Page 8 of The Secrets We Keep (Sovereign Sons MC: North Carolina #1)

SOPHIE

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I roll over and sigh, breathing in Grayson’s scent and trying to go back to sleep.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

I sit up and look around the room, frowning at the still dark space. I wince as I look at my phone, the brightness temporarily blinding me. 2:00 am. It’s two in the morning. Who the hell is knocking on the door?

I drag myself out of bed and stomp toward the door. I swing it open with a growl. “What the fuck do you want?”

Alice is standing there, drunk as fuck, a shocked expression on her face. “Where is Gray?” She slurs, trying to look past me into his suite.

I move to block her. “Not here, Alice. Why the fuck are you knocking on the door at two in the morning?”

“It’s Candy now. Why are you in Gray’s room?” She asks haughtily .

“Because this is where Grayson wants me and my son to be,” I smirk at her. “Now go away and don’t fucking knock again. If you wake my kid up, I’ll kick your ass, Candy .”

I don’t give her a chance to answer before I slam the door in her face and stomp back to my bedroom.

****

That next morning, I’m livid when Asher and I walk down for breakfast. I didn’t fall back to sleep after Candy decided to bang on the door, so I’m crabby as hell.

Asher can tell I’m in a mood and he watches me warily as we walk into the main area.

My glare falls on Candy as she nurses a coffee on one of the couches. She looks away when she sees me.

“Mama, are you okay?” Asher tugs my hand to get my attention.

I deflate a little. “I’m okay, buddy,” I tell him. “I just didn’t sleep much. Why don’t we get something to eat?”

He nods his head eagerly and pulls me into the kitchen where Chef is hard at work. He looks up from his pot as we come inside.

“What can I get for my favorite people this morning?” He asks, abandoning his task.

Asher giggles. “Can I have pancakes and eggs?”

“You sure can!” Chef cheers before turning to me. “ How about you?”

“I’ll take the same, please.”

“Coming right up!” Chef says before setting to work.

I don’t know how this man manages to keep track of all the food he’s cooking, but he does. He checks on the food he’s already started while he gets the pancake batter made, and cracks eggs and scrambles them. In about five minutes, he has an amazing meal made for us.

I thank him and grab both plates, letting Asher lead us back into the common area. He takes a seat at the end of the table, and we dig in. We’re finishing up when I see Grayson.

My jaw clenches when Candy rushes up to him, she slides her hand up Grayson’s arm and around his neck, pulling herself close. Grayson pushes her hand off him and backs away from her, his eyes finding mine.

He starts to walk away but I jump from my seat, telling Asher to follow me. Before Grayson walks out of the room I call out.

“Grayson! Don’t you dare walk out of this room.”

He stops in his tracks but doesn’t turn around. The rest of the room goes eerily silent. They’re all probably in shock that I yelled at their precious president.

“Asher, go outside and play on the swing set, okay?” I say, softening my tone for him .

He nods his head and goes in that direction, glancing back at us with wide eyes before he goes through the door. I nod in thanks to Axel who follows him outside. When the door closes, I turn my anger on Grayson again.

“So, tell me. Is it a common occurrence for club sluts to be knocking on your door at two in the morning?” I growl.

I hear a few hoots and hollers. Grayson’s shoulders stiffen.

“Maybe I should make it clear that the only people in that room are me and my son,” I call out, loud enough that everyone can hear.

“You can tell your whores where to find you.”

I gasp when Grayson spins around and advances on me. I try to back away, but I’m not fast enough. He reaches me in a few strides, his shoulder rams into my hips as he swings me over his shoulder, smacking my ass hard.

Cheers erupt in the quiet space as Grayson takes me in the direction of his room. My room. Whatever it is now.

I pound on his back as I yell for him to put me down, but it’s to no avail. He trudges up the stairs and to the room, punching in the code and moving us inside. He marches into the bedroom and tosses me onto the bed, watching me bounce with a smirk.

“What the hell is your problem?” I growl as I hop off the bed and stride toward him.

“You,” he barks. “You have been gone for seven fucking years, and you think that you can come into this clubhouse and run things? That’s not how this fucking works.

I brought you here so that you wouldn’t have to sleep in that slimy ass fucking motel.

I am the president of this club, and what I say goes. ”

He advances on me, pushing me back against a wall. His smell envelops me. It’s so much more potent than his lingering scent on the bed. I’m panting, my chest brushing his abdomen with every inhale.

He reaches out and brushes the hair from my face with his rough fingers and I gasp at the contact. “What’s the real problem, Sophie?” He rasps. “Are you mad that Candy was knocking on my door too late last night? Or are you mad that she was knocking on my door at all?”

“I’m not jealous,” I huff, putting my hands on his abs and attempting to push him away.

“I didn’t mention jealousy,” Grayson laughs as he leans down closer, letting our lips brush. My stomach dips and heat pools in my core at the slight contact. “She won’t knock on the door again.”

“What?” I ask breathlessly.

“Candy won’t knock on the door again,” Grayson says as he steps back and walks toward the door.

I stand there in shock. I thought that he was going to kiss me, and he was just trying to get a rise out of me. I groan after I hear the door to the suite close. Grayson still affects me more than I’d like him to.