Her mouth presses into a firm line.
“It is what it is, and your family grants us the ability to run the fights and move the pot out of this town, but they also have the ability to stop us, make us go broke, or put us to jail if they want to.”
She sighs. “I’ll print that contract my dad sent, and if we sign it, it may change his mind so that he stops blackmailing the MC.” She does not sound convincing. I’m sure the contract was to prove to Sophie I only wanted her money, but his end goal is for us to separate.
I wrinkle my nose. “Why does he care so much?” I ask, observing her. She’s an adult. It blows my mind he’s interfering so much.
“It’s everything. He’s protective of me and thinks being with you is dangerous. He doesn’t trust you.” She shuts her laptop and sits up straighter. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. What about you? Tell me more about your past.”
Maybe, if I gave her insight into my world, we could grow closer. “What do you want to know about me?”
A glint of interest glows in her eyes. A part of me is thrilled she wants to get to know me, but there’s nothing special about my past, before the MC.
“I know nothing about you, so anything.” She answers.
I clear my throat. “Well… Child Protective Services took me from my family when I was young. My parents couldn’t raise me. They were into drugs and had mental health issues, so I bounced from one foster home to the next until I was old enough to enlist in the military.
“The military was where I fit in and made friends with Bomber and Reaper. After serving for many years, we decided to make a life for ourselves outside the military. We knew other veterans were struggling, so we created an MC. It provided us with a place to call home.”
She looks away before asking, “Where’d you get the name Viper from?”
My lip tilts in a roguish grin. “As you know, I’m cunning.”
A small smile breaks out at the edges of her mouth. “And manipulative,” she announces. “Did you plan for us to get married, or was that a fluke?”
I lean back. “From the first time I saw you, I started to plan how to make you mine.”
She moves forward and playfully whacks me.
“You can’t tell me you’ve hated being here at the MC with me—and Zara and Bomber. I’ve noticed you getting along with other club members and their ol’ ladies. I saw you grinning when you were with your brothers, so you must be happy about spending time with them in Crown Village.”
Something flickers across her face. “Have you been in any long-term relationships?” she asks.
“I was never interested in anything more than sex. I never found anyone I was willing to commit to. Why aren’tyoumarried?” I ask her.
“I was busy. Modeling had me traveling a lot. Then I wanted to concentrate on my business. Marriage was never a priority. I’d rather go out with friends and hook up with a random.”
“Sounds like you’ve got commitment issues,” I say, amused.
She whacks me again, making me laugh. “Sounds like you do too.”
I shrug. “I guess so. The flirting and the sex gave me a temporary high…”
She lets out a long sigh. “I understand. I only wanted the sex… nothing else.” She shivers. “I don’t like being put in a position where I feel vulnerable.”
“Vulnerable how?” I ask cautiously.
She looks away, but I saw the sadness in her eyes.
“You can tell me,” I say encouraging her to open up.
“Being hurt again… like my parents hurt me. One rejected me, and the other is controlling and difficult to have a relationship with.” She looks back at me and attempts to smile. “Anyway… Look at us talking like an old married couple.”
“Well… we are married, wifey.”
“That we are… that we are… Talking about that, do you have any photos from the night we got married?”
I pull my phone out of my pocket, ecstatic she’s showing interest, and open the photo album and pass it to her. She grasps it, then smiles as she swipes left. “Aww…” she coos and puts her hand out to show me the photo. It’s a selfie of us smiling. Even though she looks drunk, with glassy eyes, she still looks hot as fuck.
