Willow

Ten minutes earlier

Lucia and I watched Trey and Dive walk towards the hallway. Once they were out of sight, Lucia turned to me and smiled. Her hand flew over her mouth and she squealed into it, jumping from one foot to the other. Laughing, I rolled my eyes, took her hand and dragged her over to the couch to sit down.

"How lucky are you, girl? When everything and I mean everything has turned to the worst shit in your life, you find help from hot bikers. And one who wants to follow you around and sniff your crotch every five seconds."

"Shut up." I laughed.

"Seriously. My God, I would have fanned my coota from the way his eyes fucked you on the spot every time he looked at you." She fanned her face instead, thank God, then took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "Babe, you know I love you, but you gotta know that man is in heat for you."

Shaking my head, I said, "I do know. We...um...nearly, before you arrived."

"But...I know you have a ‘but’ in there, woman."

"It was the heat of the moment, for him mainly. He caught me rubbing one out and things went straight to fast-forward. However..." I smirked. "I..." I started but couldn't finish.

"You have feelings for him." She smiled sadly.

"Yes. How could I not? Living with him for the last week has turned the lust into something else, something I feel in my gut, in my head and heart, and it scares me. I want to know all of him. I’m wanting..." I sighed. "It's weird because it's only been one week, but I'm finding myself wanting to never leave his side again."

"Go with it," Lucia declared.

"What?" I dropped my voice low.

She placed both hands on the side of my head, met my eyes with her serious ones and said, "Go. With. It. You deserve this, and I just know...I can feel it in my bones, this is right. And when it turns out right, you hav'ta shout me to an expensive dinner. I want to be wined and dined, bitch." She squished my cheeks together then left a big smack-a-roony on my mouth.

"We walked in at the right time," Dive said.

Lucia let go and burst out laughing.

"Too bad we can't stay," Trey commented with a smirk.

I stood. "You have to go?"

He studied my face and whatever he saw, he liked. His eyes warmed and his smirk turned into a sweet smile. "Yeah, little bird, but I'll be back soon."

"Okay." I nodded. He winked and walked to the door with Dive following. Before he headed out, he said, "Alarm it as soon as we step out." I nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Lucia," Trey said.

"You also, hunk." She smiled. "And you, ding dong." Dive winked at her, sent a chin lift to me, and they were gone. I went straight to the alarm and armed it.

*  *  *  *

He wasn't back soon. To start off with, I was annoyed, but Lucia stayed to keep me company and when we heard a Harley drive up the street, we ran to the window to see who it was. Only it wasn't Trey, but Beast. I'd met him a couple of times. He was the quiet type, like Dallas, only Dallas was broody as well as quiet.

"Should we invite him in?" I asked.

"Ah, no. Your man didn't say to invite anyone in." As we watched Beast, we saw a car pull into Trey's driveway. When Beast didn't react, I slowed my heart down. Then I saw Josie with another woman get out of the car, and my heart settled back to its steady pace.

I disabled the alarm and opened the front door. Waving to Beast and getting a chin lift in return, I moved out of the doorway as Josie made her way to me and walked in with her friend following. Over the last week, Josie had become my friend. She was something else. What she'd been through was heart-breaking, but how far she'd come was amazing. Josie and I had become firm friends and that friendship would never be broken. I'd fight for Josie, any battle, and I knew in my soul that Josie would do anything for me in return. She was a woman filled to the brim with heart and she was lucky to have two men who saw her as theirs, who saw the full heart Josie had and claimed it. Billy and Pick were the best thing Josie could have found, and I was glad for her, so happy for her because after everything, she deserved happiness. She deserved the world. 

"Hey, honey." She smiled.

"Girlfriend," I said and kissed her cheek.

"This is Nary. She's a friend from back home and just moved here to get settled in before she starts uni next year." Back home was Ballarat, a country town an hour away. The town where her mum, brother and sister still lived with their families. Looking to Nary, I noticed she was a stunner, even with a scar that ran from the side of her mouth up to her cheek bone. Nothing could take away her beauty. Her shoulder-length, light brown hair was silky, her body amazing. She was tall and slim, but with curves in the right places. But what made her truly beautiful were her green eyes, a similar colour to mine, which sparkled in excitement.

Josie had told me about Nary moving and how Nary was eager for the change, eager to get out from under her parents' roof and their rules. She was also eager to start afresh. You could see it all in her eyes. I hoped to God she would find what she was searching for in Caroline Springs.

"Hey, girl." I smiled and pointed to Lucia, who was back to sitting on the couch. "That's my girlfriend, Lucia. Babe, this is Josie and Nary."

"Hey," Lucia called with a wave.

"I brought supplies." Josie grinned and waved a bag I hadn't noticed out in front of her. With my puzzled look, she added, "The guys are out, so I thought for Nary's first night here, we could celebrate with a few drinks."

"Oooh, baby, you are my new best friend." Lucia clapped then patted the spot next to her, causing both Nary and Josie to giggle.

Josie made her way over to the couch and Nary stepped in further. I turned to her and said with a wink, "Welcome to Melbourne, girl."

She grinned. "Thanks, it's great to be here." I closed the front door after waving to Beast and armed the alarm again.

"Sweetheart," Lucia called, her eyes on Nary. "Tell me you got the shithead who did that to you?" She gestured to Nary's face.

"I shot him," Josie said while pouring out the alcohol into plastic shot glasses, ones she pulled out of her plastic bag.

The room fell silent as we all looked to her. Then I turned my wide eyes to Nary who nodded.

"Say what, woman?" Lucia whispered.

"It's a long story," Josie admitted. I knew about her past with her sister's dead ex-husband, but she'd never mentioned her shooting someone.

"Um," I started, and then sucked back the shot she'd just handed me. "I think we have time."

"Plus." Lucia grinned. "What's better than a juicy story about shootouts while drinking? Nary, come sit, get your drink on with us."

After three shots were downed, Josie starting talking about her stalker and how he showed at her father's wake to steal her away. When Nary screamed, trying to warn people, she'd been shot. Josie was taken until she'd had enough, until all her grief, of thinking Pick had been killed, came barrelling back in and she couldn't deal any longer. She told us she would never, for the rest of her life, regret aiming that gun and shooting that man.

After five more shots, Nary told us about her mum's issue back in Ballarat. How Stoke, a Hawks' brother I was yet to meet, came in and claimed her mum as his own. We also learned about Saxon.

"Fuck'im," Lucia slurred. "He ain't worth it if he treats you like that."

"But—"

"Fuck'im," she stated again.

I wasn't so sure. Saxon obviously cared for her. He seemed to always be in the right spot when Nary needed someone to save her. Like when she was nearly raped at school, and his reaction when she'd been shot made it pretty clear. He'd stayed in the hospital until she was awake. She wasn't supposed to know that, but her mum told her anyway. He was there at every operation. Again, she wasn't supposed to know, but she did. So I could understand why she would defend him. She had big feelings for him and everything he did for her showed he felt something back, only he wouldn't make a move. He steered clear of her when she was around. It broke my heart when she told us he’d said she was too immature for him, that he wanted a real woman. One who knew how to use their body, and that was after she'd tried, and failed, to kiss him. It was even before her accident.

It was all so confusing.

Pain etched her face talking about him, yet the depth of her feelings and hope she held for him played across her features with every word.

I was afraid, though, that one day, he would break her and she'd move on. If she did, he would be miserable. No one went to the length he did to protect someone if he didn't feel anything for that person.

Nary had her own shit to go through and I decided that, if she needed me, I was going to be there for her. I was happy, so ecstatic with the girls in the house, drinking, talking and sharing. They were my girls.

"Anyway!" I shouted, seeing Nary had enough of Lucia and her advice. "Let's drink to friendship because, girls, I can honestly say I love you all like you're my sisters from another mister."

"Cheers," they sang. We picked up our shot glasses and tossed them back.

Hours later, we'd somehow talked Beast into the house. Well, Nary and Lucia convinced Beast into the house, while Josie and I stood at the door laughing our arses off. Once he came in, he sat on the couch and watched as we laughed, talked, and danced when Lucia turned on some tunes—we had a merry old time. I'd just been in the kitchen and walked back into the living room to find my girls playing charades, and I couldn't help but think how lucky I'd become after my life had taken a turn for the worse.

Lucia, since I’d moved in with my cousin, had always been close to me. We'd always bonded, but now I found myself with two more girlfriends. I'd been blessed. Maybe my luck was changing and finally Luck was gracing me.

Trey...God, Trey was amazing. To take me into his home and help me out when I had no money and had pretty much nothing to my name showed me the person he was. 

Loyal.

Strong.

Caring.

Sweet when he wanted to be.

Also scary, possessive and mean when he wanted to be.

All in all, he was perfect.

He'd even gone to Josie, gave her money, and told her to buy me clothes and all the girly shit—his words—I needed to start over.

Yes, perfect.

Just thinking of him brought a smile to my face. I was excited to see him when he got home. Desire reared its head because I wanted to start where we'd ended things in the bedroom earlier. If my snatch could sing, she would be.

To keep my mind occupied, until I saw that powerful man walk through that door, I headed into the living room, took another shot and grabbed Nary into my arms to get my wiggle on. She giggled as we spun. I dipped her and we swayed against each other.

What I didn't expect was to trip over Beast's foot behind me and land on my arse in his lap...which happened to be when Dodge walked—no, barrelled—into the house.