Chapter 7 The War Brothers MC Clubhouse #2
A woman with beautiful auburn hair puts her arm around Reaper’s waist. “Hi, Rose,” she says excitedly.
“My name’s Ava, and I’m Reaper’s partner.
It’s great to have you here, and I’ve set out a fresh towel and toiletries for you upstairs.
We’re having lunch later this afternoon, but there’s plenty of food in the fridge if you’re hungry. ”
Her kindness catches me off guard. I tear up a little.
She’s gone out of her way for me . . . a stranger in her home.
I could be anyone, but because I’m a friend of Rage’s, she’s so trusting and caring.
It’s more than I ever imagined. I manage to choke out a “thank you” while trying not to get overly emotional.
Rage squeezes my hand. “Are you okay?” he whispers.
I nod, giving him a small smile.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Ava says, heading back toward the kitchen.
Two more men approach us, one with the same roguish charm as Axle. “Are you and Axle twins?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. The group laughs.
“HA! I’m way better looking than him,” says Axle in a teasing voice and with a smug grin.
The man chuckles, shaking his head. “Fuck off,” he jokingly says to Axle. “You wish.”
Axle blows him a kiss, and I laugh.
“The name’s Viper. I’m the VP. A friend of Rage’s is a friend of mine.”
“Nice to meet you,” I reply. He seems nice.
“I’m Twitch,” the other man says. He’s wearing earrings and a bracelet and seems to be more of a hipster than the others.
“Congratulations on the engagement,” I say.
His smile widens. “Thanks so much. I’m the lucky one.”
“You got that right,” Reaper chimes in, smirking.
“And that’s Demon,” says Rage, nodding toward the tattooed man. I guessed right. The man gives me a small chin lift, so I offer him a polite smile in return.
Well . . . they all have odd names.
I take a look around. There’s a large black flag on the wall with the club’s logo on it, and behind the pool table is a dartboard. Off to the side is the bar, and out toward the back is a couch with a few women sitting on it, watching a large TV.
“I’ll introduce you to some of the women,” Rage says. “The others are at work right now.”
I follow him over to the bar. The women’s faces light up when they see me, and they both stand to greet me. The woman with short brown hair and a friendly smile hugs me first. “My name’s Milly. I’m Twitch’s fiancée and the club doctor.”
“Congratulations on your engagement.”
She smiles broadly. “Aww, you’re so sweet.”
The other woman hugs me too, and she’s wow—she looks like a model and has long blond hair. “I’m Sophie, Viper’s ol’ lady. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
I give her a weird look. “Finally?”
She nods, grinning. “Yes, gossip has been running wild. We’ve all been dying to meet the woman who has Rage all riled up.”
Gossip . . . lovely. “So you all know I’m a cougar.”
Rage and the women laugh out loud. “A hot cougar, though,” Rage adds with a grin.
“Oh, honey, no judgement here,” says Sophie, and it puts me a bit more at ease. “There could be twenty years between you guys and no one here would bat an eyelid. We don’t judge family. We just want everyone to be happy.”
I smile back at her. I like that. I like that a lot.
“Come on, my sexy cougar, I’ll introduce you to Cash and then show you around upstairs.”
I raise a brow at the “my sexy cougar” comment. I know he’s playing, but the “my” part has me giddy.
The man behind the bar gives me a casual wave. “I’m Cash. It’s great to meet you.” He’s tall and good-looking, with jet-black hair. He seems friendly enough.
Rage tugs on my hand. “Come on, let’s go upstairs.”
I follow him to the second level, where a hallway lined with doors stretches ahead. “This is where everyone sleeps,” he says, leading me down the corridor. He stops at a door and pushes it open.
I step inside, taking in the room. It’s surprisingly tidy and carries the faint intoxicating scent of his cologne. Two wooden side tables flank a king-size bed positioned against the back wall. A large TV hangs on one side, and a closet stands neatly off to the other.
Rage sets my bag on the bed. “Feel free to hang any of your clothes up. There should be spare clothes hangers in there.” He pauses, then winces.
“Oh shit! Sorry, there’s a spare room too.
You don’t have to sleep in my bed.” He looks disappointed in himself that he didn’t offer the spare room up first.
I step closer and wrap my arms around him. “No, I want to stay wherever you are.” And I mean it. I can’t imagine sleeping by myself in such a big house. Rage makes me feel safe. I want to be close to him.
His shoulders relax, and he cuddles me and kisses the top of my head. My heart flutters. I lean back and touch his bicep.
He chuckles. “What are you doing?”
I blink a few times. “Just checking you’re real. Because men like you don’t exist.”
He flexes his biceps, making me giggle. “I’m real all right.”
I look down at my small bag. “I don’t have a lot of clothes with me. I might have to go clothes shopping, if that’s all right.”
He bobs his head. “Sure, we can go tomorrow if that suits you?”
“Perfect.” A soft smile tugs at the corner of my lips. “Thanks. Can you point me in the direction of the bathroom?”
“Follow me,” he says, and I do. My eyes are glued to his ass. He has this sexy swagger when he walks. Who am I kidding? Everything about him is sexy. I’m sure even his burps smell like roses. I laugh softly at that.
He glances back at me. “I love your little laugh.” He points to a door at the end of the hallway. “It’s just in there. It’s a shared bathroom.”
I cringe, earning another chuckle from him.
“The women keep it clean. There are more toilets downstairs.”
After washing my hands, I look at myself in the mirror. I’m glowing. I’m . . . happy. After everything I’ve gone through, I’m okay and I’m smiling. I owe that to Rage. Just this morning he’s made me feel good about myself.
I see Rage’s effort, and I appreciate it.
He’s still young. I should take a step back because I’m getting ahead of myself.
I’m thirty-four and only getting older, so eventually I’ll want a serious relationship.
He joked about wanting to be in one with me, but I don’t know him well enough to even gauge if he’s capable of that. He cares, but am I his latest fling?
Still, I’ve never felt this way before. Every moment with him feels like a gift, a rare slice of happiness.
So, for now, I’m going to let myself enjoy it.
I deserve that much. At the very least, I’ll look back on this time and remember how a young man named Rage made me feel wanted and happy when I needed it most. The man who saved me when I was going through the hardest time of my life—and what a man he is.
I return to the bedroom, where he’s sitting on the bed, waiting. Those baby blues glance over at me. “We can just chill in here for a while together if you want.”
That sounds amazing. My body feels sore, but I haven’t done anything.
It’s probably stress. I step over to the bed and lie down.
The mattress is soft and comfy, and the bed smells like him.
He lies down beside me, and just like the night we spent together, I snuggle into his side and he puts an arm around me.
He turns the TV on, but I don’t hear it.
I focus on Rage, on his warmth and the way he makes me feel.
I relax and a yawn escapes me. I close my eyes, letting the comfort of him lull me to sleep.
Knock, knock, knock.
My eyes flutter open. It’s dark, the only light coming from the soft glow of the TV. It takes me a moment to get my bearings, but the familiar scent of Rage surrounds me, grounding me. His steady breathing fills the room, and I see him fast asleep beside me.
Knock, knock, knock.
He doesn’t stir, so I carefully slip out of bed, trying not to wake him. I open the door to find Ava standing there. Her expression falters as her eyes flick from me to Rage.
“I’m so sorry.” She cringes. “I hope I didn’t wake you. I just wanted to let you know there’s plates of food for you guys in the fridge.”
We’ve been asleep for a long time. “Thanks, Ava. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Her face softens. “I’d love to spend some time with you. Maybe tomorrow?”
I pause, surprised she wants to hang out. “Sure, I have to go shopping tomorrow for clothes, but after that we can catch up.”
“I have plenty that would be your size.” Oh, she’s sweet.
“Thanks, but it’s okay. I have to get some new clothes anyway.”
“All right. Good night,” she says, her smile warm and genuine.
“Good night,” I reply. I watch her retreat down the hallway before I close the door.
Ava is a bigger girl, like me, but I’m larger than her.
Now that I think about it, I’m the biggest girl here.
Toxic insecurities about my weight filter through.
It’s hard because even though people might not judge, I struggle to eat in front of others because I worry what they might think.
Now I’m thrown into an environment with a guy with an eight-pack and women who are a quarter of my size and all beautiful, and I’m .
. . just me. I always got the “you’d be prettier if you lost weight” and “you have a pretty face.” Those comments may not sound cruel, but I felt each and every dig.
I’ve always been a big girl. Is my diet perfect?
No. Do I try to watch what I eat? Yes. Regardless, I still stay around the same weight.
I went to the gym once, and all it took was a man to look at me with utter disgust while I was on the treadmill and I never returned.
People don’t realize how much it hurts. I’m still a human being, and I’m trying.
That’s why I’ve grown so fond of Rage so quickly.
I’ve never had a man look at me the way he does and tell me I’m attractive.
He’s already slept with me; he’s not gaining anything by lying.
I don’t know what I expected at this clubhouse, but I’ve never felt so welcomed.
People were happy to see me. I’ve never really had that before, and it’s a nice feeling.
Everyone was so kind, and they’re quite funny to listen to.
Just when I thought I knew what my future held, I really had no idea, but I think I’m exactly where I need to be right now—in a place with a person who has the potential to hurt my heart but who could also help me heal. He’s worth the risk.
I peer back at Rage, asleep on the bed. Those biceps and his tanned skin, blue eyes, carved jaw . . . he’s a god!