Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
LAURA
The adrenaline from the day had finally worn off, leaving me exhausted and expectant.
I brought my knees up to my chest and looked around the room.
Everything had been upgraded, and I hadn’t even noticed.
My eagerness to avoid the club had put me at Callie’s house for longer than usual.
While I was gone, the entire apartment had been furnished.
Killian’s bed was massive and set inside a gorgeous wood frame with a lavish headboard.
There were matching side tables with lamps, and a dresser across the room with a television mounted on the wall.
The bathroom had rugs, and fluffy towels folded inside the small inlet closet.
The office space across the hall had a desk with drawing supplies, a bookshelf and a deep-set reading chair. The living room was now complete with a luxurious leather couch set, chair and a wood coffee table, along with the largest flat screen I had ever seen.
The biggest change that I was still trying to process was the fact that the guest room where I had been staying was emptied.
My suitcases were in Killian’s closet, my mattress was nowhere to be found, and the one lamp I owned was likely in the trash.
But my glasses and skin care products, along with my shampoo and makeup, were all in his bathroom.
As if he was asking me to move in…
Now, after a shower and some time to process all of it, I was sitting in his bed, wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of boy short underwear, along with a pair of thick socks that went to my knees.
After my shower, I braided my hair into two plaits and applied lotion to my whole body, waiting for the wolf.
Chills broke out along my skin every time I thought of how dark his gaze became, or the way his eyes lingered on my lips before turning away. It was as though the chapter we’d ended on three months ago was suddenly plopped open, ink spilling onto the proverbial pages, out of our control.
He’d said all we could have been was physical, but he was so tender today. The worry and fear, there was no way he wasn’t just as into this as I was.
Just as I thought it, a restlessness had me jumping up from the bed, curious as to where Killian could be. He said he’d be back, and he was a man of his word…at least from what I had encountered so far.
Unless something was keeping him.
Briskly making my way downstairs, I slipped out the front door and tucked my arms to my chest, watching the front of the club. There were still people milling about, but over by the garage, I could make out a flash of honey blonde hair and that tall stature I had come to know so well.
Natty was standing next to Killian; he was saying something to her while handing her a bucket helmet. She smiled up at him, and then he handed her a jacket.
Confusion swept through me as I watched. She took the jacket while Killian explained something to her, a frown tipping her lips down. She shook her head and handed it back, which made me walk closer to get a better view.
Killian glared, pushing the jacket toward her once more.
Natty stepped back, glancing at Giles, and waved him over.
She said something to him, resulting in him sliding out of his jacket and handing it over to her.
She slid it on and then held her hands up toward Killian as if she were innocent of something.
He shook his head and straddled his bike.
Natty climbed on behind him, and then her arms went around his waist, and it felt like my heart was being strangled just as tightly.
Tension gathered in my chest, as I watched them leave. Honey hair flying in the cobalt sky, the remnants of the storm still lingering in the air.
Giles finally turned and caught me watching, a furrow to his brow when he took in my expression.
I swallowed thickly as he seemed to register my reaction to Killian and Natty.
His brows shot up as he started shaking his head, then he was veering toward me.
I backed up and slipped into the apartment before the vice president could make his way over.
It wasn’t like Killian owed me anything.
We weren’t together.
I blinked, staring at the apartment and realizing Killian had moved in, and now he was with another woman.
A woman he’d put on the back of his bike and handed his jacket.
That was the equivalent of being given a property patch in the Stone Riders.
A tiny voice in the back of my head reminded me she hadn’t accepted it… but he’d still offered it to her.
Which meant…I needed to get the hell out of his house.
I made my way upstairs, numb and unfocused.
He was free to do whatever he wanted. The fact that hurt was swelling like a balloon in my chest only meant I’d been a fool. I had to remind myself that this was what I had expected to happen after we’d had sex. I knew it was merely an itch to be scratched.
Now he’d scratched, and he was moving on.
But why had he told me to shower and wait for him? Why kiss me?
Didn’t matter.
Dressing quickly, I packed a small bag that I could use to store my things overnight, including my glasses and toiletries.
“Phone charger,” I mused out loud, tugging mine from the side table outlet.
I gave the room one last look, feeling a strange sadness well within me. I’d have to come back for my suitcases, but I could do that later when Callie was with me.
Pushing past the doorframe, I flicked the light off and jogged downstairs.
I didn’t want an audience for what I was going to do next, so I left through the back door and ventured down the patio and through the yard until I was exiting the gate. No one was outside hanging out in the backyard, which was a nice reprieve.
There was a side entry into the kitchen, that only Natty, Red and Killian knew about, and he only recently learned because he’d become president.
Wes knew, but we’d changed the code since the shift in leadership.
It wasn’t like we didn’t trust the rest of the club, but it was our little secret and a good way to load in groceries without everyone in the club seeing.
Peeling the panel back, I pushed in the code and opened the door.
I could hear voices from the bar, which was toward the opening of the kitchen.
The door I came in was back near the storage shelves.
Tucking my bag closer to my side, I made my way past the large industrial oven, and stainless-steel tables, until I caught sight of Red.
She was pouring someone a drink, shootin’ the shit. I waited until Red turned and waved her over.
Her white brows furrowed as she glanced back once more to the member at the bar.
“Hang on sweets, gotta check on somethin’.”
She sauntered back, tossing a dish towel over her shoulder as she walked. Her eyes took in my appearance then dipped to the duffel at my side.
“What happened?” she asked as though she knew it was only a matter of time before I stood before her with a duffle bag in tow.
Smiling and acting as though nothing was wrong, I shook my head.
“Nothing is wrong, just need to ask if there’s an open room I can snag until I can find a more permanent solution, which I can secure by tomorrow. I’m sure of it.”
I had the money saved, and I had made a few calls. There was a one-bedroom apartment above The Drip that I could move into. There was no tub for rust to grow in, because all it had was a tiny shower, a toilet, enough room for a twin bed, and that was it. But I didn’t care. It would work for now.
Red’s hand came to her hip, fire engine red manicured nails shone under the lights in the kitchen. Her eyes focused on my face, her lips twisting to the side as though she were thinking it over.
“I put you near the men, Prez will come in here tearin’ through every one of them until he finds you.”
I forced a smile.
“See he won’t because I saw him leave with Natty.”
Red laughed, while keeping her focus on me. Laser sharp.
“Oh honey, you’re pretty. Too pretty and too dangerous for that boy, but you’re about as dumb as a box of rocks if you think there’s anything to him taking Natty anywhere.”
“He offered her his jacket and took her on the back of his bike.” I bit out in return because those two things meant something in this club.
Perhaps all clubs, but especially this one.
You didn’t ride on the back of another member’s bike unless it was an emergency, or you were fucking him.
You especially didn’t ride on the back of that member's bike while wearing his colors, unless it meant you were his old lady.
Red’s facade cracked. Her eyes took on a new luster of interest, her gaze searching my face as if I could explain what I’d done to lose the interest of the wolf.
“Basement. There’s a room with a bed. It’s a twin and there’s no bathroom. You’ll have to use the one down there, but the only other member who goes down there is Giles. He’ll keep you safe, and I know you two get on okay.”
This was better than I hoped.
“That’s perfect.” I beamed, gripping the strap of my duffle.
“Sheets will be in the linen closet down there. A pillow too. Check for a heater, it’ll likely get cold as a witch’s tit down there.”
Red gave me one last glance, then reached out and gently gripped my shoulder before turning to leave.
It was something I liked about her. She was stern and strong, not overly emotional but still fair.
You knew she was thinking things, even if she didn’t say them, and she was always protective of the girls here. Even the Sweetbutts.
The club was in mild upheaval tonight. Extra members had been called in from the looks of it; there were more people here than usual. It felt like it did the night of Killian’s induction. I passed people, ducked and smiled. Avoiding men who tried to grab me or corner me to talk.