Chapter 14 BEAR
BEAR
As eager as I was to confront Balthazar about the Diablos encroaching our territory, the timing was terrible.
I’d had no idea what would happen when I’d gone to my room last night, but drenching my fingers in Lexie’s sweet cunt had been better than anything I could’ve hoped for.
My girl had been made for me, and once this Diablos bullshit was over, I’d make her mine permanently.
After four hours, I pulled my Harley into a gas station and shot her a quick text.
Bear
Hey babe. Had a good time last night. Hope you did, too.
It wasn’t everything I wanted to say, but I’d laid it on pretty thick last night.
She seemed a little skittish, so I didn’t want to push too hard.
After ten minutes, I needed to get back on the road and she still hadn’t responded.
I was disappointed, but maybe it wasn’t fair to think she was as obsessed with me as I was with her.
I made sure my Bluetooth was connected to my phone and got back on the road.
I’d know when she texted back and could pull over to respond.
As the hours passed without a message, I tried not to let my thoughts go to Dan. I’d asked him to keep an eye on her because they were friends. But had I completely misread that situation? Maybe he was with her right now, making his move while I was eight hours away.
A horn blared and I realized almost too late that I’d crossed the center line. Fuck. I needed to stop thinking about her. These Diablo fuckers had gone too far. They’d encroached our territory and tried to take out one of our men. That’s what I needed to focus on.
As I neared Lexington, my phone finally pinged. I pulled over and took it out.
Lexie
It was all right.
I read the message and reread it ten more times and still couldn’t work out what the fuck she meant. All right? It was a lot more than fucking all right.
I started to tap a response, but “What the fuck does that mean” didn’t seem smart.
I searched through my contacts and pressed the one for brAT.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my long-lost big brother. What’s wrong? Do you need a kidney?”
“That’s enough, Jada.”
“What? I never hear from you anymore, so I figure it must be some life-or-death emergency.”
I shook my head. You’d think my sister was majoring in drama instead of education at Appalachian State. “I talked to you last week.”
She sighed loudly. “I suppose. I miss you, that’s all.”
“Yeah, I miss you, too. Think you’ll make it back for Christmas this year?”
“We’ll see. If I get the seasonal gig again at Biltmore Estate, probably not. Now, did you just call to annoy me?”
I laughed. “No, I need you to interpret something for me.”
“Well, you called the wrong place. I only speak English.”
“I got this text and I don’t know what it means. I think the girl is mad at me, but I don’t know what I did.”
Jada gasped. “Gabriel, do you have a girlfriend?”
I scoffed. “From my perspective, yes. From hers, I’m not sure.”
Jada laughed. “Oh, dear. What did you do?”
I sighed and gave her a quick recap of meeting Lexie at Costco, hiring her to cater, and then keeping her overnight after a “security incident.”
“So let me get this straight,” my sister began with a hint of laughter in her voice. “You brought a girl to the MC clubhouse who’d never been to an MC clubhouse before.”
“Yeah.”
“And she met the bunnies and got an eyeful of the, uh, after dark activities?”
“Yeah.” I didn’t like where this was going. Had Lexie seen some of my brothers with their dicks out while they were fucking the bunnies?
“And then you get her into your room, show her a good time, and disappear before she wakes up?”
“We talked before she fell asleep. I had to leave early, and I didn’t want to wake her. She had a long night.”
“Did you leave a note?”
“No. Why would I do that? I told you we talked before she fell asleep and I planned to text her when I was on the road. Which I did.”
Jada laughed again. “Oh my sweet, thick-headed brother. Let me tell you what it looked like from her perspective. She had a traumatic experience and ended up in your bed. You comforted her. Said a bunch of sweet things to her. Then she woke up. Alone. This is after meeting the bunnies and knowing how the brothers typically treat women.”
“But that’s not how I treat women.”
“And how would she know that? She’d only met you the day before.
From her side, it looks like you said and did exactly what you needed to get into her pants and then left.
And when you finally reach out, you don’t say ‘sorry I didn’t say goodbye, but I had to go to work’.
No, not my brother. You bring up your hook up like you’re looking for round two. ” Jada chuckled. “Dumbass.”
“But that’s not—I didn’t—“
Damn. Jada was right. I was an idiot.
I had dropped the ball. She was new to the MC life. Even though I told her what it meant to wear my cut in front of the brothers, she didn’t really know. I could’ve made that up.
“Thanks, sis. Any advice to clear things up? I won’t be able to see her in person for a few more days.”
“That sucks, but the good news is you aren’t actually a playboy asshole. Text her back today, like right after we hang up. Be honest, admit you screwed up. Go see her as soon as you get back in town. Before you go to the clubhouse even, assuming she’s that important.”
“Oh, she is. I’m going to make her my old lady.”
Jada laughed. “Oh wow, then I wish you the best of luck. You have a big hill to climb, but I have faith in you, big brother.”
I ended the call and spent the next five minutes working on my text. Hopefully this would buy me some time until I could get back to her.
Bear
Baby girl, I think you got this twisted, but that’s on me. I’m sorry I upset you.
Lexie
It’s fine. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it, Bear.
Shit. I didn’t need my sister to interpret that one. She was trying to freeze me out. But she’d learn I wasn’t so easy to get rid of.
Bear
I told you to call me Gabriel. I thought letting you sleep was the right call, but I should have woken you up and said goodbye before I left.
Lexie
It’s all good. Kayla set me straight at breakfast on how things work at the clubhouse.
I groaned. I didn’t know what Kayla told her, but I was sure it wasn’t good.
Bear
I meant what I said last night. But it’s okay if you don’t believe me. I look forward to proving it to you.
I held my breath as I waited for her reply. The three dots showing she was typing blinked, then disappeared, then blinked again, until finally…
Lexie
Okay.
I let out a sigh of relief and grinned. I was back in.
Bear
I’m out of town for the next few days or I’d come to you right now and set things straight. Call Dan or one of the brothers if you need anything while I’m gone.
She didn’t respond, but I didn’t expect her to. Without the haze of jealousy, I knew she’d be fine with Dan. I believed him when he said he wasn’t interested in Lexie like that. At least, not since he was fourteen. Now I needed to handle my club business so I could handle my old lady business.