When Rock first asked me if I wanted to take a trip, I was excited. But I had something a little different in mind than what he presents me with.
A trip to visit the downstate charter of the Lost Kings. At first, it’s news to me that there’s another group of Lost Kings somewhere in the state. But then I remember him telling me he’d called some of them in to help out during their dispute with the Vipers. I just didn’t understand what it meant at the time.
Who am I kidding? I still have no idea.
Nor do I understand why Wrath seems so amused and Z so concerned about this trip.
We’re sitting around having breakfast when a bit of a discussion breaks out.
“Prez, I changed my mind. Think I’m gonna ride along,” Z announces.
Rock gives him a sideways glance. Murphy quirks an eyebrow, and Wrath’s mouth twists into a grin.
Trinity’s watching all of this but hasn’t commented yet. “I can go too,” she offers quietly.
This earns her a glare from Wrath.
Rock hasn’t said anything, but there’s an awful lot of tension at the table all of a sudden.
“This is a friendly visit to our brother charter. Z, you want to come, I don’t give a fuck. Trinity, I need you here. Murphy, you’re with me. Teller’s busy with Heidi, so I’m not even bothering him with this. Axel and Hoot will take the van. Dex, Bricks, Ravage, Stash, and Birch, I need here. And I don’t think it needs to be said that Sparky’s not leaving the basement.” He gives Wrath a pointed look.
Rock’s word is final. No one so much as utters a single syllable. He grunts and pushes away from the table.
“Hope.” He jerks his head at me.
Between his gruff tone and the way he kind of ordered me to follow him like a dog, I’m miffed. My chair almost falls over I shove up out of it so fast.
“What’s wrong?” I snap when I catch up to him in the hallway.
Rock’s mouth curves into a soft smile, and for the first time, I notice the lines etched around his eyes. Something about this trip is stressing him out. He holds out his arm, beckoning me closer, and tucks me tight to his side. “Nothing, babe. Just a lot of things to get done before Friday.”
Tipping up my head so I can kiss his chin, I ask, “Anything I can do to help?”
“Nah. Just rest up. I gotta take care of some things. You okay?”
“Yeah.”
A couple days later, Trinity sits on the chaise in our bedroom, watching as I rifle through my closet.
“Have you been there?” I ask her.
She snorts as if it’s a silly question. “Long time ago.”
“I suppose it will be a bunch of half-naked chicks running around?” I call out.
“Pretty much.”
“How many of them are going to tell me they fucked my fiancé?”
At that, she chokes with laughter. “None of them if they want to keep breathing. Sway’s ol’ lady runs a tight ship. None of those bitches should backtalk you.”
It dawns on insensitive me that this might be a weird conversation for Trinity to be part of because she’s not an ol’ lady—yet. Technically, she’s one of those girls I’m complaining about. Except I don’t see her that way. I don’t know what her arrangement with Wrath or any of the other guys is. And really, it’s not my business what consenting adults do with their bodies.
What I do know is Trinity has been kind to me since day one, and I like to think we’re friends. So I don’t want to inadvertently hurt her feelings.
Stepping out of the closet, I take in her guarded expression.
“I wish you guys were coming with us,” I say softly. Then thinking it over, I correct myself. “Well, I wish you were coming with us.”
She chuckles and flicks at an invisible piece of lint on her jeans. “Hopefully, Wyatt’s cast comes off next week.”
“That’s good. Maybe he’ll be less cranky.” My attempt at a joke falls flat. “What’s wrong, Trinity?” I ask, tossing some clothes on the bed and heading toward the chaise.
She finally glances up as I sit next to her. “Nothing. I don’t know. I’m not sure what happens… next.”
I assume she’s talking about what happens when Wrath’s cast comes off and he no longer has a reason to stay downstairs in her room, but I wait for her to explain.
Trinity is a tough nut to crack, though.
“He wants… Never mind. It’s stupid.”
The suspense is killing me. I want to grab her and shake really hard. But I’m afraid if I push her, she’ll clam up for good.
“You’re going to have enough to worry about this weekend. Make sure you call or text me if anything comes up. Even if it’s some stupid club question that Rock’s not around to answer.” Trinity is good at deflecting.
“Why wouldn’t he be around?”
She turns so she’s fully facing me. “I guarantee you this visit is more than a social call, Hope. Don’t be surprised or hurt if you end up spending most of the trip hanging out with Tawny.”
Wow. I don’t know what to make of that. “Okay.”
“Tawny is… more old school. She’s going to be assessing you. Judging you. Rumors spreading through the organization that Rock’s ol’ lady is weak could hurt his position.”
I blink a few times, swallowing all of that down. “Here?”
Her face brightens. “No, the guys here accept you. They know you’re good for Rock.”
After a minute, she shakes her head. “You know what? Forget I said a word. Rock will be pissed at me for saying anything. Just watch your back with Tawny. Don’t volunteer too much information. Pretend you’re in awe of her greatness, and you’ll be fine.”
Yeah, sure. That should be easy enough.
Hugging Rock tight as he sped down the thruway was fun for the first half of the trip. By the second hour, I’m shivering from the cold air whipping around us. It was a bright, sunny early spring day when we left the clubhouse. Since then, the sun disappeared behind gray clouds, so we’re cutting through nothing but chilly air.
I’m also horny as hell. This annoys me because I doubt I’ll be able to do anything about it anytime soon.
Beneath me, the bike shifts and slows. I flick up my eyes and see Rock signaling to the other guys that we’re getting off at one of the rest stops. Interesting. I was under the impression the guys didn’t take many breaks, and I hope Rock isn’t doing this for my benefit. The last thing I want is for the brothers to start bitching about how having a girl on the ride slows them down.
Rock pulls up right in front of the convenience store portion of the station. Z and Murphy glide to a stop beside us. Hoot pulls the van into a spot ahead of us.
After removing his helmet, Rock reaches back and pats my thigh. I take it as my signal to dismount.
“Everything okay, prez?” Z asks as he walks around to my side.
“Yeah, just wanted to warm up a sec.”
Murphy wanders over to the van. To harass Axel some more, I suppose.
Rock takes my hand and leads me inside. We walk straight through the store and into the main portion where the fast food kiosks and bathrooms are. Tugging me out of the flow of traffic, Rock settles his hands on my shoulders.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
The corner of his mouth turns up in a soft smile, and he traces a finger over my cheek. “You’re shivering, baby doll.”
Oh. I guess I am. My gaze sweeps over the hoodie Rock’s wearing under his cut. My vest is too tight to fit much of anything underneath. I did layer a couple thin long-sleeved shirts, but I guess it’s not enough.
“Sorry, I didn’t expect it to get colder as we traveled south,” he says while unzipping his hoodie and shrugging off his cut.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he hands me his vest to hold. He pulls the hoodie off and we trade. Subconsciously, I hug the sweatshirt to my chest, soaking in Rock’s warmth.
“Come on.” He wiggles his hand at me to hand over the sweatshirt so he can help me into it. My hands run over my vest. “I don’t want to cover it up,” I protest.
Sure, at first I felt strange riding down the thruway wearing this thing that proclaimed me “Property of,” but a sense of pride also clung to me. A feeling of safety. I belong to Rock. He and the four guys with us would do anything to keep me safe on this trip, and my patch announces that to the world.
Covering it up seems wrong, no matter the reason.
Heat flares in Rock’s eyes as my refusal sinks in. He drapes the sweatshirt over my shoulders and uses the material to tug me tight against his body.
It’s instantly obvious I’m not the only one who’s been aroused by this trip.
Rock presses his lips to my forehead. “How’d I get so lucky, baby?” he murmurs. With the sweatshirt sort of shielding us, I brush my hand over his crotch. He jumps as if he’s touched a live wire. His wild gaze darts around.
“Come,” he orders, tugging on my hand.
Yes, please.
As the sun started to set, the shivers wracking Hope’s body signaled it was time to pull over. She’s squeezing me so tight, if she gets any closer, she’ll be up inside me. We’re only about forty-five minutes from our destination, but I don’t think she can hang on much longer. Fuck, she’s barely a month and a half out of the fucking hospital. I should have my head examined for taking her on this ride.
I’m thinking of sticking her in the van with the prospects for the rest of the trip.
First, I want to get her into my sweatshirt and warmed up. She actually protests because she doesn’t want to cover up my patch.
It takes a minute for that to sink in.
Here I’d been thinking Hope was pretty pissed off when I told her to wear it all weekend.
Actually, because I understand it’s all still a little weird to her, what I said was, “You can wear your patch all weekend,” like it was some special treat for her.
I got a sarcastic smirk at the time.
But just now, she surprised the fuck outta me. She does that a lot.
I love it.
All I can think about is that unisex/family bathroom I know is stashed in the back corner. Pulling Hope along behind me, I shove through the door and lock it behind us.
“What are you doing?” she asks breathlessly.
“Fucking you.”
She sucks in a breath, eyes going owl-wide, and presses her back against the door. Her nose wrinkles. “Here? Now?”
“Yes.” I stalk toward her and throw my hands up on either side of her face. She continues staring up at me with her wide, innocent green eyes. I love that fucking expression, and I don’t ever want to see her lose it. I don’t want to be the cause of her losing a bit of her sweetness.
She tips up her head, and I seal my mouth over hers, taking her in a harsh kiss meant to express everything I’m feeling inside. Her soft moans flow right into me, confirming this was a good idea. Who knows when we’ll have another chance this weekend?
Breaking our kiss, I drag my mouth down along her jaw, burying my face against her neck. She makes this sweet, contented sigh as if we have all the time in the world and aren’t about to fuck in a rest stop bathroom.
“Babe, this is gonna be quick and dirty,” I whisper into her ear. Against my cheek, I feel her face pull into a smile.
“Then let’s get to it,” she says.
Fuck. Yes.
Gripping her hips, I tug her away from the door and over to the sink. I don’t even have to voice what I’m planning. She’s already unbuttoning her jeans.
“Uh-uh,” I tsk at her. “Put your hands on the sink.”
She glances at me, and I catch a hint of a playful smile curving her lips as she does what I ask.
I take a minute to get myself ready. I’m pretty much carrying condoms in every goddamn pocket these days and giving serious consideration to getting snipped, because fuck if I’m going to risk Hope’s life again.
The memory of taking her to the hospital stops me.
“Rochlan?”
Her soft, questioning voice pulls me from my dark thoughts. She wiggles her butt at me, which is damn cute. But in the mirror, I see the worry tightening her face.
“Please fuck me,” she says so low I barely catch it.
Hope talkin’ dirty without any prompting is a rare treat, and it revs me back up in no time. My hands find their way to her jeans and shove them down her thighs, leaving them around her knees.
“Tip that ass up, sweetheart,” I whisper harshly against her ear. She arches her back, going up on tiptoes just a bit, and I slide home.
“Fuck, you’re wet. Ride work you up?”
She sort of puffs out an answer, but mostly she’s thrusting back against me. Her fingers are curled tight over the edge of the sink and she rocks back, harder and harder. Her head is tipped down, so all I can see in the reflection is the crown of her head.
“Look in the mirror, doll.”
Shaking her hair out of her face, she glances up and our eyes lock.
Fuck, I wish she was naked.
Her lips part and her eyelids drop.
She’s so fucking snug around my dick. “Babe, this isn’t going to take long.”
She groans, long and low, her pussy locking down on me. White heat streaks down my spine, tightening everything in me. It feels like I come for hours, although it’s probably not even a minute.
Carefully, I pull out and clean up. Hope is still bent over, clinging to the side of the basin. I can’t help but give her ass a little smack. She doesn’t even jump, just sighs as a content little smile curves her lips.
Outside the bathroom, someone bangs on the door. Loud.
“In a minute,” I shout.
Hope’s so blissed out she doesn’t even notice the audience we have waiting. Gotta say, that makes me real fucking happy and ready to fuck her all over again.
“Come on, baby doll,” I encourage, slipping my hands around her waist to hike her jeans into place.
Finally, she straightens up and takes over. She turns and loops her hands around my neck.
“I love you,” she says very softly.
Time sort of stands still. It’s not the first time she’s said it, but her words have a strong effect on me. Before I can answer, her cheeks flush pink and her gaze bounces around the bathroom.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to pee.”
I shouldn’t be so amused at her discomfort, but after what we just did, it’s hard not to chuckle.
She punches me in the arm. “Turn around.”
That makes me laugh even harder, but the banging at the door again stops me.
“Dammit,” Hope mutters behind me.
When we finally open the door, there’s a very pissed off family across the way. I tuck Hope into my side and pull her along before she freaks out.
When we get into the convenience store, she pulls away from me. She’s completely pink from the neck up. It’s really cute.
“You want some coffee or something to warm up, doll?”
She glares at me but nods, then wanders off. When she returns, she’s holding a banana and a bottle of water, which sets me off laughing again.
“Where the fuck did you find a piece of fruit at a gas station?”
She gives me a disgusted snort and heads for the front.
Z’s waiting near the register for us. “The fuck, prez? Been waiting forever.”
His gaze skips to Hope, who turns even pinker. Z chuckles but wisely chooses not to comment.
Outside, we sip coffee, and Axel and Hoot join us.
“I’m gonna send Hope in the van with you two.”
Hope whips her head around. “Why?”
“We got plenty of room, Hope. I’ll even sit in the back,” Hoot tells her.
Hope’s got a look on her face that tells me she has a lot to say on the subject, which surprises me. I thought she’d be relieved. Throwing my arm around her shoulder, I tug her away from the guys.
“Why don’t you want me with you?” she asks. I swear she sounds close to tears, and I’m suddenly feeling kinda stupid.
“Of course I want you with me. It’s just getting cold, baby.”
“Oh. How much longer is the trip?”
“Probably another forty-five minutes.”
Her eyes skip to the van, then back to me. “I’ll be okay.” She holds out her hand. “Give me your sweatshirt.”
I hold her gaze for a minute. “You sure? I don’t want you to get sick this weekend.”
“I’m okay. I warmed up. I’m feeling rejuvenated.”
I snort at that. I’m feeling pretty rejuvenated myself at the moment. “All right, but tap me if it’s too much. Don’t worry about what the guys or anyone but me thinks.”
“Okay.”
I help her into the sweatshirt, and we turn back to the group.
“Let’s go.”
The rest of the ride is uneventful. Just as I’m thinking of taking Rock up on his offer to ride in the van, he signals that we’re getting off the thruway.
Wrath has told me he used to make lots of runs to California, but I can’t imagine being trapped on a bike for days at a time. This has been plenty.
Although it’s not nestled deep in the woods like our clubhouse, the downstate charter does have a bit of privacy about it. The building looks like an old chain hotel that’s been taken over by a band of rowdy bikers.
Which is exactly what it is.
“Used to be a Howard Johnson’s,” Z explains. “They even have a pool. You bring your bikini, Hope?” he teases.
Rock growls and nudges him away from me. “Stop trying to see my woman without her clothes, dick.”
Z and I both laugh, which makes Rock smirk. With a more serious expression, Rock settles his hands on my shoulders and tilts his head at the guys to join us. “This is a brother charter, Hope. Everyone will be aware you’re my girl. Even so, if you’re not with one of the old ladies, I want you to stick close to me or one of our guys.” He points at everyone.
A skittering of unease travels down my spine. Trinity has explained to me that most MCs are very different than ours. I’ve never been clear if that extends to the entire Lost Kings organization or just the upstate charter Rock is responsible for.
Leaning down, Rock touches his forehead to mine. “Sway is the president here. His ol’ lady is Tawny. You’ll probably hang with her for a bit.” He pauses, and I get the sense he’s about to say something he thinks will tick me off. But I’m so out of my element it would take a lot for me to get upset right now. “Try to, uh, just observe her, okay?”
If I hadn’t already been warned ahead of time by Trinity, I wouldn’t know what to make of that. I’ll have to remember to text her a thank you later.
“Trinity explained she runs a tight ship here,” I tell him.
His mouth quirks. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”
Rock hasn’t said a lot about what this trip means. But thanks to Trinity, I have an inkling it’s more than just a social visit. I’m determined not to do anything that will make him worry or embarrass him.
“Listen and learn?” I ask him gently.
A look of relief washes over his face. “Yeah. You got any questions or get upset about something you see, we’ll talk it out when we’re alone, okay?” he promises me.
I can do this.
“Yup.” I give him a quick peck on the lips, then step back and shrug off his sweatshirt. Smoothing my hands over my vest and loosening my ponytail, I paste a smile on my face.
“Let’s do it.”
As we approach the building, two large men step out of the shadows. They seem to be guarding the entrance.
“Evening,” one calls out.
As we get closer, I see they’re both wearing black leather cuts but no visible patches on the front. The guy on the left eyes Rock. “Oh shit. Sway said to be lookin’ out for you. Hey, Mr. North.”
Poor guy seems confused about how he should address Rock. Next to me, Z bumps me with his elbow and smirks.
Rock threads his fingers through mine and leans down. “Brace yourself,” he whispers.
I assume he’s kidding until the two prospects open the doors. It’s a fight not to clap my free hand over my mouth like some prude.
Any wave of courage I was riding in the parking lot washes away the moment we step inside. I remember my shock the first time I set foot in Rock’s clubhouse during a Friday night party. That was nothing compared to this. No wonder they have guys guarding the front door.
I’m not sure where to look first, or rather, where to safely avert my gaze. Drugs—more than the weed that is always available at Rock’s clubhouse—are being enjoyed by a number of guests. And I’ve certainly witnessed my fair share of public sex at Rock’s club, but this is damn close to a full-on orgy.
At Rock’s, I’m intrigued and mildly amused or curious. Here, I’m sort of grossed out.
A woman I can only describe as hard greets us at the door. I imagine she was quite beautiful twenty years, twenty thousand cigarettes, and two hundred thousand tanning bed hours ago. She’s got an impressive helmet of hair shellacked into perfection around her heart-shaped face.
If I were a nastier, more judgmental person, the words trailer and trash might spring to mind. But I’m not, so I push away the thought before it can fully form.
“Well, if it isn’t upstate come to grace us with your presence,” she jokes in a raspy voice before pressing her long talons against Rock’s cheeks and giving him a quick kiss.
“Tawny, this is Hope,” Rock introduces.
The woman turns and her scary eyes sweep over me from head to toe. “Rock’s ol’ lady. Never thought we’d see that.” She holds out her hand. Instead of shaking, she tugs me away from the guys. “I’ll take good care of her. Go find Sway. He’s been waitin’ on ya,” she says with a wave.
I flash a nervous smile at Rock and, determined to nail this ol’ lady role, let Tawny drag me away.
Watching Tawny drag Hope away isn’t easy. Let’s face it; I don’t like having her out of my sight even when we’re home. But here?
No.
“Want me to keep an eye on ‘em, prez?” Hoot asks.
“Yeah, just don’t be obvious. Don’t insult Sway.”
“I’ll play dumb prospect.”
“Don’t overthink it,” Z cracks.
Hoot’s hard to insult, so he just laughs and takes off.
Since Tawny’s here, the number of club whores present should be a lot fewer than it seems to be. Not sure what that’s about. Before we even make it to the bar, Murphy’s dragged off by a slim blonde who looks vaguely familiar.
Turning, I check on Axel, who seems to be handling himself fine. He flashes a quick smile at me.
“When we find out where we’re staying, bring Hope’s stuff in, then mine.”
“Yeah, no problem, prez.”
Sway walks out of his office with a big grin in place. “Motherfucker! It’s been too long, brother.” He greets me with a solid slap on my back.
Z gets the same greeting.
“Come on, let’s get you a drink and some shitty bar food.”
After we’re set up at the bar, Sway makes a big show of looking around the room. “Weren’t you bringing your ol’ lady?”
“Yeah, she’s with Tawny.”
“God help her. Sorry, man,” he says, completely serious.
Glad to see nothing’s changed here.
“You’re out of your fuckin’ mind to be takin’ an ol’ lady when you got all those fuckin’ strippers beggin’ for your cock.”
Standing next to me, Z snorts and looks away.
Sway pokes a finger at Z. “You disagreein’, fucker?”
“Yeah. When you meet her, you’ll understand,” he answers, slapping away Sway’s hand.
I cock my head at Z. Startin’ to wonder about him lately.
Sway is surprisingly impressed. “Got your officer’s approval?”
“Fuckin’ A.”
Thankfully, we move on from talkin’ about my love life.
“Where’s your RC?”
“Already took off with one of your girls.”
Sway nods knowingly. “Serena. Bitch has been pining for him since the last time he was here. I got half a mind to send her back with you fucks.”
Just what we need.
Tawny pulls me into a quieter lounge area. There are a number of other women surrounding us. Some she says hello and introduces me to, some she outright ignores.
Club whores.
Rock tried to explain this dynamic to me once. But it’s one of those things that needs to be personally observed to be understood.
Tawny stops to introduce me to one of the women she seems to feel is worthy. “Angie, this here is Rock’s girl.”
Angie is a tiny little thing. She’s got a softer face than Tawny, but something about her still sets my radar off.
She walks around me, checking out my patch. “Well, well. He’s patched you in already.” She glances down at the officer’s patches on my side and sneers. “Got the guys to vote you in? You must really be something,” she says as if she’s not impressed.
“Ignore Angie. She’s just pissed Bull keeps blocking her vote,” Tawny says with a wave of her hand. But while she says to ignore Angie, she seems secretly pleased.
I don’t like either of them.
Is this what Rock expects of me?
Will this be what I turn into twenty years from now?
Yikes. Obviously, I haven’t given enough thought to our long-term future. My fingers automatically start twisting my engagement ring, which suddenly feels very tight.
Tawny pulls me over to a couch and sits us down. She snaps her fingers at one of the girls loitering around, and a few minutes later, two beers are set down on the table in front of us. I smile and nod my thanks, which makes Tawny chuckle.
“How on earth did you hook up with Rock? It must be some story.”
I’m not really sure where to start. It’s a long and complicated tale. I don’t feel like explaining to this woman that I’m a lawyer. I doubt it will be received well.
“I hear you’re a lawyer,” she prods.
Well, there goes that plan.
One corner of my mouth twitches into something resembling a smile. “Yeah, I got assigned to represent him at an arraignment and things just kind of snowballed from there.”
Geez, what an understatement.
Her eyes drop down to take in my ring, which I’m still nervously twisting round and round.
“A ring and a patch. Rock’s really not fucking around this time,” she observes.
“How long have you known him?”
She tips her head back as if she’s counting up the years in her head. “Long time. Sway was a member upstate when Rock was prospecting.”
“Oh, really? How long have you and… Sway been together?”
“Since high school. So twenty-eight years?”
Wow, okay, so that only puts her maybe mid-forties. Here I was thinking she was a lot older. I should probably keep that to myself. No woman wants to hear that.
One of the girls runs into the room, shrieking for Tawny.
“Excuse me, honey. Fucking drama with these bitches nonstop,” she says as she takes off.
Not sure what to do with myself, I look around the room. None of the other girls will meet my eyes. Little pit bull Angie has disappeared.
No one told me I had to stay here, right?
As soon as I get up, I need to find a bathroom. It’s an old hotel, and this is basically the reception/lounge area, so there’s got to be a bathroom somewhere.
I find one out in the hallway. As I’m walking out, I run smack into a familiar face.
Cookie.
The last time I saw her, she called me an uppity cunt and Rock had her booted from the clubhouse.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
“Hope! My God. I heard you were here.” She scans me up and down.
“Cookie, right?” As if I could forget.
She blushes and looks at the floor. “I was hoping I’d run into you so I could apologize for how I acted when we met.”
Waiting for the punch line, I cross my arms over my chest.
Her gaze lands on my face again, and I detect nothing but sincerity.
“That night, I was a little tipsy. You know Rock and I… Well, he’d been so distant from all the girls for so long, and then you kind of showed up out of nowhere and you’re nothing like us, and it kind of hurt. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. I’m sorry.”
Holy shitballs.
Not that I have any reason to, but I want to apologize to her. Instead, I reach out and squeeze her arm. “I understand.”
Relief floods her face. “Thank you.”
“So you ended up here?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She turns and points to a guy who’s a slightly smaller, less absurdly sexy version of Rock standing at the end of the hallway. He catches her eye and smiles. “I’m with Steer. He’s the VP here.”
Well, didn’t she land on her feet? “That’s good.”
She nods. “I’m glad I saw you. I felt really awful, but I knew Rock would never let me back up there, even to apologize.”
A thought pops into my head. “Hey, the two charters must mingle from time to time, right?”
“Oh yeah, especially in the summers.”
“Cool, so I’m sure we’ll see you guys up at our clubhouse.”
She seems startled. But hell, if she’s hooked up with the VP down here, I’m sure as heck not going to be the reason he can’t bring his ol’ lady to our clubhouse.
“That’s sweet of you, Hope. Thanks.”
We talk for a few more minutes, then go our separate ways.
From where I’m sitting at the bar, I’m able to spot Hope as she comes out of the bathroom. I’d heard Cookie was down here but never thought she’d be here tonight. She best stay the fuck away from me.
Instead, she catches Hope in the hallway. For some unfathomable reason, Hope’s by herself—Tawny’s doing a stellar job lookin’ out for my girl.
Everything in me wants to go to her and make sure she’s okay. But with Sway sittin’ so close, I can’t let him think my girl’s weak.
Thankfully, they seem to be getting along. Hope gives her what I recognize as her professional lawyer smile.
Sway follows my line of vision.
“Oh yeah, heard they didn’t get along so well. Sorry if it’s a problem that she’s here tonight. Steer seems to have taken a shine to Cookie.”
“Nah, no problem.”
Hope’s weaving her way through the crowd toward me, and I give her a chin lift so she knows it’s okay to approach us. This gets a genuine smile from her, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
When she’s close enough, I pull her against me, tucking her between my knees. She perches on my thigh and curls her arm around my waist. Sway has turned away to speak to the girl behind the bar, so for the moment, I have Hope to myself.
Leaning down, in a low voice, I ask if she’s okay.
I get a nod.
“I saw you speaking to Cookie. Sorry ‘bout that.”
She seems surprised. “It’s all good. She apologized. I told her we’re fine and that I hoped we’d see her when the clubs get together or whatever.”
Well, isn’t my girl full of surprises? “That was very kind, doll. Thank you.”
She shrugs and takes a sip of my Scotch. The wrinkled-nose face she makes is pretty funny. I hand her a bottle of water and try to keep myself under control while she wraps her lips around it and takes a deep gulp.
“Everything okay?” she whispers when she’s finished.
Before Sway turns his attention on us, I want to give Hope a heads-up. “Don’t get mad, but you need to sit here and look pretty, okay? Don’t volunteer more information than necessary.”
Instead of anger, she responds with a soft smile and runs her hand over my cheek. “I’m good, Rochlan.”
“You’re the best,” I murmur into her ear.
Her eyelids drop and she presses a kiss against my jaw.
This isn’t the time or place to get carried away—not that it would matter with what’s going on in this room around us. I don’t want to stop her, but my exhibitionist days are over. Not with Hope. She’s mine and mine alone. All of her. Still, I can’t find it in me to stop her as she nuzzles and trails her soft lips against my neck.
Sway stops her for me. “So you must be Hope,” he says with a lot of laughter behind the words.
Hope’s body snaps straight, but she stays tight to me. A glance shows me her cheeks are flushed pink.
“Sway.” He introduces himself, holding out his hand. Hope’s gaze skips to me, and I nod before she accepts his hand. For some reason, I find it awfully fucking hot she sought out my permission before touching another man, even for something as simple as a handshake.
I need my fucking caveman brain examined.
“Thank you for inviting me down.”
“Sure thing. My woman take care of you?”
“Ah, she did, but she got called away for something, so we didn’t get a lot of time to talk.”
“Sounds about right. Tomorrow, you gals can get acquainted while we handle business.”
Hope sort of twitches against me, and I’d bet my bike she’s holding back laughter at the over-the-top way he says that. Sway and I go way back, and I got a lotta respect for him. But the fucker talks like a cartoon biker sometimes.
Sway’s gaze springs to the door. “Excuse me for a sec,” he says as he slides off his stool.
Behind the bar, Sara hands me a basket of cheese sticks.
Hope twists around, and I nudge her so she’s resting against my other leg, facing the bar. “You hungry?”
Her nose wrinkles. “Yes. But—”
“Not a lot of gourmet dishes here, doll,” I say softly against her ear. The shiver that works over her body surprises me. Suddenly, I’m very aware no one has given us a room yet. I need to remedy that soon.
Picking up one of the chubby, greasy sticks, I lift it to Hope’s mouth. “Open.”
A frisky smile kicks up the corners of her mouth as she follows my order. I groan as she sits and waits patiently, lips parted, for me to bring the food to her. Something about the trust she displays while waiting for each bite sends heat streaking through me.
What started out being sort of silly and playful, a way to ease the tension I think we’re both feeling on this adventure, ends up turning my crank in a spectacular manner. Feeding my girl from my hand, taking care of her that way, a rush of power goes straight to my head.
Christ, the things I want to do to her. Right this fucking second.
When she’s finished, I press a kiss to her forehead, and she lets out a satisfied sigh. As I run the back of my knuckles over her cheek, she leans into my touch. In the middle of this wild clubhouse with all sorts of crazy shit going on around us, my girl and I are having this intense moment, and I wish we were anywhere else in the world.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” Sway says, sliding back into his seat.
Really. Anywhere else in the world right now would be great.