Page 10

Chapter Nine

“Where did all of these people come from?” I question Low as she pulls up to the clubhouse and shuts off the truck.

“It’s Friday night,” she says, like I should know what that means. “Put on something cute and meet me out back.”

“Okay.” It isn’t like I have anything better to do. I glance around at the sea of motorcycles and vehicles parked in the grassy field next to the house. Music blares from every direction, competing with the roar of laughter echoing around us. I grab my shopping bags from the back of the truck.

“Need some help?” Foolish wrestles them from my grip before I can decline his offer.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Oh my God, Dirty!” Low squeals and throws herself at a man who closely resembles Woods, but is slightly taller, with different tattoos. They could pass as twins. “What are you doing here?”

“I paroled.”

“Shut up. Should you even be here? Won’t you like get into trouble for being around the club?”

Foolish and I continue past them.

“Who is that?” I ask him.

“Dirty. That’s Prez’s twin brother.”

“His brother?” Huh. I was right about them passing as twins. I wonder if he’s single. Not that I want to go there. That’s the last thing I need.

“One of them. He has four.”

Interesting.

He kicks the front door open and takes my bags down the hall to my room and sits them on the couch that takes up the middle of the room.

“Are all of Woods’ brother’s bikers?”

“All but Fletcher.”

“What’s he do?”

“He’s the sheriff.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I don’t know. Just surprising is all I guess.”

He seems to shrug and takes off to join the party that’s raging out back.

I rummage through my bags and find the denim skort Low insisted I get and pair it with a yellow tank top. I leave my hair down and wavy and freshen up my mascara and lip gloss, then switch out the boots I’ve been wearing for a pair of the sandals I picked up.

I don’t know why I’m putting so much effort into how I look. Part of me doesn’t want to go out there, but sitting here in this room isn’t good for me either.

When I’m left to my own devices, I think too much. Especially about Woods. I need to get him out of my system. The only problem is my own advice to anyone trying to get over someone would be to get out there and meet someone new.

I do a once over in the bathroom mirror and paste a fake smile on my face. My stomach churns and burns. I’ve not eaten anything since this morning when Low and I got coffees and muffins at this cute bakery near the outlet mall.

Fuck it. I square my shoulders and go to the party happening out back.

Some of the older bikers have pushed some of the tables in the bar together for a poker game.

“Get me a beer, sweet cheeks,” the biker I saw on the porch yesterday orders me.

I do as he asks. They are letting me crash here. It’s the least I can do. I go behind the bar and open one of the coolers. There’s at least three different brands of beer, but I go with what I saw most of them drinking with their pizza last night.

I step between Hoss and some guy I don’t know. “Here you go.” I set it on the table next to him.

The other guy slides a rough palm up the outside of my right thigh. “You can lift up that skirt and sit right here,” he tells me as I try to remove his hand.

“Excuse me,” I tell him and attempt to walk away.

“Bitch, no one dismissed you,” he snarls and digs his fingers into my wrist, yanking me down onto his lap.

“Let me go.” I wiggle against him, trying to break free of his old, as the men at the table laugh at my discomfort. His erection pokes me in the ass, and I realize I’m in a dangerous situation. There’s five of them and one of me. Tears burn at the creases of my eyes.

“Let the girl go, Meathead. Unless you want your ass kicked. My nephew rolled up with her riding bitch on the back of his bike yesterday.”

“Oh yeah? Which one?”

“Me,” Woods growls from behind us.

“Shit, Prez. I didn’t know. She’s not wearing a property patch. I thought she was free game.” He releases me and I shoot up from the table.

Woods pulls me into his side, wrapping a possessive arm around my shoulder. “I don’t give a fuck what you thought. Is that how you treat women?”

“I didn’t mean no harm.”

“I know exactly what you meant. Get your ass up and pay the fine for touching what’s mine.”

My head snaps to Woods. His?

Woods releases me as Meathead pushes his chair back.

The room has grown quiet, and all eyes are on him and Woods.

He pulls a wad of cash out of his back pocket and slaps a few hundreds in Woods’ palm, which he then hands to me.

Before I even really register what’s happening, Woods rears a fist back and lets it fly right into the man’s face.

The guy’s head jerks sideways, and he spits out a tooth on the floor.

Holy shit .

“When a woman says no, she fuckin’ means no, motherfucker. Now get the fuck out of my clubhouse and don’t come back until I give you permission to return.”

Woods doesn’t wait for him to respond. He turns his attention to me, and the poker game picks back up where it left off, minus a player. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. You didn’t have to hit the guy.”

“Yeah, I did. Bastard knows better than to come around here pulling shit like that. Some of the girls around here may earn their keep by being fuck dolls, but they have the freedom of choice.”

“Okay. Here’s your money.” I try to hand him the bills, but he folds my fingers back over the bills.

“Keep it.”

Accepting it feels wrong, but refusing his order probably won’t grant me any favors either. I tuck the money into my pocket.

“I’m sorry about Meathead. Most ol’ ladies wear a property patch, so no one fucks with them. I should have gotten you one.”

“I’m not an ol’ lady.”

“No, but you’re damn sure not club pussy either.”

“Okay. Thank you for coming to my rescue again, but I’m also not yours.”

“You’re here under my protection, butterfly. I’ve been inside that sweet cunt. That’s about as mine as you can get.”

“I think your wife would argue differently.”

This big, bad biker pinches my chin between his thumb and finger, forcing my gaze up on him. “Don’t push me right now. I’m in a real bad mood.”

“Sounds like a personal problem.”

“I’m warning you now, babe. There’s one thing that really turns me on and that’s sassy assed women. If you don’t want me to prove just how mine you are right now, then you’d better shut that mouth and walk away.”

I gulp. I know I should walk away and not challenge him any further, but my feet won’t move.

I lick my lips, knowing his eyes are trained on the action. “Honey, I’m property of no one.”

“Say it again,” his voice comes off all raw and husky in that timber that makes the center of my belly go all melty like ice cream under the sun.

“I’m property of no one.”

His nostrils flare. “Not that, Jessika.”

I think back over my words. “Honey,” I whisper.

“Yeah. That.” He smiles. “Next time you call me that, I’ll be burying my tongue in your pussy.”

Heat rushes between my legs. My mind says no, but my body knows that there’d be nothing better. “You said a woman has a choice.”

“Your answer is written all over your face. Never play poker, butterfly.”

“Why do you call me that?”

“Because when I look at you, I feel them swarming my insides.” He taps the tip of my nose with his finger and saunters out the front door. I don’t know whether to run toward him or further away.

I stare at the back of the door that separates us for far too long.

“Hey, there you are,” Low calls from somewhere behind me.

I blink out of my Woods induced trance. “Sorry. My mind was a million miles away. What’s there to eat at this party?”

Hoss busts out laughing and I realize he heard everything Woods said to me.

Pink stains my cheeks, and Low shoots me a curious look. “You didn’t tell me you had other brothers,” I press, hoping she doesn’t ask what’s so funny.

“I have five of them total,” she tells me about them as she steers me through the kitchen and out the back door.

“Woods, you obviously know. That guy over there getting a new tattoo is Dirty. He just got of prison and is a little on the crazy side. Then there’s my brother Fletcher, but don’t bother looking for him here.

He’s the sheriff of Devil’s Creek. Austin is away at college and Billy…

” she gets this sad far off look in her eyes.

“He’s buried on the other side of the lake.

He wrecked his dirt bike when we were kids. Broke his neck.”

“I’m sorry. I lost my little brother, too.”

“What happened to him?”

“Got into my mom and her boyfriend’s drugs.”

“How old was he?”

“Seven.”

“That’s awful.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“Woods was with Billy when it happened. Really fucked him up for a while. Were you there when it happened to your brother?”

“No. I was at school.”

“Good.”

“Let’s talk about something else. Tell me the story with you and Gray. He’s looked over here about ten times.”

“There’s nothing to tell. Didn’t you say you were hungry?”

I give her the out because I understand not wanting to discuss your love life.

God knows mine is blown to bits.