Page 11

11

Legacy

A noisy clubhouse has never bothered me. If anything, it helps me stay out of my head this late at night. The moment Bea goes to bed it’s so damn quiet in my house it’s nearly unbearable. The clubhouse gives me something to drown out the doubt that takes over in the silence.

Which is why I appreciate that tonight my temples throb. Loud enough to almost drown out the fact that I’m wondering what Reagan is doing while I sit on my favorite stool and sip a beer.

Almost .

She’s threaded through my thoughts. Living in my head.

She’s the reason I’m here at all when Bea is having a sleepover with Austin at Steel and Tempe’s house. I took one look at her in her cutoff shorts and knew if I didn’t get out of there, I’d do something I shouldn’t. Reagan might only be here temporarily, but as long as she is, I need to keep my hands off her.

After all, I’ve got plenty of options at the clubhouse if I need to blow off steam. Even if Reagan being on my mind is making it fucking impossible to consider any of them right now.

Why do her eyes make me question every other woman I’ve spent time with?

Why does her smile make me doubt who I am?

I don’t have the answers. All I know is that I’m slowly memorizing every hint of her happiness. From the wide smile she offers when she’s cooking with Bea to the devious grin that she gives me when she’s pushing my buttons and calling me Legacy.

Reagan Brady is a puzzle I can’t help but try to figure out.

Havoc sits on the barstool next to mine. He’s been quiet for the past few minutes, sipping his drink.

Reina and Wren step into the room opposite where we’re sitting, and Reina’s eyes immediately narrow when they land on Havoc. Instead of draping herself over him like she’s been doing this past month, she leads Wren outside, glaring at him.

“What was that about?” I ask while he watches her disappear.

“She’s still pissed I kicked her out of my room earlier. Wasn’t in the mood.”

Havoc isn’t as bad as Soul and Chaos are with women, but he’s no priest. His bed is rarely empty when he’s around. And flat out turning down Reina isn’t like him .

“You all right?”

“Fine.” His fingers strum against the neck of his beer bottle. “Just tired.”

Havoc’s never tired. The military trained that out of him. He works almost as much as Steel does, and I’ve never seen him so much as yawn. Which means he’s definitely lying.

“Hmm.” I glance back at Reina, who is standing on the other side of the glass door laughing at something Mayhem said.

Knowing Reina, she’s trying to make Havoc jealous, but it won’t work even when he is taking her to bed.

“Legacy!” Chaos shouts my name, stopping in front of me with a woman attached to either side of him. “There you are.”

For years, Chaos and I have been each other’s unofficial wingmen. With our opposite taste in women, we can usually split up a pair of friends easily, which is clearly what’s on his mind tonight.

“Ladies, this is the man I was telling you about.” Chaos grins.

Havoc grunts, sliding off his barstool. “I’m going for a ride.”

“What’s his deal?” Chaos watches him walk away.

“No fucking clue.”

Chaos doesn’t dwell on it as he releases the blonde from his grip and practically shoves her toward me. “Legacy, meet Glenda.”

“Gwen,” she corrects him, but there’s not the slightest hint of annoyance as she smiles at me. “I’m Gwen. ”

“Legacy.” I nod.

Chaos knows my type, and this girl is it. Her blonde hair falls just above her shoulders, showing off her full tits. Her red lips curve in a wicked smile when she catches me looking her over, and it’s the only invitation I’d usually need to buy her a drink and sweet talk her back to my room.

But when she steps forward, grazing her hand on the point of my knee, my body physically rejects her touch. I sit up straighter, pulling my leg back.

Gwen doesn’t notice, coming to stand near me. But Chaos does. His eyes fasten on my every movement as he takes a sip of his drink. And when he lowers his beer, amusement ghosts his cheeks. Proof of his underlying reason for bringing Gwen over here.

While most of my brothers are oblivious to certain things, Chaos sees it all. Ever since Reagan walked into the clubhouse that first night, he’s been throwing girls at me, seeing if any of them will make me break.

They haven’t yet.

Chaos whispers something in the ear of the dark-haired girl under his arm, and her cheeks flush.

“You two have fun.” He winks at Gwen, tugging her friend along. “We’re going to find someplace quieter.”

Wonderful.

Without Havoc as a barrier, I’m stuck alone with Gwen, who won’t stop looking at me like the sun is rising over my head. Her teeth tease her lower lip while her lustful gaze travels over me. Chaos sure as fuck knows what he’s doing because if I wanted her, it wouldn’t take much to get her out of her dress.

“Need a drink?” I ask, noticing the melted ice sloshing around in her glass.

Just because I’m not interested in entertaining her doesn’t mean I’ll be the asshole who has her running to grab her friend, ruining Chaos’s night.

“Vodka cranberry.” She smiles.

Of course she wants a vodka cranberry.

They always want a vodka cranberry.

I glance over my shoulder, eyeing one of the new prospects working behind the bar. He’s already heard her order and is working on it, either because he’s trying to get on my good side or because Gwen is pretty, and she has his attention.

Gwen presses to my side, pulling my attention. Her chest pushes up against my arm, and her peaked nipples graze my bicep. She plants a delicate hand on my thigh, and it all should be enough for me to want to shove my cock down her throat. But I meet her eyes and feel… nothing.

Her gaze darts to a group of girls in the corner, who are clearly egging her on.

“Are those your friends?”

“Yeah.” Gwen smiles. “It’s Natalie’s bachelorette party.”

Of course it is.

And it shouldn’t offend me when that’s why most outsiders come here. But something about how temporary we are to everyone has been getting under my skin lately. It eats away at all the other shit festering around. Things I used to be better at keeping buried until that bullet grazed my mortality and ripped me open.

“Hey.” An elbow knocks my arm as Ghost slides onto the barstool next to me.

“Shit, man, make some fucking noise. When did you get here?”

He smirks, but his eyes are on his phone. “Jumpy, brother?”

“Fuck off.” I take a pull of my beer.

“That’s how we ended up on the Strip earlier…” I guess Gwen is still talking because I realize she’s in the middle of a story. “But then Olive said she came here last time she was in town, and it was better than any of the clubs. That’s when we ran into Chaos.”

“You met him at Sapphire Rise?” I’m having trouble keeping up when I’m barely listening.

I don’t even know why I’m still entertaining this conversation.

Gwen nods, her eyes lit because she thinks I care.

Fuck, I’m such an asshole. Reagan is right.

Reagan .

Like she’s summoned by the universe, blonde hair at the doorway catches my attention. At first, I see Luna, and I think my eyes are playing tricks on me, but then there she is.

Reagan stops at Luna’s side, assessing the room. Her gaze sweeps the madness a little more than last time she was here, when she was clearly trying to avoid looking at anything like it’d save her soul from the trauma of it .

Her stare finally lands on me after a long sweep before skipping to Gwen at my side. Gwen doesn’t notice as she slides her hand from my thigh to my arm, but Reagan’s eyes trace the entire movement before she breaks her gaze entirely.

The room dims in that split second. My mind swims, and I know it’s not the beer because it’s my first one.

“Did you know Luna was bringing Reagan here tonight?” I ask Ghost, ignoring the fact that I’m cutting off Gwen, who is still talking.

He nods, and it has me gripping the bottle tighter because she didn’t say shit to me about it when I left earlier.

Luna starts leading Reagan over to us, and I don’t miss her resistance. Her eyes stay anywhere that isn’t on me like she’s actively avoiding me. She spots Mayhem sitting on the couch getting head, and her cheeks turn bright red.

She’s too fucking sweet for this place.

Begging to be ruined.

The crowd splits for them, and I get a full view. She’s wearing another white sundress with daisies covering it. How many tiny dresses can the girl possibly own?

If I thought the first one was tempting, then this one is something else. Deliciously short, showing off the thighs I’d like to dig my fingers into while I take her lush ass from behind.

That’s something I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about as Luna releases Reagan to jump into Ghost’s arms.

Only then does Reagan finally look at me .

Lightning strikes.

A star crashes to earth.

Her brown eyes sparkle, edging on gold.

A constellation of freckles dot her cheeks, and I’m lost in her galaxy.

“You came?” I try to sound nonchalant as Reagan stops in front of me.

“Luna offered since Bea is with Austin tonight.”

“Is Bea your daughter?” Gwen asks Reagan, cutting in and reminding me she’s still standing here.

Touching me.

So close, all I smell is her perfume.

Reagan opens her mouth, but I lift off my stool, answering for her, “No, she’s mine.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were a dad.” Gwen’s eyes brighten at the realization.

Something about her excitement turns me off even more, which is why I never talk about Bea at clubhouse parties. Women get the impression that just because I’m a dad, it means I’ll want something serious from them.

I don’t.

“Shit.” Venom bumps into the back of Gwen, spilling her drink on the floor. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”

Gwen spins, her eyes widening on Venom. “It’s fine.”

He grins back, and I use the distraction to put some distance between us. Venom looks at me long enough to confirm I have no interest, and when I shake my head, he leads her away.

Reagan watches the scene play out, and I wish I knew what she was thinking .

“Want a drink?” I offer, expecting her to tell me to fuck off.

“Really?” Her eyebrows pinch. “You’re not going to try to kick me out of the party?”

“Why would I kick you out?”

“Because that’s what you did the last two times I’ve been here.”

I’m an asshole. Fair enough.

“It’s fine.” I shrug, shoving down the thought that I’m too curious to see what she’ll do if I don’t make her leave. “Stay if you think you can handle it.”

She rolls her shoulders back and slides onto the stool next to me. “Don’t worry, Legacy . I can handle myself just fine.”