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"'Sup, Playboy?" Grizz says, grinning at me.
"Good to see you," I murmur, sliding my palm against his then pounding our fists together. Like a lot of the guys who do security at shows here, Grizz works for Giant's company, Carmichael Security. They specialize in protection for people like Bender, celebrities with massive followings. Grizz is a fucking behemoth. No one gets past him.
"Of course you know him," Catriona says, sighing dramatically.
Grizz looks at her then back to me. "This one's yours?"
"Working on it."
"Nice," he says. "He's waiting for you guys. You need me to take you up?"
"Nah. I know where to find him," I say.
"Here." Grizz hands me two VIP passes. "Just in case anyone gives you a hard time."
I snort but take the passes anyway. When your face is plastered everywhere as often as mine is, people tend to know your name. And if they don't remember your name, they're smart enough to find someone who does before they stop you. I can't recall the last time someone questioned whether I was allowed to be somewhere. I could be on my way to rob the place, and most people would happily show me the way. It's goddamn ridiculous, honestly.
"Holy crap!" Catriona whisper-shouts.
I glance down at her.
"Bent is playing here tonight." She points at the giant banner stretched across the far wall. Bender's ugly mug is front center, his long hair, and dark eyes unmistakable. Women go fucking crazy over him. It's great for me. When he's around, everyone leaves me alone and bugs the hell out of him instead.
"Mmhmm," I say, chuckling. Most women would have asked a million questions by now about our plans for the night. Not Catriona. I think if I were anyone else, she'd have asked just as many questions and wouldn't have been satisfied until she had answers. But she knows she's safe with me. She trusts me to take care of her. "I thought you might like to meet Bender, little one."
"You know Bender?" She gapes at me.
"He's one of my brothers.
"Really? He's the one we're here to meet?"
"Yep."
"Catch y'all later," Grizz says.
"Thanks, man."
He gives us a two-finger salute and then takes off. I lace my fingers through Catriona's and head toward the stairs to go find Bender. The stadium is home to the Houston Rockets, so everything is decked out in team colors and memorabilia. Catriona barely notices. She walks quietly at my side for a moment and then peers up at me, her lip caught firmly between her teeth.
"You're a billionaire," she says. "Bender is a rockstar. Giant is…I'm not sure what he is, but he's something. Jude is a lawyer. Are there any normal people in your MC, Andreas?"
"Normal people?" I laugh quietly, leading her up the stairs to the second floor of the stadium.
"You know what I mean." She rolls her eyes at me.
"We're all normal, rabbit," I murmur. "We've just been fortunate in life."
"So that's a no then," she says, making me smile again. She's cute when she gets all snarky and sassy. "You're all ridiculously hot and crazy successful, aren't you?"
"First of all, I'm the only one you're allowed to look at," I say, hitting her with a hard look. "Everyone else in the MC looks like Peewee fucking Herman as far as you're concerned. Second, we're all successful, yes. But success looks different to each of us, rabbit. If Hands was asked to give up his practice to save even a single patient, he wouldn't hesitate. Hacker's family is probably worth more than mine. He could dominate the tech industry if he wanted to do it, but he's happiest here."
"I didn't mean it like that," she says softly.
"I know," I promise. "But my point is, each of us defines what success looks like to us and it's different for each of us. To me, success isn't money or power, little one. It's repairing the damage my father did to our company and our family. It's having a family of my own. It's love."
It's growing old with her. It's spending the rest of my life loving her.
Her expression softens, anxiety and consternation melting away.
