Chapter 23

Molly

“You don’t have to follow us so closely,” Zoe sweetly reminds Professor and Virus, not for the first time today.

“Bet they won’t follow us into the bathroom,” I tell her.

“I can’t.” Zoe stops in her tracks. “I’m not going in there. The last time—”

“Kidding.” I rest my arm on her shoulders, directing her away from the corridor that leads to the ladies’ room. “This mall has really seen better days.”

“We can always go home if you gals aren’t enjoying yourselves,” Professor says as he steps even closer to us. “I know I’d feel better in a smaller crowd.”

The after-church Sunday crowd swirls all around, but never gets too close to our group.

“We’re having a great time,” Kai interrupts with a playful slap to his man’s chest. “Leave us be.”

“When we get home—” Professor warns with a growl.

“Can’t wait,” Kai teases salaciously. “Now girls, didn’t we say we needed some new bras and panties.”

I grit my teeth as we enter a lingerie store. When Virus and the Professor linger around the entryway, I drag Kai deeper inside. Two women drop what they were looking at and scuttle out of the store. It’s happened more than once today. People always give anyone in a leather cut a wide berth. Virus and Professor together are intimidating as hell. I just can’t believe how brazen in their escape everyone is. Do these people know anything about tact?

“You know, everything I say to you doesn’t have to be repeated out loud to everyone else. There are such things as secrets, you know?”

“I didn’t realize it was a secret.” Kai blanches, looking genuinely ashamed. “It’s not like I told them you’re planning to get all sexed up in an attempt to trick the VP into bed with you.”

Tugging harder on his arm, I drag him into one of the fitting rooms and pull the door closed.

“I most definitely didn’t say that,” I hiss.

“You’re as clear as glass, sweetheart.” Unaffected by my attitude, Kai reaches up and pushes a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. “Please tell me you plan to do more with your hair when you try to throw the sex at Briar.”

Reaching up, I pinch him on his side.

“You bitch,” he hisses trying to return the favor, but only managing to tickle my side. “That hurt.”

We’re laughing like two idiots when there’s a knock on the outside of the thin dressing room door.

“No sex in the stalls,” a woman’s voice says from the other side. “I’ll call the police.”

My eyes widen, mouth hanging open. Kai isn’t affected at all, and I already want to crawl in a hole when his eyes narrow and his lips twitch in a devious grin. Then, the sex noises begin. He grunts, moans, and says a slew of filthy things. We hear the woman on the other side gasp like someone dared to wear a white gown to a wedding.

“Fine. I’m calling the police.” I hear her heels clicking on the tile floor as she huffs away.

“Whew, baby.” Kai runs an arm over his forehead wiping away imaginary sweat. “It was good for me. Was it good for you?”

“Jackass.” I slap his chest, but he only grins down at me. “This is the closest mall to the clubhouse, and now I’ll never be able to show my face here again. Besides, do you even fuck women?”

Kai opens the dressing room door, stepping back to let me exit first. Professor is frowning across the store, and Virus has his nose directed down to his phone.

“I’ll fuck anything,” Kai whispers in my ear. The proclamation startles me so much, I trip over my own damn feet. Leave it to Kai to stop me from falling even while he cackles in my ear.

“Anything?”

“Anyone,” he corrects, but he looks at my face and continues to narrow his choices. “Or I should say anyone consenting, sober enough to make the choice, and of age. I draw the line at bestiality and children. I’m pansexual.”

“Yet, your brows are drawn in like you want to say more.” I look around us, wondering when the woman will show back up with mall security. “And, I’ll be honest, I’m afraid there actually is more.”

“Well,” he leans in closer like he’s about to shed some amazing light on my non-sex world. I mimic his movements until his lips are damn near brushing my ear.

“I fucked a grapefruit once.”

I jerk my head back as a ridiculous huff of laughter escapes my mouth. “You fucked a grapefruit?”

“In the dressing room?” the woman screeches as she walks back up.

“Oh shit,” Kai says, suddenly grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the front of the store. “We need to go.”

Zoe is standing at the counter with a stack of panties and a couple of bras, confusion marking her face as we hustle toward the front.

“Where are you guys going? They’re having a two for one sale.”

“What have you done now?” Professor steps in our way, blocking our exit from the store. “Kai, if you’re stealing shit again, you won’t sit down for a damn week.”

Kai raises his hands to his neck and gasps as if humorously appalled at the accusation. “I’m not stealing anything.”

“The store clerk thought we were having sex in the changing room.” Professor’s eyes dart from mine and back to Kai. His look is no longer playful, but murderous, so I continue in an attempt to keep Kai out of trouble. “We weren’t. We were just pretending to.”

“Not helping,” Kai mutters.

We must be entertaining because even Virus has tucked his phone into his jeans to watch things unfold.

“If you touch her, not even I can save you, Kai. We’ve talked about this more than once,” Professor huffs.

“I didn’t.”

“He didn’t,” we say at the same time. “He was telling me about the time he fucked a grapefruit.”

“And you have a problem when I repeat things you say?” Kai mumbles.

“Dude,” Virus cuts in. “The acidic burn is a motherfucker.”

“Right?” Kai beams, I guess not feeling so embarrassed. “I only did it once.”

“Why are you all standing up here?” Zoe has deserted her items on the counter to join us.

The sales clerk glares in our direction before heading back to the changing area with gloved hands, a can of cleaning spray, and a roll of paper towels.

“We were talking about Kai fucking a grapefruit,” Virus informs her with a wide smile.

“Grapefruit? I bet the acid would hurt.” Kai and Virus laugh. Professor doesn’t look at all amused. “But last week Lynch did this thing with frozen cubes of watermelon where he stuck them in my—”

“Nope,” I hiss, covering her filthy mouth with my hand. “Hard limit.”

“You can tell me later,” Kai whispers to her.

“You’ll be busy later,” Professor says in a tone that makes me feel sorry for Kai.

“Time to go,” Virus says looking over my shoulder.

With one quick glance, I agree. Mall security is making their way toward us. Their steps falter when Professor hedges around us to stand in front of our group.

“We’re leaving,” he says to them before turning away.

Both guards look relieved when we turn to follow Professor toward the main exit of the mall.

“Molly?”

Even though Professor is ten yards ahead of us, he stops at my name being called and turns back around. In seconds he’s standing right behind me. By the time Owen reaches me, he’s so close I can feel his breath moving my hair. I give Owen props for not scurrying away like everyone else has today.

“You know this fucker, Princess?”

“Drama,” Kai whispers under his breath.

“He’s cute,” Zoe adds as if the man isn’t standing right in front of us.

“Hey, Owen. How have you been?”

“Really?” His eyes dart to the massive man standing at my back before looking down at me again. “You really left us in a lurch this last week.”

“I told you I didn’t think it would work after we—”

Like he’s my dad or some bullshit, Professor growls behind me, and I don’t finish my sentence.

“Kissed? It was a simple kiss, Molly.”

“Mmm,” Kai moans. “He does have divine lips.”

“Enough,” Professor mutter. “Virus, get Kai and Zoe back to the Tahoe.”

“Bye, Mr. Vet.” Kai wiggles his fingers before he walks away.

“Is it because of them? The bikers?”

Owen is looking me directly in the eyes when he says it. He doesn’t seem intimidated with how close Professor is, or that my brother’s friend easily weighs sixty pounds more than him. Some people would find that sexy about him, but to me, it only makes him a fool. These bikers should be feared.

“Are you in trouble?”

My head snaps back at his second question before my spine stiffens with loyalty. “The Ravens Ruin MC is my family. It’s where I belong.”

His face falls.

“Listen, Owen.” I step in closer and thankfully, Professor stays right where he is. “You’re a great guy. Any woman would be lucky to have you, but I’m just not that girl.”

He doesn’t respond, and I really don’t give him a chance. I place a soft kiss on his cheek and turn to leave.

It’s astounding how fast things can turn ugly. Only moments ago all of us were laughing and joking around. A boring trip to this crappy mall had turned into an entertaining day.

“What’s that look mean?” Zoe asks as I walk up to the SUV.

The three of them are standing on the outside rather than inside. I don’t blame them. It’s a beautiful day. Or it was before I just turned into the biggest asshole in the world. Hurting Owen was never my intention. I really wanted to like him. I wanted to distance myself from the club and find someone who helps rather than hurts, someone who actually pays his damn taxes, but I quickly figured out that the clubhouse is exactly where I belong. Oddly, I’m okay with that.

“We need to hit the club.” I smile brightly at them, figuring if I hold my lips up long enough, I’ll actually begin to feel the cheer I hope everyone else sees on my face.

“Not happening tonight,” Professor says as he walks up. Before speaking again, he pulls out his phone and shoots a text to someone.

“Telling on me already?”

He doesn’t answer, merely giving Virus a quick nod before turning his eyes back to mine after his phone vibrates in his hands.

“I’m not even getting in the middle of shit between you and that vet unless you tell me he’s going to be a problem.”

“He’s not a problem.”

Agitated at everyone still dictating my life, I almost walk off to try to find Owen. I cringe and get in the SUV instead. Rejecting him and then running back to him when all I want is a little autonomy rather than him makes me an even bigger asshole. I’m like a damn spoiled brat who wants to throw a fit to get her way.

Everyone else piles into the Tahoe, Professor taking the front seat and Virus in the passenger side.

“We can do Tuesday,” Virus tells Professor.

“You gals can go clubbing on Tuesday night,” Professor says, and I refuse to meet his eyes in the rearview mirror.

“Yay. Tuesday,” I say with obvious fake enthusiasm. “I bet the club is jumping on a Tuesday night.”

“Don’t worry, Princess,” Kai says over my shoulder from the third-row seat. “We can make any night fun.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” I warn as Professor puts the SUV in gear and drives us home.