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“Um, yeah. I’m not sure how to get out of here and didn’t want to wake Lash up,” I tell him, still not looking around.
“You don’t have to worry about the guy who did that to your face,” he informs me as my eyes widen once again. “He’s not dead, but he knows to stay away from you. He beat on you often?”
“Not anymore. Got away from him. Only met him last night because he said he had money for me. He owes me a lot of money,” I tell him honestly.
I may be shy, but I was raised to answer a question when I’m asked one. I’m not rude so even though it’s hard to talk to this man, I’ll get through it.
Talon nods his head before taking his coffee over to the table and sitting down. I can feel his eyes on me as I move between the griddle and stove. As the food gets done, I put it in bowls and on plates I found before Talon came in. Once everything is done cooking, I check the coffee and see a few carafes sitting behind the coffee maker. After pouring myself another cup, I fill the carafe and take it to the table where Talon’s sitting.
Putting on another pot of coffee, I grab some plates, silverware, and napkins. I’m not sure if these men even use napkins, but they’re here so I put them on the table. Talon helps himself to a healthy portion of eggs, bacon, and pancakes while I grab the syrup, butter, and fruit from the fridge. When I turn back around, Talon puts a hand on my arm and nods to one of the chairs. I don’t bother trying to argue that I want to check on the coffee because this is his domain and I’m just a temporary visitor here. So, I plop my ass in one of the chairs and put a small amount of food on the plate in front of me.
By the time I’m done eating, I know the coffee is done and I get up to place the new pot in one of the carafes. There’s a low hum of men and women waking up and beginning to come out of their rooms as I make myself busy. Other than cleaning up the dishes, there’s nothing left for me to do out here, but I’m not sure I can remember where Lash’s room is. That leaves one option; cleaning up the dishes.
“Leave those, babe,” Talon says as a few people walk in the room and sit down at the tables. “The rebels can clean up since it’s their job to cook and clean around here. Sit down and have another cup of coffee. I’m sure Lash won’t like you bein’ up and around like this without him.”
“I don’t mind, really. I made the mess,” I say, needing something to do despite the pain in my ribs from moving around the kitchen.
“Sit,” he responds forcefully but gently as the few women look from him to me with confused gazes. “Mona will have no problem cleanin’ up the mess. Hope you weren’t in a brother’s room last night.”
I watch as the woman glares at him. None of the men glance in his direction and now I really feel awkward and out of place. So, I take my seat, pour another cup of coffee, and keep my head down. Talon is still sitting at the table naked and not caring who sees him on full display. Man, I’m glad I won’t be around here for long. I’m not sure if I could get used to seeing grown men naked just because they want to be. To each their own.
STRETCHING AS I begin to wake up, I reach out and feel the cold, empty bed beside me. I know Hartley was next to me when I fell asleep last night or sometime this morning; I can’t remember now what time it was when we fell into bed. Most of the night, she slept mainly on top of me. It was hard as hell to sleep with her curled up next to me or on top of me. So, I spent most of the night awake and soaking up the feeling of her being in my arms. That’s not something I’ve ever experienced before and I’m not sure how it makes me feel now.
I don’t sleep with women. It doesn’t matter if it’s a random woman I pick up while I’m out or if it’s one of the rebels, I sleep alone. No one ever gets my attention more than a fuck and then they’re on their way out the damn door. Hartley is different. With her, I feel something more than I’ve ever felt in my life.
The second I got my first good glimpse of her after she took a shower last night, my breath caught in my lungs and my heart felt like it stopped beating in my chest. When I saw her wearing my clothes, I thought she was the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. Hell, from the second I saw her being held up against a fucking wall, a sudden urge of protectiveness and the urge to make her mine washed over me. I’veneverwanted to make anyone mine. Not until this woman in the span of a few seconds and without fully seeing her face or knowing anything about her.
I jump from my bed and look around. None of her things are still in here. The clothes she wore last night are in my hamper and I quickly take care of business so I can go find her. After throwing on a pair of jeans and nothing else, I grab her medicine and make my way out of my room. My heart is racing with the thought I won’t see her again and the breath leaves me with a resounding whoosh.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
There’s the smell of food and I can hear talking coming from the direction of the kitchen as I race down the stairs. Stopping in the doorway, I feel my lungs fill back up with air and my heart starts to slow down. I take in Hartley sitting at a table with food and coffee filling it. No one’s standing at the stove as I look around the room. Until my gaze gets to Talon. He’s sitting at the table naked. This isn’t anything new and he’s not the only one who’s ever walked around the clubhouse naked. We’ve all done it.
My feet immediately move me closer to the woman I’m lookin at. She turns her attention toward me as if she can sense I’m in the room with her. A pair of arms wrap around my waist. I don’t even have to look to know it’s Mona trying to stake some sort of claim on me in front of Hartley once again. It’s not going to work the way she hopes though.
I pry her arms from around me and glare down at her. Mona doesn’t appear to be afraid of me or anything as she flutters her lashes at me and tries to run her long claws down my naked chest. My glare turns glacial as my eyes narrow while I look from her to her hand stopped just a fraction from touching me. Yeah, I’m not in the mood for her shit. I never am.
“You’re pushin’ your luck,” I growl out, warning Mona to leave me alone.
Walking closer to the table, I watch as Hartley stands up for me to take her seat at the full kitchen table. When she goes to turn away from me, I pull her down in my lap and all talking and laughter in the room dies down immediately. Instead of paying attention to anyone around us, I grab a plate and begin to fill it with food. Once my plate is full, I pull out Hartley’s medicine and hand the pills over to her. She chooses the antibiotic leaving behind the pain pill though I know she’s hurting. Slowly the men and women resume talking and Hartley squirms in my arms. The only thing she’s accomplishing is making my cock hard.
Making no move to let her up for any reason, I hear a scream from behind us before Mona stomps her way out of the kitchen. She’s pissed and I couldn’t give two fucks about what she feels. Her job is being here to cook, clean, and make herself available for the men who want to fuck her. Or get their dick sucked. Well, until yesterday that is. Now, no one can touch her, and she has to be hating that more than anything else.
“Who made breakfast?” I ask, swallowing a bite of the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever had.
“I did,” Hartley answers, her voice barely stronger than it was last night.
My shocked gaze turns to her as I place a quick kiss to her temple. The clearing of a throat has my attention turning toward Talon. He’s staring at me with questions in his eyes about what the hell I’m doing. I can’t answer him because I have no clue at all. So, I turn back toward my food and inhale the rest of it.
Thoughts swirl in my head about Hartley and the way she seems to be twisting me up already. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours and I already feel as if my entire world is about to change. I’m not sure if I want that change for a lot of reasons. The main one being my position in the club. I’ll never willingly paint a target on a woman’s back because she’s with me. Honestly, I’m not ready for anything to shift around here. Unless it’s getting out of dealing with Sal and the Rossi family completely.
I like my life the way it is and have no plans to change it anytime soon. Hartley will be good for a few rounds in bed, but I can’t give her any more than that. Like I said before, she’s the type of woman you wife and don’t just use to get off and have a bit of fun with. My head is becoming more clouded the longer I’m around this little pixie.
Finishing up my breakfast, I tap Hartley’s thigh so she can stand up. Once she’s up, I stand and drain my coffee cup. Grabbing her hand, I lead her from the kitchen and toward my room. While she stands by the door, I pull a shirt from the dresser and put it on before placing my cut on over it. With my pockets full of all the shit I carry around, I pick up my phone and let Talon know I’m taking Hartley around the property.
For some reason, I want to talk to her and spend some one-on-one time away from the clubhouse and prying eyes. Part of me isn’t ready to let go of her and take her back to get her car. So, for now I’ll make do at the compound and see how I feel once she’s gone. I’m hoping it’s just the newness of someone who’s not around the clubhouse on a regular basis. Or someone who doesn’t want to fuck me because of my position in the club or the club itself.
Leaving the clubhouse, I walk with Hartley over to the garage. I grab the keys for one of the four wheelers and lead her over to it.
