Chapter 16
brAYDEN
I realize I've made a terrible fucking mistake the second we roll into the clubhouse lot.
The parking area is already packed with bikes and cars—way too many for a regular Thursday night.
Bass thumps through the walls loud enough that I can feel it vibrating in my chest even outside.
A couple of hang-arounds are smoking by the entrance, shirtless, despite the chill in the air, red plastic cups in their hands.
One of them wolf-whistles as I cut the engine.
Fuck. Me. Running.
I feel Cece's hands tighten around my waist as she takes in the scene. The neon sign above the door casts an eerie red glow across her face when she pulls off her helmet.
“Is it always this...lively?” she asks, her voice careful. Too careful.
“No,” I mutter, helping her off the bike. “It's not.”
I shouldn't have agreed to this. Not tonight.
Not when she's still on edge from the blowout with her father.
Not when we haven't even defined whatever the hell this thing between us is.
I planned to introduce her to the club slowly.
Maybe bring her by during the day when it's just the brothers hanging around, playing pool, talking shit.
Not during what sounds like a full-blown rave.
“We can turn around,” I offer, already knowing what her answer will be. I've learned enough about her to recognize the mile-long stubborn streak she has.
Cece straightens her spine and squares her shoulders. I recognize that look by now. She is about to walk straight into hell and dare the devil to blink first.
“No,” she says, sliding her hand into mine. “I want to see.”
I inhale deeply, trying to ignore the warning bells clanging in my head. “Alright. But we stick together. And if I say it's time to go, we go. No questions.”
She nods, clearly trying to project confidence, but her grip on my hand tightens as we approach the entrance. The hang-arounds straighten when they spot me, their attention shifting from my face to Cece with undisguised interest.
“Bray,” one of them nods, his gaze lingering on Cece a beat too long. “Didn't expect to see you tonight.”
“Wasn't planning on it,” I reply, moving slightly to block his view of her. “Big inside?”
“Yeah, man. Everybody is.” He grins, revealing a missing tooth. “Surprise party for Domino. His old lady set it up.”
Fuck. A surprise party. That explains the crowd and the noise. Domino's girlfriend, Tasha, has been planning this for weeks, and I completely forgot about it in the Cece-induced fog I've been living in.
“Come on,” I mutter, steering Cece toward the door. We push through, and the clubhouse slams into us—a full-force hurricane of bad decisions waiting to happen. Smoke hangs thick in the air, booze spills across every surface, and the music pounds hard enough to rattle my teeth.
None of that is what stops me cold.
It's the naked women. Everywhere.
At least three stripper poles have been set up around the main room, each occupied by a woman in various stages of undress, their bodies glistening under colored lights.
Between the poles, topless waitresses weave through the crowd carrying trays of shots, their breasts bouncing with each step.
In one corner, a girl wearing nothing but a G-string is giving some prospect a lap dance while his brothers cheer him on.
This isn't just a party. It's a fucking strip club on steroids.
I feel Cece freeze beside me, her hand going rigid in mine. When I glance down, her face is drained of color, her expression wide with shock as she takes in the scene.
“Shit,” I mutter, already pulling her back toward the door. “We’re leaving.”
But before we can make our escape, Big’s voice booms over the music.
“Bray! You made it, brother!”
The club president barrels toward us, arms outstretched, clearly three sheets to the wind. His massive frame parts the crowd, and there's no slipping out unnoticed now.
“—and you brought company!” Big’s grin stretches across his bearded face as he zeroes in on Cece.
I instinctively pull her closer to my side, my arm wrapping around her waist. “Just stopping by for a minute,” I say over the thumping bass. “Didn't realize Domino's party was tonight.”
Big laughs, the sound booming even over the music. “Surprise, motherfucker!” He throws his arms wide, sloshing beer from his bottle. “And who's this pretty little thing?”
I can feel Cece's body tensing under my arm, but her face remains composed when she extends her hand. “I'm Cece.”
Big’s eyebrows shoot up as he engulfs her hand in his massive paw. “The preacher’s daughter?” He turns to me with renewed interest, a knowing glint in his eye. “You here to save our souls the way your daddy tries to, sugar?”
“That’s more my father’s specialty,” Cece replies smoothly. “But if you’re hunting for redemption, I can give you his number.”
Big throws his head back and roars, the sound booming through the room as he smacks his thigh in approval. A few people glance over, curious about the commotion.
“I’m telling you, Bray—this one’s a keeper!” He jabs a thick finger toward Cece. “She’s got fire in her belly.”
I feel her relax slightly beside me, but I know better than to let my guard down. Big can flip from jovial to threatening in the space of a heartbeat, especially when he's been drinking.
“We're just passing through,” I say, trying to steer us toward the bar where it's marginally quieter. “Thought I'd show Cece around, but we picked a bad night.”
“Nonsense!” Big booms, throwing a heavy arm around my shoulders and nearly knocking me off balance. “No better night to see what we're all about. The family is all here!”
Some family. I glance around at the chaos. Wrecker doing body shots off a blonde's stomach while Skelly cheers him on, Hammer getting a very public lap dance in the corner, and at least three prospects I don't recognize passed out on various tables.
“Come on,” Big insists, already dragging us deeper into the madness. “You need to make the introductions.”
I shoot Cece an apologetic look, but she surprises me with a small nod.
I can already tell she's putting on a brave face, and I'm not sure if I should be impressed by her guts or terrified by what she's about to witness. Either way, my protective instincts are in overdrive as Big hauls us toward a group of my brothers near the makeshift bar.
“Listen up, assholes!” Big bellows. “Bray brought his woman!”
Fuck. This is exactly what I’d been afraid of—and what some twisted part of me knew would happen.
The second Cece steps inside, the whole clubhouse shifts. Heads snap up, eyes rake over her like slow, hungry hands. Fresh meat. Exactly what they see. Exactly what I didn’t want.
Brothers nudge each other, heat sparking in their stares, and it makes my pulse slam—rage and desire tangling until I can’t tell them apart.
She has no clue what she does to a room. What she does to me. I step closer, claiming space at her side, every instinct roaring the same thing.
Look all you want. She walked in with me.
“We can still leave,” I whisper in her ear.
Her fingernails dig into my forearm as she plasters on a smile that doesn’t come close to reaching her expression. “I’m fine,” she whispers. “Really.”
She’s lying through her teeth, though I can’t help respecting the nerve it takes. Most women would’ve been gone already. A small part of me almost wishes she’d done the same.
Wrecker detaches himself from the blonde and saunters over, giving Cece a once-over that makes my fists twitch. He’s my brother, but right now, the possessive beast inside me doesn’t care.
“Well, well,” he drawls, swiping tequila from his beard. “What do we have here?” His gaze sweeps over her with the enthusiasm of a drunk man spotting the last slice of pizza.
I step in front of her, my jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth. “This is Cece. She’s with me.”
The weight of those last three words doesn’t miss. His eyebrows lift, and he backs off a step, hands raised in mock surrender.
“Just being friendly,” he says, flashing the shit-eating grin that always makes me want to rearrange his face. “Welcome to the family fun house, darlin’. We don’t get many ladies like you in here.”
“I gathered that,” Cece replies, her attention flicking briefly to a topless waitress passing by with a tray of tequila shots.
Big claps his hands together, oblivious to the tension. “Get the lady a drink! What's your poison, honey?”
Cece hesitates, and I can practically see her calculating how to navigate this minefield. “Just a beer, please.”
“A beer?” Big looks offended. “This is a party, not a church picnic!”
“Beer's fine,” I interject, shooting him a look that says back off. To my surprise, he does, waving at the bartender to bring one over.
I scan the room, looking for the safest corner to steer Cece, but we're immediately surrounded by three more brothers. Domino, the birthday boy himself, pushes through the crowd with a crown made of beer cans perched crookedly on his head.
“Holy shit, you actually showed up!” He wraps me in a bear hug. When he pulls back, his bloodshot eyes land on Cece. “And you brought the preacher's daughter? Man, I thought Skelly was bullshitting about that.”
I feel Cece stiffen beside me. “Word travels fast.”
“Sweetheart, nothing travels faster than club gossip,” Domino grins, offering her a mock bow that nearly sends his beer can crown tumbling. “Especially when it's about our resident brooding bastard here finally getting himself a woman.”
I clench my jaw so hard my teeth might crack. “She's not a sideshow, Dom.”
“Course not,” he agrees, suddenly serious despite his drunken state. He looks directly at Cece. “Any woman who can get this grumpy fuck to smile is welcome in my clubhouse.”