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“Well, I’m not sure I agree with all of this, but it’s done. And I think you should definitely get a restraining order on Gabe before things get out of control,” he tells me. I nod my head and reach for his extended hand, shaking it before pulling away.
“I will. I didn’t think he’d follow me home,” I tell him truthfully.
“Well, I’m glad you got security at all times,” he says as I nod my head. I’m glad, too. It’s making this visit home less painful for me.
I walk to the door and pull it open, stepping into the waiting room. Ridge stands from his seat and walks over, smiling at me.
“You ready?”
“Yeah. I am.”
“You mind if we make a little stop before headin’ back to your place?”
“I don’t mind. I was going to see if you minded if we did a little shopping. There are a few gifts I need to get,” I tell him.
“We can do that. I just need to stop by and see my brother’s quick,” he says.
“Like at your clubhouse?”
“Yeah. That a problem?” He holds the door open for me and I step outside and shiver from the cold.
“No. I’ve never been to a place like that before,” I tell him.
“You’ll be fine. It’s just a place.” With that, he leads me over to my car, the one he hasn’t let me drive since he’s been here.
I watch the snow falling outside the window as we make our way. It’s beautiful this time of year; I just wish I had someone special to share it all with.
The drive doesn’t take long, and before I know it, we’re pulled up in front of a large brick building that has a logo and Bleeding Aces MC on the front. I glance over at Ridge, but he isn’t paying me any attention before he climbs out. I’m hesitant, but I do the same as he comes around to my side of the car. He rests his hand on my back, and a chill rolls over my body. How does he make me feel so much? I can practically feel his heat through my coat.
“Hey, motherfuckers. Miss me?” He speaks as soon as he steps inside. A few women’s heads turn, eyeing me up and down before they turn to look at Ridge.
“Who is this?” one of the guys asks as he walks over and pulls Ridge into a hug.
“This is Olson. Olson, this is Tarek. That’s Cage and Knight over there,” he says, pointing out the guys to me. He ramblesoff a few more names before I see his eyes land on one guy. He doesn’t look at him the same as the others. He almost looks pissed to see him.
“Nice to meet you,” I tell them as I take in the room. It’s big, with some pictures of half-naked girls on the walls, mostly pictures of motorcycles and things like that, and of course, their giant logo is painted on one wall. The paint is cracking, and it looks fairly old, so I find myself wandering over to it. I run my fingers along the chipped edges when I feel someone come up behind me. I quickly pull my hand away, hoping I didn’t offend anyone.
“Sorry,” I mumble when I look over my shoulder and see the man, Tarek.
“You can touch it. You’re not hurtin’ anything. That shit is old and crumblin’ off the wall. We need to get it redone,” he tells me.
“I could do it. I love to paint,” I blurt. What the hell, Olson? You don’t even know these people.
“No shit? You can paint? The old painter died a long time ago,” he says.
“I used to paint all the time. I just run out of time now,” I admit. I used to love to paint. It was fun and an outlet for me, but the busier I got in Hollywood, the less time I had to do it.
“You should definitely make time. We’d love to have you redo this if you have the time,” Tarek says.
“I’d like that.”
“What are we talkin’ about?” Ridge asks when he walks over, throwing his arm around Tarek’s shoulder. I can see it. The brotherhood, the family he was talking about.
“Your girl can paint. I offered her a job fixin’ this up,” Tarek tells him, nodding toward the painting.
“You can paint?” Ridge asks, sounding interested now.
“Yeah, I can. I used to paint all the time,” I reply.
