“Well,” I said with a yawn, “I’m going to pass out for twelve hours.You can stand in the kitchen all night like a guard if you want.”I leaned up on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.“Night.”
“Good night, Ad,” he said softly.
I went to the basement door, pushed it open, and crept down the stairs without turning on any lights.The shadows were familiar and welcoming.In the bathroom, I washed my face, then stripped off my clothes as I walked back toward the couch.I dug a black shirt out of my bag, tugged it over my head, and faceplanted onto the bed Mom had made while I was at work.
The sheets smelled clean, the pillow was soft, and exhaustion dragged at me.This wasn’t the life I imagined at thirty, but it wasn’t bad.I had a bed.I had food.I had a family who would always have my back, no matter how chaotic.
The only thing that wasn’t ideal was Mason.
But even that hadn’t been so bad tonight.If I could keep avoiding him, keep the distance, I’d be fine.Golden.
I exhaled, heavy and final, but before sleep took me, his face drifted through my mind.Mason, the same and yet more, was still the man who made my stomach flip fourteen years later.
I groaned into the pillow.Butterflies were the last thing I needed.
Sleep swallowed me anyway.
Chapter Four
Mason
The coffee tasted strong enough to wake the dead which was exactly how I liked it.I leaned against the kitchen counter in the clubhouse, steam curled up from my mug, and looked out the window.The sun was barely over the tree line, and the grass outside was still damp from last night’s dew.
“I don’t know how you manage to wake up so early when you shut that club down every night.”
Mac’s voice carried from the common room.A second later she came into view.Her hair was pulled back into a no-nonsense bun, and her blazer was wrinkled just enough to say she didn’t give a damn.She was in her late fifties, strong, authoritative, and as average-looking as they came.Not ugly, not glamorous, just solid.The kind of woman who blended in until she opened her mouth, and then you couldn’t ignore her.We had just met a few days ago, but I liked her.
I shrugged and lifted my mug.“I sleep until I’m not sleeping anymore.”
She blinked at me over half-closed eyes.“My brain cannot even compute that right now.”
I smirked as she shuffled toward the coffeepot.She poured herself a cup, added a splash of cream, and leaned on the counter beside me, sipping like it was life support.
Mac had been here for four days now.She stayed in the clubhouse while the rest of her crew rented out a house on the edge of town.She wasn’t a problem.Cool enough to talk to, didn’t push too hard, and we all knew she was just here to do her job.The sooner she got it done, the sooner she’d be out of our hair.
“You guys ever gonna start filming?”I asked, and nodded toward the corner camera they’d mounted up high.
Mac smiled at me over her mug.“That’s refreshing.The Iron Fiends were always begging us to turn them off.”
I chuckled.“The Fiends had a pretty good reason not to.They were dealing with more shit than any club should.”
“Yeah,” she huffed, “but that would’ve made one hell of a show.”
“You’re right.But let’s hope nothing like that happens here.”
Mac shrugged, smirking like she knew something I didn’t.“Who knows what will happen?All I know is we’re here to record it.The first season with the Iron Fiends is getting amazing reviews, and the network’s chomping at the bit for us to get you guys on camera.”
I pointed my mug at the lens in the corner.“Flip that sucker on and let’s get this show on the road.”
She laughed, and shook her head.“We’re looking at Thursday or Friday.Today and tomorrow, we’re grabbing filler footage of the town, the clubhouse, and the bikes.Good for transitions and whatnot.”
I nodded.“Will you be at the Social Club tonight?”
“To record,” she confirmed quickly.“Just the Social Club.We’ll need waivers signed from anyone in the shots, but it’s filler.The fans love seeing the clubs’ spaces.Hell, most of the people eating up the Fiends’ season are just there to look at their clubhouse and hangouts.”
I’d watched the first episode ofTreads.I got the appeal.For people who didn’t live it, the life looked wild.For those of us inside it, it was just… life.
“As long as Wrecker’s good with it, I’m good.”
