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“You.” I lunge and tackle her to the bed, pinning her wrists above her head with one hand. I seal my mouth over hers. Her tongue slides over mine, soft and inviting. I slip my mouth from hers, kissing her cheek, then down her neck. Tasting and sucking her soft skin all the way.
“Rochlan,” she sighs so sweetly. Fucking music to my ears, hearing my full name on her lips. I can never stay mad at this woman.
“Rochlan,” she says a little clearer. “You ever cheat on me, and I’ll kill you.”
I grin against her throat. “I know, baby doll.”
When we make it downstairs a little later, we’re greeted with a round of applause. I assume it’s because I’m wearing the vest Rock gave me—this time paired with jeans.
“Hey, porn stars,” Wrath calls out.
“I take it she liked the patch, bro?” Z jokes.
Whipping my head around, I nail Rock with a glare. He throws his hands up like he has no idea what they’re yammering about.
“About time you gave it to her good. Never heard noises like that come out of your room before,” Z adds.
I try to laugh it off, but hot tears sting my eyes and my cheeks flare with heat. Turning to head back upstairs, Rock catches me.
“I’m going to gut you,” he growls at Z.
“Aw, shit, Hope. I’m just messing with you.”
“Yeah, and I was trapped down here, so I couldn’t hear a thing,” Wrath adds in his helpful manner.
Rock’s hand smoothes up and down my back. “Honey, Z’s not used to girls who don’t need an audience to get off. He thought he was paying you a compliment.”
Okay, that’s so stupid it makes me laugh. I’m a little embarrassed for overreacting. “I’m fine,” I say, pushing away from Rock.
Keeping a safe distance from him, Z tugs on my hand. “Come here, Hope. Let me see how it looks.” Leading me over to the couch, he drops down and pulls me with him so I’m sandwiched between him and Wrath.
Wrath traces the star patch on my side. “Did your man explain these?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
He stretches one arm around my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. “Good.”
“You really voted me in?”
His lips curve into a genuine smile. “Yeah, sugar.”
“Could you tell which one was mine?” Z asks, making me giggle.
“Uh, the four-leaf clover?” I answer in a fake airhead voice.
A glance up at Rock shows he’s still giving Z murder eyes.
Z notices it too. “Gotta go. Hope, I’ll see you at the party later.”
He gives my hand a quick squeeze and takes off around the other side of the coffee table. Shaking his head, Rock sits next to me. He gives Wrath a hard stare, then slaps his arm off my shoulders. “You’re both looking for it today.”
I can’t stand him being cross with his friends because of me. “Stop—I think it’s the hormones still running through me.”
Wrath looks queasy, and I suppress a giggle as I watch him shift his body away from us, into the corner of the couch.
Rock pulls me against him, nuzzling my hair, kissing the tip of my ear. “Remind me in the future, the dresser may not be the best item to fuck you against.”
A warm, happy buzz settles over me. He always knows how to make me feel safe and accepted. I turn my body into him, pressing tight. Tilting my head back, he takes my mouth, kissing away the rest of my sadness.
He breaks our kiss and stares at me for a moment. “Are you still in pain?”
I shrug. “A little. That’s why Wrath offered to get me high,” I explain with a small smirk.
Wrath chuckles. “See, told you I’d take good care of her.”
Rock grunts at him before kissing my neck again. “Tell me where you hurt, baby doll.”
I flick my gaze to Wrath, sure he really doesn’t want to hear all these details. His eyes are focused elsewhere, though, as if he’s trying to give us privacy.
Throwing back my arm, I point at the spot on my shoulder that’s been bothering me the most.
Rock brushes my hair to the side and kneads his strong fingers into the muscles of my neck and shoulders.
“There?”
“Mm-hmm. The doctor said it was probably leftover bubbles from the gas they used in my tummy for the surgery or something like that.”
Behind me, Rock hums an affirmative sound and keeps rubbing the spot in question. My head drops forward, and I fall into the pleasurable feelings.
“Hey, boss, I could use your help,” someone asks, breaking into the floating sensation. Looking up, I see one of the guys whose name I can’t remember. From what I know, he’s always in the basement. He seems nice enough, if not a little weird.
“Let me take care of this, baby doll. I’ll be right back.” He gives me a quick peck on the cheek and gets up.
“What is it, Sparky?”
Sparky, that’s it.
After they leave, I turn to Wrath.
“Enjoy Trinity’s new outfit?” I ask.
A long, slow grin spreads over his face. “I sure did. Heard you got one just like it. That what got prez so worked up?”
I tap his side with my fist. “Jerk.”
“You started it. I’m not sure if you noticed, but no one’s sex life is a secret here.”
My nose wrinkles. “I’m a bit of a prude, aren’t I?”
He chuckles. “We’ll work it out of you. Oh, and I gotta tell you, the idea of you and Trin trying that shit on together is going straight into my spank bank.”
“Oh my gosh! It wasn’t like that. And ew.”
Wrath’s grin fades a little as he traces a finger over my vest. The contact is brief but odd for him. I can’t quite describe the expression that comes over his face. “I’m sure it had more to do with this. He’s been itching to give it to you for a while now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he got our votes right before you went in the hospital.”
A sick feeling twists my gut. We had that awful fight right before that. No wonder he was so furious with me. I need to tell him again how sorry I am.
Wrath sits up and turns to face me. “You know you’re family now, and we all bust each other’s balls. If Z picks on you, it’s ‘cause you’re one of us. That and I think you guys woke him up.”
Dammit! I feel the tears welling in my eyes again. How much longer did the doctor say this bullshit would last?
I sniffle and force out a laugh. “And here you said I’d never be one of you.”
The smile on his face fades to a somber expression. “I’m not afraid to admit when I’ve been wrong. Besides, if I gave you shit, I was just worried about him getting hurt.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. He’s the closest I’ve ever had to a brother.”
He says it so naturally it tugs at my heart. I don’t know much about Wrath’s childhood, except he was living on the streets by the age of sixteen. And I know Rock’s was no picnic. Even though it was before my time, I’m grateful they managed to find each other. Rock explained it’s Wrath’s job to protect him and protect the club, but it’s clear by Wrath’s face and the sound of his voice he doesn’t only look out for Rock because it’s his duty.
A soft sigh escapes me. “If anyone’s going to get hurt, it would be me.”
He reaches over and pats my hand. “Yeah, you got it bad for my boy, don’t ya?”
Lifting my gaze to his, I see he’s teasing me again, but I answer him honestly. “I do. I really do.”
We sit in silence for a while. Wrath glances over at me. “You know, some exercise might help with the pain if it’s trapped gas bubbles.”
Startled by the advice, I’m not sure how to respond.
Wrath shrugs. “You should get up and work out with Trinity in the mornings.”
“Are you calling me fat?” I tease.
He runs his gaze over my body before answering. “Fuck no. Just thought it might help.”
I think I mig
ht have actually hurt his feelings. “Thank you. You sure she’d want me bothering her?”
“Yeah, she’d probably like the company. Gotta catch her early, though. Five a.m. usually.”
“Geez. How does she do everything?”
He shakes his head. “Girl never sleeps.” The serious way he says it is enough for me to know how much he worries about her.
“You should do a better job wearing her out.”
He chokes out sharp laughter and grins at me. “Don’t think I haven’t been tryin’.”
I’m happy I seem to have cheered him up, but I’m also getting anxious. What the heck is Rock doing downstairs?
“Wrath?”
“Yes, sugar.”
“What’s downstairs?”
“The club business,” he answers with a chuckle. When I don’t laugh, he eyes me more seriously. “Rock still hasn’t told you?”
“Geez, don’t tell me it’s more strippers,” I grumble.
My attempt at a joke doesn’t make him laugh this time. “No strippers.”
“Porn studio?”
“No, sugar. Nothing like that,” he says, still watching me intently.
Rock finally emerges, and Wrath gives him a hard stare. “Can I have a word with you, brother?”
Rock waves him off. “Not now. We’ve got a problem.”
“Why don’t you take Hope on a tour of downstairs?”
Rock’s jaw sets in a hard line. “Not now.”
This situation is getting out of control. “Wrath, it’s fine. I don’t—”
Wrath cuts me off. “What the fuck you waiting for? You patched her.”
Rock’s gaze skips to me. “Fine. You want to see what’s downstairs, baby doll?”
I’m not really sure. “If you want me to.”
“Christ, it’s not that big a deal at this point.” Wrath sighs.
“Shut up. Remember, you started this,” Rock growls.
The door up here is a dummy door. Decorative. The real door is right below it. Steel. Rock needs to punch a code in and it makes a funny air sealing noise. The smell on the other side is moist, humid, skunky. The first room has nothing but tables covered in packing supplies and empty wooden crates. To the left, it looks like a two-bedroom with an adjoining bathroom setup. Huh. No wonder Sparky doesn’t venture upstairs often.
Sparky hustles out of a room to our right. “What up, boss?” When he sees me, he grins broad and happy. “Hey, Hope. I been waiting on prez to give you the tour. Come on.”
Rock looks up at the ceiling, muttering to himself. Ignoring him, I follow behind Sparky. I kind of have it figured out. They’ve got a grow house down here. I’m amazed at how extensive their little pot farm is. I shouldn’t be, though, because the center itself is massive.
The first room holds the largest plants. “These are almost ready for harvest. Demons in two weeks, right, boss?”
“Shut it, Sparky.”
I pretend I didn’t hear anything. Some of the plants look a little different. In fact, each row seems to have distinct characteristics. “Are these all different strains?”
Sparky’s grin is fast and relieved. “Yes! It’s so awesome you get that right away.” He starts explaining the different strains he’s developed.
Rock huffs behind me. I guess he’s heard the sales pitch before. But I think it’s interesting all the different ways Sparky is able to manipulate his plants.
In the next room, the plants are a little smaller.
“Now this line is experimental. It’s called ‘deepest gray’ ‘cause it’s gonna get you super high—into like hallucinating shit kinda high.”
I chuckle. “How do you do it? Develop the strains?”
He launches into a lecture worthy of a college-level science course, and I’m lost. But I nod and ask questions, which seems to make Sparky happy.
His demeanor changes as soon as we enter the last room. “This is my latest project, Green Machine. It was for our regular—”
Rock cuts him off. “That’s enough, Sparky.”
“Okay, yeah. I need it ready to harvest in about six weeks, but they’re sick.”
Behind me, Rock sighs. I guess he didn’t want me to know what he’ll be up to six weeks from now.
Suddenly, I’m a little pissed he’s been hiding all this from me. A long time ago, he promised me truth. Yet he’s been hiding a major part of his life from me this entire time. Setting aside that thought, I bend down and look at Sparky’s “sick” crop.
“What’s wrong? How can you tell they’re sick?”
He pulls me closer to the plants and we lean over. “See the brown spots on the tips?”
I do indeed see little brown speckles on some of the leaves.
“Is it treatable?”
“I tried giving them copper and then another supplement, and—”
“Wait. Maybe you should let them rest between treatments. See if one works before trying another.”
“I’m so careful with the soil, though. I mix everything just so.” He looks at Rock as if disappointing him is the worst thing in the world. I understand the feeling all too well.
“I’m sure you’re very careful with them.” Taking a deep breath, I continue. “They’re like your babies, right?”
His eyes light up. “Yes! Thank you, Hope.”
“So you said this is a new strain. Maybe it’s just more susceptible to certain deficiencies. I bet you’ll figure it out.”
We have this entire conversation as we’re leaning over the affected plants. I can practically feel Rock’s eyes boring into me.
When we wind up the tour, I ask Sparky if he’s coming upstairs for the party. He looks at me like I’m nuts. That’s right. He has sick babies to attend to. I’m not sure what it is—he’s definitely spent too much time cooped up with his plants—but there’s something really sweet that I like about Sparky. It’s clear he enjoys what he does and he’s good at it. He tells me he designed and built the entire system downstairs. Rock nods encouragingly. I’m really impressed.
“Well, New York is closer to legalizing it for medical use. Maybe when it finally happens, you can start building mini grow houses for people or something.”
Rock narrows his eyes at me, and I guess that was the wrong thing to say.
Oops.
Sparky seems enthusiastic about my idea, though, so whatever. I give him a quick hug and head upstairs, Rock close behind. When I stop to talk to Wrath, Rock keeps going straight upstairs.
“Rock?”
Wrath frowns, watching Rock’s back. “What did you think?” he asks me.
“Pretty cool.”
Wrath’s mouth curves into a surprised grin. “You’re very unpredictable, Hope.”
I race up the stairs and find Rock almost at the bedroom. Sprinting to catch up, I grab him at the door. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He shoves inside, and I follow right behind him.
“Why didn’t you just tell me sooner? I hate that you’re still hiding stuff from me.” Actually, the more I think about it, the more pissed I get. “Why did you bother giving me this if you don’t trust me?” I say, jabbing a finger at the vest.
“Not now, Hope. Just go.”
Go? “What?”
“I wanna grab a shower and get the smell off me. We’ll talk later.”
Since when does he take a shower without inviting me in?
He closes the bathroom door, and I fight the urge to smack it back open with my foot. Throwing the vest on the dresser, I grab my purse and fish out my keys. Then I snatch my cell phone from the nightstand and take off.
Wrath calls to me as I fly down the stairs. “Hope! What’s wrong?”
People are starting to fill the club, and I want to get to my car before I’m blocked in. A few of the remaining catty bitches who enjoy reminding me they’ve fucked Rock are also here, and I don’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing Rock and I are having problems.
Cast or not, Wrath is still
an athlete, and he catches up to me at the door. “Hope. Stop. What’s wrong?”
“He told me to go. So I’m going. He doesn’t fucking trust me, and I’m tired of being lied to.”
“Fuck, this is all my fault. Don’t leave like this.”
I just keep shaking my head, tears clouding my vision.
He tries to grab me, but I slip out of his grasp and down to my car. One of the prospects approaches, but I gun the engine and he moves.
When I get to my house, everything is dark. Not one outside light illuminates my lonely yard. The motion sensors must have burned out or something, because nothing comes on when I step out of the garage.
With the stupid app Rock installed on my phone, I know he’ll track me down eventually. Until then, I need some fucking space.
I flip on the hall light to make sure the power isn’t out. I’m momentarily blinded, so I shut it off. I throw my phone, keys, and purse on the kitchen counter and make my way to the bedroom.
Crap.
I forgot I’d been in the middle of packing up boxes of Clay’s stuff the last time I was here. I set the boxes on the floor, strip down, and crawl under the covers. My cell phone rings and vibrates, the sound traveling all the way down the hall. So I pull the covers up over my head to drown out the noise.
“Rock! Open the fucking door.”
What the fuck is Wrath doing up here? How the hell did he manage all the stairs on those crutches?
Rushing into the bedroom with only a towel around my waist, I fling open the door. He’s standing there breathless and sweaty.
“What the fuck did you say to her?”
“Who?”
“Hope, you asshole. She just took off in fucking tears.”
A glance at the dresser, and I see she left her vest. Oh, that’s not good. I spin and see her phone and purse are also gone. Fuck.
“She’s not going to run to the cops, if that’s what you’re worried about. She thought Sparky and his setup were adorable.”
Wrath’s voice is full of menace. “I know that, fucker. I’m more concerned she’s going to wrap herself around a tree when she can’t see where she’s going because she’s crying her eyes out! I can’t drive or I would have gone after her instead of killing myself hopping up here after your sorry ass.”
