Chapter Ten
S tanding in line for a funnel cake and a drink, I look around. I don’t know what I expected when Gunner told me we were going to a biker rally, but it sure as hell isn’t this.
This is insanity.
Pure chaos.
I’ve never felt more out of place in my life.
There are women of all shapes and sizes roaming around in little leather skirts and bras, looking as if they don’t have a care in the world and far more confident in their attire than I would ever be. Then the men are all in jeans or leather pants, with cuts on. Some with buzzcuts and some with long hair. The facial hair, though, is nuts. So far I’ve seen three different handlebar mustaches and eight dudes with beards down to their belly buttons. One dude even had braids and beads put in his.
These bikers make my guys look tame.
My guys.
My eyes shift over to Gunner, who stepped away for just a moment to talk to someone. He could reach me in three steps if he needed to. I still don’t know why he insisted I come with them. Especially when he told me that I will be required to stay in my room every night while other activities go on in the other areas of the house.
He must feel my eyes on him because he looks my way. Before he can catch me staring, I turn and look around as I step forward in line, inching my way forward.
A woman is straddling a dude on his bike with her head tossed back. I don’t even need to be close to them to know she’s moaning as he fucks her in front of everyone.
My breath catches again as I look away. I can’t imagine letting someone fuck me without a care in front of a street full of people. Then again, when everyone is a stranger you’ll most likely never see again, does it even really matter?
“Next,” the guy working the food truck says.
I step forward and place my order. “Hi, can I get an original funnel cake, a beer, and a bottle of water, please?”
He leans on the counter as he stares down at me. “You old enough to drink, sweet thing?”
“Would I be here if I wasn’t?”
The guy shakes his head and laughs. “Touché. That will be twenty bucks.”
I slide the money across the counter to him that Gunner shoved in my hand and wait. After a few minutes, he gives me my order.
“Thank you.”
“Sure thing, sweet thing. I’ll see you around.”
I offer him a quick smile as I grab everything. I tuck the water bottle into the crease of my arm and hold my hot funnel cake in that hand and grab the beer with the other. Taking a deep breath, I turn around and look for Gunner. He’s right where I left him.
Walking forward, the hairs on my neck stand, making me look around. Scanning the crowd, I stop when I see a man staring back at me, looking like he’s surprised to see me here. Something about him sends off every internal alarm in my body.
I know I’ve never seen the man before, but the way he is looking at me is turning from surprise to calculation. He thinks he knows me. Or maybe he wants to know me. He’s an older guy. Probably in his forties like my mom. The way he is looking at me isn’t good, though. Whatever his thoughts are, I don’t want them.
I break eye contact and hustle to safety. It doesn’t escape my mind that Gunner is safety to me. I don’t know who that stranger is, but I know he’s someone I need to avoid.
“You okay?” Gunner asks.
My hand is shaking slightly, but I try to hide it.
“Yeah, I got you a beer,” I say as I hold it out to him.
Tank chuckles. “Where’s mine? Did they not card you?”
“I would have if I knew you were talking to Gunner, but I didn’t look over and check, sorry. Besides, I don’t think my age is really important here, do you?”
“It’s all good, kid, I can get my own,” Tank tells me.
“Enough, now tell me what’s wrong. Did you see something that made you uncomfortable or something?” Gunner asks.
I roll my eyes as I take a bite of my funnel cake. “Nothing like that. I’m not a prude, Gunner. I’ve watched porn.”
He had just taken a swig of his beer. Watching him choke on it as he sprays it all over Tank has me laughing.
“What the fuck, man?” Tank jumps back, but he’s laughing too.
“Don’t distract me, brat. What had you scurrying over here like a little field mouse?” Gunner asks.
“Jesus, it wasn’t anything.”
“It had to be something. You are strong as fuck. You don’t run to a man’s side without something scaring you,” Tank says as he reaches toward my fried sugary goodness.
I slap his hand away. “Mine.”
“My bad,” he says, raising his hands in surrender.
“Sloane, tell me what the fuck is wrong,” Gunner demands.
“It’s nothing. I just saw some guy staring at me. Something about him made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but it’s fine. It’s not like he approached me or anything.” I shrug as I take another bite.
I’m downplaying it. I know I am, but I also know these guys will go seek that man out. They will confront him for simply making me feel uncomfortable. For all I know, I look like some ex that he wishes he could fuck again. Nothing to be concerned with. Especially since I don’t plan to leave their side.
Gunner and Tank share a look of concern before scanning the crowd.
“Now you two are acting weird,” I mumble.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Gunner says without looking my way.
“Sorry, Dad,” I quip.
Gunner jerks his head toward me, his eyes darker than I’ve ever seen them. “Don’t call me that.”
“No daddy kink, got it.” I nod.
Tank chuckles. “Goddamn, you’re a sassy little thing.”
“Thanks.” I smile at him.
“What do you even know about kinks?” Gunner asks hesitantly.
“Not much, honestly, but I know that if I really looked around right now, I could probably spot a dozen like it’s a game of Where’s Waldo. This is like exposure therapy at its finest.”
Tank chuckles as Gunner groans, rubbing a hand over his face.
“It was a bad idea bringing you here.”
I shrug, trying not to let it show that his comment stings. “I told you I didn’t want to come, but you forced me to and wouldn’t tell me why.”
“Yeah, well, I’m regretting it now,” he grumbles.
“I thought the guys were joking about the way you two go back and forth, but I guess they weren’t, huh?” Tank says, reminding us that he’s still next to us.
“Why are you still even here?” Gunner asks him.
“Is that any way to talk to one of your brothers?” I ask.
“I’m out. You two have fun with your weird form of foreplay,” Tank says as he walks away.
“It’s not foreplay if there’s no happy ending!” I yell, making a dozen dudes turn my way.
“I’ll give you a happy ending, darlin’,” one guy with a shaved head says as he wiggles his eyebrows.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t want to make daddy here jealous,” I say, tipping my head toward Gunner.
“Let me know if you change your mind,” he says knowingly.
Gunner grunts as he grabs me by the back of my neck. “You’re a goddamn menace.”
“You say that like you didn’t already know that,” I point out as he moves me through the crowd.
She puts on a brave face and tries to cover her fear with sass, but it’s clear that the guy she spotted in the crowd freaked her out by the way she keeps frowning and looking over her shoulder. It sets all the warning bells off in my head.
Who did she see? Was it someone she knows from around town? Someone she went to school with? Or was it one of the Crossbones brothers? She was there the day they showed up. Maybe she doesn’t realize she recognizes them.
“You keep frowning like that and you’ll never get laid,” she says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
My hand flexes on her lower back as I push our way through the crowd. “Who said I wanted to get laid?”
She turns in my arms, eyebrows raised. “Your dick broken or something?”
“My dick is none of your concern, but for the record, it works just fine.”
She hums as she bobs her head. “That’s what all the old dudes say before popping a little blue pill.”
“What do you know about little blue pills, Trouble?”
“Only what I’ve seen in the ads,” she quips right back.
She’s a fucking spitfire. I don’t hate it as much as I want to.
Before I can respond, someone whistles. “Yo Gunner, over here!”
Scanning the crowd, I see another biker, Tito, whom I met several years ago. I nod, letting him know I heard him.
“Come on.” I reach down and grab Sloane’s hand, pulling her behind me.
Someone bumps into her, sending her sideways.
“Watch it,” I growl over my shoulder.
“Shit, sorry, girlie,” the big biker mumbles.
“It’s all good,” Sloane says.
“You can’t let these guys walk all over you,” I tell her.
Sloane ignores my advice and looks toward Tito and smiles. “Hi.”
“Hey, darlin’.” He smiles down at her before turning toward me. “You steal her from a crib or something?”
I roll my eyes. “It’s not like that.”
“Sure…” he drawls, rocking back on his heels. “How you been, brother?”
“Can’t complain.”
“Fuck no, you can’t. You don’t have to deal with Snow anymore,” he says.
“Where are you from?” Sloane asks.
“Minnesota.” He makes a face.
A little crease forms between Sloane’s eyebrows. “Doesn’t it snow like a shit ton there? That sounds like a horrible place for an MC.”
“Trust me, it wasn’t my choice, but that’s where my old lady is from.” He smirks.
“You talkin’ about me again?” his old lady, Charm, says as she walks up behind him.
He tucks her under his arm. “I’m always talkin’ about you.”
She rolls her eyes and smiles at me. “Hey, Gunner.” Her eyes shift and spark with interest. “You’re as cute as a button. What’s your name?”
“Sloane.”
“Don’t let her looks fool you, she’s a pain in my ass,” I mumble, making everyone laugh.
Sloane elbows me in the stomach, making me groan.
“Well, I hate to cut this short, but babe, Pres is lookin’ for you,” Charm tells her man.
“All right.” He looks between Sloane and me. “I’m sure I’ll see you two around and we can grab a drink.”
“Sounds good.” I nod.
“Later,” Sloane says as they walk away, then rubs the back of her neck.
“You good?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You keep doing that.”
“Sorry, I keep getting the feeling someone is looking at me, but in a crowd this size, it’s not unexpected, so I don’t know why it’s bothering me. Is that Smoke over there?”
I follow her line of sight and nod. “Yeah, it looks like he and Kelly are talking to one of the Florida Saint’s chapters. I can’t tell which one though.”
“You haven’t memorized the colors yet?” she quips.
“No, I try not to, honestly unless I have to. Is there anything you want to do?”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind going back to the house. I’m tired and I want to check in on Lee if that’s okay?”
“You can check in on him whenever you want.”
Moving through the crowd with her hand in mine, we head toward the house. I wave toward familiar faces, but we don’t stop. At some point, Sloane rests her head on my arm. Looking down, I see that her eyes are heavy but aware. Poor girl is barely hanging on by a thread. I bet she will crash as soon as her head hits the pillow.
After a quick fifteen-minute walk, we make it to the house, and I can hear the music blaring inside. As we walk up the steps, grunting rings out. Letting go of her hand, I cover her eyes as I open the door.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she grunts, trying to pull away, only I won’t let her.
“I’m trying to save you from seeing what I see,” I tell her as I walk us through the door, kicking it shut behind me.
“Seriously? You’re trying to protect my delicate sensibilities now? After I watched people fucking just a little bit ago while I ate my funnel cake?”
“Hey, you two joining?” someone I don’t know asks.
“Not happening,” I say over my shoulder as I lead her down the hall. Once we make it to the bedroom, I uncover her eyes.
“Was that really necessary?” she snaps as I unlock the master bedroom door.
“Get in.”
Sloane rolls her eyes and marches into the room ahead of me.
“Have a good night,” she says as she walks to her bag.
“Where do you think I’m going?”
She turns toward me and frowns. “Out. I’m in for the night so you don’t have to watch me.”
“I told you, where you go, I go.”
“You were serious?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
I sit down on the edge of the bed and start undoing the laces of my boots. “Yes, now do you want to go to the bathroom before I take a shower or not?”
“I’m good,” she says as she grabs a pillow off the bed and tosses it onto the floor. “Do you know if there’s a linen closet here?”
“No, why?”
Sloane sighs. “Because if you were serious about sticking to me, that means you were probably serious about sharing a room, and I’m not sleeping in the same bed as you.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m going to sleep on the floor.”
“Sloane, you aren’t sleeping on the goddamn floor. I’m sure we can manage to share a bed for a few nights.”
“No.”
“Yes. Over my dead body will you be sleeping on the floor, and I hate to tell you, but I’m too old to be sleeping down there on the hardwood.”
She eyes the floor. “So if I kill you, you’ll sleep down there?”
“Sloane, it’s not a big fucking deal.”
“Well, to you it might not be, but I’ve never shared a bed with a guy before,” she snaps.
A feeling that I can’t quite name runs through my veins. For some fucked-up reason, I like that she’s never shared a bed with another man.
“I promise to keep my hands to myself, and if I wake up to you cuddled against me, I’ll push you out of bed. Does that work for you?”
Her eyes narrow. “Who says it won’t be you cuddling against me?”
I scoff. “Trust me, Trouble, I’m not the cuddling type. Now I’m going to go shower, and when I get back, your ass better be between the sheets or you won’t like what I do.”
I stand and walk toward the bathroom. Shockingly, part of me hopes she ignores what I told her to do, just so I can turn her over my knee and spank her ass. I don’t even want to know what that says about me.