Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
T he club’s first club run of the year was normally a time to celebrate simply for the joy of being able to ride again. The town had even made a show of coming out onto Main Street to watch the procession of motorcycles parade through. This year’s was especially exciting because Demo and Jumper, who had been unable to finish out last season with the club due to their injuries, were both finally medically cleared to ride again and it was Paige’s and Jazz’s first run as ol’ ladies.
Since Jumper was injured last summer, Jasmine had never ridden with the club on a run before. Once Jumper was out of the hospital and up to it, a prospect had driven them in one of the VDMC SUVs, along with Demo and the infants. It was now tradition for the club kids to follow behind in a cage guarded by a prospect so the kids could experience the run too.
Paige and Demo had only been together for a couple of months. Her two boys, Mikey and Nelly Bean, were now officially claimed as club kids. As Lucky’s nephews, they’d been honorary club kids and always invited whenever the club was taking the kids on outings and parties. But it wasn’t until Demo put his cut on Paige that they were official.
Since Tessa and Harper were pregnant, they would not be riding on the back of Bear’s or Lucky’s hogs. Between the number of club kids and pregnant ol’ ladies, the club was going to need more SUVs and prospects soon. Neither Viktor nor Darrin, the new prospects, looked particularly comfortable around the infants and toddlers. For this reason, Frankie was invited along, though she was neither a club kid nor an ol’ lady.
The club also had three new patched members joining them for this run. Scissors, Jigsaw, and Papaw—formerly Sara, Will, and Mitch respectively—had all been patched in over the winter. They were now able to ride their sleds during the runs. Additionally, Scissors had claimed an ol’ lady of her own. Sissy, Lucky’s adult daughter, had traded in her denim club kid cut for a leather property patch last January during Scissors’ patch in party when Scissors had proposed to her.
It felt really good to get on his hog again. Pirate owned a sweet Harley-Davidson Street Bob in chrome and jet blue. He absolutely loved his motorcycle and had even added a skull and crossbones flag hanging from a pole off the back.
Ironically, though Jasmine had yet to be on a club run, Sophia had been on many—and she wasn’t an ol’ lady. Sophia had a tendency to jump on the back of Pirate’s hog at the last second before they headed out. She claimed that she needed to ensure the club runs were safe for her bestie whenever she was able to ride with Jumper, but that was a load of horseshit. Sophia just wanted to go on the club run, so she went on the club run. Pirate had tried to talk to her about how it was inappropriate and women the club members weren’t dating didn’t go on club runs or ride as a backpack. It hinted at a commitment that wasn’t there.
Sophia would nod her head, said she understood and even apologized for the misunderstanding, and then would show up the next club run as if Pirate had never had a conversation with her. It was infuriating.
The night before, as Pirate was leaving her house, he’d told her very specifically not to come. Now that they were sleeping together, and technically married, the stakes were even higher. Keys might be the only who knew about their not-relationship sex, but even he wouldn’t be able to ignore the implications of Sophia riding on the back of Pirate’s bike during a celebratory club run.
So it really shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise when Sophia’s red Volkswagen Beetle pulled into the club’s parking lot as everyone was getting themselves ready to go.
Pirate let out a frustrated groan. “That girl’s like a fucking fungus!”
Which Jasmine of course had to hear as she was walking past. She laughed and turned to face her best friend. “Sophia doesn’t understand the word ‘no’. It’s not in her vocabulary.”
Sophia, dressed in tight as fuck leather pants, riding boots, and a long sleeve, baby pink shirt, waved as she got out of her death trap of a cage. Pirate did not understand why she still drove that piece of crap. Even with her choice to not be flamboyant with her money—when she wasn’t flying four thousand miles to ream out her bestie’s mother—she could afford a new cage. A safer one at the very least.
Jazz went to greet Sophia by her cage.
Pirate put his back to the women and came face to face with Keys. The younger man stared him down.
“What?” Pirate snapped, keeping his voice low. “I didn’t invite her.”
“And yet you’re not going to turn her away.” Though phrased as a question, Pirate knew it for the statement it was.
Pirate stiffened. “I told her ‘no’ numerous times last year. She still somehow ended up on my hog.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jasmine and Sophia head over to where Jumper was standing next to his Indian Chief. Aerial already sat in her sidecar with her helmet and dog goggles on. She was also harnessed into her seat by a special clip attached to her service vest.
Sophia and Jazz immediately started taking selfies and pictures of the club members. Some of the brothers even photobombed their pictures. Scotty and Lila joined in too.
For their honeymoon, Jasmine and Jumper were taking a cross country tour on his sled. Jasmine had her motorcycle permit, which meant she could help with the driving so long as a licensed driver was riding tandem, meaning behind her on the bike, or dual, meaning riding on a separate bike next to her on the road. Pirate had been that dual rider up until they’d put their bikes away for the winter. Now that Jumper’s license was reinstated, he could now be the tandem driver she needed. By the time they got back from their six week trip, Jasmine would have her full license since she already had more than enough hours of drive time.
Pirate watched as Sophia took pictures of Jasmine solo on Jumper’s sled in various sexy positions before having Jumper join her. At first, Jasmine was behind Jumper, kneeling on the seat, with her arms around his shoulders. Neither was wearing their helmet yet, so their faces and smiles were clearly visible. They shared a couple of kisses too, which Sophia caught on camera. Then Jasmine moved in front of Jumper. Sophia had her straddle Jumper so they were chest to chest with her property cut on display and Jumper’s hand cupping the nape of her neck.
After that, Sophia had them pose as if Jumper was driving with Jasmine in front facing forward. She had Jasmine loop an arm behind her to grip Jumper’s man-bun while leaning back against his shoulder.
But she paused before taking the picture. Sophia looked around a second before her eyes fell on him. “Pirate, matey! Get your scurvy ass over here!”
Pirate rolled his eyes at her choice of words and started weaving his way through the sea of bikes to get to where Jumper, Jasmine, and Sophia were. He chose to ignore Keys’s snickering from behind him as he left his friend.
He walked right up to Sophia and demanded, “What?” He did not keep his annoyance that she’d shown up against his wishes out of his voice.
He also couldn’t keep his eyes from dropping to her breasts, where he knew the new marks his mouth had left were. Why the fuck was her outfit so goddamn tight and how easy was it going to be to get it off of her?
Sophia snapped her fingers in front of his face. Pirate’s eyes snapped up to see a scowl on her lips while her eyes looked mischievously at him. She knew exactly what he’d been thinking.
“Here.” She handed Pirate her phone. “Don’t take the picture until I say so.” Then she dashed over to the side of Jumper’s bike. Kneeling down, she instructed Jasmine to get back into position. Looking over her shoulder at Pirate, she asked, “Can you see me?”
Pirate held up the phone and stepped slightly to the left. “Nope.”
Then Sophia lifted her hands up to cup the underside of Jasmine’s boobs, essentially lifting them to create more cleavage. Based on the amused look on Jasmine’s face, this was not the first time Sophia had done this. Jumper, however, blinked as if he was trying to figure out if he should be angry Sophia was cupping his woman’s boobs.
“What about now?” Sophia asked. When Pirate said nothing, she snapped, “Pirate! Camera!”
He shook his head and straightened his hold on the phone again. “Um, lower your right elbow slightly—other right, Sophia. Okay, hold that.”
Pirate quickly snapped the pictures.
After he was done, Sophia stood and wiped off her knees. As she approached, she had her hand out for her phone.
Pirate gave it to her. “Interesting tactic.”
Sophia shrugged while scrolling through the pictures he’d taken. “Gotta make my bestie look good.”
Pirate leaned down a little but tipped his head away so it wasn’t obvious he was talking to her. “You came today when I specifically told you not to. Your ass is going to be glowing red by the time I’m done with it.”
Sophia, still only looking at her phone, muttered back, “You say that as if it’s not incentive for me to be here.”
Pirate could only growl in response. He’d never wanted a club run to be over so badly before.
The club set out and picked up an extra along the way. Ivy Benson wasn’t a member of the club, but she hung around when needed. She was a nomad, traveling all around without a home base. Since helping the club out last August, she’d been here and there, occasionally crashing in one of the empty apartments in the clubhouse. Steel wasn’t really sure what to make of her, but also wasn’t going to turn a friend of the club away.
Pirate looked around after seeing Ivy’s bike join their line, but he didn’t see Scar’s bike anywhere. He saw Bulldog’s head turning too and knew he was also searching for his friend. Scar and Ivy had an odd partnership, but it was one forged by common enemies and allied goals. According to Ivy, she and Scar worked together without working together. Pirate wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what that meant.
To Pirate’s knowledge, the club’s former enforcer hadn’t been seen since January when he’d appeared to help Demo defuse a bomb left on club property. Though the man who’d left it had been dealt with, club security had been raised yet again. No one wanted another middle of the night scare like that again.
Pumpkin’s infant son, Seth Jr. or SJ, was the only club kid who lived in the clubhouse, but still. If Bones hadn’t forgotten his phone in his cage and stumbled upon the bomb when he’d gone out to get it, who knew what would have happened.
Pirate had helped Keys set up motion sensors and infrared cameras in the weeks following the bomb scare.
Main Street was the prominent drag in Mount Grove. The small town had a lot of land, but little population. Amish farmland surrounded the town on three sides and also attributed to their summer tourism. The mountain that stood north of the town was not one that could be used for skiing or snowboarding during the winter months. However, it was a great trek for mountain climbers, avid hikers, and adventurists. More than once, the VDMC had been called up to act in a SARS capacity. Given their military experience, many of them were well trained in search and rescue procedures. And their response time was a hell of a lot faster than the state or private organizations that were located further away.
Pirate hadn’t been a part of the club when it had first been formed, but Jumper had been. His brother told him that the town had been extremely nervous about the club forming within their borders and had not been welcoming in the beginning. If it wasn’t for the fact that three of their officers were Mount Grove natives, Pirate wondered if the town would have completely rejected them. It also helped that Bulldog’s brother Carlos was a cop on the town’s police force. Eventually, though, the town warmed up to the club’s presence and now even relied on them. With the club businesses bringing in revenue, they were now a staple in the small town. Years ago, before Pirate had joined up, the town started the tradition to gather on Main Street to watch the club’s first run.
As Road Captain, Bear led the procession. He was a big guy, having gotten his moniker in the military and could be best described by looking like a grizzly with the heart of a teddy bear. His ol’ lady, Tessa, was not riding with him as she was pregnant. His daughter, Maggie, had just celebrated her first birthday in January and was riding in the SUV with her mom. At Bear’s back was Scotty, Lucky’s son and Bear’s honorary nephew from before the club was formed.
Steel’s and Lucky’s bikes were behind Bear’s. As President and VP, the two always rode as a united front. Jenna, Steel’s wife and ol’ lady, was riding behind him. It was unspoken around the club, but everyone knew that something was going on with Jenna. She was always tired of late. At first, the club thought it was her not bouncing back from the holidays. Now in April, they knew something else was going on, but no one was saying anything. Since Harper, Lucky’s pregnant ol’ lady, was riding in an SUV with their son, Conner, and Scotty was riding with his Uncle Bear, Lucky was riding with Ollie, Steel and Jenna’s foster son that they’d adopted.
Jumper and Demo rode behind Lucky and Steel. Both of them had their ol’ ladies wrapped around them and looked thrilled to be back on their bikes following their injuries.
Behind them were Bulldog and Ghost, the club’s Sergeant at Arms and Enforcer. Abby, Bulldog’s much better half, rode behind her husband with their seven-year-old daughter, Lila, riding behind Ghost. While Lila was prone to mischievous behavior any other time, she was extremely well behaved when it came to riding on a motorcycle. She was taking her daddy’s threat of “one mistake and you’re riding in a cage for a year!” very seriously. Lila had behaved well all last year, and the hope was that she would continue to do so this year.
The rule also was that Lila had to ride with someone watching her, which was why Ranger, Ghost’s best friend and co-manager of the club’s bar Demon on the Rocks , was riding directly behind Ghost. It was his job to keep an eye on the little girl. Next to Ranger was Keys.
Angel and Cage rode next to each other, which was different than the order of previous club runs. Now that they were together, though, it only made sense. Angel rode her trike with her daughter, Bree, strapped to her with a special harness. Bree was a paraplegic and could only ride if she was hooked to the driver in front of her. Having the trike also helped so she wasn’t so reliant on whomever was driving her for balance, but she had driven with her club uncles on other bikes and could if she needed to. Cage rode with his newly found teenage son, Aaron, who was a younger, spitting image of the former womanizing Adonis. Aaron also had his motorcycle permit but was not practiced enough to drive in a procession like this.
Pumpkin and Grumpy were next in line. Pumpkin’s infant son was riding with Tessa, Harper, Maggie, Conner, and Abby and Bulldog’s youngest children, Caleb and Georgie. It was probably a squeeze in the eight seater SUV with all those infant car seats. Pirate saw Viktor and Darrin play rock-paper-scissors to see who was driving which cage. The loser got the women and kids, the winner got to drive Angel’s sleek Chevy Traverse that was accessible and held Bree’s wheelchair, along with all the strollers and baby supplies. Angel wanted the cage along for the ride in case Bree needed different transportation for some reason.
Pirate and Starbucks, or Star, were towards the back of the procession. The two had gotten close as prospects. Both former Marines, Star was also a Raider. He was like the badass of badasses as far as Marines go and Pirate respected him for his service. Unfortunate circumstances had bonded the two when they’d lost Conner, the third man who’d been prospecting with them during their first year with the club. Conner, or Lionheart as he’d been buried with full colors, had been killed saving Harper’s life when she, Lucky, and Bear had been taken captive. Unknown to anyone, including Harper, she’d been pregnant at the time of the assault. Conner giving up his life had saved not only hers, but her unborn baby’s life. Lucky and Harper chose to honor Conner by naming their son after him.
It was a loss that all of those who knew Conner still felt, but it hit Star and Pirate the hardest to lose their friend.
Pirate rode with Sophia at his back. When she’d ridden with him in the past, it hadn’t meant anything. It didn’t now either. But it felt different. Sophia’s grip on him was slightly tighter, her position at his back closer. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could swear she was breathing purposefully on the back of his neck too. Her presence was making it very difficult for him to concentrate.
Behind Pirate and Star were Bones and Papaw. Bones had recently been released from Steel’s mandate that he was not allowed to drive himself. It had been a punishment for not calling the club for help when he’d gotten out of physical therapy and was hurting too badly to drive but did it anyway. Bones had taken his punishment in silence and had not uttered a single word of protest. Steel was letting him drive because he knew how much driving his motorcycle helped Bones. So long as Bones did not have any problems today, Steel would end his punishment permanently. Papaw, who was a former Marine POW and a recent widower, was dubbed so because he was the oldest patched member, having received his rockers the month before. He was also Steel’s former CO. Steel knew Papaw would not be swayed and would give Steel an honest report back on how Bones did today, regardless of if it was in Bones’s favor or not. Though Papaw was dating Louisa, Bulldog and Carlos’ mother, she was not present. She had no desire to get on a motorcycle. Ever.
Scissors, with Sissy at her back, and Jigsaw were last on bikes, with the SUVs bringing up the rear.
Ivy, who did not wear VDMC or any other colors, rode behind the SUVs. As large as the procession was, Pirate knew he wasn’t the only one feeling like they were still missing somebody.
The tradition for years was that the Honeys would ready a barbecue picnic while the club was out on their run. Sometimes it was simple hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixings while other times it was pulled pork with more of a luau theme. Since the position of the Honeys had been abolished, there wasn’t anyone but Yelizaveta to make all that food. No one felt right about leaving for a long run and asking Yelizaveta to cook on her own. So Bear started adding various Mom and Pop restaurants to their outings.
With a party their size, Bear had to call ahead and reserve their seats. And it was a good thing he did, because the small diner just outside of Johnstown barely fit them all. Even with the prospects outside to guard all the bikes and cages, their group took up most of the seats available. They just barely had enough high chairs for all the kids.
Cassie, Bulldog and Abby’s oldest daughter, was agoraphobic. She could not go outside of their house without having a panic attack. She had good days and bad days. Though she’d planned on going on the club run with them, as riding on a motorcycle usually helped calm her, she’d been unable to get herself out of the house and to the motorcycle that morning. Abby was going to stay behind with her, but Cassie insisted that she go. Thankfully, Melanie, Steel and Jenna’s youngest daughter, had been home visiting. She wasn’t much for motorcycles and was Cassie’s friend. The two of them stayed behind to hang out in Bulldog’s house. They left Spot, Scotty’s golden retriever service and protection dog, with them.
Pirate and Sophia sat across from Jumper and Jasmine. If it wasn’t for the others around, one might have mistaken them for being on a double date.
The girls chatted about last minute wedding preparations. Pirate tuned it out until Jasmine asked who Sophia was bringing as a date.
Sophia’s foot, that had been running up and down Pirate’s leg, suddenly froze. “Date?” Sophia questioned back.
Pirate too sat up straighter, but he tried to be nonchalant about it.
“Yeah, your mom said you were bringing a date. I thought it was weird since you hadn’t told me about any date.”
Sophia snorted. “Boo, if I had a date, you’d be the first to know.”
Jasmine frowned as Pirate felt an immense sense of relief. “I hate to break it to you, Soph, but I think your mom was serious. She asked me about an empty place setting. I took Jenna’s advice and had a few spare seats…” Jasmine’s voice trailed off. “Do you think she’s trying to set you up again?”
“Again?” The word came out of Pirate’s mouth before he could stop it. He looked to Sophia on his right. “Your mom sets you up on dates?”
He didn’t know Beatrice Groveton well, but he’d been around her due to the wedding planning. She seemed down to earth and not the Prima Donna sort. He hadn’t heard anything but good things about Mrs. Groveton’s contributions to the wedding.
But Jazz also wasn’t her own daughter, no matter how close she was to the family. He supposed he couldn’t really compare the two situations.
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Not in years. Not after…” She snapped her fingers as if trying to remember. “What the fuck was his name?” she asked Jasmine.
“Freddy, Frankie, Fr…” Jasmine’s voice trailed off with an unfinished F-name.
Sophia shook her head. “No, you’re thinking of Fletcher. Mom had influence over that one but that wasn’t one of her set ups.”
“Oh!” Jasmine tapped her temple. “Hermit. Remember, you kept calling him ‘Kermit’ and would only answer ‘hi-ho’ when you answered the phone.”
Sophia smiled widely. “Oh yeah. Also compared him to what Kermit has in his pants.”
Pirate blinked. “Kermit doesn’t wear pants.” Then he got it. “Oh! Nothing to look at?”
Sophia held up her pinky finger. “Not to cock shame. I don’t mind a mini if he knows how to use it. But Kermit did not.”
Anger rose up in Pirate. He did not like hearing about some other man’s cock—period—but certainly not in reference to Sophia.
“How did you get rid of him?” Jazz asked, not picking up on Pirate’s reaction.
Sophia did though. She looped her ankle around his and put a hand on his thigh under the table. She kept her attention on Jasmine though. “Wasn’t he the one I kept texting dick pics to every time he asked for a picture of my boobs?”
Jasmine shook her head. “No, that was that Walter-guy in college.”
Sophia smiled. “Oh yeah. Whatever happened to him?”
“Gay,” Jasmine said nonchalantly.
“Really?” Sophia asked thoughtfully. “Huh. Think it was all the dick pics I sent him?”
Jasmine giggled. “I don’t think it works that way.”
Sophia shrugged. “I’ll still take credit.”
“Of course, you will,” Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Do you want to call your mom and ask her what’s going on?”
Sophia shook her head. “Better if I talk to her in person.” She turned to Pirate. “Drop me off there on our way back.”
“I’m not your fucking chauffeur.” Pirate looked away from Sophia to across the table at his brother, but Jumper was sitting contently while playing with Jasmine’s hair and completely ignoring the conversation around him. He looked a little zoned out, though not in a way that made Pirate think he was having an episode. Jumper looked calm, at peace. It made Pirate all the more grateful for Jasmine’s presence in his life.
Sophia snorted. “Today you are.”
“The fuck?” Pirate turned in his seat to face her. It brought her hand that had been on his thigh over the zipper of his jeans. He leaned in closer, crowding her while her hand twisted to cup his hardening cock.
“Do you want me to walk there?” she demanded of him. “Or how about I take an Uber? I’m sure those stories about some of those drivers being serial killers are just silly rumors.” She faked being macho, even though her bottom lip was out in a pout. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine. I can fend for myself, really.”
Pirate growled in frustration—and not just because he wanted nothing more in that moment than to bite that bottom lip. The look in her eyes as she batted them at him said she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Mind, it didn’t take a diagnostician with her hand on his cock under the table.
He turned to face the table again. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet. Throwing a few twenties on the table to cover his and Sophia’s meals, he glared at Jazz across the table. “I blame you!”
Jasmine’s smile blazed innocence. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He stood up. “Let’s go!” he snapped at Sophia.
“But I’m not done eating?—”
“Now!” he practically shouted. Walking over to Steel’s table, he quickly explained to his President that he needed to take Sophia to her mom’s house. He left it vague but also made it sound urgent. Steel nodded, asking if everything was okay.
“Yeah,” Pirate answered as Sophia made her way towards them. “But I’m trusting you to bail me out if I end up murdering her.”
Sophia’s body hummed in anticipation. There was no way Pirate was driving her back to Mount Grove without making a pit stop first. The question in her mind was where.
She was expecting a motel or something. Hell, even just driving to the next gas station and finding a bathroom that wasn’t too gross. She was not expecting him to take her partway up the mountain trail to the overlook. They weren’t covered by any buildings or fencing. Anyone who drove by would be able to see him.
He turned off the engine, set the kickstand, and immediately reached behind himself to snag her around her waist. Somehow, he was able to pull her forward until she was straddling him, much like she’d had Jazz do that morning when she was taking pictures of her and Jumper. He laid her back over the handle bars.
After removing her helmet, Sophia smiled wickedly at him. Her blood seemed to be humming for him. “This isn’t my mother’s house.”
“You honestly think I was going to make it to your mother’s house with this hard on?”
Sophia dropped her eyes down to the impressive bulge in his pants. “That sounds like a You Problem,” she echoed him from a few weeks ago.
“I’m making it a You Problem,” he growled. His hands went to her leather pants but then froze when he saw there wasn’t a traditional button and zipper in the front.
Sophia made a show of kicking her leg up and over him until she was standing by the motorcycle. Then she climbed on, facing forward, and leaned her chest over his handlebars and control panel. She wiggled her ass in his face. “Back zipper,” she informed him.
“Holy fucking hell,” he muttered. “I am obsessed with your ass, minx.”
Sophia’s laugh was husky and full of mischief. She certainly did not mind his obsession.
By the time they pulled into the Groveton estate, both Pirate and Sophia were extremely sated. They’d narrowly missed running into the club on their return to Mount Grove, which would have been a huge indicator that the two had made a stop instead of going straight to her mother’s. Which also would have brought up the question of what they were doing.
Thankfully Sophia’s leather pants covered up the new handprints he’d made on her ass cheeks so no one would be the wiser. And it wasn’t like her mom had been expecting her, so Sophia wasn’t late as far as her mom was concerned.
Pirate drove up the long drive to the front entrance. He frowned when he saw another motorcycle parked to the side of stairs leading up to the front door. It wasn’t just any bike, either. It was a Dodge Tomahawk V10 Superbike. If Pirate’s memory served him correctly, those went for half a million, easily. Probably more given the extra features it looked to have. The sleek black and chrome beast seemed to shimmer in the afternoon sunlight.
Sophia dismounted after Pirate braked by the stairs. She took off her helmet, turning towards him. “What are you doing?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Dropping you off at your mom’s.”
“You’re my ride back to my car, dumbass,” she chided. “Get off the damn bike and come inside.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Do I have ‘Sophia’s Bitch’ tattooed on my forehead?”
She grinned at him. “Today you do.” Then she turned on her heel and started up the marble staircase.
Pirate was so tempted to just leave her fine ass but instead found himself turning off his hog. Eyeing the Tomahawk, he followed her sexy booty up the stairs.
Fuck, he couldn’t wait until he could fuck that ass. He’d tried once, but Sophia had balked. It wasn’t something she’d done before and claimed she wasn’t interested in doing. Ever. But Pirate had every intention of changing her mind. The idea of being the first man—the only man —to take her ass was too tantalizing.
He’d only been inside the Groveton estate once before. It was massive with an indoor pool, movie theater, game room, and an untold number of bedrooms. Despite having raised three children into adulthood, the place had a museum feel to it rather than a homey feel. Artwork and sculptures adorned the foyer. Directly opposite of the ten foot double front doors was a dual staircase. Immediately above them was a giant chandelier with crystals dangling, causing a myriad of rainbow dots to dance around the entryway.
The expansive dining room to their left could easily seat thirty guests. Place settings were already at each seat as if waiting to be used. Pirate knew that Mr. Groveton’s offices, den, and gym were to the right. He’d never been in that direction before.
Sophia went straight, walking beneath the banister that connected the two staircases. Her biker boots squeaked on the hardwood floor. Pirate’s sounded more like a clobber as he followed. He’d never been this way before. The entire place felt stale to Pirate. What must it have been like growing up here for Sophia?
Sophia lived in the guesthouse towards the front of the property. Since her kidnapping, Mr. and Mrs. Groveton had hired Keys to set up a security system at both the guesthouse and the estate. While the guesthouse was still larger than the two bedroom apartment Pirate shared with his brother and Jasmine, it was very Sophia. She was a bit of a slob and refused to have her parents’ maids in to clean up after her. Clothes, shoes, magazines, books, blankets, pillows, coffee mugs… It was all strewn about in various places. Pirate had yet to find the television remote in the same place twice.
The back of the estate forked off into three different hallways. Or, Pirate supposed, in a mansion like this, they were called wings . Sophia kept to the left. A large wooden archway opened into a sunroom of sorts. The walls and ceiling were all glass. A variety of seating was offered, including a row of hammocks.
Bamboo fans gave the illusion of a summer’s breeze. Based on the heat in the room, it was either designed to hold in sunlight or there was a hidden heater around.
In the center of the room were two parallel couches facing each other that sat perpendicular to the entrance. A wide glass table with a tea set separated the two lavish pieces of furniture.
Mrs. Groveton sat on one couch across from a man Pirate didn’t know. He was dressed in a white, red, and black track racing suit, giving away who owned the Tomahawk. He stood up upon them entering. He had platinum blonde hair that was longer in the front than the back, in what Pirate would classify as a Clichéd Bad Boy Look. From the lack of road dust on his outfit, Pirate wondered just how new that track suit was.
The man was around five-ten, lean with muscle. As he stood, Pirate saw his helmet on the couch next to him with a pair of white gloves inside. The entire getup, including the Tomahawk outside, screamed money.
Mrs. Groveton turned her head at their entrance but did not stand. “Oh, Sophia! You have great timing. Come, sit.” Then she noticed Pirate behind her. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had company. It’s, um, Pirate , right?”
Pirate wasn’t sure why she emphasized his road name. He nodded once. “Yes, ma’am.”
Sophia didn’t take the seat her mother indicated. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here, Fletcher?”
Fletcher? Pirate frowned. Why did that name sound familiar?
“Good to see you too, baby.” The man’s eyes roamed her up and down, clearly liking the tight outfit Pirate had been admiring on her all day. “Damn, you look good, Sophia.” Then he turned to Mrs. Groveton. “Excuse my language, ma’am.”
Mrs. Groveton’s cheeks reddened as she waved him off. “Stop with all that ‘ma’am’ bit. You’re home from the service and I couldn’t be happier. You know you can call me ‘Bea’.”
The man, Fletcher, crooked a smile at her. “It’s my training, Bea. Always show respect to a beautiful woman.”
Mrs. Groveton’s cheeks got even redder. “Oh, you!” She even giggled.
Sophia at least was not fazed by the man’s obvious flirting with her mom. “Fletcher,” she practically growled. “I thought I told you to go step on a landmine when I last saw you.”
“Sophia!” Mrs. Groveton said, aghast.
Fletcher didn’t appear offended. “It’s been years, Sophia. I was hoping we could put everything behind us.”
“Sure. And which bimbo are you going to cheat on me with next?”
Pirate’s eyebrows flew up. Clearly, this man was an ex. He was close enough to the family to be doing that weird flattery/flirting thing he was just doing to make Mrs. Groveton blush, plus she’d told him to call her ‘Bea’. Even Jasmine called Mr. and Mrs. Groveton by their title. Then there was the bimbo/cheating comment.
The fact that the man had dropped the word ‘training’ so casually indicated to a military background. Sophia had also told him to go step on a landmine. Didn’t take a genius to put it all together.
Pirate’s hackles rose at the idea of this douchebag touching Sophia again.
Fletcher took a step forward towards Sophia, but Pirate also stepped forward. He placed himself squarely in front of her, crossing his arms over his chest and staring Fletcher down. The track suit prevented Pirate from seeing if he had any tattoos that confirmed which branch he’d served in.
Fletcher paused. Then Fletcher’s eyes fell on Pirate’s cut. “You’re with the local club, right?” He stuck out his hand to Pirate. “Good to meet you! We’re going to be brothers soon.”
Pirate stared down at the hand but did not make a move to take it. “I doubt that very much.”
Fletcher looked between Pirate and Sophia for a second before lowering his hand. “I’m going to be prospecting. I actually have a meeting with your President tomorrow afternoon.”
Pirate almost snorted at the notion. Steel would take one look at Fletcher’s track suit and keel over laughing. “Is that right?”
“Like I said, we’ll be brothers soon.”
“If you had any concept of the word, you wouldn’t be using it so loosely.”
The douche actually flipped his hair out of his eyes. “I served eight years. I know exactly what the word means.”
Pirate had no interest in having a dick measuring contest with the wannabe biker. He looked over his shoulder at Sophia. “Ask your mom what you came here to ask so we can get out of here.”
Sophia, who seemed to be enjoying the show of watching Fletcher squirm, looked to her mom. “Jasmine said something about me bringing a date to the wedding. If she meant this idiot,” she pointed around Pirate at Fletcher, “then I can guarantee you it’s not happening.”
Mrs. Groveton scowled at her daughter. “Sophia!” She stood up, the sundress that seemed out of place for April in Pennsylvania flowed around her legs. “But to answer your question, yes. When I heard Fletcher was back in the area, I invited him over to see what his plans are in a few weeks. Of course, I checked with Jasmine first. It is her wedding after all.”
Sophia burst out laughing. “Mom, I am not going to the wedding with Fletcher. He’s a pompous imbecile with a small dick complex. The only reason he even survived his military career is because his daddy pulled strings to keep him stateside at a pretty desk. The biggest thing he had to fight was the copy machine when it had a paper jam.”
Pirate had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from laughing.
“Sophia!” Mrs. Groveton admonished. “There’s no service too big or too small as far as I’m concerned.” She turned to Fletcher. “I am proud that you served our country so honorably.”
“Thank you, Bea.” The man actually bowed to her.
Turning back to her daughter, Mrs. Groveton said, “I assumed you could act like a mature adult, Sophia! The two of you were practically kids when you broke up. It would be nice to see you settled down and Fletcher comes from a good family.”
“Clearly they had a switched at birth incident or it skipped a generation,” Sophia rebutted without looking at Fletcher. “Mom, seriously. I don’t care what his last name is. I don’t care where he served or what he did. I don’t care about him . Fletcher Montague was dead to me the moment he stuck his baby penis in some stripper’s cunt.”
“Sophia!” her mother reprimanded.
Pirate could barely contain his laughter. Fuck, he loved watching Sophia dish out her just desserts. It shouldn’t have been such a turn on. Really, it shouldn’t have been.
“Now wait just a minute—” Fletcher stepped forward again.
Pirate held his ground. The man was not getting anywhere near Sophia.
“Besides,” Sophia continued as if Fletcher hadn’t spoken. “I’m already dating somebody.”
That made both Fletcher and Pirate freeze. They looked at her in equal looks of astonishment.
“Jasmine didn’t say you had a plus-one already,” Mrs. Groveton said, confused.
“Because he’s already in the wedding party.” Sophia took both pointer fingers and aimed them in Pirate’s direction. “He’s my date, Mom. So you can send Fletcher on his merry way.”
Pirate wasn’t sure who looked more surprised: Mrs. Groveton, Fletcher, or him.