Chapter Four
Dani
I wake up early the next day. I don’t hear any sounds of anyone up in the club, and I know most of them stay here.
My father, mother, and I spent a few hours together last night after dinner getting to know one another. I left when they started making eyes at each other. I knew what that meant, so I left as fast as I could.
It has been great getting to know him. I had spent a lot of time during my life picturing what my father would be like if I ever met him, and I guess I was way off on the biker thing since my mom didn’t really let us around any bikers. I know why now; she was scared for her and me. It sucked, but I also understand it.
When I make it out of my room after showering and getting dressed, I find the kitchen empty; just like I expected, since it’s only five in the morning.
Maybe I should do some shopping today since I didn’t have many clothes to bring with me and, let’s face it, I mostly had scrubs because of my job. I didn’t need those here right now.
I sit down with a coffee at the table as I look up on my phone what kind of stores are in this town.
I mentally make a list of everything I need from clothes to toiletries.
Someone sits beside me, and I jump because I wasn’t expecting it. I was so lost in my phone, I didn’t notice.
“Morning,” the deep, gruff voice says.
I look up to see Zane looking at me. His eyes are still heavy with sleep while he sips his coffee.
“What are you doing up this early?” I ask, looking around and noticing we are alone.
“I fell asleep pretty early last night so, when I couldn’t sleep anymore, I thought I would get some coffee before I head to work,” he explains.
I nod my head. “What do you do for work?”
“I help around with each of the businesses; mostly security,” he says.
“I could see that,” I say with a smile.
He smiles at me. “Why’s that?”
“Oh, because you are huge, and look like you could fuck someone up with your pinky,” I blurt out.
He looks like he’s thinking over my words, but there is amusement in his eyes. “I probably could. I can’t say I have tried though.”
“I was hoping to head out today to do some shopping,” I say, changing the subject.
“You should probably take a prospect with you,” he says.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Why would I do that?”
I never needed to bring anyone with me shopping in my life.
“Because you’re the princess of this MC. I’m sure you already know that there are people out there who will go to great lengths to get to you,” he says lowly.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I mumble. Of course, I know what some people will do to club princesses. That’s how I ended up in the situation I was in not too long ago.
“We just want you safe,” he says, and I can tell he’s being genuine about his words.
“I will take a prospect with me. I wasn’t leaving until later anyway. Everyone is still asleep,” I tell him.
“Well, how about we go out for some breakfast. Mama took the morning off today,” he says.
A small smile comes to my lips. “That would be great.”
When we get outside, he walks me to an SUV. I don’t say anything and just climb in.
“Sorry. We don’t have someone ride with us, unless it’s our Old Lady, and I don’t think we are there yet,” he says as he pulls out of the parking spot towards the gates.
“Yet?” I ask.
He looks over at me with a smirk. “I know you feel something between us.”
I had felt something, but I wasn’t so sure if he would have been interested. It was better not to get my hopes up, so I didn’t want to think about being with him.
“Maybe,” I say, trying to hold back my smile.
“If you are hesitant because of your father, don’t worry. If he knows I am serious about you, he probably won’t try to kill me,” he says before looking over at me and winking.
My eyes widen. “Kill you?”
Zane chuckles at the shocked sound of my voice. “Well, he had told us you were off limits, but I’m not always one to follow rules.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me,” I tell him honestly.
“Don’t worry about it, baby. I have a feeling that whatever Prez does because I want his little girl will be worth it,” he says, waving off my concern.
Before I know it, we are pulling into a diner. I have a hard time believing I would be worth any wrath my father would bring down. Plus, I am just getting to know him. I don’t want to disappoint him.
Zane walks me into the diner with a hand on my lower back. A shiver comes over me at the feel of him touching me.
When we sit down, the waitress comes over with menus.
“What about my brother, Zeke. ‘You think he would have a problem with it?” Zane asks me.
I shake my head. “No, he wouldn’t. As long as you didn’t hurt me, he wouldn’t care. He’s just overprotective.”
“He was born to be that way. Just because he was stolen doesn’t mean he wasn’t given the instincts we all grew up with,” Zane says with a nod.
Zeke definitely has the instincts of the club. He always has. Maybe that’s why I was comfortable around the Vicious Snakes and, now, the Devious Eagles. I knew what men like Zeke were like.
“He has always been like a big brother to me. I am an only child, so I used to pretend Zeke and I were brothers. We always looked out for each other,” I tell him.
The waitress comes to take our orders before he can respond.
“It’s good that you had that. I wish I had known him growing up,” he says once the waitress is gone. Sadness comes into his eyes.
“I wish you would have too. But you guys have each other now, and I know you will get along,” I tell him.
“I hope so,” he says with a small smile.
We stick with small chit chat as we eat our breakfast. He makes me smile with a couple of jokes. I can feel myself beginning to like him more and more.
He’s gorgeous, and funny; something I always liked in a man.
I don’t know what he’s saying at I stare at his lips and wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
I’m no blushing virgin, not by a long shot, but I have a feeling if anything were to happen with Zane, it would be completely different than anything I had ever experienced.
“You’re going to have to stop looking at me like that, baby,” he says, breaking me out of my thoughts.
I can’t help but blush. “Sorry, like what?”
“Like you want to know what it would be like if I devoured you; but we don’t have time for those kinds of thoughts. The first time I get to taste you, I know I am not going to want to stop,” he murmurs.
I feel my body heat with his words.
“Another time,” I manage to choke out.
He smirks at me as desire fills his eyes. “You can count on it.”
Zane
As much as I wanted to do everything Dani was asking for when she looked at me, I knew I wanted to get checked to make sure I was clean first. I had used a condom every time I had sex with a woman, but I want to take the extra precaution so that nothing would get in my way.
I made an appointment before getting back to work, so I could find out sooner rather than later.
Getting her away from the club for an hour was a good idea. I got to know her without anyone else around and listening in.
When her phone started going off with texts from her parents and Zeke, I knew it was time to head back. No doubt they would have freaked out when they saw she wasn’t in her room when they woke up.
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity though.
The moment was over too fast by the time we got back to the clubhouse.
Prez was glaring at me when we walked through the door. “Where were you?” he snaps.
“Having breakfast. You know, the most important meal of the day,” Dani says dryly.
“Why couldn’t you have it here?” he asks, looking at me accusingly.
“I wasn’t aware that I wasn’t allowed to leave,” Dani says, getting angry.
“Of course, you can leave. You just need to be safe and protected,” he says, softening his tone.
“You didn’t think your Sergeant in Arms was going to keep me safe if something were to happen?” Dani asks, putting her hands on her hips.
“That’s not what I was saying,” he says, putting his hands in the air. I look over at Robyn and she looks amused. When I glance at Zeke, he has the same expression.
“Well, I didn’t leave by myself. I went to have breakfast because I was hungry. It’s not like we left to go fuck in a motel. Why do that when there are plenty of beds here,” she says before crossing her arms over her chest.
I feel my cock thicken at the thought of fucking her, but those words seem to anger him.
“You will not be fucking my club brother. Any of them,” Prez spits out.
“I can fuck whomever I want. You don’t get a say in that. I could ride all of them if I wanted to. You would just have to accept that. You’re my father; not my pimp,” Dani says.
I clench my fists at her words. “Like fuck you will be riding anything but me,” I growl out.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t a good choice of words since now Prez definitely looks like he wants to kill me.
Laughter breaks out, and I look to see my brother Zeke holding his stomach. “Oh god, I’m so glad it’s not me.”
Robyn nods her head in agreement.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Prez asks, glancing at him.
“Dani is, well, a complicated woman,” Robyn says softly.
Zeke snorts and laughs at her words.
“She doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. This one time, I warned her away from this guy in school and she went out on a date with him just to prove a point. She didn’t even like the fucking bastard, but she was making sure I knew I couldn’t tell her what to do,” Zeke explains.
“So, you are telling me that because I am giving her a hard time, that is just pushing her to pursue whatever it is between them?” Prez asks, looking at Zeke.
Robyn sighs. “Dani isn’t someone who can be told what to do. She has been that way her whole life. She obviously didn’t get it from me,” she says, biting her lip. We all know what she means though. She gets this trait from her father.
“Would anything I say make you change your mind?” he asks, looking at Dani with a pleading expression.
She shakes her head and sighs like she’s dealing with a child. “No, it won’t. If I like Zane, then I will see where it goes. Nothing you can say or do will change that. You know your club brothers better than I do. I’m sure if he was cruel to women, you would let me know and I might change my mind, but I don’t get the impression you let anyone into your club like that.”
“Well, they can be assholes, it’s part of the life, but they wouldn’t lay a finger on you, or touch you, without your permission,” he admits in a defeated voice.
“Right. So just so we are clear, I can have breakfast with whomever I want,” she states.
Prez lets out a sigh. “I suppose so. But if he hurts you, I will cut off his hands for even touching you.”
Dani pretends to think it over. “I guess that’s fair.”
“Well, I don’t wish to have my hands cut off, but I would never lay a hand on her in anger or touch her if she didn’t want me to. But, as she said, we were just having breakfast,” I tell them. They all jump like they fucking forgot I was even there. Rude.
“As long as we understand each other,” Prez says while looking at me in warning.
“Good. Now I want to go shopping, and Zane here told me I need to have a prospect with me,” Dani says, changing the subject.
“He’s right. You need to bring someone with you. Can’t leave you unprotected,” Prez says in agreement.
“Oh shopping!” Robyn says with an excited voice.
Dani shakes her head rapidly. “Mom, no.”
Robyn’s shoulders drop. “Why not? It could be fun.”
“You spend like twenty hours in the stores, and I don’t feel like being there all day,” Dani says.
“How about if I promise twenty minutes in each store and you can kick me out after?” Robyn asks in a hopeful voice.
Dani sighs but gives in, and I make sure the prospect knows just how important it is that he keeps Dani and Robyn safe.
I know I will worry until she’s in my sight again, but I can’t keep her locked up in the clubhouse and chained to me; no matter how much that appeals to me.