Want to pick up some burgers for us and meet me at the clubhouse?he asks.
Sure. How many?
I learned quickly that there are always a few brothers hanging out at the clubhouse all the time. I usually see a few girls I don’t know there, too, but they seem to keep away from me when I come in. Jules says they’re vamps, bloodsuckers for the club—or cum suckers, more likely.
The smile emoji he sends me means more than theThanks, babehe sends along with it. I can just see the same smile on his face. The one that’s all heart and warmth, happiness in full. He doesn’t say it, but each time I show how much I accept him and the club, it means a ton to him.
We got a few brothers around, so why not get a few dozen if you can? Nothing fancy, just pick up fries with them. We got drinks here. Club will pay you back.
See you soon.
I force myself to stop texting and at least pretend to care about the last day of school, even if no one else does. I mean, I am being paid to be here. Might as well look like I’m working.
“I think you might just be my new favorite old lady,” Domino mumbles around the burger he’s eating. Poor guy acts like he never gets fed, but I know he does.
And since I’m in such a good mood from all the praise the club has given me since I walked in with five bags of burgers and fries, I can’t help but cause a bit of trouble.
“What’s an old lady?” I ask with all the innocence I can muster. I should be given an award for not immediately laughing at the way his eyes go large. Probably would have cracked right away if he didn’t start choking.
I react on instinct and lean back as Reese comes up behind him and smacks him on his back. Hard. Pretty sure it’ll leave a bruise, but at least the guy is breathing normally now.
“Smooth, man. Real smooth.”
Reese kisses my forehead and takes a seat beside me after grabbing a burger and fries out of one of the many bags on the table. I haven’t really seen him since I got here twenty minutes ago. He came out only to give me a quick kiss and let me know he had something to take care of before he parked me at one of the tables in the main room and left me to fend for myself. Not that I need help. The club might be scary on the outside, but everyone is nice to me. Pretty sure it has something to do with the whole “old lady” thing.
I’m not an idiot. I know what it means. Okay, fine, I googled it the first time Jules told me she was one. I get that it means girlfriend, but about twenty times more serious. It’s borderline marriage for club members, or at least that’s what SuperBikerChick77 said in the chat I read. Not sure if I believe that or not, but I get that it’s important. Along the same lines of me bringing someone to meet my parents and friends.
I don’t do that. Never, actually. Sure, my friends and family might have known the guy I was dating, but I never showed up with one and said, “This is my man.” Which I did when I tricked Reese into joining me for dinner with my “neighbors.”
I don’t even think I realized the significance of it all till Mom called me the next day and went on and on about how nice it was that I brought someone home to meet her. I thought she was crazy, but no, I really never trusted anyone enough to show them my heart. And that’s what my parents are, a piece of me that will never be taken for granted or shared with more than a select few.
“Sorry, man. Didn’t know you hadn’t had the talk yet. Figured with you putting it to a vote and all a few weeks back that she knew.” Domino shrugs and looks sheepish, though not enough to stop eating.
I raise my eyebrow at the “few weeks back” comment and can’t help but smirk. “Thought I was a sure thing, huh?”
Reese sighs deeply and looks down for a second, shaking his head before looking back at me. “Never. Hoped you would be mine, but I knew it was never a guarantee.”
“And you figured if you just told everyone it was, then you could get away with not asking, like you do with everything else?”
He shrugs. “Maybe. Wasn’t really sure how it was going to play out. But I knew I wanted you close, and if I was going to be bringing you here, I needed to make sure others knew you were off-limits. Got no problem fighting for you, but I prefer fightingwithyou and making up than dealing with bruised ribs and watching you with another brother. Figured when we got around to talking about it, we would have a pretty good idea of where we were headed and what we wanted.”
“And wherearewe headed?” I ask as I place my hands on the table.
“Your call, babe. I told you before, I’m here till you kick me out or I drop dead. But even in death, I’m pretty sure I’ll haunt that fine ass of yours.”
I lean closer to him and smile. “Well then, you better ask me quick, or I might change my mind.”
His eyes go wide for a second before they narrow and he tilts his head. “Fucking Troublemaker.” He knows I pushed this conversation. I might not have understood where it would lead, but I knew more than I was showing at the beginning. And I guess I wanted him to say it out loud for all to hear. That I’m not a dirty little secret, and neither is he.
“Want to be my old lady?”
“Thought I already was.”
I quickly seal his lips with my own and enjoy the catcalls the boys give us.
This is what it’s all about. Being accepted and fully embedded with someone and their friends. This is all I’veever wanted. Full acceptance. And Reese gives me that.
He gives me that and so much more.
