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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ICEMAN

I t was chilly in this dang car.

In fact, my nuts had been freezing since the day before, when I’d ticked Saint off by walking out of the kitchen to stop me from ripping asshole Sam’s head clean off his goddamned neck.

I didn’t expect my girl to tell me the gory deets about every sexual partner she’d had over the last two years, but I did expect her to inform me about any that hung with us.

At her house...

Every damned day.

The reason my nuts were freezing was that Saint hadn’t gone near them since that particular convo. But it wasn’t because I basically told Sam (in so many words) never to touch my woman again—though, according to Saint, that shit was bad enough.

No, the reason my woman hadn’t made any contact with any part of my anatomy was because of dickwad Gambit, the big-mouthed fucker.

I mean, why would he tell Boomer about the club whores?

Why?

It wasn’t a state secret, but civilians didn’t understand the reasoning behind the club girls .

Not only did our men have needs, but they also had needs.

It wasn’t as simple as just getting off; moreover, the boys—in our club in particular—needed release.

They needed help to sleep and relax. Hell, they needed help to function.

It was necessary for them, and sex helped them do it in a way where they didn’t need drugs to get their dopamine moving through their bodies.

It wasn’t the most efficient coping mechanism, but it was still healthier than taking prescription medication when there was a danger that the men could develop an addiction.

However, my argument came crashing down when Saint pointed out that sex could also turn into an addiction. The other part that came crashing down was that I didn’t actually have PTSD; I just really fucking liked sex.

So yeah, Saint wasn’t talking to me, and it was making things tense for everyone except Boomer, who kept looking between us and grinning.

He seemed to thrive on awkward silences because the fucker sat in the backseat of the club’s GMC Yukon on the way to the hotel, picking his guitar, grinning, and shaking his stupid head at the shitty atmosphere.

Lucky for Sam, he was in the other car with Ghost, Trick, and Jonny J, so he wasn’t in danger of being decapitated—for now—though I meant every word I said to him the day before.

He needed to stay the fuck away from Saint because I was already hanging by a thread, and if he made one wrong move, I knew that thread would snap.

The girls and Boomer were in the back of the Yukon chatting, so I took the opportunity to catch up on club business with Blade, who’d picked us up from the airport.

Talia had taken one look at Veep and smirked appreciatively .

I got it. He was a mountain of a man, and even I could appreciate the handsomeness of the dude.

He was dark-haired, tanned, and had piercing blue eyes that saw straight down to any mischief in your soul.

He could look at a man and assess their intentions from the get-go, which was a talent that came in very handy, not only during his military career, but also when it came to controlling a club full of men.

Veep turned his blinker on to maneuver the car off the I-95 toward Arrowhead Point and side-eyed me from the driver’s seat before asking, “Doghouse?”

I jerked a nod and rolled my eyes.

His lips twitched, and he muttered, “Whipped.”

I jerked another nod and proudly said, “Yep.”

“Can’t wait for Church,” he cut out under his breath. “This one’s gonna be good. Ice, the unbothered, is suddenly very fucking bothered. And there was Diablo thinking that Saint McClure was gonna be the next and last love of his life.”

“Hendrix mentioned he’s a fan,” I said dryly. “Never saw that one coming.”

“Why?” Blade asked. “Saint’s Rapture’s music’s cool as shit, and your girl’s beautiful. A lotta the boys are excited to meet them. Even Wyoming has...” His words trailed off, and he let out a quiet harrumph .

A chill ran down my arms.

Slowly, my head turned toward him, and I asked, “Wyoming has what?”

He took a left and drove down the lane that led to the hotel. “You’re about to find the fuck out.”

As he said the words, the hotel came into view, and my mouth fell open at the sight before me.

Going by the sheer number of bikes and trucks parked outside the hotel, the entire club had turned up to meet and greet.

The steps leading up to the hotel were packed full of people sitting and enjoying the afternoon sun.

They’d probably been there for hours, judging by the volume of empty beer bottles taking up the surfaces.

“They’re here,” a voice screeched, and my head reared back when I saw Sunny and Kady Stone run out of the hotel doors holding a huge white banner with the words ‘Welcome Saint’s Rapture’ emblazoned across it in red paint with the smaller words underneath declaring, ‘We love you.’

“What the fuck?” I muttered under my breath.

“Word got around,” Blade explained, his jaw ticking as he rolled his eyes.

“Told Prez it’s a security risk, but he couldn’t exactly turn the mother chapter away, could he?

Breaker, Atlas, and Abe are here, wives and kids in tow.

Cash’s ol’ lady has come too with that hellion son.

Oh, and Tristan turned up, though in fairness, he was planning on visiting Anna anyway. ”

The roar of Saint’s laughter inside the car cut through the moment, and I breathed an inward sigh of relief that she was taking all this bullshit in the manner it was meant, even though it was clearly the work of lunatics.

Blade glanced back at her approvingly. “You’ve got some fans.”

Saint busted out another laugh before replying, “Clearly. Just as well I brought my guitar.”

Even Blade—who hardly smiled—grinned widely as he drove the SUV into one of the spots close to the hotel that had clearly been reserved for the guests of honor.

I jumped out of the car and pulled the back door open, helping Talia out. Saint followed closely, and I took her hand as she stepped out of the SUV, glancing behind her as the car containing Jonny and Sam pulled up behind.

“You okay?” I asked.

She shot me a frosty look. “Depends. Are any of your fuck buddies there? ”

I shot a look at Tia, Heather, and Arizona stood in a huddle. “Well...”

Saint let out a huff.

“Baby,” I murmured, pulling her closer. “Don’t be like that.

Two years ago, I thought you’d fuckin’ ghosted me.

Do you think for one minute I would’ve gone elsewhere if I knew what had happened?

Jesus, you’re all I’ve thought about for two years.

Looked for you in every woman I’ve come into contact with and found them all lacking in every way.

Sex is sex, but with you, it’s more, so please don’t get it twisted. ”

Her lips pursed, but at least she didn’t pull away that time. Instead, she put her hand in mine, nodded toward the crowd, and said, “In that case, I guess you’d better introduce us.”

One side of my mouth quirked, and I pulled her into my side, sliding an arm around her waist until my hand rested on her hip. “Come on. It’s time to meet the family.” I guided her toward the hotel, taking in all the excited chatter and expectant faces.

Hendrix walked down the steps to meet us, baby in arms, Anna by his side, and a sardonic smile across his face. “About fuckin’ time,” he drawled as soon as we were within earshot. “These assholes have driven me bonkers all morning.”

Saint’s eyes went to the crowd, and she blushed.

“This is Hendrix, Anna, and little JT,” I announced, turning to my woman. “Guys, meet Saint.”

Anna stuck her hand out. “Hi!”

Saint dropped my hand and waved Anna’s away before pulling her in for a hug, murmuring, “Jacob’s told me so much about you, and yes, it’s all good.”

I puffed my chest out proudly because that was my woman all over. No airs or graces, and no diva behavior. Just down-to-earth, good old-fashioned joy to be here, meet new people, and put them at ease .

“As you can see, Saint doesn’t stand on ceremony,” I told them.

Hendrix took in the scene. “Just as well ‘cause I give it five minutes before some fucknut says somethin' stupid to her.”

Saint pulled back from Anna and moved toward Hendrix, smiling down at little JT in his arms. “Same,” she concurred.

“My drummer’s an asshole, too, but he’s a sweetheart when you get to know him.

” She shot Jonny a wry look and then added, “Eventually.” She pulled a hovering Talia into the circle.

“This is Talia, my manager and best friend.”

“Welcome,” Anna said, nodding toward me. “Can’t wait to get to know the woman who’s settled this one’s ass down.”

Saint laughed melodically. “He’s not so bad.” She dropped her voice as if she were sharing state secrets. “You just have to learn how to use sex as a weapon.”

Anna burst into a laugh. “I hear ya, sister.” She threaded her arm through Saint’s and pulled her up the steps toward the other women. “Come meet the girls and Tristan.”

Saint looked around and gave me big eyes, grabbing Talia’s hand and pulling her along with them as they chatted.

I watched my girl go, and I knew pride shone from my eyes.

In one fell swoop, Saint had made everyone fall in love with her, and not with the rock star they saw on a late-night chat show or performing at an awards ceremony, but with the real person.

“We’ve got Church in an hour,” Hendrix informed me.

“Has something happened?” I asked.

“No, but the profile’s in, and we need to talk about it. Colt’s also uncovered a few things we need to discuss.” His gaze slid toward Boomer, Jonny, and Sam, who’d been greeted by a few of the guys and were chatting with them, along with Gambit, Trick, and Ghost.

My curiosity was piqued by the way his stare went straight to the boys. “Need to show Saint our room, get the band and Talia settled in, and then I’m all yours.”