Chapter 13 LEXIE
LEXIE
Iawoke, and this time I wasn’t blazing hot from the furnace that was Bear—Gabriel.
I rolled over, seeking the warmth of his arms, only to realize I was alone in the bed.
My heart plummeted. After his big speech, and then our subsequent activities—my face warmed as I remembered what he’d done to me the night before. I covered my face with my hands.
Gah, there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
But given it was the first time I’d ever done anything with a guy, I guess I’d built up the next morning a little too much in my head.
It’s not like I expected a bouquet of roses, but I kinda thought we’d have some morning cuddles.
I shook my head. I was being ridiculous and needy.
He was probably downstairs getting coffee.
My stomach rumbled, deciding a trip downstairs was a good idea.
I could find Bear and some food. My clothes were dry from the sink wash, so I slipped on my panties, bra, and shorts.
I grabbed another shirt from Bear’s dresser, knotting it in the back so it wouldn’t drown me.
I looked in the mirror and sighed. It was the best I could do without a pair of scissors.
I made the bed and left the room, locking the door behind me.
Luckily, the clubhouse had a pretty simple layout, so I found my way to the kitchen without any trouble.
“You’re still here?” Kayla snickered as she grabbed a bottle of creamer from the fridge. “Better not let any of the guys see you. The one-night stands are kicked out at dawn.”
Okay, this chick was officially getting on my nerves. I hadn’t done anything to deserve her attitude. But maybe it was time that I did. I’d dealt with my fair share of bullies in the foster care system. They wouldn’t stop until you put them in their place and kept them there.
“Well that explains why I’m still here. What’s your explanation?”
Sheila cackled as she sipped her coffee. I glanced at her and she gave me a thumbs up.
Kayla slammed the creamer on the counter. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I’m not a one-night stand.” At least, I didn’t think I was.
But Bear not being around had me second-guessing.
Not that she needed to know that. “If I understand your position here correctly, you are nothing but a perpetual one-night stand. By your logic, you should be tossed out every morning at dawn like yesterday’s coffee grounds. ”
“You bi—” she started, but Dan and Jordan walked into the kitchen. She promptly shut her mouth and pushed out her breasts. “Good morning, boys.”
“Lexie, there you are.” Dan stalked past Kayla and gave me a side hug. “I should have known I’d find you in the kitchen.”
Kayla’s face turned red and she stormed out.
Sheila laughed, following behind. “I love drama in the morning.” She paused, then came up to me and gave me a hug. “Don’t worry about her. She’s just salty because Bear doesn’t mess with any of the bunnies.”
My heart stuttered. What he did before he met me was his own business, but dang was I relieved to hear that.
Dan opened the refrigerator and pulled out eggs and sausage. “Glad I found you. Bear asked me to keep an eye on you while he’s gone.”
“Oh, so he’s not here?” I looked around the kitchen, stupidly hoping Dan was wrong and Bear would pop out of the pantry.
Dan shook his head. “No, he’s got some business out of state.”
“Out of state?”
My brain short circuited as I tried to comprehend what I was hearing. All those things he’d said about wanting to be with me, but then he up and left the freaking state without saying anything?
“And how long are you supposed to keep an eye on me?” I swallowed and masked my face into a neutral position.
This was a shorter honeymoon period than I was used to.
Usually families enjoyed having me around for a few weeks, or at least until they got their first couple checks.
Or maybe I was overreacting and he was just running to Virginia and back.
Maybe he had to pick something up and would be back in time for dinner.
Dan shrugged. “Couple days, not more than a week or two.”
Jordan put a pan on the stove and turned it on while Dan grabbed a bowl and a whisk.
My heart sank. Right. I was no expert in relationships, but I was fairly certain you didn’t leave your new girlfriend for a week and not say goodbye.
“Oh, well I’m not sure why he would ask you to keep an eye on me, but don’t worry about it.” It was an odd thing for him to ask of Dan. Was he worried his new toy would hook up with someone else while he was gone? Jerk.
Dan scanned the room, checking that it was empty. His voice lowered. “Lex, we’re still not sure who stabbed Tracker.”
Of course. Until they figured that out, everyone was a suspect, including me.
I sighed, cursing my stupidity. Bear had come back to his room to find a girl in his bed.
Of course he’d want to hook up with her.
He was a man. And I’d played right into it.
My hands tightened into fists. I needed a distraction before I screamed and made an even bigger fool of myself.
“Shit, that’s hot!” Dan swore as he jerked his hand from the stove.
“Let me guess, making breakfast for the brothers is part of your prospect duties?”
Dan grinned. “I always knew you were a smart one.”
“Want some help?” Cooking was the perfect distraction, and I could handle my heartbreak better with a full stomach.
Jordan nodded. “Desperately.”
Dan narrowed his eyes. “Dude, she’s a guest. She can’t be doing prospect jobs.”
I shook my head. “I’m not a guest. I’m the caterer.” Damn, that stung. Twelve hours ago, I was over the moon about being the caterer. Now, the word felt cold and sad.
“After saving Tracker and sleeping with Bear, well, I don’t know what you are, but you aren’t just the caterer anymore.”
Jordan whistled. “Get it, new girl.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and focused on pulling spices from the cupboard. “I didn’t sleep with Bear.”
“No?” Dan raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure you spent the night in his room.”
I sighed. “That doesn’t mean we—you know what, forget it.
It’s none of your business. But right now I have nothing better to do, and I like my scrambled eggs fluffy and seasoned, so I’m taking over breakfast. You can help, or you can move on to one of your other duties.
” I might not be in control of anything else right now, but I could take charge of breakfast.
Dan rolled his eyes. “Fine. As long as the brothers know this was your idea and we didn’t ask you to do it.”
“Not a problem.” I knew they’d enjoyed the food last night, but that was a cook-out.
I might have made a mistake with Bear, but given how loose they all were with women, I didn’t think they’d hold that against me.
I still had a business to get off the ground, and I wasn’t about to give up a chance to show off more of my skills.
I wasn’t sure what the bar manager position entailed, but I would make sure they knew I was the best person for the job.
I set Jordan to chopping up peppers and onions while I cracked the eggs and Dan kept an eye on the sausage.
“Speaking of Tracker, do you guys know how he’s doing?” I asked.
Dan nodded. “They had to take out his spleen, so he’ll be in the hospital for a while, but he’s okay for now.”
Jordan looked up from his vegetables. “Did you hear if he saw anything?”
Dan frowned and jerked his head toward me.
Jordan turned back to the veggies. “Aw, come on man. I know we aren’t supposed to talk club business, but she was there. Out of the three of us, she has the most right to know what happened.”
I jolted back, surprised. I didn’t often have people stick up for me like that. And I was curious, but I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble.
“It’s okay, I don’t need to know any details. I just wanted to be sure he was recovering and not, you know.”
Dan sighed. “Well, it doesn’t matter. From what I heard, he woke up for a few minutes and told Stitch he couldn’t remember anything after eating his third cheeseburger.”
I laughed. “Maybe all that food in his belly is what saved him?”
Dan turned the sausages and continued. “Maybe so. You know what’s crazy, though? There are a couple of security cameras outside, but none of them point toward the dumpsters. What a shitty coincidence. The one spot we don’t have them, that’s the place they strike.”
Didn’t sound like a coincidence to me. It was no wonder the guys were so riled up last night.
I added a little cream to the eggs and seasoned them with salt and pepper. After checking the temperature of the cast iron pan, I added the egg mixture.
“You know what that means, Lexie?” Jordan’s face turned somber as he passed the chopped veggies for the omelet. “You’re the sole witness.”
I scoffed. Sole witness. Suspect. Caterer. Random hookup. I’d gained a lot of titles since I’d shown up at the clubhouse yesterday. Maybe I did fit in here. I guess I was my father’s daughter after all.