Page 12

Waverly

I T TOOK ME a little longer than I would have liked to get myself under control, and when I called Gio back, he didn’t answer. I tried twice more, and nothing.

This brought on a whole new batch of tears, realizing that he’d probably decided he didn’t want to talk to me after all and we were done. This was probably why, when my doorbell rang, I was too overwrought to check my camera and just pulled open the door instead.

“Hey,” Gio said, and I nearly crumpled in front of him. “Jesus, baby, you’re still crying?”

“No, these are new tears,” I admitted as he hobbled in, closing the door behind him.

“Okay, come here,” he said, holding his good arm out to me.

“Can you stand without the walker?” I asked.

“I’m gonna try.”

I slid my arms around his waist, and he engulfed me as he wrapped his around me. I wasn’t sure who was holding who up as I sobbed into his chest. “I thought you weren’t answering my call because you weren’t going to let me apologize.”

“No, I was going for a dramatic entrance,” he said.

“Well, you did that.”

“I’m sorry I made you cry.”

“I deserved it.”

“Ah, no, you did not,” he growled.

“I’ve kind of been a bitch, so, yes, I did.”

“Take it back.”

“Take what back?”

He gave me a squeeze. “Never call yourself a bitch again.”

“Well, I’ve been unfair in my treatment of you, and I’m sorry.”

“After what you’ve been through, it’s understandable.”

“Maybe. But once I got to know you, I should have given you more grace.”

“That can be said about a lot of situations,” he said, raising my chin. “I should have told you the truth at the beginning.”

I sniffed. “Can we start fresh?”

“Yeah, baby, we can start fresh. ”

“Can you stay for a little while? Ask Katie to come back?”

“My sister actually drove me.”

I gasped. “Oh. Um. Does she hate me?”

“My sister?”

I nodded.

“No.” He smiled gently. “Do you want to meet her?”

“I’m a mess, Gio.”

“She won’t care.”

“ I care.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her to head on back to the club.”

“Your sister’s part of the club?”

“No, it’s family night tonight, so everyone’s there.”

“I pulled you away from your family? I’m so sorry. We can do this another time,” I said, starting to pull away.

He held strong. “ No , this is more important.”

“I really don’t want to—”

“Baby, stop,” he bossed, then leaned down to kiss me.

I gripped his cut as I opened my mouth and his tongue met mine in a kiss that was more than just sweet, it was desperate. It was as if we had been devoid of breath, and we were giving each other life again.

“Wow,” I whispered.

“Yeah. I’m gonna tell my sister to go.”

“I’ll drive you home.”

“Okay.” He smiled. “You good?”

I nodded .

“Okay, ’cause I need to get off this leg.”

“Oh my god, honey, I’m so sorry.”

He smiled so wide, I thought his face might melt.

I cocked my head. “What?”

“Love that you just called me ‘honey.’”

I rolled my eyes. “Come on, let’s get you to the chair.”

Once he was settled, he texted his sister to let her know she could leave, and then I sat on the coffee table facing him. “Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?”

“No, I just ate my weight in burgers and pie.”

“A beer?”

“Before I get too comfortable, we need to talk.”

I bit my lip. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Baby, if we’re gonna make this work, you need to know everything. So, you’re gonna get everything.”

“I thought you already told me everything.”

“No, I’ve told you most of it, but not all of it, so I’m gonna give it all to you now and then it’s your choice to walk into this with me.”

I pressed my lips into a thin line. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“As I’ve said, a one-percent club is gunnin’ for us, and they’re doing some shady ass shit.”

“Why don’t you go to the police?”

“We don’t know who to trust, baby. These clubs own the cops.”

I frowned. “You can’t honestly tell me that the Vancouver Police Department is owned by a motorcycle club. ”

“Probably not, it’s above my pay grade. But it’s not like we don’t have law-enforcement on our side. Ace and Knight, two of our club brothers, have two brothers in the FBI, so if we can’t handle it ourselves, or we feel it’s getting out of hand, we’ll read them in.”

“Now who owns the law?”

He scoffed. “When you meet Jaxon, you’ll realize no one owns him, honey.”

“Isn’t it illegal for law-enforcement to associate with known criminals?”

He cocked his head. “Did you hear yourself say that out loud?”

“Yes.” I gasped. “Crap. If they’re associating with you, either they’re not on the up-and-up or you’re not criminals.”

“Oh, they’re as straight as they come, baby.”

“Sorry.” I said with a sigh. “I’m just having a hard time separating what happened to me with your club.”

“If you’d been attacked by a mailman, would you associate it with every mail carrier?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

He gave me a gentle smile. “I’m gonna do everything I can to help you get past this. But you’re gonna have to meet me at least some of the way.”

I nodded. “I can do that.”

“Good.”

“So, how much danger are you in?”

“Right now, things have calmed down a little, but I did get chewed out for wearing my cut to that damn grocery store. Not just by you. We’re still supposed to be keeping a low profile, but I felt so good to be back in my colors, I kind of forgot to take off the cut when I left the club.”

“Forgot?” I raised an eyebrow. “Or thought you might push the boundaries a little?”

He smirked. “Yeah, probably that too.”

I took a deep breath and met his eyes. “Have you had someone following me?”

He frowned. “Did you clock them?”

“What do you mean, did I clock them?” I demanded. “Has someone been watching me?”

“Yeah. One of our prospects. Brian. He’s been makin’ sure you get to and from work, and sits on your place at night. He switches out with Grip if he’s wiped out, but for the most part, it’s Brian.” Gio frowned. “Did he scare you, baby, because—”

“I didn’t even know he was there,” I admitted.

“Then how the hell did you know you were being followed?”

“I didn’t. Lennon mentioned you might ‘put someone on me,’ but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, so I thought I’d ask.”

“He’s gonna keep doin’ it, Waverly, so be prepared. I’ll introduce you so you know who he is, but I want to make sure you’re covered in case the Spiders or anyone else comes at you.”

“A normal person would freak out, you know? I should freak out.”

“But you’re not?”

“No, I think you’re the sweetest guy on the planet, and I’m stupid in love with you, so I know you’re doing it because you love me too. ”

“Yeah, baby, I am.”

“So, I’m in. You’re going to have to help guide me, and keep me from completely freaking out, but I’m in.”

He grinned. “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

He leaned forward, tugging me onto his lap.

“Watch your shoulder,” I warned.

“It’s good.” He pulled me in for another epic kiss and then kissed my neck. “If you ever feel like you’re gonna bolt, you tell me, okay? I’ll talk you down.”

“I will,” I promised, stroking his cheek. “Are you ready for that beer?”

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

I slid off his lap and headed to the fridge.

“Is this a random playlist, or are you a fan?” he asked.

I’d had Melody Morgan playing softly in the background while we talked.

“Oh, I’m a fan. Almost rabid, you could say.” I handed him a beer and settled myself on the sofa next to him. “Lennon and I have been unsuccessful in getting tickets to her last two local shows, so we did the whole tailgate thing, then we tried getting tickets in Savannah.” I sighed. “I did get to see her sing with her sisters one year and that was incredible. They’re all so talented.”

He chuckled.

“You hate her, huh?”

“Ah, no,” he said.

“You’re a fan? ”

“Let’s just say, that my road captain would beat the shit out of me if I said anything other than she’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll never miss one of her concerts again,” he said.

“Honey, I’m not mopping up what you’re spilling,” I hissed. “You need to tell me what you’re talking about.”

“Buckle up, buttercup, Train is married to Melody.”

I frowned. “Who’s Train.”

“My Road Captain.”

“He’s part of your club?”

“Yep. I just left him, Melody, and their kids back at the compound. They were enjoying family night.”

“What?” I gasped. “You know Melody Morgan?”

“Yeah, baby. I know Melody. I know Harmony and Lyric as well.”

“What?” I squeaked.

“Harmony is married to the FBI agent, Jaxon, I was telling you about. Melody is married to Train and Lyric is married to one of the members of our Savannah chapter. Doom.”

I swallowed convulsively for a few seconds.

“You okay?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“You gonna bolt?” he teased.

“Maybe.”

He laughed. “We can go to the club right now and meet her if you want.”

“No. Absolutely not. I look like a mottled mess. ”

“You look beautiful, sweetheart.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, you’re biased, and sweet. But I’d like to be in a place emotionally and perhaps makeup-wise to meet the great Melody Morgan.”

“Anytime you want to meet her, you let me know.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.” I smiled. “I think I need some wine. Do you want more beer?”

“Sure, baby. Thanks.”

I grabbed another one for him, then sat on the coffee table again. “You haven’t been doing your PT, have you?”

He grimaced. “Guilty.”

“Why, Gio?”

“My heart was broken.”

“Not an excuse to ignore your health.”

He shrugged. “Didn’t really care if I lived or died at that point, though.”

I sighed. “We’re going to have to work double time to get you to where you need to be, then, aren’t we?”

He smiled. “You’re gonna take me back as a client?”

“Yes, because it looks like you won’t see anyone else.”

“It’s true.” He bobbed his head. “I won’t.”

“I’m going to make you hurt.”

“If it’s you doin’ it, I’m good.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure you’re going to feel that way come Friday. ”

He laughed and I just raised an eyebrow.

Because, seriously. He didn’t know the world of hurt I was about to unleash.

* * *

Razor

By the third week of Waverly’s amped up physical therapy regime, I realized she’d gone easy on me during week one and week two. We’d been working out at either her clinic or Hatch’s, and today she was pushing me to the limit at Hatch’s in-home gym and I felt like I was dying.

“Goddammit!” I bellowed as I felt like my shoulder was going to give out on me.

“Calm down, big man. You’ll give yourself a man-urism.”

Hatch stalked into the room, a frown on his face, and asked, “Everything okay in here?”

“Yes.” Waverly grinned. “He’s just having a little tantrum.”

“I’m good,” I said from my place, on my back, on the weight bench. “And I’m being nice, I fucking swear.”

“Thank you for checking.” She waved at Hatch. “He’s fine. I’m pushing him harder today and he’s feeling it.”

“If you need me to motivate him, I’ll be back in a couple hours,” he said.

“You off to your meeting with Warlock?” I asked.

Hatch nodded .

“Watch your six, Prez.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got someone watching it for me,” he said, before turning on his heels and exiting.

I sat up and Waverly straddled the bench facing me. “Why are you called Razor?”

I smirked. “Because I was always on the razor’s edge of pissing Hatch off.”

She gasped. “That can’t really be true.”

“Oh, but it is. I tend to push limits.”

“Which limits?”

I grinned, sliding my hands to her ass. “Whatta ya got? I test the limits of every bike I get on. I test the patience of the people who love me the most. I push the boundaries of humor in every social situation I’m in, for nothing more than my own amusement. I would be pushing the limits of how many times a day we could have sex, but that will have to wait until later. And yes, I push the limits of Hatch’s sanity as often as possible.”

“He’s your president.” She narrowed her eyes. “Is that smart?”

I smiled. “He loves it.”

“Oh, really? He loves that you’re a pain in his ass?”

“You’d better believe it,” I replied. “Hatch may growl a lot, but if you haven’t yet noticed he’s kind of our papa bear. He does everything he can to make sure the people he cares about are safe. He puts his family and his club before himself in every single thing he does, no matter what it costs him personally. He lives with the weight of a tremendous amount of responsibility on his shoulders, and he handles it like no one I’ve ever known. He’s the king and sometimes the king needs his fool. Not a clown to entertain him, but as an agent of chaos.”

She cocked her head. “How is that helpful?”

“Chaos disrupts our normal thought and behavior patterns. It gives us a chance to examine what our priorities are. For example, you didn’t wake up today worried about whether or not you’d find food, right?”

“Right.”

“Of course not, because eating regularly is part of your normal routine.”

“Careful, buddy. Never talk about how regularly a woman eats.”

I laughed. “You know what I mean. You don’t have food insecurities because regular meals are a part of your normal life patterns. But, if you hadn’t eaten in two days, you’d wake up worried about food. The change in your life pattern would cause you to change your priorities.”

“So, you give Hatch a hard time because it’s good for him and he needs it?”

“Maisie calls it ‘taking the mickey,’ and yes, powerful men need to have the mickey taken out of them or they’ll start taking themselves too seriously.”

“He certainly seems to have a soft spot in his heart for you.”

“My father is the only man I’ve ever respected more.”

She smiled gently. “Does Hatch know that?”

“Yeah, baby, he knows. ”

Waverly smiled and reached over and felt around my shoulder. “Stronger.”

“Yeah, I actually feel pretty good. Today’s session, notwithstanding.”

“We’ll ice it and give you some ibuprofen.” Patting my cheek she gave me a maniacal grin. “Just wait until I get hold of that leg.”

“Jesus, you’re enjoying this a little too much, aren’t you?”

“Am I?” she asked innocently, then laughed.

“I just want this cast off so we can finally...”

She looped her hands around my neck. “Finally...?”

“Make this official.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You mean, sex? Are you saying you want to have sex with me, Gio?”

“Yeah, Waverly, I’m saying I want to have sex with you. Do you want to have sex with me?”

She slid her fingers into my hair and smiled. “I feel like we should pass a note back and forth with a check yes or no box on it.”

I chuckled. “How do you feel about it? Does it scare you?”

“No. You make me feel safe. And I want to be your loverrrrrrrr, so bad.”

“Jesus,” I sputtered out. “Don’t ever say that again.”

“What? Loverrrrrr ?” She cocked her head. “That doesn’t work for you?”

I bust out laughing, leaning in to kiss her and she scooted forward, sliding her legs over mine, pussy to my dick which drove me to fuckin’ distraction .

“Fuck,” I hissed, breaking the kiss. “We need to stop or I’m gonna fuck you on this weight bench.”

“You know, there are ways around that cast,” she said.

“Yeah. I just don’t want to rush you.”

“I’m up to try.” Her hands were in my hair again and I was having a hard time concentrating on anything but the feel of her touch.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. You want to have a sleepover on Saturday?” She gave me a sly grin. “We can cook, then maybe we can cook? ”

“Is that a newfangled word for ‘fuck’?”

“Isn’t it what the kids are saying these days?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so.”

She shrugged. “Well, I’m making up a new word, then.”

I laughed again. “Yeah, let’s cook , baby.”

“Okay.”

“But if you change your mind, don’t feel any pressure to say so.”

She smiled. “I won’t.”

“Lookin’ forward to it.”

“Me too.” She leaned in and kissed me again. “Okay, back to work, handsome.”

“One more,” I demanded.

She obliged, and then we got back to work.