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~Charlotte~
THAT WAS EASY.
I was waved on through the gates by security into the clubhouse courtyard without any hesitation.
Ax really has accepted me as an ally.
After spending the morning with Roxana, it’s clear she’s accepted me as a lot more than that. She has a very gung-ho attitude when it comes to my relationship with her father. I didn’t miss any of her not-so-subtle hints either about what my intentions are. It’s clear she’s been worried about him for a while now, more so than the general concern that family members have for each other. I imagine my parents being the same and reacting that way to Cal had they lived long enough to meet him, and to see how important he’s become to me, to watch me actually fall in love.
I still can’t believe it.
I knew there was something special about what we had back then, but neither of us allowed ourselves to delve deeper into it. But after all these years, it’s still there, and burning brighter than ever. It’s cheesy as hell, but it I really do see it as proof that we were always meant to be one another’s endgames.
As I push through the door into the clubhouse, my conviction to put those three major words out there between us burns hot in my veins. It’s high time. And, after my call with Cristian earlier, he’s made it clear that the mission against Matthew Priest is imminent. I want to put it out there before that.
Just in case. Always, just in case.
No matter how good you are, or how confident, when going into battle, the unspoken rule is to always tie up your loose ends beforehand. Life is unpredictable and battle even more so. You just never know what can happen, no matter how meticulously you try to plan for every eventuality.
I catch sight of Cal sitting up at the bar, nursing a half-full glass of whiskey and talking with Sin. I smile to myself. It looks like he’s having a good time, laughing heartedly as Sin gestures animatedly about something.
I hesitate on whether to interrupt. It’s rare to see Cal so unburdened, to witness the lighthearted side of him coming out to play. Hopefully there’ll be much more of that once this last mission is over and done with. For the both of us.
He glances up at the clock on the wall and turns toward the door, searching.
He spots me in the next second, his whole face lighting up at the sight of me.
My hesitation dies a swift death, a thrill running through me as he fucks me with his eyes. I’m not wearing anything particularly striking or sexy, just sporting my usual jeans and tank combo, but the way his dirty gaze slides over my body, it’s as though I’m all trussed up in some knockout lingerie. That’s how he always is, making me feel like I’m the sexiest woman on the planet. It’s the same way I feel about him. He’s the epitome of rugged alpha perfection. Built, muscular, heavy with the stubble across his jawline. The way those thick thighs of his fill out his jeans and his black tee pulls across his biceps is sexy as hell. And that delicious swagger of his projecting a cool confidence gets me every time too.
Before I can take another step over there, he slides off his stool, gives Sin’s shoulder a squeeze, then makes his way over to me by the door, eating up the distance quickly with those sure, powerful strides.
He reaches out and gently grasps my hip in that adoring and possessive way of his. He leans in and brushes his lips over mine, before planting a chaste kiss on my cheek.
I barely suppress my amusement, knowing well why he can’t do more than that. He doesn’t trust himself with me in public, not to go too far with our affectionate displays.
“Sorry I’m over an hour late.”
“Cavalno kept you?”
“Yeah, he briefed me on our current standing regarding Priest.”
“I got the same from Spartan.”
An uneasiness settles over us, an uncomfortable tension building at the weight of what’s to come, the stakes involved, the danger.
He clears his throat and breaks through it and lets go of me, gesturing around. “So, your first time inside the Black Thorns MC clubhouse. Is it what you’ve been picturing all this time?”
Scuffed floors, well-worn wooden furniture and muted fabric covering the couches and armchairs throughout the space, a mammoth bar taking up a great deal of the area, a couple of pool tables and dart boards, a huge club crest dominating one of the walls… yeah, this is what I imagined.
It has me nodding, “Pretty much.”
“You ready to see the rest?”
“Absolutely.”
He grins and takes my hand, ready to get this tour he’s promised me on the road.
* * *
