Chapter 26
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
LINDY
All the Jacks couples were here at the party tonight. Each old lady saying to me one variation or another of “You and Wes are together? Wow!”
I smiled at Tania, Grace, Mary Lynn, Nicole, and Jill, and blushed each time. Alicia didn’t say a word. She only beamed her laser light of approval on me through her smile or a squeeze of her arm around my shoulders whenever we stood together.
Wes either kept an arm around my waist or an arm slung around my shoulders, always keeping me close. He introduced me to his clients, friends from high school, and a few of his fan girls–young ones, like Debbie, who I’d interrupted earlier by kissing Wes, and many women who were over fifty. They showed me the designs Wes had created and inked for them and shared the personal stories behind the images.
“Wes, Debbie’s mermaid fairy is so beautiful.”
“She came out good.”
“More than good. More like incredible, glorious…”
“You liked it?”
“You’re very talented.”
“Thanks.”
“Your clients genuinely like you. They trust you and your vision. You’ve given them something so special and unique. You must be real proud of that.”
He pushed a lock of his hair back from his face. “I haven’t really given it much thought. Not like that at least. I want them to feel comfortable and be 100% happy with the result. The key for me is the personal significance of the design they want. If I can make that come to life for them, and maybe make it even more special than they’d first imagined, that’s a real good day.”
There was that look on his face again. That innocent, kind, easygoing look. It wasn’t naive. It simply was something pure—that was pure Wes. An appreciation of the simple truths. I took his hand in mine and squeezed. “You’ve created something good and lasting with your work. You give people joy. That is a beautiful thing. And it’s important, too.”
His gaze shifted to his boots and back to me. “Thanks.”
I lifted up and pressed my lips against his cheek, and his breath audibly caught.
“Hey, Wes, help me bring out the cake?” Jams stood in front of us. “Sorry, guys. Alicia gave me the bat signal.”
“There’s cake too?” I said.
“It’s a surprise for Ronny,” said Jams.
“It’s his birthday next week,” said Wes. “So we thought it’d be fun to celebrate tonight with everyone here.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“Be right back.” Wes gave my arm a squeeze and took off with Jams toward the back of the shop.
I moved through the crowd toward the front. Dawes, from across the room, and Bear, on the sidewalk outside the main window where I stood, tracked my movements. It felt good knowing they were keeping an eye out. So far we hadn’t heard a word from the Flames about their location or, for that matter, what their exact plan in Kansas City was, or if they’d found out new information in the meantime. At least no one had told me about it.
“Excuse me,” I said to a woman, who stood in front of me talking loudly to a friend. She turned around, and I stopped in my tracks. Filling my vision was a face that shot flares through my veins like it had the first time.
The grin on her overly bronzed features morphed into a scowl. “What are you doing here?”
Renee, Dad’s hook-up.
“I live here.”
Her heavily outlined matte brown lips twisted into a smirk. “Aw, did your daddy kick you out for being such a bitch to me?”
“My father went missing that day, and I don’t think that was a coincidence.”
“Aren’t you the Conspiracy Theory Karen? All we did was fuck.”
I leaned into her, teeth bared. “Did you fuck him over too?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What are you doing here? You keeping an eye on me? Are you following me?”
“Why would I follow you after how you treated me? Are you nuts? You obviously got daddy issues, and that’s your problem, honey. Not mine.”
“Why are you here?” I crossed my arms.
“I got invited, that’s why. I’m a steady client at all of Ronny’s shops. A few years ago I even modeled for a couple store ads.”
“What’s going on?” A hand landed on my back. Alicia. “You two know each other?”
“She fucked my dad the night before he disappeared.”
“Ah,” quipped Alicia, completely nonplussed.
Eyes wide, Renee jerked her head back. “Alicia, she’s?—”
“You go on, Renee.” Alicia gestured for her to leave us.
“Watch out for her. She’s a loony tune.” Renee swirled her finger in the air.
“Fuck off!” I bit out. People around us turned and stared.
Renee shot me the finger and strutted away.
“Lindy—”
Wes charged over. “What’s going on? What did Renee say to you?”
“You know her?”
“She’s a steady customer at the Deadwood shop,” he replied.
“She’s also a biker groupie,” said Alicia. “Guess she’s been over at the Flames?”
“I found her alone in my house the last morning, and I threw her out.”
Alicia squeezed my shoulder. “Good for you, honey.”
“She’s the last one to have talked to him or seen him. Catch found her and talked to her, but he said she didn’t seem to be lying or hiding anything. Seeing her here, now, after…”
“Bear knows her,” Alicia said. “How about I have him talk to her?”
My shoulders eased. “That’d be great. Thanks.” I grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry, Alicia. I don’t want to create problems for you at your party. Lashing out at her like that was wrong. I’m so sorry.”
She held my gaze. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, Lindy. Not a damn thing. Good for you for telling her like it is. Cake in two minutes. ” She winked at us and left.
Wes let out a breath. “Damn, woman, I walk away, and you get yourself into a cat fight.”
“Wes…”
“I dig that about you, baby.” He grinned. “Huge turn on.”
“Stop.”
“Stop telling you how you turn me on?”
“Not that.” I laughed. “Stop calling me baby.”
“It should be earned, huh?” He took my hand in his. “That must have been a shocker to see her here.”
“It was.”
His head slanted toward the window. “Check it out–Bear is on the move.”
My gaze followed Wes’s. Bear handed Renee a drink and led her outside on the sidewalk. Smiling huge, she trotted alongside him, a hand wrapped around his massive tattooed bicep. He was a charmster when he wanted to be, wasn’t he? And Renee seemed to charm so damned easy.
My stomach pitched at the sight of her flirting, laughing loudly at whatever Bear said to her, a hand lightly touching his chest while she sipped on her straw. Had she flirted with Dad like that? Had she flirted with and screwed a whole string of bikers since she last saw Dad? Oh, what did it matter?
“Happy birthday to you!” A chorus of voices rose in the shop, bringing me out of my head. Wes and I joined in the singing, moving toward where Alicia and Ronny stood by the cake.
We applauded and cheered as Alicia gave Ronny a big juicy kiss. With his arm around his woman, Ronny expressed his thanks to everyone for supporting the shop and coming out tonight.
Wes leaned into me, the press of his hard wall of warmth against my body, his delicious spicy scent filling my senses made me wobbly. “We need head back to the MC.”
Back to the MC.
Back to my room.
Only me and Wes in that room.
His hand slid over my ass, his gaze shooting to my mouth.
I cleared my throat. “We should.”
“Let me get Dready?—”
A woman with long, highlighted brown hair blocked Wes’s way toward Dready. Danielle, the owner of the local hair salon. She was gorgeous, over forty-something, and a frequent customer at Lenore’s Lace.
From what Lenore had told me, Danielle had been in a war with Alicia since Alicia had laid out an edict for all the old ladies to stop going to her salon for over a year due to some man snafu. But after that died down, Danielle had been caught in action with the former mayor by his then wife, Erica, the sweet woman who owned the Meager Grand. As Erica’s daughter, Violet, was married to Lenore’s son, Lenore didn’t need to pick sides, and neither did the other old ladies. Again, Alicia had invoked pariah status.
My pulse ticked up as Danielle swept her glossy soft waves from her face, cocked an eyebrow, seemed to wink at Wes, and touched his shoulder as she laughed at something he said. Was she flirting with Wes or was it my always in-fourth-gear-and-thinking-the-worst imagination?
Her hand brushed his shoulder this time, a slow smile sweeping over her filled-in lips. No, she fucking was flirting with him. I’d bet every single one of Lenore’s thousand tattoos that Danielle was into seducing Wes, not only to have a bite of that delicious young hot bod of his but to get back at Alicia.
I tracked over, and nestling in between them, slid my arm under Wes’s jacket and around his waist as my other went to his bare chest and stroked. “Baby, I’m ready to get out of here. How about you?” My voice came out glazed and steamy, leaving no doubt as to my intentions.
Wes’s tongue darted out and lashed at his full lip. That wicked tongue. I grinned at him, and he pulled me in closer. “Danielle, you know my girl, Lindy, don’t you? She works at Lenore’s.”
Her gaze narrowed, and her bladed brows pinched together as she took me in. “Sure. Hi.”
“Bye,” I chirped, and I led Wes away from her.
“That was kinda fun.” Wes chuckled.
“I thought so too.”
We found Alicia and Ronny and said our goodbyes with big hugs. Slinging an arm around me, Wes guided me to the street outside. Tonight, each and every time he’d pulled one of these possessive moves—and there had been many—it made my insides twist and pulse and thrum. I loved it. I was finally enjoying it.
Outside, the evening chill raced over my skin. We bumped into Butler and Tania, who were laughing with Boner and Jill on the corner. “Are you guys coming to Pete’s with us?” asked Jill.
“Not tonight, we have to get back to the club.” Wes pressed his body against mine, his hand dangling over my shoulder.
“Ohhhh.” Tania grinned. “Alrighty.”
Mission very much accomplished.
Butler’s face tightened. “Go straight back to the MC. Do not stop anywhere, got that?”
“No stops,” Wes affirmed.
“You’re not going alone. Dready and the two prospects are going with you?” said Boner.
“They’re coming out now.”
“Keep our girl safe,” said Tania, a hand on my arm.
“Night y’all,” said Wes.
“Good night, everyone,” I murmured.
With Dready and two prospects, we headed to the bikes. I took in big gulps of the fresh cold air as we walked down the well-lit side street where we’d parked earlier. But it did nothing to stop the rabid butterflies from twitching in my stomach. I blew out a breath. Was I nervous to be alone with Wes?
“You okay?” Wes handed me the helmet.
“Yeah. Sure.” I took it, adjusting it on my head.
We took off, and my heart thudded in my chest. Dready was ahead of us, and two prospects rode behind us in the dark through the town. Up we climbed through the thick, silent woods.
We flew over the smooth road that Wes had grown up riding. I leaned into Wes’s warm, firm body as he took a tight curve. Ease flooded through me as my hands pressed into his sides.
But the pounding of my heart wouldn’t stop.