Bianca
Anxiety had me pacing my apartment. I’d been like that since Chaos left last night.
Even though he told me not to worry, I couldn’t help it.
I was living in fear that after Mishap spoke to the club about his objections to Chaos and me being together, they’d agree and prevent it.
And I knew enough about the MC lifestyle that a biker didn’t go against his club.
If he did, he’d find himself kicked out or worse.
I knew Mishap was protective of me. He always had been.
However, I couldn’t wrap my mind around how stubborn he was being about this.
I had to ask whether it was really because he worried it was too soon for me, or because I was doing it with a club brother?
And if it was the latter, why? It had to be more than he thought that Chaos couldn’t be serious about me or faithful.
The way he spoke of Chaos and other women hurt and angered me.
Mishap was no angel. He’d been breaking hearts for years before he joined the club.
Women would get serious about him, but he’d have sex with them for a bit and then walk away.
I warned him more than a few times that he needed to stop treating women like they were all disposable.
He swore that all of them knew from the start that it was only sex without strings.
Well, if he told the truth, it didn’t mean hearts couldn’t become involved.
A hard knock on my door made me inhale deeply.
It was Chaos. He’d texted me to say he was on his way and that he’d tell me all about the club’s meeting.
I hoped it meant good news, but what if it wasn’t?
I rushed to the door, barely getting the locks undone before yanking the door open.
Not a word came out of me before I was bear-hugged and lifted off my feet. Chaos’s mouth landed on mine.
I kissed him back as passionately as he kissed me.
I felt a vague movement, but I paid it no attention until he sat and I ended up on his lap.
I checked, and the door was shut, but I hadn’t heard him do it.
We kept going until he pulled away. I chased his lips, but he held us apart. I growled, and he chuckled.
“Hang on there, Lioness—no need to growl at me. I want to kiss you more, too. But I thought you were wanting to know what the club said about us.”
His comment snapped me out of the sexual haze I was in, though my body was tight and felt like it was on fire. To tease him for calling me lioness, I held up my hands like claws. I had nails, although not the talon ones some women had. And mine were natural.
“Don’t do that. It makes me hard,” he said gruffly.
His bluntness made me blush but didn’t offend me.
I knew he told the truth because I felt his hardness pressing into my ass.
I barely stopped myself from wiggling on him.
There was also heat in his gaze if I had doubts that he was turned on.
It had been so long since I’d kissed a man, let alone had sex.
The last time was six months before Byron asked for the divorce.
“I make no promises. Alright, so tell me. Did they agree?”
“Yes, baby, they agreed. We have the club’s blessing.”
I let out a tiny squeal, then I kissed him. That kiss lasted until we were both needing air, despite breathing through our noses. I eased back, panting. His erection was bigger.
“Christ, you sure know how to test a man’s restraint. But I’ll suffer anytime to have kisses like that,” he said hoarsely.
“I’m right there with you. So, tell me, did you have to do much convincing? How was Mishap?”
“I didn’t have to do much more than tell them what I wanted and why.
Mishap repeated what he said to us and brought up AnnMarie.
The guys shut it down by calling her and asking her to tell them what happened the night we went to the room together.
They said nothing about why they wanted to know.
She confirmed it almost verbatim. They thanked her and hung up. ”
“So, Mishap had to back off then,” I said.
Chaos frowned as he shook his head. “No, I’m afraid he didn’t.
He still claims she could be covering for me, and he wanted them to make us wait and see if I changed my mind or hooked up with someone.
Everyone voted, and only your cousin was against it.
He left the room in a bad mood after church.
I accepted congrats and then hightailed it here.
He was warned by Wrath not to interfere between us. ”
“What if he doesn’t listen? What’ll happen to him?” I asked, though I was afraid I already knew.
“It depends on what he does. It could be a fine, or a beatdown from me. If it were really bad, then a club beatdown, or stripped of his cut and out bad with the club. But it would have to be terrible for them to go that far,” he hastened to add.
I hated the idea that it could ever get to that point, but I had to consider it might. The way Mishap was acting, I wasn’t sure what he would do. Something lay beneath his reaction besides concern for me.
“I really pray it doesn’t come to that, Cash. Maybe after he sees us together and it has a bit of time to sink in, he’ll come around.” I said hopefully.
“I hope so. I don’t want any conflicts with my club brothers. But it’s more that I don’t want it for your sake. He’s your family,” he replied.
I leaned against him. We sat that way for several moments before I raised my head.
“Are you ready for us to take that ride? I think we need to get away and blow shit out of our heads.”
Chaos’s eyes sparkled. “Hell yeah, I’m ready when you are.”
And just like that, we were moving. I was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. My leather jacket, gloves, and boots were by the door. I’d looked forward to this ride.
?
I was nervous. I wasn’t sure if what we were about to do was the right move.
After enjoying a great ride and then having dinner at a nice, laid-back place, Chaos had asked me to come back to the clubhouse.
Everyone would be there and in a good mood.
It would be low-key and fun. He argued that we shouldn’t act as if we were hiding.
It wouldn’t make the situation with my cousin any better.
Also, he wanted me to get to know his club and the old ladies.
My brief meeting with them wasn’t sufficient.
I agreed that I needed to get to know them. I’d been wanting to get friendly with Mishap’s club for a while. He had always told me, “Soon.”
His latest reason not to was that he was settling into being a patched member.
I’d believed him. But what if that weren’t the case?
Chaos and I had debated back and forth at dinner, not truly arguing, until I agreed.
He had good points, and I was in the mood to hang out.
Chaos said we didn’t need to stay all night.
He said he wanted to show me his house, and I was excited to see it.
The closer we got to the compound, the more butterflies I felt in my stomach.
When we pulled through the gate, I wanted to tap him on the shoulder and tell him to take me home.
I resisted the urge. Chaos parked in an empty spot along the side of the clubhouse.
They had parking in front and on one side.
When we got off the bike, he took my hand and drew me close.
“Bianca, go in with an open mind. Enjoy yourself. We’ll stay until you say it’s time to leave. Give it an hour, that’s all I ask. I know the club wants to get to know you. And there’s no reason for us to hide as if we’re doing something we shouldn’t. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He pressed his lips to mine. It was a gentle, encouraging kiss.
We stopped before things got heated. Chaos wrapped his arm around my shoulders, holding me against his side, and walked us into the clubhouse.
The sound of music and the rumble of voices heard outside grew louder, but they weren’t overwhelming.
You could still speak and be heard. It was dark outside, and it was just past eight o’clock.
As if on a swivel, heads turned toward us.
The murmuring died a little. Then smiles lit up faces, our names were called out, and we were welcomed.
The first to come to us were Rage and Betty.
Not far behind them were Wrath, Jalisa, and their toddler, Dora.
She was adorable in her pink top that read Daddy’s Biker Princess.
She had on a ruffled denim skirt, pink tights, and black biker boots.
Her raven-black hair, which matched her mom’s, was up in little pigtails with pink bows.
Her brown eyes, which matched Wrath’s, shone.
“We’re glad to see you two came. Welcome to the Pagan family, Bianca,” Rage said, opening his arms. I slipped into them a tad hesitantly. His hug was warm and solid. When he let go of me, Betty hugged me, then Wrath and Jalisa.
When they were done, I grinned when Dora held her hands in the air and told me, “Hug.”
I picked her up and hugged her. She squeezed back hard for such a tiny thing. When we were through, she kept her arms around my neck, so I held her on my hip.
“We’re kidnapping you before someone else does. Let’s go to that table over there,” Jalisa said, pointing.
As we made our way to it, more of the guys came up to say hello—my anxiety about coming eased more by the minute. I searched but hadn’t caught sight of my cousin. Maybe he wouldn’t be here tonight. We barely seated ourselves before a guy came up to us.
“What can I get you to drink?” he asked.
“Bianca, I don’t think you met this guy last time you were here. This is Truett, one of our prospects. Truett, this is Bianca, my girlfriend. She’s also Mishap’s cousin. You’ll be seeing a lot of her around here,” Chaos informed the guy calmly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Bianca. What can I get you to drink? We have almost anything you can think of when it comes to alcohol, and several non-alcoholic things. Plus, pretzels and nuts. Name your poison,” Truett said, smiling.
“We’ll be here for a while if you want to drink something alcoholic,” Chaos murmured.
“I’ll have a Jack & Coke. Thank you,” I told Truett.
From there, the others made their requests, then he walked off to fulfill them.
“So, what did the two of you do today?” Betty asked.
As we answered, Shadow and Cambria joined us.
Conversation flowed easily. The guys would come over, join for a bit, then wander off to talk in small groups, play pool or darts.
Some sat at the bar and drank. I wasn’t obsessively watching for my cousin, but I did check the room from time to time. Nothing.
Our attention was taken for a few minutes when Shadow brought Cambria up to the middle of the room.
She was shyly smiling. The reason became clear when he announced he wanted to add to the good news tonight.
Then, Shadow announced that Cambria was pregnant with their first baby, due in June.
The club erupted in cheers and congratulations.
It was incredible to see. I hugged Cambria and smiled at Shadow.
I watched how Chaos hugged both of them and kissed Cambria’s cheek.
Even if I didn’t know them, I was happy for them. Babies were a blessing in my book.
It was nine thirty when things changed in the clubhouse. Wrath and Jalisa had excused themselves about fifteen minutes ago to take a sleepy Dora home. The little girl had gone from lap to lap until she ended up curled up on her daddy’s.
I was talking to Cambria about what it was she did for work when the murmur of voices grew louder.
I glanced up and saw women coming through the front door.
I knew it had to be the bunnies and hangers.
For a second, I wondered which one was AnnMarie, but I told myself to stop it.
I wasn’t sabotaging this, so I turned back to Cambria.
Things progressed fine, and several minutes later, I’d mostly forgotten the women were there, unless I caught sight of one of them hanging on the guys or dancing suggestively in the middle of the room, where there were no tables.
“Bianca, we can leave if you want,” Chaos murmured in my ear.
He sat with his chair up against mine, and an arm resting on the back of mine. That was how he’d been since we sat. His fingers would rub my back soothingly, or he’d reach up and lightly grip my nape, then resume rubbing. It was relaxing yet stimulating. I told him I was fine and wanted to stay.
I hadn’t known anything had changed until I felt Chaos stiffen about fifteen minutes later.
I turned to him and saw he was staring across the room.
I followed his gaze and saw my cousin. He was marching toward us, wearing a grim expression.
And with him was a woman. She was trying to pull her arm free from his grip.
She was shaking her head, looking alarmed.
Immediately, I knew who she was. Chair legs scraped on the cement floor.
Chaos, along with Rage, Forge, and Shadow, stood.
I shot to my feet. Before any of the men could speak, I did.
“Mishap, let go of her right this instant! How dare you tow her around?” I snapped.
My cousin hesitated, blinked, then kept coming. I moved to intercept him. Chaos snagged my wrist and held me back.
“Stay here, baby,” he said.
“Mishap, what the hell are you doing, boy?” Rage asked.
“I’m bringing her over, so she’ll tell the truth. Go ahead, tell my cousin what really happened,” Mishap demanded of her.
“I-I…” she stammered.
“Let go of her,” Chaos ordered.
“Mishap, let go. I’m sorry for his behavior, AnnMarie,” I told her kindly.
Her eyes widened. “You know who I am?”
“Based on how my cousin is hauling you around, yes. I promise he wasn’t raised to be a woman-intimidating pig. Don’t worry. If he doesn’t let go of you in the next five seconds, I’ll punch him in the face for you, unless you’d like the pleasure,” I informed her.
Astonishment was her next expression. I heard snickers from those nearby. We had almost every pair of eyes on us.
“Bianca, why are you being nice to her? She’s the woman your so-called man spent an hour with behind closed doors,” Mishap snapped.
“And from what I heard, she explained what happened in that room to all of you. And it coincides with what Chaos and Fury said. I don’t get where your stubbornness about this is coming from. You’re not like this,” I fired back at Mishap.
“I’m not being stubborn! I’m trying to show you the truth and protect you. I don’t want you hurt again!” he shouted. Suddenly, Ryder and Nomad came up on either side of him. Things were getting bad. Please, Rawley, stop this, I prayed.