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As I start the engine, the low roar and rumble makes me feel powerful like I did last night when I let that rebellious part of me fly free with Chewy. But, the glow of the moment doesn’t last long as my eyelids burn, I drop my forehead to the steering wheel and my chest clenches as sobs choke and burst out of me, no matter how hard I try to fight them off.
My phone buzzes and I see the message from my dad making sure I’m headed home. I ignore it, put the car in drive and head in the opposite direction, out of town toward the Valor Club.
I don’t get far when I see a single headlight, flashing in my rearview. Then, the glint of chrome and vibrant cherry-red paint as the Harley pulls up next to my driver’s window pointed in the wrong direction in the oncoming lane of traffic.
He looks even bigger on his bike next to the car, and I see the way the muscles in his arms are tight as his jaw looks like it’s going to pop. At the stop light I roll down my window.
“You’re driving the wrong way. You’re going to hurt someone.”
“Yeah?” He brushes his hand down his beard his dark eyes hidden behind black sunglasses. “You should know something about hurting someone.”
My heart patters around as rocks tumble around in my gut. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just—”
“We’re not talking here. Follow me.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer and I can’t help but note the ache in his face, and I know I need to explain. I need to adult, even if it’s uncomfortable, and in two weeks when it’s time for my period, we can see which way things are going to go. I owe him at least that much. So when the light turns green, I follow him out of town until he slows and my throat tightens.
He pulls into the Men of Valor Club and I have the sinking feeling this is going to end badly.
“Chewy, we need to talk,” I say as I climb out of my car, and he kicks down the stand on his bike. “I’m sorry about last night.”
“So am I,” he says, coming over to me. His arm snakes around my hips and I can’t help the way my body reacts around him. It’s like I have no control as I lean into him, feeling his strength against me.
“Why are you sorry?”
“I should have taken better care of you last night. Things got rough, I just lost control and scared you I’m sure. I’ll do better, I am who I am, but I’ll try to be more of a gentleman. I’m going to show you that’s not the case. You and me, babe, we’re for real.”
My breath catches in my throat, but I force myself to shake my head. “No, that’s not—”
“I’m not afraid of commitment, Annie. Last night wasn’t a fuck for me. It was fate.”
“But—”
“But nothing. Come on.” His hand at the small of my back is insistent as he leads me towards the clubhouse doors, and what can I do?
This man isn’t just physically strong, he has this kind of iron will that seems to dominate my every thought. Here I was, ready with all the things I wanted to say, and now I’m letting him lead me in through the doors as the room falls silent.
“What?” he asks, his eyes sweeping the faces of everyone looking our way. “You never seen a woman before?”
The silence stretches for a moment longer, then one of the guys, an older man with a thick beard and heavily-tattooed arms that stretch his shirtsleeves, lets loose a deep, rumbling laugh. “Not on your arm we haven’t, Chewy.”
“Hey, fuck you, Bullet.”
There’s a shocked silence, and something tells me that the man who just spoke outranks Chewy by some order of magnitude. It seems strange to me to think that Chewy would ever be in a room where he wasn’t in charge, but I guess a club like this is like a family. Doesn’t matter how big or scary you are, there’s a pecking order and you fall into line or you get out.
“Fuck yourself, Drake,” Bullet says with a grin, a soft chuckle rumbling his chest. “But before you do, there’s business to discuss.”
There’s a rumble of laughter from the rest of the room before a young woman heads our way with a smile. “This way, hon, leave the men to talk business.”
After that, everything changes.
While Chewy and some of the other club members talk in hushed tones at a corner table, the women make me feel about as at home as I’ve ever felt anywhere in my life. They’re all the wives and girlfriends of club members, and while I have a hard time remembering all the names, they make it clear that if I’m with Chewy, I’m one of them and they have my back.
