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“You think this is easy for me?”
“You don’t get to look at me with those judgey eyes and think you know shit about me. Yes, I killed a lot of men today in retaliation. You think I was just going to let them get away with harming you? Not going to happen. No one hurts me and mine. You can’t handle that, then you’re fucked because I’m not letting you go.”
He gritted his teeth, hating this moment.
The last thing he wanted to see was tears in her eyes.
“This is who I am. I’m not going to change it. If I didn’t do what I did today, then other clubs would come. More men. They won’t just stop at shooting shit up. They’ll hurt. They’ll kill. This is about protecting you and mine. I’m not willing to risk your safety or my daughter’s life.”
She tucked some hair behind her ears, and he waited for whatever was about to spill from her lips.
“You look tired. I made a nice, big pot of beef casserole. I’m going to warm up your biscuits. If you want to get dressed, I’ll meet you downstairs.”
In the next second she was gone, and he had to wonder if he’d been talking to himself. Running fingers through his wet hair, he glanced over at the mirror. He looked dazed.
In a way he was.
He expected Jasmine to scold him or to tell him he shouldn’t have done the shit he had done.
This was even more confusing to him.
He didn’t know what to make of it, and that was irritating him.
Leaving the bathroom, he got dressed and decided against making her wait.
He checked in the nursery to see his baby girl already asleep. With the danger gone, lockdown would be over tomorrow. All the families could go home, and life could get on as normal.
Several of his men nodded at him as he moved through the main clubhouse. He didn’t stop to have a beer or to shoot the shit.
They all knew he liked to be alone during these times.
Entering the kitchen, he saw it was empty, apart from him and Jasmine. She’d put out a large bowl of beef casserole. The scent of freshly-baked bread filled the air, and his mouth watered.
His stomach growled as he took a seat.
He scooped up the first mouthful and moaned as the flavors exploded on his tongue. He’d finished his first bowl as she brought over a cup of coffee. She took his empty bowl and refilled it.
The second portion he ate slower, his hunger easing.
She sat down across the table from him, and he waited to look at her.
Neither of them spoke for so long he wondered if she’d fallen asleep.
Glancing up, he saw that she was waiting.
“Say what you need to say,” he said.
“Renee’s organized a night out with the girls. I want to go with them.”
“We’re on lockdown,” he said. If he had to extend it, he would.
“I’ve already heard the guys and old ladies talking. It’s over tomorrow. We’re wanting a girls’ night. I want to go with them and seeing as I’ve not had a day off and I’ve given you plenty of warning, I’d like to go with them.”
“You want to hang out with the old ladies?”
“Yes. I think it would be fun.”
He nodded, finding it funny.
“I’m an old lady now, so you say. I think it’s right us ladies get together. We’ve been stuck here for a few days, and I want to have some fun.”
“What do you consider fun?”
“I have no intention to drink, but I love dancing.”
“I’ll take you dancing.”
“Not going to happen. It’s going to be girls’ night, and that means no boys. It’s not fair to Renee that she has to wait around for Bear. She’s going to have a good time. Maybe find a guy for the night.” She shrugged her shoulder. “I’m not asking for permission. You got to do what you’ve got to do for the club, and I will accept that on the one condition that when I want to go out with the girls, I can. Be it partying or shopping.”
He tilted his head to the side. “You know who you belong to?”
“Yes. I won’t be there for other men.”
“And I get no say in this?”
“Only if I get a say in what happened upstairs.”
“Not happening.”
“Then no, you don’t.”
“I can’t change your mind?”
“Nope.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to deal with it.” He was also going to have a word with Bear as well. There’s no way he was going to let this become a regular thing.
****
“Come on, barkeep. We need more beers,” Renee said. She slapped the counter, shouting for attention.
Jasmine forced a smile to her lips and tried to ignore the glares they were all getting from other customers. There were fifteen of them tonight. She was the designated driver for herself, Renee, and four other women. They had worked out a system and were already planning the next couple of months’ worth of ladies’ nights. She was happy to go on ladies’ night.
