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“You can do wonders for a girl child with a pink comforter and fairy lights.” Sting beamed, looking for all the world like a proud papa.
“Fuck, Sting.” Smoke shook his head as he took a swig of his beer. “Not a daddy a month yet and already those girls stole your man card. Your woman gonna keep it or she gonna let you have it back when we go on rides?”
Sting just rolled his eyes. “Keep it up, and you’ll have guard duty from now till next Christmas.”
That got everyone laughing. Normally this would be when I’d find me a woman for the night. Relax and fuck until I was tired. I didn’t want to tonight. My head wasn’t in it. Instead, I went to the area we’d set up for guests at the very back of the main clubhouse. I figured that was where Brick had put Winter and Serelda. At least until we had time to relocate them to one of the houses in the compound.
I walked down the hall and saw Winter’s pale blonde locks disappearing through a door at the end of the hallway. When I got to the door, I knocked lightly. There was some shuffling before the door opened. Winter stood in the doorway, blocking my view and holding the line that protected her sister from prying eyes.
“Just thought I’d check on you.” It was lame, but it didn’t feel right not going to her. And it was definitely Winter I had a pull toward.
“We’re fine. Thanks for asking.” She stared at my chest, not meeting my gaze.
“You should come down to the party. Meet some of the guys. Iris is there with Sting. Stick with her, and the club whores’ll stay outa your way.”
“I suppose we should.” She didn’t seem convinced, looking over her shoulder. Probably to get Serelda’s opinion, though I couldn’t see the other woman. Winter guarded her sister like a pitbull. That was easy to see.
“There’ll be food. Always is. I’ll be happy to take you down.”
Again, she looked over her shoulder. “Maybe I’ll bring Serelda something back.”
“We can do that.”
“Go with him, Winter.” The sound coming from the inside of the room was eerily similar to Winter’s but husky. As if she didn’t use her voice much. “I’m tired from the trip. I’ll just take a bath, then rest.”
“I’ll bring you back something. You need to eat.” Winter was close to tears. I could see it on her face. Was she rethinking their decision to leave their home?
“You know, I can arrange for you to go back to Black Reign if you want. You’re welcome to stay, but don’t think you have to just because you’re already here.” I tried to sound gentle when I wanted to make the decision for her. Anyone could tell Serelda wasn’t ready, and Winter wasn’t being separated from Serelda.
“No.” She put her shoulders back and finally met my gaze. Her features hardened, and she put her chin up. “We’re fine. We just need some time to adjust.”
“She can take as much time as she needs. You too. No one’s gonna pounce on either of you. Take some time to get to know us -- but do it in your own time.”
“Wow. Seems like you might have made your peace with us being here.”
“Honey, ain’t got no problem with you bein’ here. I know you have emotional scars, and those are the toughest to heal. Some people never do.”
“Scars don’t heal. They always leave a mark.” She tugged self-consciously at her sleeves. They were long, but she’d pulled them up her forearms out of her way. Several scars from what looked like thin cuts crisscrossed her skin everywhere I could see. Now she covered her arms as low as the shirt would rest on her wrists. It made me wonder if she was covered in those scars all over her body. My guess was yes. Made me want to claw a motherfucker’s heart out.
“But you’re tougher for them. You survived. You endured. You went on.”
She stepped outside and shut the door behind her. “No. We didn’t. At least we didn’t get on with our lives. Not really.”
“This is what you meant before. About starting over.”
“It’s what we both need, but Serelda even more than me. We both need a fresh start. I’m hoping we can find it here. We only have to be brave enough to take it.”
The look on her face, the fierce pride in her voice made me believe Winter could take whatever she wanted. She was slight of build and delicate-looking, but inside she had a stout heart. Just made me that much more interested in her.
Winter headed down the hallway ahead of me and marched straight to the common room where the party was in full swing. Instead of hunting down Iris like I thought she might do, she went to the bar and signaled the prospect. He placed a bottle of beer in front of her before popping the top. She took a long pull while she looked around the room, sizing the place up. I leaned against a nearby wall watching her. I wanted to see what she’d do. How she’d react if approached by one of the brothers. Would she flinch back? Tell him to take a hike?
Retreat back to her room?
I didn’t like the thought of her being scared of any of us. Made me want to warn everyone off. The girl had obviously been through enough. She didn’t need a bunch of horny bikers making passes at her.
She finished her beer, then signaled for another.
“Word is you got a sister, little lady. She not with you?” The prospect leaned one elbow against the bar and gave her a cocky grin.
