Chapter Eighteen
Lark
For a second, I couldn’t figure out where I was. My brain was still somewhere between asleep and awake, and all I wanted to do was burrow deeper beneath the blankets.
Then I heard it.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
A slow, steady heartbeat.
I smiled before I even opened my eyes.
Oliver.
Somehow during the night, I’d ended up practically plastered against him with my head resting on his chest, one leg thrown over his, and one of his arms draped securely around my waist like he’d fallen asleep making sure I couldn’t roll away.
My fingers absentmindedly traced little circles over his stomach beneath the sheet and his chest rumbled.
“I know you’re awake.”
I grinned against his shirt. “So are you.”
“I’ve been awake,” he grunted.
I tipped my head back enough to look at him. His blue eyes were already open, staring down at me instead of the ceiling. “How long?”
“A while.”
“That’s creepy.”
One corner of his mouth twitched. “I’ve just been enjoying the view.”
I snorted. “The view?”
“You.”
I blinked. Well, that wasn’t what I’d expected him to say. He wasn’t exactly known for tossing compliments around. “I thought you were going to tell me I drool.”
“I considered it.”
I gasped. “You would’ve lied to me?”
“I would’ve.”
I poked his side. “You know, this is like you waiting outside my bedroom door every morning.”
He looked at me questioningly.
“Except now...” I smiled. “...you’re in my bed, waiting for me to wake up.”
“I like this better.”
There wasn’t any hesitation in his answer.
“I think I do too.” I looked back up at him. “Morning, Ollie.” The nickname earned me another one of those little smiles that hardly anyone else ever got to see.
“Morning, Lark, though I think we are past saying good morning.”
“I have another question.”
“You usually do.”
“I have lots of questions.”
“I know.”
“This one’s important.”
He waited.
I leaned up just enough that our noses were almost touching. “Can I have a morning kiss?”
His eyebrows lifted. “You need permission?”
“I was trying to be respectful.”
“That’s new.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can be respectful.”
“Sometimes.”
“I’ve been respectful for at least...” I pretended to think. “...three whole minutes.”
“I’ll give you two.”
“Rude.”
His hand slid into my hair, his fingers gently brushing against my scalp before he cupped the back of my head. “Come here.”
Like I needed to be told twice.
I closed the distance and our lips met softly. There wasn’t any urgency.
No desperation. No frantic need.
Just... Good morning. It was sweet enough that it made my chest ache.
When we pulled apart, I smiled before leaning in again.
Another kiss.
Then another.
By the fourth one, Oliver chuckled.
“What?”
“You collecting them?”
“Maybe.”
I kissed the corner of his mouth. “I’ve got to make up for lost time.”
He caught my chin before I could steal another one. “As much as I’d love to stay here kissing you all morning...”
I frowned dramatically.
“...we’ve got all the time in the world.”
The words should’ve made me smile. Instead, yesterday flashed through my head.
The black van. The hand around my arm. Being yanked backward, and Oliver sprinting toward me.
The smile slipped from my face before I could stop it.
“It didn’t really seem like we had all the time in the world yesterday. ”
His expression changed instantly and the teasing disappeared. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face, his fingertips lingering against my cheek. “I know.”
“I keep thinking...” I swallowed. “What if you’d been pumping gas on the other side of the building?”
“What if you’d looked down?”
“What if—”
“Lark.” His voice was low. It stopped the spiral before it could really begin. “As long as I’m breathing...” His eyes never left mine. “...anyone who wants to get to you is going to have to go through me first.”
Something squeezed around my heart.
“You can’t promise nothing bad will ever happen.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I can’t. But I can promise I’ll never stop standing between you and it.”
My throat tightened. I believed him. Not because he thought he was invincible, but because I knew he’d die trying.
I reached up and rested my hand against his jaw. “You know...”
“What?”
“I really like you.”
A smirk spread across his lips. “I know.”
I laughed. “You’re supposed to say you like me too.”
“I do.” He said it so matter-of-factly that it made me laugh even harder.
“I should probably check on Ever,” I sighed. “I know she said she was okay yesterday... but yesterday was yesterday.”
He nodded. “We’ll go find her.”
I sighed dramatically. “I suppose that means I have to leave my warm biker pillow.”
“You do.”
“Tragic.”
“It is.”
Reluctantly, I untangled myself from him, and the second I rolled away, I missed the warmth. That seemed ridiculous. We’d shared one night, yet somehow it already felt strange not touching him.
Oliver sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his boots while I dug through my duffel bag.
I grabbed a clean pair of jeans and an oversized charcoal shirt before turning toward the bathroom.
Then I stopped to see Oliver politely looking at the floor.
I smiled. “You know...”
“Hmm?” he said, still not looking at me.
“You’re allowed to look.”
His eyes flicked up. “I know.”
“So... why aren’t you?”
“Because I’m trying to behave.”
I laughed. “I didn’t ask you to behave.”
“I know.”
“I appreciate the effort, though.”
He smirked. “I figured.”
I disappeared into the bathroom before either one of us could get ourselves into trouble.
A quick shower wasn’t in the cards this morning, so I settled for brushing my teeth, washing my face, throwing my hair into a messy ponytail, and changing clothes.
When I stepped back into the bedroom, Oliver was exactly where I’d left him—standing by the door, waiting.
I laughed.
“You really do wait for me.”
“Only for the things that are worth it.”
Such a simple answer, yet somehow, it made butterflies flutter in my stomach.
Together, we headed down the hallway.
The clubhouse was fully awake now. Someone had music playing low from the kitchen. Coffee brewed somewhere nearby. Laughter floated through the air. I caught the smell of bacon.
The clubhouse was starting to smell like home.
We rounded the corner into the common room, and I immediately noticed two women I’d never seen before.
They stood near one of the couches, talking to Mason and Adley.
One had dark hair pulled into a high ponytail and wore ripped jeans with a faded band T-shirt tucked into them. The other had long chestnut hair hanging loose around her shoulders and wore leggings and an oversized hoodie that looked suspiciously stolen from somebody else’s closet.
Both looked up and smiled. “Oliver!”
Before I knew what was happening, they’d crossed the room and each wrapped him in a hug.
I stopped beside the couch, once again confused.
Seriously.
I was beginning to think confusion was my permanent state since moving into this clubhouse.
Oliver hugged both women before stepping back and motioning to me. “Lark.” He motioned toward them. “This is Drew,” he said, pointing toward the brunette, “and Demi,” then toward the blonde. “Mason’s nieces.”
“Oh!”
Everything immediately made more sense.
I smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Drew said warmly.
Demi grinned. “So you’re Lark.”
I blinked. “...Should I be worried that everyone already knows who I am?”
“Clubhouse,” Demi said with a shrug. “Nothing stays quiet around here. Adley was just telling us about you.”
“Not even a little is secret,” Drew agreed.
Oliver looked at the sisters. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Neither did we,” Mason muttered.
Adley laughed, slipping her arm around Mason’s waist while resting her free hand on her growing pregnant belly. “They did mention wanting to come visit.”
Mason grunted. “They said visit,” he pointed accusingly at them, “not move here. And definitely not demand jobs.”
“We didn’t demand,” Demi corrected.
“We politely insisted,” Drew added.
I laughed.
Oliver looked surprised. “You’re moving here?”
Both nodded.
“Yup,” Demi chirped.
Oliver looked at Mason, then back at Demi and Drew. “Where are you staying?”
“The motel,” Drew answered.
“We checked in last night. Paid for the month,” Demi added proudly.
Oliver looked at Mason.
He shrugged. “What? It’s not like we’ve got empty bedrooms.” His eyes drifted around the clubhouse. “Unless people start doubling up.”
The thought popped into my head before I could stop it.
If space became an issue... I could always move into Oliver’s room.
Before I could dwell on it, another voice interrupted.
“What’d I miss?” Thorn walked into the common room dressed for work. Black pants. Black button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled neatly to his forearms, exposing tattooed arms that looked like they belonged in a magazine.
I’d heard him complain about bartending more than once, but judging by the way he looked, I had a feeling women tipped him exceptionally well.
His eyes landed on Drew, then Demi. A flicker of surprise crossed his face. “Drew. Demi.”
“Hey, Thorn,” Drew answered with an easy smile, but Demi just nodded at him.
Mason filled him in. “They’re sticking around, and they’re working with you.”
Thorn nodded, but I could tell that he was surprised. “Good. I could use some help behind the bar.” He glanced toward Adley. “Since Adley is about ready to have that baby.”
Adley rubbed her stomach. “I’ve got a few months before that happens.”
“Mason’s going to have his hands full.”
“No argument there,” Mason muttered.
Thorn looked back toward Demi, only briefly, but long enough that I caught it.
Star and Cole wandered in, arguing about something that sounded suspiciously like whose turn it was to do laundry. Bell followed with a cup of coffee almost as big as her head, and Penny bounced through the doorway with enough energy to power a small city.
Calla and Clove were laughing about something Ender had apparently done while Eden slipped quietly into the room, Scout right behind her.
Within minutes, the clubhouse felt alive.
Ever spotted me. “There you are.” She hugged me tightly. “You okay?”
“I think so.”
“You?”
“I’m good.”
Before we could talk more, Nikki walked over. She smiled warmly at us. “Morning, sweetheart.”
It took me a second to realize she meant me. “Morning.”
“How’s your arm?”
I rubbed it unconsciously. “Sore, but it’s fine.”
“Let me see.”
I rolled up my sleeve and noticed the bruises had darkened overnight.
Nikki frowned sympathetically. “Ouch.”
“Yeah.” It sucked, but that was better than being in the back of that van.
Without another word, she disappeared into the kitchen and came back carrying an ice pack wrapped in a dish towel.
She held it out and smiled. “You need it,” she insisted.
“Oh.” Fair enough. “Thank you.”
She reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You sleep okay?”
I glanced at Oliver. He suddenly became fascinated by whatever was in his coffee mug.
I smiled. “I did.”
“I’m glad.” No teasing. No interrogation. Just kindness.
Across the room, Alice was passionately explaining to Wrecker why they absolutely needed to add onto the clubhouse—at least a bigger kitchen and pantry.
“I’ve got flour balanced on cereal boxes,” she pointed out.
“You don’t need another pantry.”
“I absolutely do.”
“You absolutely don’t.”
“I feed all of you.”
“That’s your choice.”
“It stopped being my choice years ago.”
I leaned closer to Oliver. “I adore Alice.”
He chuckled. “I knew you would. That’s you in twenty years.”
I looked up at him, ready to tell him then that meant he was like Wrecker, but then noticed Nikki watching us.
Our eyes met.
She looked at Oliver and then back at me. A soft smile crossed her face. It warmed me in a way I couldn’t quite explain.
Across the room, Drew stepped forward. “Wrecker?”
He looked over.
“We’re staying.”
Demi nodded. “And we’d like jobs at the Social Club.”
The room quieted.
Wrecker looked at the two of them for a long moment. “You serious?”
“Very.”
Mason cleared his throat and put his finger to his lips.
Wrecker sighed. “You’ve already hired them, haven’t you?”
Demi pointed at Mason. “He said it was good, but that we should run it by you first.”
“Jesus,” Wrecker shook his head. “Does this Prez patch mean anything anymore?”
Then Wrecker’s phone rang.
He pulled it from his pocket and answered immediately. “Wrecker.”
His expression changed. The smile disappeared, and the easy conversation died around the room.
What now?