AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Same as you’ve been doing since running away from home. You learn to adapt. It takes time. Things got better when I befriended Atlas. We were in the same boat, bonding over shared experiences. With time, the other Navy cadets became my family. The crew is no different, Opal. You’re not alone anymore. You’ll make friends here and, with time, you’ll look at the MC as family too. No one is expecting you to acclimate overnight. There’s an adjustment period. It’s going to be okay.”
Brushing away my tears, I pull back to look at him. “But what am I going to do here? What about finding work? I’ve never not worked, Gauge.”
“First, we get you settled here in the club. You’ll stay in this room with me and the brothers closest to me. We’re limited on space if you haven’t noticed. If you don’t want to share a bed with me, I’ll find somewhere else to sleep. I’d rather you be more comfortable than me.”
After sharing a bed with Gauge, I can’t imagine not sleeping beside him. “I want to be with you.”
His crooked smile takes over his face. “Bedmates it is then. Second, we’ll look into the job. You don’t need to work outside the club. We have plenty of things here we could use help with that you’d be qualified for. Atlas will even put you on payroll like the other MC women who help around here. If I’m honest, I’d prefer you stick to the club until I know you’re safe from whoever is after you. But if you’d prefer to find something outside of the MC, I’ll make sure it’s secure enough for you.”
“As long as I can earn my keep, I’m fine working for the club. Not working isn’t an option.”
“Fair enough.” He sighs, wiping away the tears lingering on my cheek with gentle fingers. “I should’ve warned you about the other women who live here. It was a huge failure on my part. I’m sorry if they made you feel uncomfortable. Ebony is a good person to make friends with. She’ll be able to answer any of your questions if I’m not around. Red is quiet and keeps to herself most of the time. Candy… Well, you come to me if she gives you problems—I’ll handle her.”
“She doesn’t like me.”
“Candy doesn’t like any new female coming into the club. She’s trying to stake a claim on upper members, but she’s barking up the wrong tree.”
Talking about Candy reminds me of what she had mentioned earlier. I bite my bottom lip. “Gauge…what’s a bunny?”
He stiffens, cursing under his breath. “A bunny is what we call a club girl. They’re unclaimed, but occasionally chose to hookup with one of the crew members.”
Bile pools in my gut. “They sleep with the crew?”
Gauge’s eyes dart between mine, like he’s trying to assess how much this upsets me. “If they want to, yeah. But they’re not sex workers, if that’s what you’re thinking. No one is forcing them to do anything they don’t want to do. It’s their choice to be here. We provide shelter, protection, money, and they, in return, help around the club. If people hookup in the process, well that’s just a love connection or whatever you wanna call it.” He chuckles. “We look at this crew as a family, and the bunnies are an extension of our family. We wouldn’t be able to do our jobs as smoothly as we do without them. ”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “So, you do for them what you offered to do for me. Am I just one of the club women then? Am I hooking up with anyone I ‘connect’ with?”
Gauge’s gaze narrows. Taking me by the waist, he walks me backward until the back of my legs hit the lower bunk, and I’m forced to sit. He kneels in front of me, running his hand through my hair. It would be a tender gesture if not for the dread building exponentially in my chest.
“Listen to me, Opal. You’re not a club bunny. You won’t be sleeping with anyone except me.”
My eyes widen as my heart expands. He only wants me to sleep with him—thank God!
Gauge looks panicked. “I mean…fuck. You don’t have to have sex with me if you don’t want to. But I draw the line at sharing you with another. Club brother or not, I won’t be able to tolerate any of them being with you if you’re with me.”
He shakes his head fervently. “Scratch that. I won’t be able to tolerate anyone else having what I have with you, even if you don’t want me. I hope we’re on the same page.”
This man’s confessions are going to make me melt into a puddle.
My hand cups around his chiseled face, forcing him to give me his undivided attention. “I only want you, Gauge.”
The corners of his kissable mouth twitch up. “Good.”
I drop my hand, looking at the beige carpet. I don’t want to ask my next question, but I need to know what I’m getting myself into. “Do I have to share you?”
“Absolutely not!”
Relief is instant. I like to believe I’m a tolerant woman, but an open relationship is not something I could endure. A smile tugs at my lips. “So then, we’re exclusive?”
He gives me his trademark crooked smile before planting a soft kiss on my lips. “Yeah, Gorgeous. It’s just the two of us. Come on. Let me give you a tour of our humble abode.”
CHAPTERTWELVE
LEVI
Aquick inspection of the rundown neighborhood where Olina lives has Levi’s hackles raised. This is an unsafe area for his beautiful girl. As soon as he has her back under his care, he’ll punish her for being so senseless.
Olina’s data hasn’t come across his computer screen in months, which was making him nervous. He had gone back to her previous work location, beating the diner’s owner senseless until he got a location to investigate. Olina has too big a heart not to reach out to the people who have helped her along the way—her weakness to let go of those who treated her with kindness is his one saving grace.
