One Year Later
“Dakota will you hurry up dammit, we’re going to be late,” I called, standing at the door to Dakota’s apartment, having been there for ten minutes already, which meant we were going to be late. Again.
Yay, something new and different for us.
“I’m coming,” she called, appearing at the end of the hallway, pulling on one of her shoes with her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. She pulled it out, looking around with a frown before she finally leaned over the pot plant on her entranceway table and spat inside.
I cringed. “Dude, that’s gross, even for you.”
She slammed her toothbrush down next to the plant and finished tying her shoe before standing up straight and taking a deep breath. “Look, I’m tired, I haven’t read the pages we should have read, and there’s something I need to tell—”
“Can you give me a ride to the clubhouse to get my bike?” Ripley asked, stepping out of the hallway with a satisfied smirk on his face.
My mouth fell open and my shocked gaze moved between my brother and my best friend. Then back again. “You’re kidding, right?”
He scoffed and pulled his club cut over his black hoodie before reaching for Dakota and pulling her into his arms. She didn’t fight him, and I even caught a small smile in the corner of her mouth as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“When did… how long have…” I couldn’t get the words out. Like my mouth couldn’t unscramble the mess that was up in my brain. “I can’t even right now. Dakota. Car. Now. We’re going to be late. And you, brother o’ mine, I don’t have time to take you to the clubhouse where I assumed you must have crashed after chatting with Ham last night about Empire, so you’re going to have to catch an Uber.”
I pulled the apartment door open, and Dakota ducked out ahead of me and jogged to the car, Ripley stomping behind her, grumbling as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, leaving me to pull the door closed and lock it.
Dakota climbed into the car, and before I followed her down the path, I stopped next to my brother. “Please don’t hurt her.”
His fingers froze over the screen, and before I could walk away, he reached over and hooked his arm around my neck, pulling me in and pressing a kiss to my temple. “Have a good day,” he murmured before letting me go and turning away.
I sighed heavily and shook my head. He wasn’t going to make any promises. Because he knew he couldn’t keep them.
Dakota had googly-eyed at Ripley since they met a year ago, and I knew he was interested, but my brother didn’t like the idea of being fucking tied down to anything. Commitment scared the crap out of him, and it made me want to punch him in the face with the way he had this revolving door.
He was going to hurt her.
But Dakota was strong, she would bounce back.
I hoped.
I dumped my backpack on Ham’s desk and placed my palms flat on the surface, waiting for him to look up at me.
He smirked, his eyes scanning over a few more lines before he placed the paperwork aside and leaned back. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Did you know that Ripley stayed at Dakota’s place last night?”
“I don’t keep tabs on your brother, Meyah,” he responded.
“So, yes, you did?”
He laughed and pushed his chair back from the desk, turning my body and lifting me at the hips, so I was sitting at the edge while he moved in between my spread legs. My body instantly relaxed as I inhaled the smell of his leather and leaned my head forward, pressing my forehead against his chest. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”
“You need not worry about whether your brother and your best friend are fucking or not, fury fists. That’s not your problem,” he scolded gently, hooking his finger under my chin and lifting my face to his. “You’re my Old Lady, not their fucking counselor.”
I rolled my eyes. “You say that like it’s a fulltime job.”
“You say that like it’s not.”
Arizona had really become home over the past year. It had taken months to get the clubhouse to the point where it was now. Luckily, I had a father who owned a construction company, and an older brother who turned out to be one hell of a damn designer.
There were more than fifteen rooms, each with their own bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room, a bar, and church. Not to mention a party area which was used more often than not—except when the boys knew that I was studying. There were even dorm type rooms downstairs for the club girls. Three of the six vehicle bays were left as workshops, and the club also had a couple of guys that did fantastic custom work for Harley’s and were booked up for months, the other guys helping out where they could.
The setup we had in Arizona was different to back home, but that was kind of why I loved it. The club had grown from four men to ten, and the interest was through the roof.
The old mechanics had been transformed into a clubhouse that rivaled my dad’s, something I continually teased him about. Especially given he was here visiting every couple of weeks.
We were still working on some different businesses, but the major one which was keeping Ham and the brothers here busy as hell right now was Empire.
With Huntsman living a few hours away, he sold forty percent of the nightclub to the Brothers by Blood, and they’d taken over running things, so Huntsman didn't constantly have to send men down to check up on things.
Turned out Dave wasn’t exactly the upstanding guy I thought he was, and he was dealing shit out the back on the side, so that’s where Ham had stepped in. We’d really made it our own, and with all the work and dedication Ham had put in, Shotgun had ended up naming Ham his VP. He fucking earned it, and I was proud as hell to be standing beside him.
He was busy constantly. I was run ragged with school work, but I knew after a hard day, I was coming home to him.
Ham’s mouth covered mine, his tongue slipping between my lips and making my body relax against him. Everything with Dakota, and Ripley, and school just seemed to melt away at his touch because when I was with him, none of that shit mattered.
We’d decided a long time ago we were going to make every minute count.
We argued sometimes. There were times where I wanted his attention, but he was busy with the club, and moments where I had assignments due, and he wanted me to go to business meetings with him, or up to Vegas to check in with Huntsman and the future developments they were working on.
We argued. We disagreed.
But it never lasted long.
We said what we needed to say and then we moved on because we both refused to waste time together on shit that in the end, wasn’t the end of the world.
“Did you lock the door?” he murmured against my lips as his hand reached for my shirt.
“Yes.”
I always did. Because I also learned pretty damn quickly, I should never waste an opportunity.
My shirt was gone within seconds, and while his mouth attacked my neck, I reached for his belt buckle just as a knock sounded at the door.
We both grinned, but neither of us stopped, my hand reaching inside his pants and drawing out his cock as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of my shorts.
“Shake! Man. Beth just called in sick, and she’s meant to be dancing in the VIP area tonight,” Auron, one of Ham’s brothers called through the door.
“Find someone else,” he called back while he slipped my shorts down my legs and tossed them to the side before flicking his finger over my clit a couple times and smirking as I tried to hold back a moan.
“Uh… Meyah’s name is on my list as a backup…” His hand froze, and I pressed my lips together trying to hold back a giggle. “Do you… uh… want me to call—”
“No,” he snapped, punishment and excitement flashing in his eyes. “No, call someone else… I’ll deal with Meyah.”
Footsteps disappeared down the hallway, and I couldn’t help but grin up at my man.
“That your idea of a joke?”
I chewed my bottom lip but didn’t reply.
“You think I’m actually gonna let you shake your ass up on that stage with guys watching?”
“I told you before…” I whispered, squeezing him in my hand and licking my lips, “… I sway, I don’t shake.”
He shook his head, but his mouth pulled up in the corner, and he moved forward. “You’re gonna pay for that one, fury fists.”
“I’m waiting.”