When she got off the bike, her legs felt like jelly and she collapsed into his arms. He laughed. “Was this your first time on a motorcycle?”
She nodded, loving the way his strong arms felt around her. “It was thrilling, but I never want to drive on that road again.”
He smiled, his fingers gently pushing her hair away from her face. “I took a back road for extra security. The road is definitely not for novices. It’s even shut down in the winter. You think you can walk now?”
The strength had come back in her legs, but she wanted to stay in his arms. She felt safe in them, and being cocooned by him made it feel like none of the crap she had going on in her life existed, like it’d all been a bad dream.
“So can you?”
His deep voice melted her and she nodded. The minute he let go, she missed his closeness. He took out her small bag of essentials and cocked his head toward a large three-story brick building.
“Where are we?” she asked as she followed him.
“My clubhouse.”
“I thought I’d stay in a hotel. I have some money.” The truth was she had quite a bit of money since she’d been extremely frugal in spending the monthly stipend Frederick had given her for the past four years. Most of what he’d given her she’d stashed away. Knowing she had money of her own had given her a sense of freedom in her regimented life.
“Too risky. The security at the club is top-notch. There’s no way anyone can come in here unless they break through with a fuckin’ tank.”
She had no doubt in her mind that Frederick would purchase a tank and crash through in order to take her back. She shivered and walked through the door he held open for her.
When they entered, she spotted a few men sitting at the bar and a couple more shooting pool. Hard rock music played in the background. The men’s eyes took her in and all at once she felt self-conscious, scared, and insecure about her decision to leave the world she’d known for the last few years. The world where all decisions had been made for her. There had been comfort in that.
An older man grinned at her while he greeted Rock. “Dude. You’re back.” His gaze slowly ran up her body and she flinched. “Now I know why you went away. Fuck, dude, you got taste.” The other men at the bar chuckled, each of them assessing her boldly. Instinctively, she circled her hands around his arm, pressing closer to him.
He laughed at the guys and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. He looked down at her. “Come on. I’m on the third floor.” He pulled away from her and clomped up the stairs.
She walked into a room she presumed was his. Posters of barely clad women in various poses on Harleys dotted his walls, along with Cajun folk art paintings. The room was well lit since it was a corner one, sunlight bathing the room in a hot, white light.
“Is this where you live?” She stood by the door, her arms crossed around her.
“Yeah. You can stay here until you figure out what the fuck you’re gonna do.”
“Have you always lived here?”
“Yeah. Everything I need is close by. I like it.”
“It’s a big room. Do all the men live up here?”
“The third floor is reserved only for officers. We got a few free rooms up here for visiting officers. The guys who live here have rooms in the basement. The club girls live in the attic.”
“Club girls?”
He grinned. “The women who like the protection of the club. We give them room and board and a monthly allowance.”
“And what do they do for you?”
“Keep the place clean, cook, and keep us satisfied.” He winked.
With a pinched expression, she tugged at the hem of her top. “I can see why you live here.”
He raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “It definitely has its perks.” He walked over to a short dresser. “I’ll clear out a drawer so you can put your stuff in there. I’ll crash in one of the empty rooms in the basement.”
Panic zigzagged through her. “I don’t want to be alone. I’d prefer it if you stayed with me, or else every noise will have me thinking Frederick is busting in.” She laughed nervously.
Rock paused and stared at her for a long moment, then blew out a long breath. “Okay. You can take the bed and I’ll sleep on the floor.”
She shook her head. “No. I can’t kick you out of your bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.” Memories of her pallet at the foot of Frederick’s bed and the cage she sometimes slept in flitted through her mind. “I’m good with that.”
