Page 27 of Defended by Bama (Royal Bastards MC: Mobile, Alabama #1)

Bama

Whatever came over Linny was fine by me.

She’d asked about the first night she came to the clubhouse a few times and I wondered if she compared herself to the bunnies.

She wasn’t cut from the same cloth as them.

Hell, most women weren’t. She was sexier and more adventurous than she realized, though.

And fucking in front of my brothers wasn’t going to happen, ever.

I never was down for that anyway, and I’d rip anyone’s eyes from the socket if they saw her naked.

What we had was perfect, and she didn’t need to be like anyone else.

It was bad enough when she hung out at the pool.

Some of these fuckers looked, but I almost couldn’t blame them.

Still, after a few stern looks from me, and some comments, they learned to avert their eyes.

But I was glad she was comfortable here.

Even though I didn’t want anyone looking at her, I liked that she was getting to know some of my brothers.

Having her at the clubhouse made things feel more complete.

I’d pledged my life to the club and my brothers, but she was part of my life now, too.

I’d been working on something for Sofie at the clubhouse, too, but I hadn’t mentioned it to her yet.

She had been coming to help Glenda and the others with some upkeep, and it had only been a few weeks.

She was getting a feel for the place, and the people.

After the first week, she asked about taking Sofie after school and on the weekends to swim.

It was a lot closer than the beach and honestly, after the run in with the Bloody Scorpions in Pensacola, the partying had died way down.

Skeeter and Runt got their colors, but Hammer wanted to chill on any new members until after Thunder Beach next month.

He had eyes and ears listening out to see if there had been any rumblings about what happened in Pensacola, but being around thousands of drunk bikers was an even better way to get info.

We had other business there as well, but we’d definitely be trying to find out more about any new chapters for the Scorpions and if anyone had suspicions about us breaking up their little party.

So far, none of our other buyers tried any shit or ghosted us. Even Benny had been extra punctual at our last meeting. But it hadn’t been too long since shit went down, so we couldn’t let our guard down.

“So, is this your room?” Linny asked as she came out of the bathroom.

“It’s where I crash when I’m here overnight.” I’d been in that room less and less since she and Sofie showed up at my sister’s but it was still mine when I needed it.

Linny walked around, looking at the small dresser, dragging her finger over the desk then pulling back the blackout curtains. “View of the pool. Not bad.” Still looking down, she said, “I’ve been in here but didn’t know it was yours.”

My mind went haywire, not registering why she would be in there. Did one of the guys bring her here? “Who the fuck were you in here with?”

She turned, her brows high and her eyes wide. “Glenda, and once with Pinkie.”

Again, I was calculating why when I finally peeled my eyes from her and saw my trash bin empty. “Shit. Sorry that came out so–”

“Aggressive? Accusatory?” She stood by the window, arms now crossed.

Walking toward her, she stiffened as her brow furrowed. She flinched as my hand went to her cheek. I meant to cup it, but her action made me pause. “Linny, I’ll never lay a hand on you like that.” My hand slowly went to her face, and she leaned into it, covering it with hers.

Sighing, she said, “I know. You just seemed so mad and then stomped over here.”

My other hand went up, both now cupping her face. “I’m sorry I scared you. And I’m sorry I sounded like a dick. My mind went to a bad place and the thought of anyone touching you…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

She grinned. “Even Pinkie? Don’t men fantasize about that, or something?”

Shaking my head, I said, “No. I don’t want anyone else to have you. That may sound bad, but you’re mine. All mine.”

Her blue eyes stared up. I couldn’t tell what she was feeling.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Linny. Am I saying all the wrong things?”

Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. “I haven’t seen this from you, is all. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s to question and communicate. My compliance and silence were what got me into trouble before.”

My thumbs brushed over her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped. But to be fair, you’re a little possessive, too.”

Her mouth fell open. “Am not!”

Smiling, I said, “Oh yeah, tell that to the poor women at the daycare center. If looks could kill, they’d all be dead. Well, except that one always up front, but she’s kinda scary.”

“That’s different. They’re all checking you out while I’m standing right there! And for all they know, you could be Sofie’s dad.” She threw her hands up.

This time, my mouth fell open.

“Shit, you know what I mean. Forget I said that,” she blurted out.

These girls were everything to me. Like she said, weeks ago, I couldn’t remember how it felt without them in my life.

The reason I was so possessive was because I was scared to lose that feeling.

The feeling I had since they came. This wasn’t how I thought I’d tell her.

but fuck it. “I love Sofie. And I may not be her father, but I think I could be her dad. And,” I said as I lifted her face. “I love you, Linny.”

Tears filled her blue eyes and her face reddened. Her lips trembled like she was trying to speak but couldn’t. I didn’t care if she said it back, only that she knew how I felt, so I covered her mouth with mine, her warm, salty tears rolling down onto our lips.

Her tiny hands balled my shirt, pulling me closer as she kissed me back as hard as I kissed her.

I’d pinned her to the window when a bang on the door broke up our moment.

“What, goddammit?” I shouted over my shoulder.

Glenda yelled through the door, “Her food is getting cold and you don’t have much time before Sofie’s out of school. Hustle up.”

Annoyed that we were interrupted and that she was right, I turned back and stole another deep, but short kiss. “We’ll pick this back up later.”

I started to let her go, but she grabbed my wrists, keeping my hands on her face. “Bama, I love you, too.”

Lifting her from the ground, I practically devoured her mouth as her legs tightened around me. I wanted to take her right then and there, but she giggled against my lips.

“Bama, we can’t be late picking her up.”

A playful growl rose in my throat. “You’re right. But we are definitely picking this back up later. I hope Sofie played hard today.”