Chapter 26
WREN
“You look hot,” Gracie assured me the next morning as she blew out my hair after a cut that had left me with badass layers and sideswept bangs.
“I love it.” I beamed at her. Grace was hell on wheels with scissors. I was proud of my friend and all too happy to reap the benefits.
The salon was beautiful, with a sleek modern design and top-of-the-line products.
“We should go out tonight!” she exclaimed, looking over at Ginnie who was cutting hair at the station to the right.
“We totally should,” Ginnie agreed readily.
“I’m not sure Max will be cool with that,” I hedged, fretting. “He’s been in super vigilance mode.” I grimaced, knowing it was warranted given the danger I was in.
“We’ll get a bunch of the guys on board,” Grace suggested. “Will you let me dress you?” she added hopefully.
“She’s not a Barbie doll, Grace.” Ginnie snorted.
“Oh fine,” I huffed as Gracie pouted. It was so hard to say no to her. Whatever man claimed her was seriously fucked.
She gave a little hop of excitement. “We’ll get ready at my place. I’ll text Em.”
I nodded, knowing it was out of my hands at this point and not really minding.
“We’ll have to make sure Mr. Clean can come with,” Grace added, her gaze on Xavier who had crammed his huge body into one of the chairs at reception. He was hunched over reading a tattoo magazine and looked the opposite of comfortable.
“Hey, lady, don’t make fun of my man,” Ginnie warned. “That’s my right and my right only.”
Gracie laughed and nodded her agreement as she continued to contort my hair into all kind of loops with the brush in her hand. She’d given me a tutorial, but I knew I’d never recreate what she’d done.
“Voila.” She beamed a few minutes later when she finished putting a bit of product in. I stared at myself in the mirror, shaking my head back and forth, reveling in the lighter feel. She’d taken off several inches, though my hair still hung well past my shoulders. The layers added a dimension I hadn’t had before, and the bangs made my eyes pop.
“You’re awesome, Grace,” I complimented. “Seriously.”
“Thanks.” She grinned, clearly pleased with her work. “Do you want to head over to my place? I’m off in a couple of hours but Emmie’s home already. We can watch movies and hang out until it’s time to get ready.”
“Sounds fun,” I agreed as I slid out of the chair. Max had texted to tell me he was tied up for the day. Plus, some time with my girls sounded perfect. I’d missed them. “When are you off, Gin?”
“Not till tonight. I’ll either meet you guys at Grace’s or meet you out,” she answered.
“Sounds good. I’ll see you both soon.” I waved as I practically bounced over to the changing room where I shucked my robe and slid my tee shirt back over my head.
“All set?” X asked when I emerged. He stood up stiffly and stretched. “Fuck those chairs are small.”
“Or you’re just big,” I pointed out with a smile. “I was going to head over to Em and Gracie’s place. Max is busy. That okay by you?”
“Sure.” He nodded easily. “I’ll follow you over there. I bet Gunner can take over for me for a few hours.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Why, because I’ll be at Em’s?”
He looked uncomfortable for a moment before shrugging. “I think he’s just around today,” he answered vaguely.
Yeah, sure. Someday I’d get to the bottom of what was between those two.
****
“Max is going to lose his marbles,” Emmie announced later that night as Grace guided me in front of the floor-length mirror in her bedroom where we’d spent the day binge watching TV, eating pizza, and being lazy.
Their two-bedroom bungalow was cozy with it’s hardwood floors, warm-toned paint, and comfortable furniture. It was definitely a home where women lived, but not overly girly.
“He so is.” Grace beamed, looking over my shoulder.
I bit my lip nervously as I stared at my reflection. Grace had dressed me in a formfitting black halter shirt tucked into skinny, high-waisted, black jeans. She’d finished the look with open-toes booties that Ginnie had insisted on once she’d joined us. For most, this wouldn’t be considered sexy, but for me, it was definitely a step outside my comfort zone.
“I held myself back a bit knowing you wouldn’t want to go beyond this,” Grace explained. “But, Wren, you look beautiful. You have an absolutely gorgeous figure.” She grinned. “Trust me.”
“Seriously, girl.” Ginnie nodded in agreement.
“Okay,” I murmured, still slightly unsure but trusting that they wouldn’t steer me wrong.
“Next time, we’ll show some cleavage, but this is a start.” Grace winked.
“Right,” I muttered.
“So how do we look?” Ginnie asked Gunner when we emerged into the living room where he was sitting staring at his phone.
He looked up at her briefly. “I like my head connected to my body, so I’m not saying shit.”
Ginnie rolled her eyes. “X won’t care if you say we look nice, Gun.”
He snorted. “Have you met your man? Have you met hers?” he demanded, pointing at me. No thanks.” He shook his head.
“Well okay, how about Em?” Grace prompted, pointing at Emmie who was wearing a skirt that showed off her gorgeous legs and a black top that showed a hint of midriff.
His dark eyes lifted to Em, holding briefly. For a moment, the tension was so thick between them I could swear the spark sizzled in the room. “Too much skin,” he mumbled finally.
I wanted to groan my frustration at the lost opportunity.
Emmie looked down, a flash of hurt in her gaze before she immediately masked it with a look of annoyance. “Let’s go,” she mumbled.
I shot a glare at Gunner as I followed my friend out the door. The four of us piled into Ginnie’s Honda, with Em and Grace in the back seat, while Gunner fired up his bike behind us.
“You look hot, Em,” I assured her once we’d pulled away from the curb. “And Gun thinks so,” I added meaningfully.
“Definitely,” Ginnie agreed.
“I don’t care what that idiot thinks,” Em grumbled.
Grace turned to look at her with a raised brow, silently challenging her. “It’s obvious there’s something going on between you,” she pointed out gently. “I don’t get why you both fight it so hard.”
“There’s nothing going on between us,” she sputtered.
“There would be if you’d both stop being so stubborn,” Grace shot back.
“Yaaas, girl!” Ginnie exclaimed with exuberant support.
“You both suck.” Emmie pouted as Ginnie cranked the stereo, filling the car with her standard classic rock.
When we pulled up in front of Mad’s, the only bar the guys would approve of us going to, the mood in the car was decidedly lighter.
Gunner followed us inside, taking up residence at the bar while the four of us found a table.
“So how long you think until our men make an appearance?” Ginnie asked with a lifted brow toward me as we sipped our first round.
The idea was for this to be a girls’ night, but I doubted we’d be alone for long. “An hour?” I laughed.
“I give it thirty minutes,” she replied, not looking annoyed in the slightest. She and X had been together for years, and I loved how protective he still was of her and how much they clearly enjoyed being together.
I could only hope Max and I felt the same in the years to come. Somehow, I knew instinctively that we would.
I got up to use the restroom after we’d ordered another round of drinks.
“Darlin’, you’re just about the prettiest sight I’ve ever seen,” a southern drawl sounded behind me.
I turned to face the unfamiliar biker, planning to offer a swift rejection, more for his sake than mine. He stepped closer, licking his lips.
“You take one step closer to my woman, Booker, and we’re gonna have a problem.” Max’s snarl sounded as he appeared behind the man who he obviously knew.
The man raised his hands. “Sorry, Jackson. I didn’t realize she was spoken for. No harm done.” He shook his head, backing away immediately.
I took a deep breath, relieved that the brief confrontation was over quickly. “Thank you for not acting like a cavema —” My words were abruptly cut off as Max took my mouth in a punishing kiss while walking us toward the bathroom, shoving the door open and locking it behind us.
“You look… you look… why do you look like this?” he panted, seeming at a loss for words as he pressed me up against the door.
“Do you not like it?” I asked worriedly.
“You look amazing, babe. I love it. What I don’t like is that you were out without me looking like this.”
“It’s jeans and a blouse, honey.” I laughed at his overprotectiveness while inwardly reveling in it at the same time.
“The way you wear it, it might as well be lingerie,” he growled, unzipping my jeans to slide his hands down to my backside, squeezing firmly.
“What are you doing?” I gasped as his finger slipped inside me from behind.
He took my mouth again by way of answer, his tongue moving in time with his finger. Then he was on his knees and shoving my pants down my legs. His mouth was on me before I could utter a word of protest, not that I would have just then.
My head slammed back against the door as I fought the urge to moan loud enough for the entire bar to hear.
His tongue was beautiful torture, moving over me expertly as his lips joined the onslaught. In record time, I was gasping his name, my legs shaking, my entire body suffused with heat as I rode out my orgasm.
He stood up slowly, his hands caressing my legs and hips as he went. He kissed me again, achingly slow. “I like the hair too,” he murmured against my mouth.
I grinned just as a knock sounded on the door. “Oh my God!” I whispered, blushing profusely.
He grinned wickedly, leaning down to help me with my jeans. “One look at you, no one would blame me.” He shrugged unperturbed by the interruption or the fact it was obvious what we were doing.
Once my clothes were squared away, he took my hand, unlocking the door and leading me out into the hall. “Ladies,” he greeted the women waiting in line with an easy smile.
They looked back at him with wide eyes, stunned into silence. If I had to guess, they were more befuddled by my gorgeous man than what we’d been doing.
I looked down, biting back a smile as he led me back to our table. One thing was for sure, life with Max would never be dull.