16. Gigi
16
GIGI
M ack isn’t the one who tells me the club is going on a run. Connor is.
My brother comes knocking on the door to my apartment, with Reed in tow. “The club’s got business out of town,” he says. “Reed’s your protection until we get back.”
In my experience, Reed isn’t exactly a smiley guy, but he looks even more cranky than usual. The only indication he even acknowledges what Connor just said is a slight flare of his nostrils. Great. Reed’s not happy to be doing this. Well, at least it’s not my fault he’s stuck guarding me.
I resist the urge to ask my brother why Mack isn’t the one staying behind. I should be relieved, given the fight we had and where we left things. Instead, I feel unsettled and frustrated. I try to push down those feelings, though. Magnus is probably the one who made the call of who’s going on the run. Still, the idea that Mack might have volunteered to get away from me makes my heart plummet.
Connor puts a hand on my shoulder. “You need to promise me you’ll stick close to Reed and not leave the compound without him,” he says in a low voice. “Understood?”
“Yeah, don’t worry,” I say, trying to sound casual. Connor doesn’t know Mack and I had a fight. Hell, Connor doesn’t even know that Mack and I are anything but a reluctant bodyguard and a reluctant guarded body. “I won’t try to make an escape under Reed’s watch.”
“Good deal.” He claps Reed on the back. “See you when we get back, brother.”
Reed’s jaw ticks, the only indication he’s got an opinion about this. “His eyes flick to me. Come find me if you need me to take you anywhere.”
Since running into Mack right now would just make our fight feel worse, I opt to stay in my apartment until I hear the roar of motorcycle engines fading into the distance. I don’t know how many Royal Bastards are going on this run, but from the sound of it, I’d say almost the entire club. I decide to take the rare opportunity of looking around the clubhouse without the presence of most of its members. I open up a can of wet food for Tedward as a special treat, tell him to be good, and venture out to see what I can see.
Out in the main rooms of the clubhouse, it’s as deserted as I expected to be, and the experience is surreal. Unlike the normal din of laughter, music, and shit-talking, you could hear a pin drop in here right now. I peer out the front window and see two prospects standing guard at the entrance to the compound. But other than them and Reed, it looks like I’m the only other person here. I explore all the rooms I dare, even peeking inside the sacred members-only space of the chapel. For the first few hours, the quiet is sort of nice. But after a while, the boredom starts to get to me. I feel like I’m turning around in circles, with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Even Tedward seems determined to nap the day away.
My saving grace from going stir-crazy comes in the form of a phone call from my sister-in-law.
“Hey, are you up for a girls’ night and sleepover here at the house?” Kat asks. “I’m inviting my friend Christy, too. You remember, the one who works with me at the hospital?”
“Sure, that would be great! And of course I remember her. She’s the one who’s an emergency nurse like you, right?”
“That’s the one. Oh, and I also called Little Big Mama. I thought she’d be down for some fun.” I’d forgotten that Mama was probably around here somewhere, too. She must have holed up in her own apartment. “Since the men are off on the run, there’s no one to bartend for, so she’s free.”
Kat tells me what time to show up, and I go off to find Reed and ask him to drive me and Little Big Mama over there.
On the drive over, Reed doesn’t say a single word. Little Big Mama and I make small talk so that the car won’t be completely silent. I find out that her actual name is Melissa, or Mel for short. She’s really nice, and funny, too. I feel kind of bad that up until now, I haven’t really had any conversations with her other than her asking me for my drink order.
Kat greets us at the door, a half-full margarita glass in her hand. “Hey, come on in!” she says, standing back to let us through. “We started early on the drinks, so you ladies are gonna have to catch up. Christy’s downstairs.”
Kat and Connor have a fantastic finished full basement, with an amazing entertainment area set-up, complete with a huge flat-screen TV, a wet bar, and a giant U-shaped sectional. It’s the perfect place for an adult sleepover.
“Where’s Julia?” I ask, kicking off my shoes.
“She’s asleep up in the nursery. I have the baby monitor so I can check on her, but she should be down for the night.”
Kat leads Melissa, me, and Reed downstairs. We find Christy sitting on the couch, TV remote in her hand. Christy is a gorgeous natural blond with wavy hair that practically any woman would die to have. She has it pulled up in a high ponytail today, which accentuates her long, graceful neck. Her face is free of makeup, which doesn’t detract at all from her natural beauty. “Hi, I’m Christy,” she calls, waving to us.
“Chris, you remember Gigi,” Kat says. “This is Melissa.” She points to Little Big Mama. “And this is Reed. He’s, um, kind of here as a chauffeur.” Kat stumbles over the word as she tries to explain his presence without revealing too much.
But if Christy is confused by his presence, she doesn’t show it. “I’m getting a playlist going,” she drawls in a melodious southern accent, waving toward the TV. “Go check out the drinks situation. I can make y’all something if you don’t want beer or wine.”
“Wow, I’m not the bartender tonight. What a concept,” Melissa jokes.
A few seconds later, music starts to flow through the speakers. Christy gets up, walks over to Reed and holds up her margarita glass. “You want one?”
Reed snorts. “I don’t drink that girl shit. Besides, my job is guarding Gigi and the rest of ya. Can’t do that if I ain’t sober.” He turns to me and lifts his chin toward the stairs. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”
Watching Reed stomp up the stairs, Christy’s mouth twists into a perplexed frown. “What’s with Mister Chuckles?”
Kat lifts a shoulder. “He’s pissed off that he has to be here tonight guarding us, instead of off on a run with the rest of the club. He’s missing all the action.”
“Guarding you?” Christy asks, moving behind the wet bar. “From what?”
I jump in. “Oh, nothing. Just a precaution.”
Kat agrees. “Yeah, you know, the men are always trying to make sure we’re safe. It’s just how they are.”
“So, like, paranoid?”
“No, not exactly. Just careful. You know Connor. He’s not exactly all that open with people he doesn’t know. I guess they are all kind of like that, but to a lesser extent. Guarded. On alert. They don’t really let their guard down with people unless they know them well.”
“Except for Mack,” Melissa says. “He’s always easygoing. Good for a laugh, too.”
Christy brightens. “Is that Con’s hot buddy, the one with the kind of shaggy dirty blond hair?”
“That’s the one,” Melissa replies.
“God, he’s so fine…” Christy groans. “Men like that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. Is he taken? If he’s as great as Connor is, maybe I should try flirting with him.”
My gut twists at Christy’s words. I want to jump up from my chair and scream, He’s mine! But not only is Mack definitely not mine, but nobody in this room knows about us. And I have to keep it that way. So I bite my lip, sit on my hands, and say nothing.
Christy comes over and hands Mel and me glasses, then sits down. “I don’t think Mack’s taken,” Melissa says. “I’ve never really seen him with any women around the clubhouse. He’ll go with a club bunny sometimes, but he’s never brought anyone around.”
Kat leans back against the cushions. “Christy, do I really need to remind you that you are not only taken, but engaged? What would Arjun say if he heard you?”
“Well, he ain’t here, is he?” Christy tosses back. “But yeah, I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t be sayin’ stuff like that, even as a joke.”
“Mel, you get along with Mack pretty well,” Kat says to Little Big Mama. “Have you ever thought about him, you know… that way?”
I freeze. Melissa is beautiful and sassy and funny. If she set her sights on Mack, I have no doubt that she could get his attention.
But to my relief, Mel shakes her head. “I don’t shit where I live. Literally. Bartending for the club is the best job I’ve ever had. Plus I get to live there rent-free. No way am I gonna fuck with any bikers and mess that up.”
“So much for setting up the Royal Bastards’ most eligible bachelor,” Kat says on a sigh.
“What about Gigi?” Christy suggests. “You’re single, right?”
“Well, Gigi hates Mack with a passion, so there’s that.”
“I don’t hate him,” I protest, coloring.
“Really? Well, that’s news to me.” Kat turns to Christy. “Gigi and Mack can hardly be in the same room with each other without fur flying.”
“Hate ain’t the opposite of love, though,” Melissa says slowly. “Indifference is.”
“What are you saying?” I can’t stop myself from asking.
Melissa fixes me with a steady gaze. “Well, for one thing, I’m saying hate-fucking is underrated.”
“What? Oh my god, Mel!” Kat bursts into laughter. “Are you serious?”
Melissa holds up her hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I’m just saying I’ve seen the way Mack looks at Gigi. That man wouldn’t turn away from a night in your bed.”
“Oh, I definitely agree that Mack has a thing for Gigi,” Kat adds. “Though he tries to hide it. But Gigi can’t stand him.”
Mel shakes her head. “Like I said, hate and love aren’t opposites.”
Suddenly, all three women are staring at me expectantly, waiting for my reply. Taking a big gulp of my drink, I try to act casual. “I mean, we’re nothing alike,” I murmur. “We just clash, is all.”
“Opposites attract, honey,” Christy says. “Hell, look at me and Arjun. I’m two inches taller than he is, and my idea of a good time is line-dancing at a country bar with fifty of my closest friends. He’d be content spending every night at home watching Masterpiece Theater or something ‘educational’ on PBS. I exaggerate, but you get the idea. And still, we’re perfect for each other.”
“When you’re not fantasizing about hot bikers,” Kat says, snickering.
“Yeah, but that’s just what it is. A fantasy. Arjun’s my soul mate.”
The conversation veers into a lively discussion of whether soul mates exist, and the subject of Mack recedes into the background. But for the rest of the night, I can’t help but keep replaying the words Melissa said over and over in my head
Is the hate I’ve always held onto for Mack not what I thought?
Is the way I always seem to know when he’s in the room, even if I can’t see him, something else entirely?
Why has he always been able to make my heart race with just a word or a glance?
Was the adolescent crush — which I always thought was just my stupid hormones playing tricks on me — actually something more?
Why is it that when we finally fell into bed together, his body seemed to speak to mine in a language we’d always known?
My god.
Is it actually possible I’m in love with King Asshole?