Page 7

Saylor

I felt the bed shift beneath me and was jostled gently, like someone had plopped down too close. It had to be Pirate.

I blinked my eyes open and expected his rugged face and messy hair. Instead, I found myself nose-to-nose with Dove, who was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said brightly.

“Um… hello?” I croaked, my voice rough like gravel.

“I’m not Pirate,” she added helpfully, as if that wasn’t already screamingly obvious.

A burst of laughter rang out from somewhere else in the room.

“I don’t think she hit her head hard enough to mistake you for Pirate, Dove,” Poppy giggled.

I blinked again and tried to figure out what was going on.

Okay. This… was not what I was expecting to wake up to.

“Do you need to be medicated?” a voice called out—Olive, maybe? I’d been around these girls enough to recognize some voices, but not all of them without faces.

“Why don’t you let the girl move before you offer to medicate her?” Mac’s voice cut through the chatter. That one, I knew instantly.

I rolled over onto my back with a groan and lifted my head to get a better view. Yep. I was surrounded. Mac was near the foot of the bed, with her arms crossed with a smirk on her face. Dove was still next to me. Sloane, Olive, Poppy, Fallon, Dani, and Adalee filled the rest of the room, like a damn biker girl slumber party exploded in here.

“Uh… hello?” I muttered again.

“I know we’re not as exciting to wake up to as Pirate,” Dani said with a wink, “but he had to go to church.”

“So we volunteered to hang out with you until he’s done,” Adalee added, rolling her eyes. “God knows he’s not going to let you out of his sight for any reason other than club stuff.”

I managed to sit up, and my body protested every inch of the way. I pushed my hair out of my face and tried not to cringe too obviously.

“How do you feel?” Fallon asked gently.

I closed my eyes for a second and did a quick body scan. “Better than I thought I would, but I’m still really sore.” I didn’t want to jinx it, but Pirate had warned me the third day would be the worst. So far, I could deal with this. “I think I need to get up and move.”

“Good idea,” Mac called from near the dresser. “The longer you lay around, the longer it’ll take to feel better.”

“Yes, mother,” I said with a tired smile. Mac was only thirteen years older than me, but in my world, she was a solid mother figure—blunt, loyal, fiercely protective, and not afraid to boss me around.

“Shower or food first?” Olive asked.

I squinted and wrinkled my nose. “I need to shower. I feel like I’ve got three inches of dirt stuck to me. I’m sure I reek.”

How Pirate had managed to sleep next to me without passing out from the stench was a mystery.

I scooted to the edge of the bed and prepared to stand. The moment I shifted my weight forward, the girls leaned in like synchronized swimmers anticipating disaster.

I paused and glanced around. “Um… what are you guys doing?”

“We’re making sure you don’t eat floor,” Poppy said.

Dove nodded. “Pirate was more than a little nervous leaving you with us. We’re just making sure the man isn’t proved right.”

“Yeah,” Mac added dryly. “I’m not into proving men right.”

“Okay,” I drawled, amused. I stood slowly. My legs were wobbly but held steady. “I’m sure I can make it to the bathroom.”

“We’ll be close,” Dove assured me.

I took a slow step forward. Sloane and Olive flanked me like bodyguards while Mac trailed behind us. It was overkill, but I didn’t say anything. Honestly? It was kind of nice.

“Can one of you grab me some clothes?” I asked.

“On it,” Mac said and veered off toward a black duffle bag sitting near the dresser. She crouched beside it and started digging through it like she knew what she was looking for.

Meanwhile, I continued toward the bathroom.

“I’m fine,” I told Dani over my shoulder. “Honestly.” I was sore—not broken.

When I reached the bathroom, I turned just as Mac handed over the bundle of clothes.

“I think I can take it from here.”

Mac, Sloane, and Olive exchanged glances like I had just said I was going to bungee jump.

“Get,” I said with a smirk. “I’m sore, not dead.”

Sloane and Olive backed away, but Mac lingered at the door.

“Don’t lock it,” she instructed. “And just holler if you need anything, okay? We’ll be right outside.”

I gave her a grateful nod. “Got it. Now go before I flash you.”

Mac grinned and finally backed out of the doorway. I closed the door behind her and left it unlocked like she asked.

I exhaled.

It was quiet. For the first time in what felt like days, I was alone.

I took a quick pee, flushed, and walked over to the mirror. Time to face the damage.

I stripped off my clothes, which took more effort than I expected. Every movement came with a wince or a hiss. I finally peeled off the last piece and looked at myself in the mirror.

Damn.

A dark bruise covered my lower stomach from where that bastard had kicked me. Three purple-and-blue splotches painted my left thigh—likely from when he tackled me. I turned a little and saw another bruise blooming across the curve of my butt. That must’ve happened when I hit the ground.

My arms, tattooed in bright, colorful ink, were still vibrant—but now had splotchy bruises weaved between the lines like some twisted mosaic. The cut on my forehead wasn’t huge—maybe three inches—but it was deep enough to leave a scar.

“Maybe bangs are in your future,” I muttered to my reflection.

There were a few other cuts on my cheek and chin that were all already starting to scab. At least the swelling was going down.

I turned on the water and waited for it to get hot. Steam filled the small bathroom quickly and curled around me like a cocoon.

When it was ready, I stepped in.

Hot water hit my skin, and I almost moaned. The heat soaked into my muscles and loosened the tight ache that had settled deep. I moved slowly and cautiously. Every bend and twist reminded me I wasn’t anywhere close to one hundred percent.

I carefully washed my hair, then my body, and moved over bruises like I was handling fine china. The shampoo smelled like Pirate.

I stood under the water long after I was clean, letting it wash over me and relaxing parts of me I didn’t even realize were tense. When the warmth started to fade into lukewarm, I finally shut off the water.

I stepped out and reached for the towel. I patted myself dry and moved back to the mirror. I brushed my wet hair slowly, and my eyes studied myself again.

It was still me. Beaten, bruised, tired—but still me.

The last seventy-two hours had been a blur of chaos, pain, and Pirate. Getting jumped, the ambulance, the clubhouse, the steady presence of his hand in mine—God, it was all so much. My emotions hadn’t even caught up yet.

A knock sounded on the door.

“You good?” Mac called.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. “I’m just counting all the bruises. I should be done in about a year.”

Mac’s laugh echoed through the door. “I think you should just say you’re one big bruise and call it a day.”

That… was accurate.

I pulled on the clothes she’d given me: black cotton shorts with a stretchy waistband (bless her) and a dark blue Fleetwood Mac shirt that hung off one shoulder. I didn’t even attempt a bra. That would’ve been a losing battle.

I cracked the door open and stepped out. Mac was right there, leaning against the wall like a guard. The others were all still here scattered around the room.

Sloane, Olive, and Dove were lounging on the bed—which they had made before claiming it. Poppy, Adalee, Fallon, and Dani were crammed together on the couch, and looked entirely too comfortable.

I took it all in, and felt like I had walked into some kind of sleepover-turned-intervention.

“Why does this feel like I’ve walked into an intervention?” I asked and raised a brow as I took in the room full of women sprawled out like it was their weekend retreat.

“It’s not,” Fallon said with a smirk. “Promise.”

“We just wanted to hang out with you,” Adalee added and lifted a mug of coffee from the couch like she was toasting me.

“You’re the guest of honor,” Poppy grinned. “This is practically a slumber party. We just forgot the snacks and wine.”

“Dani dropped the ball on that one since wine is her specialty,” Olive said and stretched her legs across the end of the bed.

Dani gasped. “Rude! I had no idea we were going to do this. I can always call Stan and ask him to bring some over.”

I laughed and lowered myself slowly to the bed beside Dove, who immediately fluffed the pillow behind me like I was made of glass. “You guys are ridiculous.”

“Maybe,” Sloane said, “but you’ll get used to it since you’ll be staying here. So now you’re stuck with us.”

“You say that like it’s a punishment,” I muttered with a smile.

It wasn’t. Not even a little. I liked all of the girls. I had been able to observe them the past two weeks or so since Mac and I had gotten here. I would willingly hang out with each of them if it wasn’t my job.

Mac leaned against the wall and sipped from a bottle of water. “Pirate didn’t want to leave you alone, but I told him we had it handled. He looked like he wanted to fight me.”

“That man is feral when it comes to you,” Poppy chimed in, and tucked her legs beneath her. “He’s gone mega-protective.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s just looking out for me.” I tipped my head to the side. “Not like I know why, but he has.”

Fallon shot me a knowing look. “That man wants to do more than look, and you know it.”

“As if,” I said and shook my head. “I am not that man’s type.” All of the ol’ ladies had the same type of look to them, and I did not fit into that at all.

That earned a wave of laughter and a few raised eyebrows. I didn’t have the energy to explain what I hadn’t even figured out myself yet.

“Anyway,” Mac said, drawing the focus back, “since you’re awake and moving, you eating or what?”

“I probably should,” I admitted. “But I just showered, and I don’t want to move again unless I’m being bribed.”

“I could be persuaded to bring you a muffin,” Adalee offered with a grin.

Dove’s head perked up. “Wait, which kind?”

“I still have some of the lemon-poppy seed ones,” Adalee said, and already slid off the bed. “And I might have one of Dove’s favorite chocolate chip banana ones, too.”

“You’re holding out on me,” Dove gasped. “You said they were all gone.”

“I accept bribes in all forms,” I called as Adalee vanished out the door.

When she returned a minute later with a plate stacked with muffins and a bottle of water, she set it on my lap like I was royalty. I bit into the banana muffin with an audible moan.

“Oh my god,” I said with my mouth full. “Marry me.” I got to see all of the goodies that Adalee made, but I never tasted any of them before.

“I don’t think Pirate or Fade would like that,” Dove said, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed.

“Fade knows he has to share me,” Adalee laughed. “Though I’m pretty sure he’d rather not.”

“Men,” Sloane laughed. “What would we do without them?”

“I’m doing just fine without one,” Mac called. “I had one for a few years, had a kid, and then he took off.” She smiled wide. “The man, not the kid.”

“You have a kid? How old?” Fallon asked.

“Twenty. She’s in her third year of college in Wisconsin.”

“What’s her name?” Poppy asked.

“Now this feels like an interrogation,” Mac laughed. “Her name is Star.”

“Pretty,” Adalee smiled.

“So,” Dani said, her tone more playful than probing, “you and Pirate…”

“Oh, no,” I groaned. “There is no Pirate and me.”

Sloane looked around. “Um, I hate to break it to you, girl, but we are in Pirate’s room, which has now become your room. I think there is more than nothing going on with you two.”

“I honestly have no clue why Pirate is doing… any of this.” I truly didn’t. Did I like it? Yes. But I was clueless at what had changed. “I know the Fiends are part of something bad, but he hasn’t told me what.”

Poppy held up her hands. “You’re going to have to ask Pirate that question. Yarder told me to keep my mouth shut about club business.”

All the girls nodded.

I guess I was going to have to get my courage up and ask Pirate just what was going on with the club. It had to have been bad for me to get beat up and the whole club to be on lockdown.

“I know why Pirate is wanting to protect you.”

We all stared at Mac.

“And why is that?” Dani asked.

“Something in him changed when he saw you on that stretcher, Saylor. I saw it happen.” Mac shook her head. “I don’t know if he saw you differently or if he finally saw you. Whatever it is, I can tell that boy is gone for you, Saylor.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, sure, Mac. I’m the one who hit my head, not you.”

Mac held up her hands. “I’m just telling you what I saw, and the way he is sticking to you like glue just proves I saw it.”

“I believe it,” Sloane said. “There is something about these bikers. It’s like they’re just living their lives, and then suddenly,” she clapped her hands together, “BAM! They’re in love.” She pointed around the room. “You all know what I am talking about.”

“Pirate is not in love with me,” I insisted. “We don’t even know each other.”

“Sharing a room together for the foreseeable future will fix that,” Dani laughed. “Smoke and I are still getting to know each other, and it’s been lots of fun.” She winked and couldn’t hold back her smile.

I covered my face with the empty plate. “You guys, no. You’re all crazy.”

“Just wait and see, girl. I don’t think you’ll be calling us crazy for very long.” Dove bumped me gently. “Just let it happen.”

I shook my head. “Enough, enough. How about I say I’m tired and need to rest?”

“Okay, okay,” Mac said and tried not to smile. “We’ll behave.”

“Temporarily,” Poppy added.

I leaned back and rested against the pillows. “You guys are chaotic and crazy.”

“That’s going to be one of the things you love about us,” Dani said and grabbed the remote. “Now, what movie are we going to watch? Pirate said that was all we could do with you.”

“What? We can’t go skydiving?” I joked.

“Next week,” Olive said with a wink. “I think you need to recover a bit more.”

I nodded and smiled. “I think I’m good with that.”

This didn’t feel like recovery. It didn’t feel like being broken or bruised or stuck in Pirate’s bed.

It felt like belonging and gaining seven new friends.

And that? That was the best medicine I could’ve asked for.