Page 3

Rex

Attending Church was brutal to my splitting head and unstable stomach. My own fault, and I know it, but that knowledge doesn’t take the edge off either issue. Looking across the table, I almost grin at Reeves. He appears to be suffering more than me and is using his hands to hold his head up. From the looks our Prez is giving him, he’s about to get called out. I quickly rearrange my facial expression so, hopefully, I can stay clear of whatever is headed toward Reeves.

“What you’re saying then is we all need to start actively looking for prospects,” Pooh states.

“Yeah. We’ve lost several in the last few months, and we need more than just Bella. She won’t be starting for a while yet. We need at…” Gunner stops midsentence once again looking toward Reeves. After a pause, he barks loudly, “Are we interfering with your beauty sleep, Reeves?”

Glancing back at Reeves, I see his eyes fly open as his body jerks upright, letting his hands fall to the table.

“Aye is my vote,” Reeves mutters in a groggy voice.

“Aye? You vote aye?” Gunner questions while his face takes on a dark look, and the rest of the guys all laugh while looking at Reeves.

“Aye,” Reeves states a little clearer.

“Well, then, I guess the vote to pull Reeves’ patch has passed,” Gunner says and then bangs the gavel loudly.

Reeves stares at him for several long seconds before Gunner’s words penetrate his brain.

Eyes widening, Reeves hollers, “Wait! No, I don’t vote for that! What the fuck, Prez? Who brought that to the table?”

The room gets loud with the guys’ laughter and comments. After allowing it for a minute, Gunner holds up his hand and levels his nearly black gaze at Reeves.

“I’m going to bring that to the table if you don’t want to be a part of this club. Church is a requirement of being a member. I would much prefer being home with my wife and kids right now than repeating myself because you can’t be bothered to pay attention,” Gunner shouts. “Be an adult. You getting hammered out of your mind shouldn’t become a problem for the rest of your club brothers. Quit wasting our time!”

“Sorry. You’re right, Prez. It’s my problem, not the club’s. Won’t happen again,” Reeves replies in a sincere voice.

Gunner continued staring at him for another moment, then returned to the discussion we were having. I grin when I see Trigger elbowing Reeves in the ribs when he starts to droop again. The elbow wasn’t thrown hard, but just enough to get Reeves’ attention. I also know that each subsequent elbow will be harder than the one preceding it. Reeves’ ribs will thank him if he keeps his head up and eyes open.

After Church ends, we file out to the main room with each of the guys heading toward their respective families. I glance around and see Lucy, but neither Aria nor Lisa is sitting with her. I take a seat at the bar next to Horse, and Reeves sits on my other side. He promptly drops his head to rest on his forearms. I reach across the bar and grab a couple of mugs and the coffee pot. Pouring coffee into both, I slide one to Reeves and pick up the other one for myself.

“What did you guys do after the rest of us left you at the club? And if you guys look this bad, I have to wonder what Aria and Lisa feel like today,” Horse asks with a loud snort.

“Aria and Lisa?” Reeves asks without lifting his head.

“Yeah, Aria and Lisa. When we left, they decided to stay with you two and said they’d call an Uber. Did they get home okay?” Horse questions.

“Yeah, I’m sure they did,” I answer without making eye contact.

“You’re sure they did, or you know they did? Because they’re usually here for brunch, and neither one is. Shit, you idiots lost them at some point, didn’t you? I’ll call and check on them, but I’m not lying to Chubs if he finds out and comes after you two,” Horse says as he stands and pulls his phone out of his pocket.

As Horse walks away, phone pressed to his ear, Reeves asks, “Why does he keep talking about the women?”

“Better question I’d like answered is why were you sleeping naked in my tub this morning?” I ask in a low tone.

“The girls were?” Reeves asks while still not lifting his head.

Frustrated, I slap the back of his head and ignore his moan.

“You don’t remember sleeping in my tub?”

“I remember waking up naked on your bathroom floor. I didn’t realize at first it was your room and not my own. Our rooms are identical. When I walked out of the bathroom, you were talking with Pigeon, and I realized where I was, so I walked out,” Reeves answers in a low tone with his head still resting on his arms. “Why’s Horse going on about the women? I thought he still had a thing for Tessie, not Lisa or Aria.”

“He does, and he’s asking about them because they’re not here and usually are. They were at the club with you and me when the others headed home,” I reply while still trying to put the pieces together in my head.

When Reeves doesn’t say anything, I turn back to chug more of my coffee. When Reeves starts snoring, I slap the back of his head again. If I have to be awake and face whatever the hell we did last night, so does he.

“Why do you keep doing that, you sadistic ass?” Reeves mumbles.

“You were in my tub naked this morning, and when I woke up, Lisa came stumbling out of there. Pigeon watched you walk out of my room, didn’t see the girls, and is now assuming you and I are a couple that’s hiding our sexuality from the club. That’s just one of many of the reasons why I keep slapping you,” I respond with no small amount of heat in my voice.

Reeves’ head snaps up, and his bleary eyes finally meet my own.

“When did we become a couple? I always thought I’d do much better than you,” Reeves says.

I’m going to punch him repeatedly until I feel better and my mental health is not in question any longer.

“Did you and Lisa hook up last night, and why were you both in my bathroom?” I ask in the most patient voice I have ever heard myself use.

“Both are okay and just hungover, according to Candy. She said she gave them rides home. She’s still at Lisa’s and answered her phone,” Horse informs us as he takes his seat again.

“That’s good to hear,” I reply.

“I think I hooked up with Pigeon, and I don’t even swing that way. He’s a sexy bastard, though. Probably didn’t because he’d never fit in your tub. You know what? I think I’m still drunk off my ass,” Reeves states before dropping his head back to his folded arms and starts snoring immediately.

“What the fuck did he just say?” Pigeon shrieks from his seat at a nearby table. “Jesus H. Christ! First, James wants to do a body cavity search on me, and now Reeves is having drunken wet dreams about me! My wife will not be happy to know this!”

“Calm down, Pigeon. Reeves doesn’t even know his own name at the moment. Believe me, nobody has wet dreams about you. None of his ramblings have made sense yet,” I tell Pigeon in a calm voice. “Tell Ivy that your body is safe, is all hers, and she has our sympathies.”

When the food is ready, I fill my plate and then spend twenty minutes pushing it around the plate. I tentatively eat a few bites but don’t push my luck. With a stomach that’s still unsteady, I choose caution over nasty bathroom time. As soon as I’m able, I make my way to my bike and head for my condo. While I’m happy to be home and able to feel like crap without it drawing attention, it also gives my brain time to think about last night.

I have clear memories of hitting up several clubs with the whole group of us that went together. I remember Chubs, Lucy, and the others deciding to head home and leaving me, Reeves, and the two women at Club Ace. I remember the four of us returning to the clubhouse. My brain keeps showing me flashes of the night’s activities but not everything, and it’s frustrating. The saddest part of all this is that what must have been the best parts of the night are the ones I can’t remember.

Aria has intrigued me since she moved to Denver. I’ve kept that strictly to myself, though, because of everything Lucy, Chubs, and his family have recently gone through. Aria has been busy getting set up in her new dental practice and settling into her new home. She didn’t need me interfering with my attraction to her when she already had a lot on her plate.

Also, there’s Chubs to consider. He and I have always been close friends and club brothers, but he might be totally against a brother dating his sister. That’s if she’d even go on a date with me. I’m a biker, with technology abilities, but no real education. She’s a very well-educated, classy lady that comes from money. She could definitely do a lot better than me, but that’s not stopped my interest.

Chubs, Aria, and their brother Les are a tight-knit trio. They are fortunate enough to have a mother, Giana, who was, and still is, a big presence in their lives. Many of the members of The Devil’s Angels never had the sense of family Aria grew up with, including myself. Having to consider two brothers and a mother’s opinion of me was never something I thought I’d have to do. Les, especially, could be a problem. He’s still coming to terms with his brother being a biker, and I’m pretty sure it’s safe to assume he wouldn’t be thrilled with his sister dating one. Les isn’t afraid to speak his mind, and I know his opinion would hold some weight with Aria. Basically, I’m not sure I’m good enough for someone like Aria. I don’t think her family would disagree with me on that, and my ego has taken a beating just thinking about it all.

Even knowing all that, I pick up my phone and shoot a text off to Aria.

Me: You okay?

Aria: Yeah. Headache but it’s manageable now.

Me: I feel like I need to apologize for last night.

I see the three little dots on my screen indicating she’s typing, but then they stop. Then, start up again. For several minutes, I stare at my phone waiting for her reply and getting more nervous as the minutes click by. Finally, Aria answers me.

Aria: Why would you feel that way? All of us are adults and made our own decisions. What part of last night are you apologizing for?

Me: The parts I don’t remember, I guess. Also, I should have stayed sober enough to make sure you were safe and I didn’t. I feel bad because your safety should have been a higher priority than another drink. It was irresponsible of me.

Aria: Thank you for that but it’s unnecessary. I drank too much too, even knowing that I shouldn’t have. What parts don’t you remember? The club?

Me: Memory is pretty sketchy once we returned to the clubhouse.

Again, the dots appear and disappear for several minutes. I realize I’m gripping my phone so tight my fingers are cramping, so I loosen my hold and wait. Finally, she replies.

Aria: So, what you’re saying is that you don’t remember anything that happened after we returned to the clubhouse? Seriously? None of it?

I cringe when I read her words because I can feel the disbelief and anger coming through a simple text.

Me: I have flashes, like snapshots, but not much more. Again, I feel like I should apologize for that.

Aria: No apology needed. Have a good day.

Ouch! I’ve been dismissed, and I know it’s not in a “we can talk later” kind of way.

Me: Aria, please. Can you fill in some blanks for me?

Aria: Why fill in blanks that aren’t important enough for you to remember? Let’s just say nothing happened and go with a clean slate and all that jazz. We’re fine. You’re still the tech guy my brother rides bikes with and I’m still just his sister that supports his choices by having brunch at the club occasionally. Have a good day.

Me: You’re mad and I understand that. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I’m an ass. Forgive me?

Aria: You didn’t hurt my feelings because I would rather pretend last night didn’t happen, too. Let it go. It’s over and done with.

Me: Can we have coffee together tomorrow and talk things out?

The only reply I get back is an emoji of one finger flying high. I’m guessing that means no. I set my phone down and run my fingers over my face and through my hair. I reach for my trusty bottle of Tums and chew an entire handful of them.