered as he watched me follow Teller all the way up the stairs and never said a word.
I should have stayed in bed. Or left the house after last night. Sitting at the dining room table was just asking for trouble. I’d gotten word from the guy who organized the underground fights that I had a match for Sunday night. I couldn’t fucking wait. Every punch and jab, I’d be picturing Teller’s smug face.
Z stumbled in holding his head, fell into the chair next to me, and promptly pressed his cheek to the table.
“Whatthefuck?” he mumbled.
Even in my foul mood, I had to chuckle. “Why you even up, bro?”
“Got shit to do,” he answered, although it was so muffled he might’ve said, “I’ve got shit in my shoe.”
“Stop being a pussy.”
He groaned and pushed himself off the table. “Fuck. You drank as much as me. How can you sit upright?”
“I’m a bigger man than you.”
“Fuck off.” Z leaned back and closed his eyes. “Fucking bullshit with Trinity and Teller, man. No one’s been able to pry her fuckin’ legs open with a crowbar since she got here. All of a sudden, the prospect gets patched and he’s up inside that. Ain’t right,” he said with a snicker.
Cold swirled in the pit of my stomach, and it had nothing to do with the bottle of Jack I downed a couple hours earlier. “What did you say?”
“Trinity, the club—”
“I know who she is.”
“So what do you need explained?”
“Nothing, dick.” Not a fucking thing.
I pushed out of my chair and went to find Trinity. White-hot fury rose in my chest. Why hadn’t I listened to her? The way she got so wound up fixing his party, I assumed… She tried telling me, Rock tried to tell me, and—
Found her.
In the laundry room. With Teller.
Yeah, wished I hadn’t seen that.
Wished I’d never voted Teller’s ass in either.
Instead of beating the shit out of Teller for touching what was mine and staking a claim on my girl like I should have, I stormed down the hall.
And smacked right into Ginger, almost knocking her over.
“What are you still doing up here?” I snapped.
Not deterred by my tone, she thrust her chest out and stuck a flirty smile on her lips. “Looking for you, big guy.”
Perfect.
“You found me.” I steered her into the champagne room and shut the door behind us. My stomach rolled. I didn’t want her.
Ginger eyed the shiny new pole in the middle of the room. “You want a private dance?”
“Sure, show me what you can do.” My voice came out flat. I couldn’t be bothered to fake any interest.
I let her push me onto the bench seat that ran the length of the room. Instead of dancing, she stood in front of me, looking confused—not an uncommon state for this chick. “There’s no music,” she finally said.
I pointed at the stereo in the corner, and she perked right up. She flipped it on, not bothering to pick out anything special, which was fine with me.
She danced well enough, not a surprise since our strip club only employed top talent. It didn’t do a whole hell of a lot for me. I’d seen plenty of this shit before.
Sensing my boredom, she danced closer until she was straddling my lap. “You good at lap dances, darlin’?” I asked, more to break the silence than because I cared about the answer.
“Yeah.” Not much of a conversationalist, this one.
She worked her bra off and my hands automatically cupped her tits. They were definitely nice. Fake as fuck, but nice.
“What do you want?”
“I wanna fuck,” she said with a straight face. Direct. A quality I usually appreciated.
I jerked my chin in the direction of the door. “Grab a condom.”
She slid off my lap, then hesitated. “I’m on the pill…” She trailed off.
Fuck that.
Nothing against Ginger, but bitch got around. Jesus Christ, I fucking met her while she was bent over my best friend’s desk, getting drilled from behind. No judgment—because I did my fair share of fucking around—but I wasn’t interested in catching some sort of dick rot. Nor did I feel like taking her word about the pills and being tied to this bitch for the next eighteen years of my life.
“You wanna fuck or not?” I asked her with a hard stare.
She pursed her lips into a pout but ran over, grabbed what she needed, and returned.
I’d get her off. It was a matter of pride. I mean, why bother otherwise? Sex with her wasn’t quite what I wanted. No, who I wanted was busy on the other side of this wall, fucking one of my brothers. It was like wanting a vanilla milkshake and being handed a strawberry ice cream cone. Sure, it would still taste good, but never satisfy my craving.
“Slide those panties off, darlin’.”
Teller seemed to think we were an item now, and I had no idea how to correct him. The man I wanted might have hated my guts, but I couldn’t see myself ever belonging to anyone else. I spent years feeling so disconnected from my body it didn’t matter who touched me. For a brief time, Wrath changed that for me. Then he took it away, leaving me completely hollow.
Teller’d taken me on top of the washing machine in the laundry room and couldn’t hide his smug smile while I straightened my clothes. I gave him a shove and he laughed.
“Sorry I interrupted. It’s the smell of laundry detergent. Gets me every time,” he joked, settling my nerves.
He walked me down the hall, his hand brushing mine as we passed the yoga studio and the door flew open. A flushed, sweaty Ginger stepped into the hall. Wrath right behind her.
I sucked in a painful breath, grasping for calm, praying I didn’t look and smell like I’d just been fucked on a washing machine where anyone could have walked in on us.
The second Wrath’s eyes met mine, I knew he knew, and I hated myself more than any other moment in my life. He replaced his frown with a mask of indifference and ushered Ginger out of the room. Teller lifted his chin and asked Wrath something, but he kept staring at me. No other acknowledgment.
Oblivious as always, Ginger stopped when she realized Wrath hadn’t followed her. She returned to his side, rubbing her hands possessively up and down his arm. My jaw clenched so tight it was a miracle I didn’t break a tooth. Wrath raised an eyebrow at me as if to challenge my jealousy. My skin tingled as disappointment, anger, and shame all converged inside me. I had no right to be jealous or even pissed.
The longer the silence stretched, the more awkward the whole thing became. Then Teller placed his hand on my back, snapping me out of my fog.
“I’ve got some things I need to do,” I said, pushing past Teller to head to the kitchen.
“Later, Trin,” Teller called after me. I raised my hand in a wave but didn’t look back.
Couldn’t look back.