Chapter 11 Rook
ROOK
I drag my hand through my hair then shove both of them in my jeans pockets so neither Jack nor Camile can see them shaking.
Being around Jack always intimidates me.
I wish it didn’t, and I could be easier going like Ace, or cold and calculated like Ghost, but it just isn’t me.
It’s not only that Jack is so much older, but I know the reputation he has around here.
If you dare to cross him, he will literally crush you like a fucking bug.
I look beyond Jack’s bulk to the pretty sight of Camile and offer a smile. “Hey again.”
Her hair is damp and her cheeks are flushed. She looks so gorgeous, my heart does a flip.
“Hey,” she replies.
Jack clears his throat. “While I’m busy, Rook’s going to look after you.”
“I don’t need someone looking after me,” she says. “We’re in the compound. I’ll be fine.”
“Even so, I’d prefer if you’re not alone.” He turns back to me. “Watch out for Ace, too. He’s trying to get in her panties."
"Jack!” she exclaims, her cheeks going even pinker.
He shrugs his massive shoulders. “Well, he is, and that kid has zero boundaries.”
A part of me is pleased Jack’s chosen me to take care of Camile, but the other part is also a little insulted. He clearly doesn’t see me as any kind of a threat. While he’s worried about Ace getting in her panties, I guess he doesn’t think I’ve got any chance with a woman like her.
He’s probably right.
“I’ll watch out for Ace,” I confirm, trying not to think too hard about Ace’s total lack of boundaries. They’re something I’ve had experience with myself, and I prefer not to linger over those thoughts for too long.
“Good,” Jack says and firmly shuts the door on us both.
I give Camile a smile. “Looks like we’ve got some time to kill. What do you want to do?”
She glances back at the shut door, as though the sight of it has upset her. “I don’t know. What is there to do?”
“We could go hang out in the clubhouse? Play some pool?”
She wrinkles her cute nose. “I’d rather be out in the fresh air.”
“How about we go for a ride?” Jack didn’t say I had to stay close to the clubhouse, so I’m presuming it’s okay.
“A ride? I’m guessing you mean on a motorcycle rather than a horse?” She arches an eyebrow at me.
I chuckle. “You see many horses around here?”
“Nope, but there’s a whole lot of bikes.”
“Exactly.”
Still, she pauses. She seems nervous.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. “I’m good on a bike, I promise.”
“It’s not that. I’m worried about leaving the compound. The guy who tried to shoot me could still be hanging around.”
“We don’t need to leave the compound. There’s plenty of space inside we can ride around. Not quite the open road, but it’s still fun.”
I don’t add that I wouldn’t leave the compound for fear of death by Jack-the-blood McGrath. I don’t want to come across as a pussy, but that man would scare the devil himself.
“Okay, sure.”
We start walking, leaving Jack’s house behind and heading to the more communal part of the compound.
Do I want to show off to her? Or is it that I’m just looking for an excuse to get her behind me on a bike, so she’ll have no choice but to wrap her arms around my waist and press her body up against my back? Maybe it’s a bit of both.
A row of bikes is lined up outside of the clubhouse, just like they are most any day or night.
I go to my Harley—my most prized possession in the world—and give her a pat.
She’s a Harley-Davidson Sportster, and while she might not be as big or powerful as some of the other guys’ rides, I worked my ass off to be able to afford her.
“Beautiful bike,” Camile says.
I feel myself beaming. “Thanks.” I realize something. “Shit, I’ve only got one helmet. Wait here.”
Jack said to keep an eye on her, but I’m sure it’s fine to leave her for a few minutes. I slip inside the clubhouse and am instantly greeted by one of the sweetbutts. Those women are always hanging around.
Charmaine is chewing gum, and she sidles up close to me, her breasts—which are fake and barely restrained in the strappy top she’s wearing—brush against my bicep. I swear I can feel the hardness of her nipples.
“Rook, hey, baby. Where have you been?”
“Nowhere. Just grabbing a spare helmet.”
“For me?” She flutters her fake lashes.
“Nah, for the girl Jack is looking after.”
She pouts. “Oh, his daughter’s friend, right? Do I need to be jealous?”
“Of what?”
“You spending time with her.”
“Nope. Nothing to be jealous of.”
She reaches down and covers the front of my crotch with her hand. “You like her? I could help, if you want. Maybe spend a little time with her, give her a few drinks, and then the three of us could have some fun together.”
She gives my dick a squeeze, and the traitorous bastard hardens.
Fuck. I’m twenty-three years old, and some girl is squeezing my cock and talking about a threesome.
How could it not react? I have no interest in Charmaine, though, and I don’t think she really has any interest in me.
She just wants to be an ol’ lady one day, which I get, and sees me as the easiest route to reaching her goals.
Unfortunately, she’s going to be disappointed.
I bat her hand away. “Leave me alone, Charmaine. I’m not interested.”
She smirks. “Your dick says otherwise.”
“My dick doesn’t have a brain. It doesn’t recognize a bad idea when it sees one.”
Right now, the only place my dick wants to be is near Camile, and even if she’s not offering anything like that, I can’t stop my head being filled with thoughts of her. Fuck, now I have to go back out to her with a raging hard-on. She’s going to think I’m a complete fucking pervert.
“Fuck you, Rook,” Charmaine throws at me, but she says it good-naturedly and doesn’t touch me again.
I debate staying in the clubhouse long enough to let my erection go down, but I’m conscious that Jack didn’t want Camile left alone for any length of time.
Given the choice between pissing off Jack and embarrassing myself in front of Camile, I’m picking Camile.
At least she’s not likely to leave me without a body part… I hope.
I grab a spare helmet from where they’re kept near the bar—sometimes used as a weapon when a bar fight breaks out—and hold it over the front of my jeans.
I ignore Charmaine and head back outside, blinking in the bright sunshine.
Camile is right where I left her, and she smiles as she sees me and puts her hand out for the helmet.
“Thanks,” she says.
I hesitate. My helmet is still hooked over the handlebar of my bike, and it’s too far away for me to grab and swap around. She takes hold of the helmet and gives it a tug, but I keep my grip on it.
“This one is for me, right?”
I can hardly pretend my helmet is hers. “Um, yeah.”
I force myself to release my grip, and she pulls the helmet away.
Of course, my luck being what it is, she glances down at my crotch. My jeans are baggy—like many of us wear around here—but they’ve still not done anything to contain my dick.
“Oh!” she gasps, her face flushing with color, her eyes widening as she turns her head.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s not what you think.” I just want to die.
“It’s not? You got a banana shoved down your pants?”
A feminine shout comes from the clubhouse entrance. “Don’t forget that threesome,” Charmaine calls.
Camile raises both eyebrows. “Well, now I know where that came from.”
Fuck, I really didn’t want Camile thinking there was anything going on between me and one of the sweetbutts.
I swing my leg over the bike, careful not to squash my cock, wanting the humiliation ritual to be done with. I turn on the ignition, check the bike is in neutral, hit the run switch, and press the start button, bringing the bike to life.
“You ready?” I raise my voice to be heard over the growl of the engine.
She shrugs. “I guess so.”
She climbs on after me and cautiously places her hands on my waist.
“You’re going to need to hold on tighter than that,” I tell her.
I feel bad that she’s being forced to get up close and personal with me when she probably thinks I’m a complete pervert, but I can’t have her falling off the back. Jack would kill me, and I’d feel like even more of an ass than I currently do.
She wriggles closer and wraps her arms fully around my waist. I’m happy to have her so near, and my cock gives a little jerk of approval. I just want the bastard to behave and go down.
We get moving, and she grips me harder. I’m just following the dirt tracks around the compound, but I’m able to go fast enough that she’s soon holding on tight.
I fucking love being on a motorcycle. There’s nowhere else I feel so free.
The first time I ever rode a bike, it was like discovering how to breathe again.
I’ve been through so much shit in my life.
Violent father, booze-addled mother, in and out of foster homes, and finally doing a stint in jail.
It’s such an unoriginal story, I bore myself sometimes.
But then I found the club, and things turned around for me.
I ride toward the outskirts of the compound, and finally up onto the hill on the south-west side which looks down onto all the buildings. I bring the bike to a halt, and we both climb off and take off our helmets.
“Thought we could sit here a while,” I say, dropping onto the ground. “The view is kinda pretty.”
She smiles and sits crossed-legged next to me.
“How did you end up in the MC, Rook?” she asks.
I shrug. “I guess you could say Jack took me in.”
“Why did he need to take you in?”
I don’t really want to tell her, which is dumb because I know what kind of family she comes from.
It’s not as though she’s been sheltered from criminal activity.
But still, the sort of crime her family is probably involved with is not the same as mine.
It makes me feel like a stupid fuck, to explain to her what I got caught up in, but it’s not like it’s a secret.
I guess it’s better to come from me than letting one of the other guys tell my story.
I blow out a breath. “I did jail time for my involvement in an armed robbery.”
Her pretty dark brown eyes widen. “Armed robbery?”
“Yeah, I was only eighteen at the time and dumb as fuck. I grew up in foster care, pinging around from one family to the next, so I never really had any decent father figure, not that I’m trying to make excuses.
I fell in with the wrong crowd and let them talk me into doing some stupid shit.
They got the idea they’d rob a gas station, and since I was good with cars and engines, they made me the getaway driver.
I figured what would be the harm—the money was good—and so I said yes.
” I cringe inwardly at the memory. “But things went wrong, and a guy got shot and was killed. We were arrested and served time for it. ’Cause I didn’t have a weapon, I was just driving, I received a lighter sentence than the other guys.
They’re still serving time, and I think they’re pissed that I’m already out. ”
Does she think differently of me now?
It’s a stupid concern. She doesn’t know me well enough to have formed any opinion of me.
And why should I care? It’s not like she’s sticking around, and even if she was, I’m pretty sure Jack has a thing for her, whether he’d admit it to himself or not.
He’s got this whole possessive, growly thing going on around her, and I don’t think the only reason he wants to keep Ace away is because he’s worried about her being led astray.
I wonder where exactly Jack thinks he’s going to go with it, though. She’s his daughter’s friend, and I’ve met his daughter, if only briefly.
She’s not the kind of woman you’d want to piss off.
I can’t see her taking too kindly to the idea of her father screwing around with her friend.