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“I feel bad, but—”
“Don’t.” He gives me a softer look. “I know you can’t help it.” Reaching past me, he grabs the door handle and pulls it open. “Come on, Rock’s probably wondering where you are.”
Rock is indeed wondering where I am. I spot him across the room in a tense discussion with Mr. DeLova. His gaze lands on me and a brief smile flickers over his mouth. Some of the tension in his posture slips away.
“I take it I should stay away?” I mutter to Z.
“Can’t say,” he says in a voice I can barely make out over the rest of the noise in the room. “DeLova’s a wild card tonight.”
“And the fun times keep coming,” I grumble. “Is he upset Wrath’s not here?”
“Maybe. Teller’s doing a fine job.”
My gaze sweeps over Teller, standing with his arms folded over his chest at Rock’s back, eyes scanning the room. The expression darkening his handsome face moves him closer to the Wrath end of the scary-biker spectrum tonight.
“How about you?”
“Well, I let you out of my sight for five seconds.”
I press a finger against my lips. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
He chuckles. “Mallory was looking for you.”
Charlotte bumps my shoulder. “Where’d you go?”
“To talk to Tawny before she left.”
Charlotte rolls her eyes. “Drama queen, that one.” She tilts her head in Teller’s direction. “I’m going to jump him so hard later.”
Z bursts out laughing. “The fuck-off face works for you, huh?”
“Fuck yes.”
I chuckle and nudge Charlotte. “How much have you had to drink?”
“Probably too much.” She hands Z the rest of her beer. “I don’t usually drink at all,” she mumbles.
“It’s fine. We’re supposed to have fun on this trip.” I poke her in the side to lighten her up and she laughs.
Next to me, Z shakes his head. “Why you two making my job so hard?”
I widen my eyes and gasp in an exaggerated way that forces a chuckle out of Z.
“Are you saying we’re more difficult than wrangling dancers at Crystal Ball?”
“No. You’re definitely… easier. It’s just…”
“He can’t see us naked, Hope,” Charlotte finishes what Z was reluctant to say to our faces.
He holds up his hands. “She said it, not me.”
Someone turns the music up even louder, and I glance at Rock, who motions me over.
He takes my hand when I reach him and pulls me to his side. Mr. DeLova has ventured into the party, so I don’t have the pleasure of talking to him.
Rock leans down. “Everything okay?” he asks against my ear.
“Tawny went home and Sway… creepily thanked me for talking to her.”
He pulls back, a frown darkening his face. I wave my hand between us. “I’ll tell you more later.”
“Yes. You will.”
That bossy tone of his turns me on way more than it should. I silence any more questions with my lips against his.
After Hope explains her conversation with Sway, I decide he needs a punch in the face first thing in the morning.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Hope says without turning her head.
“Good, so it won’t be a shock when I lay him out tomorrow.”
“Please don’t,” she pleads. “We’re going to be on the road with him for two weeks.”
I’ll ask Z how much he overheard before I make a decision on how to handle Sway.
She taps my shoulder. “What I really want to talk about is young Rock trying to hit on Mallory.”
I snort with laughter and pull her closer. “You heard the whole story.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” She presses her lips against my arm. “How come you never mentioned it?”
“Honestly, I forgot about it until she brought it up.” I peer down at her. “Do you really want to hear about all the women I’ve tried to pick up in my life?”
“Ugh, no.” She chuckles and turns to face me. “Come on, though. It sounds like a cute story.”
“Not to me.”
“Right. The big stud struck out,” she teases. She stops laughing. “Thirteen, huh? Seems young to be so sure of yourself.”
Uncomfortable with the conversation, I shrug off her probing statement. “Had already been around the club for a couple years.”
“You don’t talk about Grinder a lot,” she says softly.
“Lot of complicated feelings there, baby doll.”
“You feel guilty he’s still in prison?”
“Every day.”
“Oh, Rock,” she whispers, hugging me tighter. I wasn’t looking for sympathy, but I love her up against me. And I can’t deny that confessing to her lifts some of the weight off my chest.
“Let’s get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.”
The next morning, Wrath, Trinity, and Murphy join us at the clubhouse.
“How was the ride?” I hug Trinity as if it’s been a month since I saw her instead of a day. “Where’s Heidi?”
“Right behind us,” Murphy says. “Alexa was out cold when we left, but we stopped about halfway and she was having a meltdown, so Heidi rode with them.”
“Oh, poor baby.”
He shrugs. “We knew that would happen. It’s just nice having them with me.”
A few minutes later, Murphy’s pickup slides into the lot with Carter behind the wheel. Murphy jogs over to meet them.
Today a lot of the club members have their families over, so it’s not unusual that Alexa’s here. Mallory and her daughter whisk Heidi and Alexa away to introduce Alexa to some of the other kids.
I finish packing my bag and Birch takes it to the van. “This is the way to travel on a bike,” I joke to Rock.
“Yeah?” He wraps an arm around my shoulders.
“I get to be with my man and bring all my girly supplies along.”
“Good thing we had the van.” He jerks his thumb toward Murphy’s truck. “I’m sure Murphy packed Alexa’s entire bedroom in the back of that pickup.”
“Thank you for helping them make this work. He’s really happy to have them along.”
He stops and surveys the parking lot, full of brothers checking out each other’s bikes and joking around. “Some guys like club life because it allows them to escape their families and responsibilities. But to guys like Murphy, it is the family.”
“And you.”
“And me,” he agrees. “National will be the same. A lot of families come. That’s why they rent out a whole hotel.” His mouth pulls into a filthy grin. “The dirty stuff will happen in the woods behind the hotel.”
“Oooh, tell me more about the dirty stuff.”
“I’m gonna show you the dirty stuff.” He yanks me closer. “Gonna fuck you from here to Mississippi.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Do I need to get the hose?” Z asks.
Rock turns and glowers. “Yeah, if you want me to choke you with it.”
“So hostile,” I tease, leaning up on tiptoes to kiss Rock’s cheek. “I’m going to talk to Mallory. No choking Z while I’m gone.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Z winks at me as I pass him, and I mouth, “behave.”
I find Mallory in the kitchen packing a cooler full of snacks for the guys.
“Do you need any help?” I ask.
“No, I’m almost done. Thanks, Hope.” She peers at me over the lid of the cooler. “Excited for the rally?”
“Sort of. Rock says it’s a really big one and it could get… lively.”
“That’s a good way to put it. But don’t worry. It ends up being pretty chill. Hopefully we’ll run into each other there.”
“Definitely.” We exchange numbers and promise to meet up for drinks.
While the Demons are busy, Trinity gathers Heidi, Alexa, and Charlotte by the guys’ bikes for pictures.
Even though Alexa yowls
like a distressed cat every time she hears the rumble of a Harley engine, she seems to recognize which one is Murphy’s and reaches for it.
“Yes! Oh my God. Adorable.” Trinity bubbles over with excitement. “Let me take a picture of her on Murphy’s bike wearing her teeny-tiny, girly cut. She’s so flippin’ cute!”
“Blake,” Heidi calls out. She tilts her head toward the bike and he jogs over.
“What’s up?”
