AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay,” Holly said as she released a breath. “That’s good. Thank you.”
“I’m not done,” Copper went on. “Since I promised honesty, I need this to end and soon. So the club is actively working to have certain officers removed from the police force. Schwartz and Higgins to name a few. We’re hoping to get your pops to back off without jeopardizing his job, but I can’t one hundred percent guarantee it.”
LJ held his breath. The information share was more than LJ expected. Not great news, but a real fucking effort on Copper’s part. If it weren’t for Holly, the club would be moving in a very different direction in their efforts to get the target off their collective backs.
“All right,” she said with a nod. “Not that it matters,” she said with a breathy laugh, “but I can get behind that plan.”
There went Copper’s lips again. Quirking in a sort of half-smile. “It matters,” he said.
“Uh,” Holly said. “Did I hear you right? Did you call me whisk?”
“Sure did,” Copper replied as he lifted his beer to his lips.
“Why?” Shell’s forehead scrunched. “You could have picked a million better baking related nicknames, babe. LJ calls her sugar.”
“Don’t even think about it, prez,” LJ said with a mock scowl that had Holly pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“Shit got all scrambled when she popped up in my club,” Copper said.
For about five seconds, the crackling fire was the only sound. Izzy ended up being the first to lose it, but the rest of them followed shortly behind until everyone laughed like fools.
“Shit, Cop,” Mav said. “Think we all needed that.”
The conversation lightened after that. Tomorrow, in church, the patched members would work out a plan of action, but they could enjoy the rest of the night and the company before diving back into the heavy shit.
“Come on,” LJ said, patting Holly’s hip. “Grab a drink with me.” He didn’t give a fuck about a drink, but they could use a hot second alone. When they reached the house, which was a good sixty feet from the fire pit, LJ dragged Holly through the French doors.
They were the only two inside the quiet house unless Beth counted, but she’d been fast asleep upstairs for the past hour. Copper and Shell purchased the house about a month ago. At least three times the size of Shell and Beth’s itty bitty two-bedroom home, she’d been in love with the place the moment she saw it. As for Copper, anything was better than living at the clubhouse as he’d done for a few years.
“This place is great,” Holly said as they walked through the family room. “Shell did a fantastic job decorating. Seems like the perfect combination of the two of them, right?”
Um, what the hell did he know about decorating? “Sure?”
Holly laughed. “I’d describe it as mountain chic. The wood beams, the brick fireplace, and the dark cabinets, kinda remind me of Copper while the cozy furniture and pops of bright color are all Shell. They did a nice job merging their lives, is all I mean.”
Well, he couldn’t argue with that. “They did. They’re a strong couple who’s been through some unimaginable shit. I’ll tell you about it sometime. Too deep for tonight.”
“Thought we were grabbing drinks?” Holly asked, halfway to the kitchen, as LJ sat on the couch.
“In a minute.” He snagged her hand and tugged her down next to him. “Wanted to check in first.”
Beaming at him, Holly stretched up and kissed his mouth. She’d meant it to be short and sweet, but he needed more. As she started to pull back, he grabbed the base of her skull and held her close for a proper kiss.
“Dayum, LJ,” Holly said as she panted and swiped her thumb over her lower lip. “You trying to get us caught going at it on our friends’ couch? ’Cuz I’m thinking we might not be invited back.”
Our friends.
It was fucking stupid how happy those two words made him. “Depends who walks in on us. If it’s Mav, he’ll just whip out his phone and start filming. Then we’ll be in a legal battle over the rights to the media files after he uploads them to some home porn site and makes big money. And that just sounds like way too much work, so maybe you’re right and I shouldn’t kiss you like that again until we leave.” He winked.
“Well, I didn’t say that…” She rested her head on his shoulder.
“Where’s your head at with everything Copper said tonight?”
She fell silent, and he gave her the moment to formulate her thoughts. Holly wasn’t reactionary, which LJ appreciated. He spent his days with hot-headed assholes at the construction sites then even hotter-headed fuckers at the clubhouse. Coming home to someone even-keeled made for a nice end to each day.
