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My tension melting away, I grin. “Let’s go.”
I urge her to the door, and she hesitates when we step over the threshold. She doesn’t appear scared, but I stop to give her a minute.
“We can go back out if you’d be more comfortable,” I tell her.
She shakes her head vehemently. “No, absolutely not.” Makayla looks up at me. “I’m just taking it all in. I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it.”
I glance around the room to try and see everything from her perspective. Every stool at the bar is taken, there are several games of pool going on, the music is loud, and there are people I don’t know filling up almost every inch of the space.
“Is that good or bad?”
She squeezes my hand. “It’s fine, Viking.”
Turning so I’m facing her, I maintain our connection and rock back on my heels. “So, what do you want to do first?”
“Give me a tour?”
“You got it.” I twist to face the crowd again. “This is the common area.”
Makayla laughs, and even though the music is blaring, the sound of her
happiness is like Cupid’s arrow to the heart. I’m a hard man, a dead man, but I could listen to her laugh all day and feel the most alive I’ve ever felt.
“I figured,” she says. “It reminds me a lot of a bar you’d find downtown.”
I’ve never been to a bar downtown, or anywhere else for that matter, but I’ve seen them on Odin’s monitors, and she’s absolutely right.
I point to the door behind the bar area. “In there is the kitchen and also where we eat most of our meals. And down that hall,” I say, indicating the hallway across the room. “Is the bathroom and several bedrooms for anyone who visits or needs a place to crash if they’ve had too much to drink.”
“And where do you sleep?” she asks, but her eyes widen comically as her hand flies to her mouth.
I chuckle at her obvious discomfort. “There are more rooms upstairs. Quarters, really. We each have a room with an attached bath and small sitting area. When you’ve got that many guys living in such close proximity, it’s always a good idea to have space where each can go to be alone.”
“I get it. I lived in the dorms on campus during my freshman year of college, and I always felt a bit claustrophobic. It’s much better having my own house now.”
Conversation trails off, but it’s not awkward. Being with Makayla is… peaceful. Even if there’s a bit of chaos surrounding us.
“Hey, Viking!”
I whip my head around and spot Trooper stalking toward us carrying two beers.
“Who’s that?” Makayla asks.
“Trooper. He’s the president of another Valhalla Rising MC chapter.” When he reaches us, his gaze rakes over Makayla. “So, is this your old lady?”
Yes. I think so.
I can’t say that though because I barely know her, and what if I’m wrong? Besides, fucker knows exactly who she is.
“This is Makayla,” I supply, annoyance filtering into my tone.
“Well, Makayla, glad you could make it,” Trooper says. “Viking here has talked about you all day.”
Makayla’s eyes dart to me, seemingly stunned.
He’s going to wish he were dead when I get my hands on him.
“You’re so full of shit,” I snap.
