“I’m gonna have Hope come to the fight with us,” I tell him.
Wrath lets out a sharp laugh. When I don’t join him, he stops and stares. “You’re fucking kidding, right?”
“No, why?”
“That’s no place for Cinderella. She’ll freak the fuck out.”
That reminds me. “Listen—whatever you’ve got against Hope, knock it the fuck off.”
Wrath cocks his head at me. “She complaining about me already?” As if that would justify him being a dick to her.
“I know you think you’re doing your job. I appreciate that, but don’t fuck with me on this. She’s going to be part of my life, so stop trying to scare her away. Focus on keeping her safe—that’s in your job description too.”
“Why the fuck you think I’m trying to scare her away?”
Christ, he’s impossible. I just continue to glare at him. He breaks our staring contest first. “Fine. You sure taking her to the fight is safe, though?”
Ignoring his sarcasm, I answer his question. “She’ll be fine. Z, Teller, and Murphy will be with us.”
Wrath’s jaw tightens. “Fine. I’d like to have Trinity there. Maybe it will make her feel more comfortable if Hope comes.”
My mouth stretches into a genuine smile. “Good. You want more of the guys to come?”
“Nah. It’s bad enough being in Viper territory. We’ll have the all clear for us, but we bring too many in, it could get ugly.”
He’s right about this.
“We’ll just have to make sure we keep our girls safe,” I say, completely serious.
Wrath’s eyes search the room, finally landing on Trinity. “Yeah. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
CHAPTER NINE
At exactly ten o’clock, my three drunk friends and I are on the sidewalk in front of Hamilton’s waiting for Mara’s husband. He pulls into a space in front of the restaurant and greets his wife with a big, sweep-her-off-her-feet hug.
I definitely miss Rock.
When they come up for air, Mara reintroduces each of us.
“Hi, Judge Oak,” comes out of my mouth automatically, because I’m nerdy that way.
He huffs a laugh. “You can call me Damon, you know.”
Through the back window, I spot baby Cora asleep in her car seat.
“Can I take a peek?” I ask Mara.
“Of course.” She hits a button, and the back window slides down.
“Oh my goodness, she’s so cute. I want to smoosh her little cheeks.”
Mara giggles. “Don’t. She really hates being woken up.”
“Wonder where she gets that from?” Damon teases in a low voice, and suddenly I can’t get the image of him tying my friend up out of my head.
He looks each of us over. “You girls okay to drive?”
Lilly chooses that moment to sway on her feet.
His mouth turns down. “I’m guessing that’s a no.”
Turning away from the baby, I answer, “I’m driving them, Damon. It’s okay.”
“That’s crazy, Hope. Sophie’s at least forty-five minutes away. How are they going to get their cars tomorrow?”
I shrug, because we really hadn’t thought that far ahead. In the back of my head, I know I’m just looking for any excuse to get to the clubhouse as late as possible.
“You girls can come home with us. I’ll bring you back to get your cars in the morning.” Damon gestures to the back seat. “Just don’t wake Cora.”
One look at Sophie and Lilly, and I smell trouble. They’re both tight with the effort of holding back laughter. Mara’s eyes widen, silently begging them to keep quiet.
“Can we have a tour of your playroom?” Lilly asks with big, innocent eyes.
Damon goes completely rigid next to Mara, who I’m pretty sure is about to kill Lilly. Sophie’s doubled over laughing and flashing her ass to all the patrons behind Hamilton’s large, plate glass window.
“Someone is getting a trip to the playroom, and it’s not your friends,” Damon growls into Mara’s ear. Since I’m standing right next to them, I hear every word, but shoot my gaze to the sky, pretending to hear nothing.
“I’ll go up to the MC with you,” Lilly says when she stops laughing.
“Uh, that might not be a good idea. I can’t guarantee you won’t see something that pisses you off,” I say as delicately as possible.
“I’ll go with you and kick some muffler bunny ass,” Sophie offers.
“Uh, not tonight.”
Damon’s shrewd gaze takes all of this in. “What are they talking about, Hope?”
Crap. I can see it now. Damon forbidding Mara from hanging out with me because my boyfriend is a criminal. Fantastic.
“Nothing,” I answer, hoping it’s enough to satisfy his curiosity.
By the time I make it to the clubhouse, it’s almost midnight. As I pass the turn-off that will take me home, I contemplate skipping the clubhouse all together, but I miss Rock and I promised to be there. When I pull into the yard, people are everywhere. Music is pumping out of the clubhouse. Front door wide open. I’m a little freaked out, so I pull my phone from my clutch to let Rock know I’m here.
And see he’s called and texted me at least ten times tonight.
And gotten Trinity to call me.
Whoops.
I didn’t think to look at my phone at all tonight, and guilt descends on me. I bet he’s been worried. Deciding to brave the crowd, I dart into the house. A few people stop to say hello, which surprises me. Everyone’s being extra nice for some reason.
I can’t see Rock anywhere.
Out with my friends downtown, my turquoise dress and lacy knit tights seemed cute and trendy. Here, I feel overdressed and out of place. This is nothing new—I always feel out of place. But tonight I wish I’d stopped home to at least slip into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
Screw it. The only opinion that matters to me is Rock’s.
Right after that thought, I spot him working his way through the throng of people. Everyone in the room disappears as we stare each other down. His gray eyes are dark with need. It’s been a long week apart. Yes, we’d gone to lunch a couple times and we’d spoken on the phone every day, but I’d woken up alone every morning and hated it. After seven days of loneliness, I am desperate for his mouth, his hands, his body.
He stops right in front of me and settles his hands on my waist.
“I’ve been worried about you. Why didn’t you answer any of my calls?”
My mouth turns down, not because he’s asking, but because I feel bad for not checking in. I know he worries, and he wasn’t asking anything unreasonable.
“I’m sorry—I never heard my phone. I didn’t realize you’d tried to call until I was sitting outside, and then I just wanted to come in and find you.”
That seems to wipe any remaining bits of anxiety off his face.
“You look gorgeous. How many guys would I have had to beat up tonight if I’d been with you?”
I frown. The answer is none. We hadn’t been hit on all night.
“No one.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Crisscrossing my forearms behind his neck, I pull him down and, standing on my tiptoes, feather a soft kiss along his lower lip. His arms tighten around me, and I sigh in relief. Our mouths meet again, soft at first as if after our time away from each other we need to ask permission. I hate that feeling. After a few gentle reunion kisses, the light brush of his mouth against mine intensifies, unleashing every bit of passion I’d craved this week. His tongue slicks along my bottom lip, and I open for him. We nip and suck at each other as if we were the only people in the room. Rock’s hands slide down to cup my ass, pressing me against him. The proof of how much he wants me pressing into my belly. Breaking our kiss, he touches his forehead to mine.
In a hoarse voice, he whispers, “Baby doll, I’ve missed you so damn much.”
“Me too.”
“I’ve been trying hard to give you the space
you seem to need, but it’s killing me.”
Hot tears fill my eyes from hearing the rawness in his voice as he admits this.
“I’m—”
He shakes his head, cutting off my apology. “I need to take you upstairs. You good with that?”
Before I can answer, the room erupts into whistles and catcalls. Rock groans.
The interruption reminds me of where we’re standing. “Let me run to the ladies’ room. It was a long drive up.”
He flashes a tight smile and lets me go.
Ducking into the bathroom, I quickly take care of business. While I’m at the sink, running a brush through my hair, the door opens and Roxy walks in.
“Oh, you finally decided to show up? Too much of a chicken to sit through the lecture Rock had to give everyone because of your whiny ass?”
I have no clue what she’s talking about.
“Everyone here knows what a stuck-up bitch you are. You better watch your fucking back from now on.” Then with a nasty smile, she adds, “Don’t worry. I kept Rock warmed up for you.”
Since I know Rock called me at least ten times, I’m not sure when he would have time to fool around with her skank ass tonight. “I highly doubt that.”
“You can’t keep a man like him happy for long.” She eyes my outfit with a scowl. “You look ridiculous here.”
I eye her torn, barely-there denim skirt and midriff-baring tank top with equal scorn. “We can’t all shop at Whores “R” Us.”
“Bitch.”
“Listen up, Roxy. . .or. . .Foxy or whatever the hell your name is. I understand you and Rock have whatever history you have. But that’s all it is. History. Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”
“Fuck you. Who the fuck you think you are?”
Fighting the trembling in my body, I straighten up. “I’m the president’s ol’ lady.” I fix her with my hard lawyer stare. “You don’t see Cookie around here anymore, do you?”
Her tiny brain isn’t sure how to respond. I use the pause to move around her and head for the door. I should have kept a wider path between us, because she grabs a hank of my hair and yanks. Hard.
I yelp out an unholy shriek and reach back to break her hold on me, digging my nails into her flesh in the process. Before I know it, Wrath and Rock are pulling her off me. Wrath carries her outside, while she curses and hurls insults at the whole world.
And that’s the end of Roxy.
Aw, just as I finally figured out her name.
“Fuck. Are you okay? I got nervous when you were gone so long, and when I saw Roxy come in here after you—”
“I’m fine.” I rub the tender spot on my scalp. “Well, I will be fine, especially if I never have to see that skank again.”
“Yeah, babe, she’s done. Cherry and Ginger too.”
I quirk an eyebrow at that cheery news. Rock must have used our week apart to do a little investigating. Those three were the worst of them for sure. No regrets that they’re leaving.
“I’m so sorry. This never should have happened.”
He ushers me upstairs. Most of the people have gone outside to watch the spectacle of Roxy, Cherry, and Ginger getting the boot.
“Rock, are the other guys, the rest of the club…are they going to blame me for this?”
“Doesn’t matter. They broke the rules. Everyone knows what happens.”
“Did you say something to them tonight?”
He shifts uncomfortably. “We had a meeting earlier. General club business. Just officially announced your position in my life. Told everyone they need to start showing Trinity more respect too, so it wasn’t only about you.”
Clever.
“Jeez, I hope the other girls aren’t going to turn on Trinity now.”
He cocks his head at me as he slides the key in and opens the door.
“You’re always worrying about other people aren’t you, baby doll?”
I’m not sure how to answer that, so I don’t.
Every part of my body sighed in relief the second Hope walked in the clubhouse tonight. I waited until I was calm enough not to give her a hard time for making me worry all night long. I promised I’d try not to be an overbearing dick, so I count to twenty before I approach her. This week without her has been the worst one I’ve had in a long damn time. I won’t risk a repeat.
She’s so beautiful. Inside my sinful world, she looks like a character out of some princess movie. I can see her eyes scanning the room looking for me and the nervous way she pulls on her bottom lip. People stop to say hello, and she flashes an anxious smile but responds to everyone with what I know is a kind word.
The blue dress she’s wearing flares into a skirt that swirls around her legs just above her knees. The material hugs her curves in all the best places. Curves my hands have missed gripping all week long. She’s curled her hair, and it only intensifies the princess thing she’s got going on tonight…until my eyes drop to her long legs. I’m not sure what the hell she’s wearing, but flashes of her pale, creamy skin peek through the black woven material, teasing the fuck outta me.
Fuck, that’s hot.
I want to take her upstairs and find out if they’re stockings being held up by some sexy garter getup or pantyhose that I’m going to rip a hole through so I can get to her sweet little pussy.
It’s unfortunate if they’re expensive, because they’re about to get ruined one way or another.
I can barely contain myself as I stop in front of her and grab her hips. By the tone of her voice, I can tell she feels bad for making me worry, so I let it go. She’s too damn beautiful, and I want her too much to risk any more fights.
After she trots off, I signal Wrath over. We wait where we have a good view of the hallway and the door to the bathroom.
Sure enough, Roxy stalks in there a few seconds later.
“She’s so done, man,” Wrath growls.
We hustle over, and as we reach the doorway, their voices come through loud and clear. Hearing my girl stand up for herself and proudly announce, “I’m the president’s ol’ lady,” does something to me. Christ, I fucking love how that sounds coming out of her mouth.
Murder is on my mind when I hear Hope’s short scream.
Roxy fights and kicks the whole way out.
Cherry and Ginger come running to her defense. Wrath bans all three of them and tasks Birch with getting them the fuck out of here.
That Hope is worried about Trinity after what just happened to her destroys me. She’s so damn sweet. Regret crushes my chest as I think of the pain I’ve caused her. Hope doesn’t deserve the way she’s been treated by people associated with my club.
There has to be a way I can make this up to her.
My eyes immediately go to the corner when we step into Rock’s room. What had previously been empty now has a wide, leather chaise lounge chair, reading lamp, and bookshelves set up.
Stopping to stare, I ask, “What’s that?”
“For you, baby doll. I want you to be more comfortable spending time here.”
I’m not sure how to respond. Overwhelming emotions pulse through me. It’s just some furniture, but the knowledge that he did all this while I spent most of the week avoiding him stuns me.
Then his hands settle on my hips, the heat of his body sending tingles over my skin. His lips brush against my ear, and a delicious shiver slides through me. “Want to try it out?”
Do I ever.
Approaching it slowly, I slide my fingers over the supple leather, then bend one leg and press it into the seat. My other leg follows, and I fold my arms over the back of the chair, arching my back.
Only a slight creak of the floorboards tells me Rock is now standing behind me. Fingers lightly trail through my hair and down my back.
“How did you know this was what I had in mind?” he asks in a rough voice.
“Great minds and all that,” I answer with a soft giggle.
His hand rubs up and down my back. “I like this color on
you,” he says absently.
My chest tightens. Roxy’s ugly words about me looking ridiculous echo in my head, and I sit back on my heels. Rock gives me a questioning look.
“Roxy said I looked ridiculous in your clubhouse.”
His face hardens, and he reaches out to tip my chin up. “My first thought when you walked in was how fucking beautiful you were.” His fingers skip to my hair, twirling it around. “I like the curls too.”
Lowering my eyes, I focus on my hands clasped in my lap. “Thank you.”
“No more talking about Roxy. I don’t ever want to hear her name pass your lips again. Especially not in here.”
A flutter of fury kicks up in my stomach. Ugh, picturing that little skank in here with my man makes me want to hunt her down and choke her out.
Rock’s gentle tugging on the ends of my hair pulls me from my ass-kicking fantasies. I lift my head back up to meet his gaze. “She’s never been in here, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Wow. Okay. Don’t want details, but that’s good to know. I let out a deep breath and relax my shoulders.
“Can we continue?” Rock asks.
The low rumble of his voice sends heat streaking through me. Too turned on to speak, I nod.
“Good, because I have a mystery to solve.”
My forehead wrinkles, and I stare up at him. He taps the back of the chair. “Put your hands here like you were before.”
Rising up, I brace myself the way he requested. His big hands slide down my back once more, this time flipping my skirt up. He sucks air in through his teeth.
“Fuck,” he groans.
Nervous, I shift to the side a little. “What?”
I’m not sure if he heard me, because he’s busy stripping off his clothes. Thud, thud go his boots. Clink of his belt. Rustle of his jeans being shoved to the floor. Each noise heightens my arousal.
“Take your dress off,” he orders from behind me.
Straightening up, I pull my hair to the side, revealing the zipper down my back.
Another feral groan from Rock as his warm hand teases the zipper all the way down. He helps me pull the dress up over my head. When I reach to unhook my bra, he stills my hands. “Leave it.”
He traces his fingers along the waistband of my tights, sending shivers of anticipation through my belly. “Were these expensive, baby doll?” he asks, low and sexy, lips brushing against my ear.