“I’m glad you’re with me tonight,” I say, sliding my hand over Hope’s.

“Why aren’t we having the party up at the clubhouse this year?”

I sigh and consider how to explain. “We didn’t only invite Lost Kings. We’ve got Wolf Knights—”

“Trying to repair that relationship after Teller stole their president’s niece?” she jokes.

“Kind of.” I huff out a laugh. “Except for some weirdness here and there, our clubs get along. The new president is the guy who was in business with Wrath. So no repairs needed.”

“Wolf Knights were at our wedding. So they’ve been to the clubhouse.”

“Right. Well, I have a couple members from the Devil’s Demons coming too. You’ve met them before—at our wedding.”

“I remember.”

I saved the best for last. I still can’t believe Z talked me into having Loco at a club party. But he’s our biggest customer and we’ve been in business with his crew for a long damn time. He’s more than proved his loyalty over the last two years. It was time. I also might have a business opportunity for him that will benefit both of us. “There’s a local crew we do a lot of business with. Have for years. The guy who runs it will be here with a few of his crew.” And some of the escorts who work for him, but I’ll save that tidbit for Hope to discover on her own.

She seems to think that over. “I’m assuming this is the guy who takes custody of Sparky’s babies when they’re finished growing?”

I choke on my laughter but don’t confirm or deny her guess.

“Sparky will be there too. He has some product to show off.”

“Product my ass.” Hope laughs. “He probably wants to see Willow.”

“Oh, really?” I should’ve known there was a reason he’d been dragging his ass out of the basement more frequently lately.

“Sway’s coming too, right?” she asks. There’s a catch in her voice I don’t care for. None of my brothers should ever make my wife nervous. Maybe Sway deserves a few more punches in the face. “Will Tawny be there too?”

“A party full of strippers and bunnies? No, Tawny won’t be joining him.”

“Gross,” she mutters.

I shrug. It is what it is. Sway’s marital problems aren’t my concern.

“Everyone will know who you are because you’ll be wearing your patch. Murphy’s not coming, but Z, Wrath, Dex, Ravage, Hoot, and Birch will all be here. Teller’s supposed to stop by later. So there’ll be plenty of familiar faces.”

“As long as I have Trinity to hang with, I’ll be fine.”

I pull into the back parking lot at Crystal Ball and find a spot away from the door and any other vehicles. Hope twists and reaches for something on the back seat.

“What are you looking for?”

“Your bag. I assume you want to change in the car, so none of your big, bad biker friends see you in your citizen suit.”

Christ, she makes me laugh.

This woman is everything. She knows me. Understands me in a way no one else does.

“Not yet,” I say, echoing her words from a few minutes ago. My hand lands on her leg again, pushing her skirt up. And once again, she stops me.

“Stop. It’s a surprise.”

“What is?”

She huffs an annoyed breath and slowly slides the bottom of her dress up until bare thigh comes into view. “They’re these special, suspender, crotchless tight-thingies. To give you access without ripping them on me.”

Those are the hottest words that have ever come out of my woman’s mouth.

I run my hand over the back of my neck a few times before speaking. “Fuck me, you been running around with a bare pussy all night?”

She snorts. “No. An itty-bitty thong for-”

“Get in the back.”

Her jaw drops. “What?”

I open my door and step out, hurrying to open the back door and slide into the backseat. “Get back here.”

She giggles the whole time she’s unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing over the middle console.

“Don’t flash your ass to the parking lot,” I warn.

“Shut up,” she says, laughing even harder.

After a lot of muttering, cursing, and huffing, she plants her feet on the floor and rests her butt on the edge of the console. She’s hunched over so her head doesn’t hit the roof. “Now what?”

I pat my hands on my thighs and raise an eyebrow. “Come tell me what you want for Christmas, little girl.”

“Oh my God.” She bursts out laughing, the sound echoing in the interior of the SUV. “Are you going to show me your pole, Mr. North?”

“I’m not only going to show it to you, I’m going to give it to you. Hard.”

More laughter. I could listen to that sound all night long.

I reach down, grabbing her left foot and quickly slip her boot off, then take the other one, setting them to the side. “Lean back.”

“How? I don’t have a lot of space to work with here.”

Ignoring the question, I slide my hands under her dress and the tight slip she’s wearing underneath, bunching them up around her waist. Finally, I’m able to feast on the sight in front of me. “Jesus, these are sexy as fuck.” I reach out and trace my fingers along one wide suspender and brush my knuckles against the thin thong barely covering her pussy.

She gasps and jerks her hips.

“Fuck, you’re wet. I knew you were lying before.”

Dipping my head, I flick my tongue over her plump lips, inhaling her scent.

She slides her fingers through my hair, lightly scratching my scalp and lets out a little moan.

“You bought these for me?”

“Yes,” she answers in a breathy whisper.

I slip a finger between the thong and her skin, pulling the material to the side. I’m intoxicated by her and I take a few long, slow licks.

Call it selfish, but I want to look in her eyes when I make her come and as spontaneous and romantic as it might be to go at it in the backseat like teenagers, my current position is uncomfortable as fuck.

She whimpers when I raise my head and sit back. “Rock?”

“Right here, Baby Doll.” I make quick work of my belt and shove my pants and boxers down enough to free my cock. Grinning, I grab her hand and tug her closer. “Be a good girl and get on my pole.”

She snorts at the joke but eagerly straddles my lap. I cup her cheek and pull her closer for a kiss. Our tongues slide together hard and demanding. My free hand slides over her slick pussy, pushing the thong out of my way. I’m tempted to rip it off, but can’t spare the extra couple seconds.

Her fingers wrap around my cock and I thrust into her hand a few times until she’s moaning into my mouth. “Take me, Hope.”

She shifts and I groan so loud as she slides down we can probably be heard inside the club.

Her moan of pleasure turns to a gasp and she freezes.

“Shh.” I place my hands on her cheeks and press a rough kiss to her lips. “Easy. You set the pace. I’m all yours.”

She runs her hand down my chest as she takes me deeper into her body. After a few strokes, she tugs at the tie around my neck, pulling it free and unbuttoning my shirt. In her eagerness, a few buttons go flying. One pings off the window with a soft click, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

My woman—the sexiest woman in the whole damn world—ripping my clothes off because she’s so crazed to get to me. Pretty much feeling like king of the world right here in the back seat of my own truck.

Her fingers trail down my chest, tracing lines of muscle. Her gentle feathery touch combined with the rough way she’s grinding down on me flips my need to desperate-to-come in an instant.

“Hope.”

I grip her hips, fingers digging in and holding her tight. Her breathing breaks into heavy panting and she clings to my shoulders. My hips pump in time with hers.

“Ohmygod. Right there. Please.” A bunch of other words come tumbling out of her mouth. I can’t keep track of anything but the incredible friction of our bodies.

We’re both moving hard and fast, probably shaking the whole damn vehicle, so anyone outside can tell what we’re up to. But I can’t find a fuck to give.

I need her tits in my hands. Thank fuck for the forgiving, stretchy material of her sweater dress.

Up and off it goes.

“Rock,” she gasps and slows down, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Baby, the windows are tinted black. No one’s seeing inside.” As if I’d ever allow anyone else to see what’s mine.

I pry her hands off her chest and place them back on my shoulders, then tug the cups of her bra down so I can fill my hands with her breasts. “Better,” I mumble, pulling her forward to slick my tongue over the tip of her nipple and tease it between my teeth.

“Oh!”

Her back arches as I claim her other breast. Hips jerking, I thrust up inside her again and she finally comes apart with a long, low cry of pleasure.

Everything inside me just explodes as I pump into her with a ragged groan.

She collapses against me, both of us sweaty and breathing hard. My arms wrap around her, holding her tight while our racing hearts calm and our breathing evens out.

After a few minutes, I reach behind us, hand flailing in the empty space for the paper towels I know I keep stored back there. “What’s wrong?” she mumbles against my neck.

“Paper towels. Back there. Clean up.” Fuck, but she’s stolen my ability to speak coherent sentences.

I groan when she eases off my spent cock and bends over the back seat, searching for the towels. Can’t help slapping her gorgeous ass that’s right in my face a few times either.

“Hey!” she yelps, finally returning to me. She drops the towels in my lap and I yank off a bunch and start cleaning us up. I probably grope her a little more than necessary in the process and she laughs.

“Didn’t have enough yet?”

“Never.”

“Where’d my dress go?”

I point to the front seat and she leans back to grab it. I watch her fix herself up, completely mesmerized. Or stupefied. I reach out, running my hand up her leg while she slips her boots back on. “These are hot, but I’m still shredding them later.”

“I expect nothing less, Rock.”

When she’s dressed, she sits next to me and hands me my jeans and long-sleeve Henley.

“Thanks, Baby Doll.”

“Purely selfish reasons. I want to see you naked.”

I chuckle, then groan as she leans down to help me kick off my shoes and work my pants down. She bites her lip as she watches me pull on the jeans and button them.

“Damn, I’m lucky,” she mutters.

“So am I.”

Once I’m finally dressed, I reach over and gently rest my hand on her hip, pulling her close. My other hand brushes her hair out of her eyes. I take in her red cheeks and flushed chest with a measure of pride. The hand on her hip strays to her belly. “You okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, Rock. I’m fine.”

Shit, even her patient, I’m-humoring-you voice turns me the fuck on. We better get inside before I decide to skip this party altogether.

As if she can hear my thoughts, she cocks her head toward the club. “Hurry up. Wrath’s probably wondering where you are.”

The second I step outside, she hands me my cut and I slip it on. She leaves her coat in the car and when I protest, she shakes her head. “I’m overheated. I’ll be fine. It’s a short walk.”

I pull her Property Patch out and have her slip it on before taking her hand and walking across the parking lot. She stops me at the last second before I pull the door open.

“Wait. Is there anything I shouldn’t say or do tonight?”

I give it a second of thought before answering. “No, Baby Doll.”

“I don’t want to stick my foot in my mouth in front of people you do business with.”

I can’t help grinning. “That’s the beauty of this. You’re the president’s wife. You can’t say anything wrong.”

Well, obviously that’s not entirely true. But nothing out of Hope’s mouth could ever be that bad. She wouldn’t be my old lady if I had to worry about her starting trouble with a few poorly chosen words.

My answer seems to satisfy her—for a second. Then she says something that makes me laugh again. “Now, Rock. We both know I’m expected to sit quiet and look pretty.” Her mouth twists with a sort of wry indignation I love about Hope.

I’m stopped from answering by the door swinging open, almost knocking us down. Wrath pokes his head out and grins when he sees us. “About time.”

He takes a step back so we can enter. Arms crossed over his chest and smug smile in place, he greets us, “Evening, kids.”

Behind him Trinity laughs and pokes him in the side. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Hope asks with an edge to her voice. I’m pretty sure she knows what’s coming.

“Saw you pull in like an hour ago.” He jerks his head toward the parking lot. “The truck was rockin’ so I didn’t dare come knockin’.”

Hope bursts out laughing and shakes her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“He’s lying. He wanted to peek. I made him come inside,” Trinity informs us.

Wrath glances down, and pulls her to his side. “Don’t tell stories, angel.”

“Knock it off,” I growl.

As usual, none of my warnings or threats has an effect on Wrath. His lips twitch into a smirk. “You need a stronger suspension kit on your big cage. A vehicle that size shouldn’t shake and wobble so much.”

“God, you’re an asshole.”

Hope’s cheeks are red, but she’s laughing. “You know, Wrath.” She crosses her arms over her chest and cocks her head, mirroring his earlier pose. “It’s kind of creepy the way you keep spying on us.”

“Spying. You wish. You can’t spy on people who jump on each other as much as you two do.”

“We took the bike,” Trinity says, interrupting Hope and Wrath’s banter. She holds up a backpack. “Come with me to the dressing room, Hope?”

“Sure.” She tries to follow Trinity, but I don’t let her go of her.

Instead, I pull her to me for a quick kiss. “Don’t let any of the girls give you shit.” I nod to a spot across from the dressing room. “One of us will be waiting outside to escort you into the party.”

The no-bullshit tone I use makes it clear I’m not fucking around and she nods. “Got it, Mr. President.”

Wrath slaps my shoulder after the girls leave. “Have fun playing dutiful, citizen husband tonight?”

“Fuck off.” I point down the hallway that leads into the main area of the club “You do anything useful since you got here? Or were you waiting around all night to bust my balls?”

“Both.” He gives me a smug smile. “I’m a multi-tasker.”

“You’re a dick.”

“Christ you’re cranky for a guy who just—”

“Don’t finish that thought.”

“You holding church back here, fuckers?” Z shouts as he walks down the hall toward us.

“How’s it lookin’?” I ask.

“Like I been here all fuckin’ day and I want to go home,” Z says.

“Oh, what a hardship, watching the pretty, naked girls twirl around the poles all day long.” Wrath’s whiny imitation of Z wouldn’t be complete without the fake tear he wipes away to really drive home his point.

Z’s unfazed and shoves his middle finger in Wrath’s face.

“I don’t know why everyone’s worried about us having kids,” I grumble. “I have two overgrown children right in front of me.”

That straightens Z out. “Malik’s on the door. Dex is on his way. Teller won’t be here until later, but I’m not holding my breath.”

“Great, that’s all we need—Whisper asking why she’s not here,” Wrath grumbles.

“Fuck him,” Z says. “What’s Teller supposed to do, drag her down here by her hair?”

“What are your plans tonight?” Wrath asks.

Z shrugs. “Get my dick sucked and go home.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Wrath groans. “I didn’t need to hear that. Now I feel all sorry for you and shit.”

“Don’t be jealous.”

“That I have a home and the woman I want to go home with? Trust me, brother. I don’t envy your situation at all.”

Something about Wrath’s words make me glance at the dressing room door again. Fuck me, why didn’t this occur to me sooner? “Please tell me Lexi isn’t working this party.”

Z eyeballs the ceiling, the walls, basically anywhere but my face before answering. “Prez, she’s been good. I haven’t had any issues with her since the tape thing. She knows how to handle herself with these guys. What was I supposed to do?”

“Giving me a heads up woulda been nice.”

“Sorry.”

“Apologize to Hope, not me.”

Wrath’s phone goes off and he leaves to take the call somewhere quieter.

“I’m sorry I forgot about the—”

“Forget it.”

“You still plannin’ to introduce Stump to Loco?”

We’d already discussed this at church last week. Stump’s crew is interested in returning to moving heavier stuff that we still didn’t want to touch. I wanted Loco to have first crack at the action. If the introductions went well, I was hoping it would free up some of our supply so we could sell to Stump.

But with gangsters and outlaws at the table, you never know which way negotiations might go.

You think I’d be embarrassed about whatever Wrath claims to have seen in the parking lot. By now I’ve come to expect his antics, so I don’t give his teasing a lot of consideration after Trinity drags me away.

“What do you plan to do for your man later?” Trinity cracks up and it takes her a few seconds to spit out the rest of her words. “Since you’ve already ridden the North Pole tonight.”

“Ha. Ha. You’re hysterical.” I shove her into the dressing room, closing the door behind us. “You and your husband should take your comedy show on the road.”

Not that I make a habit out of visiting Crystal Ball, but I don’t think I’ve ever been in the dressing room before. It’s cleaner than I expected. Still looks like a cross between a sorority bathroom and a porn set. Or what I imagine those two things would look like merged together.

There are ten stations. Five on each side. A counter runs the length of the room, with drawers underneath and a long mirror above it. Only three of the stations have names on them. “Swan” is to our left. My stomach rolls when I read the next name. “Lexi.”

I haven’t run into her since before our wedding, when someone anonymously sent me an ancient sex tape featuring Lexi and Rock. Yuck. Part of me hoped the girl didn’t work here anymore. Surely there’s a shelf life for strippers?

Trinity touches my arm. She was there the day I received the video. She doesn’t need to say a word. Her gentle strength is enough.

My gaze swings to the other side of the room. Only one station with a name on that side. “Regan.”

The rest of the areas have stuff scattered all over them, but no names to claim them.

In the back—for the shy girls, I suppose—are a few curtained off areas and a private bathroom. From behind the sparkly pink curtains comes a few loud, giggly voices.

“Are we allowed to—you know—in the back rooms tonight?” a girl asks.

“It’s a private party. Anything goes,” another girl we can’t see answers. “If you have any issues, flag a bouncer.”

“I want to get that big, blond, scary one alone in VIP,” a third girl says.

Next to me, Trinity goes rigid. I glance over and she rolls her eyes.

“I highly doubt Wrath’ll be interested in either of you. Besides, he’s married,” a female voice warns. There’s no hint of an accent, so it can’t be Swan back there defending Wrath.

“So?” the first girl says.

Someone snorts. “His wife’s here. Give it a try. She’ll probably kick the stuffing out of you.”

Trinity nods and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Who is that?” I mouth at her and she shrugs in response.

The suspense is killing me, so I noisily spill the contents of my purse onto one of the counters. “My hair looks like it’s been in a tornado.”

“No surprise,” Trinity says, coming up behind me and setting her stuff on the chair in front of us.

“Just do your job. If you cause trouble, Z will blacklist you from any future parties,” Wrath’s defender warns as she backs out of the curtained room.

“Whatever. The unmarried ones better be as hot.”

The girl snorts in disgust. Realizing she’s not alone in the room, she glances up and freezes.

Her light brown hair is longer and her left arm has a full sleeve of tattoos now, but otherwise she’s as tiny, perky, and pretty as I remember. Lexi.

Trinity and Lexi stare at each other in surprise. After a few seconds, Trinity blows out a breath. “Hi, Lexi.” She nods toward the curtain. “Thanks.”

Lexi blinks. Her gaze swings to me, then back to Trinity. Some of her nervousness seems to evaporate and she smooths her hands over her short red, plaid skirt. “Yeah, well, Wrath may be a cranky jerk, but whenever he pulls a shift here, he looks after us. Doesn’t let the customers get away with any bullshit.” She hurries to add, “None of the guys do. But I don’t like them sayin’ shit like that about…” She drifts off and her gaze lands on me again. “Hi, Hope.”

Desperate for a way to make this whole situation less awkward, I nod toward the vanity where I dumped all of my stuff. “Is it okay to use this one? It doesn’t have a name.”

“Oh. Sure. That’s fine. If you want to leave anything back here, let me know. You can use my locker.”

“Thanks.”

Trinity throws me a desperate look and I remember she came in here to change.

Swan and a girl I don’t recognize burst into the room saving us from any more awkward moments with Lexi.

I think Lexi’s almost as relieved as I am.

“You’re here!” Swan shouts, giving me a big hug. She hugs Trinity too and then introduces us to the girl I don’t recognize, Regan.

The two who’d been hiding behind the curtain in the back join us. I assume the red-faced one is the one who wanted to bang Wrath, because she won’t look Trinity in the eye.

Lexi introduces us as “Wrath’s wife and The Owner’s wife.” I guess she doesn’t want to share our first names and I’m kinda okay with that.

The girls are dressed in little more than velvet bikinis and I sort of laugh to myself that earlier tonight I was concerned my own dress might be too revealing.

After they leave, Trinity briefly touches my arm. “I’m going to change.” She raises an eyebrow, silently asking if I’m all right with being left alone for a few minutes.

“I’m good. Go on, I can’t wait to see this dress.”

Regan sits at her vanity to make herself up for her shift. Swan goes over the schedule for the night. I plop down into one of the chairs to fix my hair and makeup while I wait for Trinity.

A few minutes later, Trinity calls me over to the dressing room. “What do you think?” she asks, running her hands over the deep purple velvet dress hugging her curves.

“I think I’m really jealous of your ass.”

She snorts. “I’m serious. Too much? Not enough?” She glances down. “It hits beneath the knees. Too conservative for a strip club?”

I stifle a laugh and look her over more carefully. “The deep V-neck and tight fit balance the length.”

“It’s nice and stretchy,” she says, plucking at the material at her hip.

“It molds to your sensational butt very nicely. Has Wrath seen it yet?”

Instead of answering, she hugs me. “You always say the most ridiculous stuff. I love you.”

“What’d I say? Oh, your butt? I can’t help it.”

“I keep telling you to do more squats.”

“They hurt.”

“No pain no gain, Hope.”

“I’d punch you right now if I didn’t love you so much,” I grumble.

She slips her “Property of Wrath” vest on and a pair of sparkling gold heels. “Good?”

Swan joins us, pushing the curtain wider. “Love the dress. Let me style your hair?” she asks, grabbing Trinity’s hand and not waiting for an answer. “I brought the ginger ale and cranberry juice for you two. Dex stocked everything behind the bar,” she says in a rush.

“Thanks for doing this. I know you’re busy tonight,” Trinity says.

Swan plays with a few sections of Trinity’s windblown waves. “It will help calm me down.”

Swan’s been dancing here for a few years now. She also teaches the yoga class Trinity and I take twice a week. So her jittery demeanor tonight baffles me. “Are you nervous?”

“A little. Z asked me to perform the routine I did at nationals. I told him it had to be in costume and there would be no stripping.”

Trinity snickers. “How’d he take that?”

Part of me wonders if at some point tonight, Z will ask me to stop giving his employees negotiating tips.

“He said ‘the fuckers can handle six minutes of no skin.’”

From what I’ve seen of Swan’s costume, there’s not much material. And since it’s mostly flesh-toned, if the guys are drunk enough, I doubt they’ll be able to tell the difference. It probably wasn’t a difficult decision for Z.

“Z’s been telling everyone about our girl who made it to the National Pole Dancing championships,” Regan adds without turning around, but in the mirror, I see her grinning.

Lexi lets out a whoop and jumps up and down. “I wish I could’ve gone to see you.”

The more I’ve gotten to know Swan, I’ve found her to be nothing but sweet and I’m happy the girls seem to support her here. I’m a little ashamed to admit I expected more cat fighting than camaraderie.

Swan works fast, taking a large-barrel curler to Trinity’s hair, then pulling it into a pretty, braided-curly design.

As she’s sliding in the final bobby pin, the volume of the music in the club increases.

“I can finish if you need to get ready, Swan,” Trinity offers.

“I do need to change.”

“You don’t mind us watching, right?” I ask. I’m not sure why.

Swan tilts her head and blinks a few times before answering. “Of course not, Hope.”

“Rock’s going to break the door down if we don’t get out there soon,” Trinity says, nudging me toward the door.

“Hey,” Z greets us when we emerge. He’s leaning against the wall across from the dressing room door. “Rock needed to take care of something,” he explains.

“Thank you, Z. I’m sure you have more important things to do than wait for us,” I say, taking the arm he offers.

“Walk around the club with two pretty girls on my arms?” He shakes his head. “Nope. Nothing more important than that.”

“Swan said she’s doing her routine tonight.”

“She drives a hard bargain,” he says with a wry twist of his lips but no hint of irritation in his tone.

He leads us to a large, round booth in the back corner of the club. The exact spot I’d expect Rock to pick so he can survey everything going on in the club from a distance.

One of Sway’s guys I recognize from Downstate, says hello before disappearing with a dancer into one of the back rooms.

I spot Serena sort of idly wandering the floor by herself and drag Trinity over to say hello.

Serena’s eyes widen when we approach. “Hi. I was hoping you’d be here tonight,” she says with a nervous half-smile.

“We’re here.”

“Shadow dragged me with him, but then he disappeared with one of the dancers as soon as we walked in the door.” She rolls her eyes. “I really don’t want to be stranded.”

“Rock and I took his truck. We can give you a ride if you need it.”

Trinity turns and her narrow-eyed-raised-eyebrow expression clearly says, ‘Are you insane?’ but I’m not sure why.

“Oh.” Serena bites her lip and drops her gaze to the floor. “Thank you so much, Hope. I’ll be fine. But thank you.”

Willow ends up pulling Serena behind the bar with her, and Trinity shakes her head.

“What’d I do wrong?”

“Where exactly are you and Rock giving her a ride to?”

“I don’t know.”

“Having her up at the clubhouse is probably going to upset Heidi,” Trinity says gently.

My hand flies up, covering the, “oh shit,” that spills out of my mouth. Immediate guilt washes over me. I never considered that. How could I be so stupid?

“Dammit,” I grumble. “How am I supposed to remember every wick the guys have dipped their dicks in?”

Trinity snort-laughs loud enough that people turn and stare at us.

I’m still glaring at her when she stops laughing and her expression turns serious. She places her hand on my arm. “You’ve always treated all the girls fairly.” She taps a finger against my vest. “It’s what makes you a good first lady.”

“Heidi’s family,” I protest. She’s the spunky little sister I never had but always wanted.

“I meant—” she waves her hands in the air “—the rest of them.”

“Oh.”

She glances around the room. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Rock’s taking you away for the weekend. You’re not going home tonight. So, if any of the girls need a ride somewhere, send them to me and I’ll arrange it.”

I’m not surprised by her admission. In fact, after a night of heavy socializing, I figured Rock would want to cuddle up in the house together or spend time doing something outdoorsy. I’m not even curious about where he’s taking me, because as long as I’m with him, it doesn’t matter. “Thank you.”

Her attention strays to something behind me and she nods her head. “Rock’s looking for you. I’m going to help Willow out. If you see Wrath, let him know where I am.”

Even though Rock’s all the way across the room, electricity zips down my spine when I turn and meet his simmering gaze. I want to run over to him, but I take my time moving through the room until I’m by his side.

He pulls me closer with an arm around my waist. “Hope, I want to introduce you to Malik. He’s considering life as a prospect.”

“Oh.” I’d been so focused on my husband I didn’t notice the mountain of a man he’s standing next to, which I guess says something either about how daft I am or how stunning my husband is. I’m not sure.

I look up. Way, way up. Malik’s easily Wrath’s size, but in every other way they’re opposite. Well, except for the air of menace that surrounds him.

While Malik’s expression is bland, his keen, dark-cinnamon eyes seem to have a thousand opinions. “Considering?” I hold out my hand. “I guess that’s why you still get to have a first name instead of being called “hey, prospect.”

Black eyebrows shoot up and his full lips curve into a hint of a smile. He takes my hand, giving it a surprisingly gentle shake for his size. “Nice to meet you, First Lady. You need anything tonight and your man’s busy, let me know.”

“Thank you.”

Rock and Malik sort of nod at each other. They seem to share a mutual respect. Whether they actually like each other, I can’t determine.

Rock leads me back inside, but stops in a quiet corner near the end of the bar. “Everything, okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Trinity taps my shoulder and hands me a virgin poinsettia to drink.

Willow wags a finger between us. “Are one of you pregnant?”

I snort into my drink and answer without looking up. “Rock doesn’t like me tipsy before he has his way with me.”

Trinity howls with laughter.

Behind me, Rock’s body rumbles and his hand slides down to cup my ass. “Absolutely true.”

“There you are,” Wrath says, sweeping Trinity into his arms. She reaches up and whispers something in his ear. “Hey, Rock?” Wrath shouts. “You need me right now?”

“No.”

He drags Trinity away from the bar. “We’ll be right back.”

Willow sighs and leans her elbows on the bar. “They’re so cute together.”

The front door opens and a blast of cold air wafts in. Rowdy male voices reach us a split second before the men come into view. “Sway’s here, goodie,” I mumble into my glass.

Rock’s hold on me tightens, but he welcomes Sway’s group warmly—well as warm as Rock gets.

Sway’s gaze sweeps over me. “What? You, couldn’t let your man out alone one night to have some fun?”

Neither of us dignify that with an answer.

I’m introduced to Steer, who I’ve met before. The rest of the guys I recognize, but immediately forget their names. They take seats closer to the stage so I doubt I’ll be speaking to them again tonight.

More girls swarm around us. A few pretend not to notice me. Rock gives them a cold glare and they back off. Sway’s more than happy to accept the extra attention.

“Where’d Trin go?” Z asks, brushing against my other side.

“Wrath dragged her away.”

He surveys the room and shrugs. “They better not be in my office.”

“Why would they—never mind.” I attempt to cover my laughter with a hand over my mouth, but fail miserably.

Z shakes his head before stalking away.

“What crawled up his ass?” Sway asks.