23. Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Hunter
What the hell is Blake doing to my self-control? Listening to her sass me made my palm twitch. It seems like she hasn’t had a good spanking in a while, and I don’t mean the bad kind. I bet her perfect ass would look beautiful covered in my red handprints.
I shift the front of my pants as I walk out onto the back deck and light a cigarette.
Taking my first drag, I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Xavier.
“Are you dead?” he says after the first ring.
I laugh. “Not yet. It’s still early, though.”
“Well, that is a good sign. What can I do for you?” I can hear a woman's voice in the background. “Not now, woman. Can’t you see I’m on the phone?”
I raise my brow. “Am I interrupting something?”
He lets out a breath. “If you count my ol’ lady trying to suck my dick right now and being whiny about me holding her off because I’m talking to you… then yes, you are interrupting something.”
I chuckle. We don’t want Xavier’s wife, Sam, to be upset. She is very aggressive when she doesn’t get what she wants.
“I will be quick then. I just wanted to give you a heads up that the woman and child who have been staying with me will be joining me tonight when I arrive.” I wait for his response.
I hear a long sigh. “Does she know what to expect?”
“That’s gonna be a no.” Fuck no. “But, I mean, we aren’t that bad.” I pause as I think about how rowdy we get. “Are we?”
He laughs. “We can be a lot sometimes.” A soft moan comes through the phone. “Listen, update her on what to expect, and I’ll see you guys later. Sam is going to kill me if I don’t get off this phone.”
“Fine, see you later.”
I pocket my phone, take another drag of my cigarette, and sit in my chair.
Will she be scared about what to expect?
I don't know what Blake expects a motorcycle clubhouse to be like. Hell, I don't even know what to expect tonight. Most girls fall all over themselves to spend the night at our clubhouse. We have massive parties and get a little wild. But Blake isnt most girls. I hope they’re tame tonight when we come so it doesn’t scare poor Charlie. I’m sure she is definitely not used to any of that. I want her with me and in my world but I don’t want her to feel like I am pushing her into a world she isn't ready to see. She needs stability and safety. Maybe this is a bad idea but I can't leave her alone.
I’m just finishing my cig when Blake comes walking out the back door. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I was just going to let you know that we are ready whenever you are.”
I might as well tell her now so she isn’t blindsided when she gets there.
“I’ll be ready soon. I do need to talk to you first, though.”
“Oh?” she bites her lip.
The urge to pull it from her teeth is overwhelming.
I clear my throat. “I need to make sure you know what you will be walking into once we get down there.”
She raises her brow. “Is it that bad?”
I chuckle and shake my head. “It’s not bad. It will just be—” I pause. “A lot.”
Her shoulders lift in a shrug as she leans against the railing. “Lay it on me.”
I take another cig from my pack and place it between my lips. “Well, for starters, have you ever been around a bunch of bikers?”
She bites her lip and shakes her head.
“Okay.” I let out a breath. “We are a bunch of loud, obnoxious, tattooed old men who like to drink and have fun.” I smirk.
“Old men, huh?” she quips back with a soft smile and a mischievous glint in her eye.
“Hey. Us old men know how to have a good time.”
She laughs. “I bet you do.” Then, her face becomes solemn. “What about Charlie? Will she be safe there?”
I hand her the cigarette. “Charlie will always be safe with me. Don’t worry. Most of the guys are dads first and members second. There will be a bunch of kids there, and the more adult stuff doesn’t happen until they go to bed.”
Her shoulders sag like she’s holding her breath. “Okay, but do they do drugs?”
My first reaction is to say of course we do. But I know her questioning it means she’s worried about it. So I take a long breath before replying. “I won’t lie to you. Yes, some do drugs.” She looks like she is going to contest my decision, so I hold my hand out to stop her. “It is not around the children. I promise, the club holds children and women to the highest status; therefore, they are the most respected.”
She lets out a sigh of relief. “Okay. It doesn’t seem that bad, I guess.”
I shake my head. “It’s not. And if the guys get out of hand. I’ll keep you and your daughter from it. I will always protect you, Crash” I close the distance between us and lift her chin so she looks me in the eye. “You have my word.”
She pulls her chin from my grasp and nods. “Well, we are packed and ready whenever you are.”
“Okay. Since Viper is here, I’ll have him ride the bike down there, and I’ll drive your car.”
I expect her to fight me about this because it involves giving up control of her vehicle, but she just nods and walks toward the door.
Blake took everything I told her about the clubhouse and even me driving her car down there better than I expected. I figured she would turn me down.
She grabs their stuff and puts it in the car while I finish my cig. Viper walks out on the back porch with me a few moments later.
“Are you almost ready? I want to get on the road before the sun goes down,” he says.
I put out my cig in the ashtray and rise from the chair. “Yeah. Let me just pack my bag.” He nods and turns to walk back into the house. “Hey, wait,” I call to him. “You are riding the bike there, just so you know.”
He shakes his head. “I figured as much.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
“Your old knee hurting you too much to ride so you have to sit in the car with Blake and the kid?” he laughs.
The way her name sounds coming from his mouth makes me want to punch him in the throat for no good reason. I have no hold on her; of course, people will look at her and say her name. She isn’t mine—yet. “It will be easier this way.” I grumble.
He waves me off before walking into the house. “Sure, sure, whatever you have to tell yourself so you don’t feel like the old man that you are.”
Before Viper showed up, I was going to ride the bike down and have Blake follow me in the car. But since he showed up with the van, I get to be alone in the car with Blake and Charlie. The van can just sit.
Walking inside, I fill my pack with a couple of changes of clothes and my hygiene bag. I already have almost everything I need down there, but I still need my toothbrush and razor.
I peek my head into the living room, where Blake and Charlie sit on the couch. “Do you guys need to use the bathroom or anything before we go?”
Blake looks down at her daughter, who is shifting to the couch. “Maybe we should try, just in case.” The smile Blake gives Charlie melts my cold heart.
Charlie nods, and they head down the hall toward the spare bathroom.