2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Tucker
I wondered if not being in our cuts made my brothers feel as naked as I did right now. We didn’t wear them all the time, of course, but with Levi being our president and Mason being the MC’s head enforcer, we did wear them more than most. But this was a party for Jenna’s fiancée, and what the little sister wanted, the little sister got. So all three of us were in nice jeans and t-shirts. Given Levi’s many tattoos, and Bedford being such a small town, everyone knew we were Thunder Riders, but we still wanted to look decent for Jenna and Isabel.
Our determination to make today a good one for the girls meant that as soon as some half-drunk asshole started going on about how women like that were such a waste , my brothers and I didn’t even hesitate to act. That motherfucking prick managed to get out another comment with a few choice slurs before Levi grabbed the back of the guy’s collar and gave him a little shove toward the door.
Then the moron tried to fight back.
I wanted to beat the shit out of him, but Mason just threw him outside. Literally. I knew it was the right move to make, because Jenna and Isabel were still our priority, but it didn’t make me want to fight any less. I reined in my temper, though, and followed my brothers out onto the porch.
I was in the zone, protecting Jenna and having my brothers’ backs, when I heard a laugh that went straight to my dick. Only one person ever got me hard just by laughing, and I’d been hoping she’d show up before the wedding.
I turned to look at her and a jolt of pure lust hit me. Or maybe it was impure lust, because the things I wanted to do to my little sister’s best friend were definitely not of the snow-white variety.
I’d followed her career probably closer than I should have, so I already knew how much she’d changed since she left here at eighteen, but there was a difference between looking at a picture on my phone or laptop and seeing her here in the too-tempting flesh.
Her sun-streaked honey-blonde curls were loose and hung down past her shoulders. Her green eyes were just as bright and sparkling as I remembered, though older and wiser, as if she’d learned some hard lessons in her time away. Considering the shit she’d dealt with thanks to her alcoholic waste of a mother, whatever she’d gone through must’ve hurt.
My hands curled into fists when I thought of someone hurting her, and the reaction was automatic. It always had been.
Just like how much I still wanted her. Maybe even more, now that I had the chance to confirm that she really had grown into those curves. That damn dress was made to flaunt them, hugging her magnificent tits while the neckline rode the line between proper and slutty. The hem hit her mid-thigh and the breeze kept it moving, giving the sort of glimpses at the insides of her thighs that made a man wonder what sort of panties she had on underneath.
Shit. I needed to get myself under control, or I’d need to explain to my sister why I had a hard-on at a family function.
I hadn’t realized that my brothers didn’t automatically recognize her, until I felt both of them stiffen next to me. It was quick, and I doubted anyone else would’ve noticed, but the three of us were a team and we could read each other better than most.
Which was why Mason’s enthusiasm didn’t surprise me. I joined in the teasing, of course, loving the back and forth as Evie gave as good as she got.
Then Levi had to go and be an ass, which meant Mason and I had to go along with it because our loyalty had to be with him first. I didn’t know if it ever bothered Mason the way it did me, but it didn’t matter. It was done, and then Jenna came outside, and everything shifted because it was Jenna and Evie again.
I’d always wondered, if Evie had swung that way, would she and Jenna have ended up together? I honestly didn’t know if that would be easier or harder to accept than the fact that they weren’t together and I still couldn’t touch her.
“Back inside,” Jenna ordered. “I left Isabel with her mother, and we all know how well that’s going to go if Mrs. Sterling starts in on how disappointed Nona is about her only granddaughter not having a ‘proper wedding.’”
“Is that because Isabel’s not getting married in the Catholic church, or because her fiancée is a such a babe?” Evie’s wink after the question made Jenna laugh, and some of the tension faded.
As the two women went back into the bar, I was tempted to hang back just so I could stare at Evie’s ass, but then I realized I wanted to talk to her more than I wanted to ogle her, which was weird. Hurrying forward, I caught the door before it closed and slipped inside.
Isabel had wanted something small for her birthday, but Jenna didn’t really know how to do small when it came to the people she loved, which meant Rocky’s was packed. Some of Isabel’s more religious family members had flat-out refused to come, but Jenna and Isabel had more than enough friends to make up for it. Friends that Jenna was now introducing to Evie.
Keeping one eye on Evie, I made my way to the bar and ordered two beers. By the time I got back to Evie, Jenna had just excused herself to go get Isabel, leaving an opening I was only too glad to fill.
“Drink?” I asked, holding out the beer.
“Thanks,” Evie said warily as she took the bottle.
“You know, when I found out that the Evelyn Hayes was from Bedford, I told my husband that I hoped that meant I’d get to meet her someday, and here that day is.”
I recognized the gushing redhead as one of Jenna’s fellow teachers, but I couldn’t remember her name, probably because she was married, and I stayed as far away from married women as possible. I had only a couple rules when it came to fucking, and one of them was no married women . I wasn’t about to get shot by some jealous husband just so I could get my dick wet.
“And don’t you worry. Everyone here is on your side. Your ex was a fool to let you go.”
The leggy blonde elbowed the redhead. “Kathy, I’m sure Miss Hayes doesn’t want to talk about that.”
“Um, thank you.” Evie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, a sign I recognized as her being uncomfortable. “I appreciate the support. And it’s Evie.”
Kathy beamed like Evie had just given her the best Christmas present ever. “Anything you need, Evie, you just let us know. We’re here for you.”
When Evie took a long swig from her beer, I seized my chance. “Ladies, if you’ll excuse us, Evie and I are old friends, and we have some catching up to do.”
Evie’s eyes widened slightly, but she totally went along with it, grabbing onto my arm with her free hand and giving the women a smile. “Thanks again, and I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
I got us through the crowd with little problem and found an empty corner booth. Or, rather, it was empty as soon as the two guys sitting in it saw that I wanted it. They scrambled away with nods in my direction and headed for the bar as if that was what they’d planned on doing the whole time.
“Did you seriously just kick people out of their booth?” Evie asked as I slid in. She stood next to the table, a disapproving look on her face.
I sighed. “Look, it’s not my fault that they saw I wanted to sit here with my old friend and decided to give up the space. Now, sit, or Kathy and her friend are going to think you just wanted to get away from them.”
It was her turn to sigh, but she sat down, staying closer to the edge than she was to me, but she was here with me and that was enough.
For now.
“I guess that’s one more thing that hasn’t changed,” Evie said before taking another drink of her beer. She made a face. “And what the hell is this? It’s awful.”
“What, the big-time star only drinks light beer? Or maybe you need one of those fruity drinks?”
“I’ll have you know, those fruity drinks have enough alcohol to knock a man twice your size on his ass.”
I grinned. “Oh, I doubt that, honey, but if you’re that concerned about my ass—”
“I want nothing to do with your ass,” she said quickly.
Too quickly, I thought. But I didn’t push that. I wanted to know more about what she’d said before.
“What did you mean by one more thing that hasn’t changed?” I asked, stretching my arm along the back of the seat so that my fingers just barely brushed against her curls.
“You.” She pointed her beer at me. “Same old Tucker, intimidating and beating the shit out of people just because you can.”
My eyes narrowed and I leaned forward. “If I’m beating someone’s ass, you better believe they deserve it.”
“Mm-hm.” She didn’t even try to hide her skepticism. “Like when you got into that fight and got expelled? You had a reason for breaking Paul Keppler’s nose and arm and ribs, then? It had nothing to do with wanting to ruin my love life?”
My grip on my beer tightened and I downed the last of it to give myself a moment, because if I didn’t, I was going to blurt out the whole story, and she didn’t need to know it.
“Paul Keppler was a little weasel, and I was looking out for you,” I said finally. “And I just cracked his ribs. Didn’t break them.”
It was the truth, but not all of it. I’d been keeping an eye on Keppler when he’d started nosing around Evie, but I hadn’t touched him until I heard him telling his friends that he planned on finding out if she really was a virgin or if the rumors about her and the track team were true.
“Oh, that’s so much better,” she said sarcastically.
“Let’s not talk about the distant past,” I said, not wanting to argue with her, not when I finally had her alone. “You’ve been busy since you left Bedford. You got what, three MTV awards? And a People’s Choice?”
I smiled at the blush that flooded her cheeks. Damn. She was always so cute when she was flustered. Hell, it was the reason I used to say embarrassing shit to her.
“Jenna’s kept you well-informed,” she said, looking down at her hands as she rolled the now-empty bottle between them.
“Who said it was Jenna? Maybe I’ve been—”
“Tucker.” Levi’s voice cut me off.
I looked up to see him and Mason coming my way. Dammit. Why the hell did he always have to interfere?
“Excuse me.” Evie glared up at Levi. “Tucker and I were talking.”
“I’m supposed to care why?” His words were as cold as his eyes.
“Right,” Evie shot back, “I forgot. You don’t really give a damn about anyone else. Never have.”
Levi deliberately turned away from her and focused on me. “We gotta go. There’s a problem at the clubhouse.”
“We promised Jenna we’d be here for the whole party,” I reminded him.
“Harley Quinn is there.”
Fuck.
I turned to Evie. Her gorgeous lips were twisted into a scowl, her face flushed and eyes sparking with anger.
Damn. She always was hot when she was pissed off.
Still, I couldn’t waste my time trying to calm her down. We had club business to take care of. “Looks like we gotta go. Think you can handle being around common folk without a buffer, princess?”
“Princess?” Her eyes narrowed into a wicked glare.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you won’t have to get those delicate hands dirty,” Mason said with a grin and a wink. “Though if you feel like it later, I’m glad to help you get real dirty.”
“Fuck you, Mason,” she snapped.
“Just name the time and place, sweetheart,” he called over his shoulder as he walked after Levi.
As I followed them out of the bar, the only thing I could think was: What the hell is the president of the Black Cobras doing at his rival’s clubhouse?
Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.