Chapter Twenty-Three
Hazel
It was becoming increasingly clear that Pink was the only person in the world who could make the president of the Grave Prowlers look like a twelve-year-old boy who’d just gotten caught swearing.
I loved it.
Bone squeezed my hand.
“You’re enjoying this way too fucking much.”
“Maybe.”
“Go sit down.”
“What?”
He nodded toward the bar. “I’ll get you something to drink.”
I looked around the room.
Taco was standing on a chair with a long-handled duster, glaring up at the ceiling fan like it stole his lunch money.
Munch was dragging a vacuum cleaner out of the hallway.
Bull had two bulging trash bags in his hands.
Humpty was wiping down one of the tables while looking like he’d rather be punched in the face.
And Myth was standing behind the bar staring down at an assortment of cleaning products.
He picked up one bottle, looked at it, and picked up another. “What’s the difference between these?”
Pink glanced over. “One is glass cleaner. One is wood polish.”
“They’re both blue.”
“One is clearly not blue.”
Myth held them up. “They’re fucking both blue.”
“Language.”
He closed his eyes. “Sorry.”
I laughed.
He looked at me.
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your face did.”
Bone released my hand.
“I’ll be in my office.”
Pink spun toward him. “Oh, no.”
He stopped. “What?”
“You’re not hiding.”
“I have work to do.”
“So does everyone else.”
“I run this fucking club.”
“And right now your club is filthy.”
Taco pointed the duster at Bone. “She’s right, Prez.”
Bone looked at him. “You wanna clean toilets too?”
Taco immediately went back to the ceiling fan. “Nope.”
Pink turned to me. “Hazel, sweetheart, you can help me.”
Bone shook his head. “She doesn’t have to clean.”
“I don’t mind,” I smiled. I felt pretty guilty just standing there while all the guys were doing the work.
His eyes came to mine. “You’re a guest.”
“I’ve cleaned before.”
“You don’t have to do shit.”
“I know. I am volunteering to do this.”
That seemed to matter to him.
I wasn’t sure why.
Maybe because he’d invited me into his space, and he didn’t want me thinking that invitation came with a mop.
I leaned closer. “I want to.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re voluntarily joining this shit?”
“I like your mom.”
“That’s your first mistake.”
“I heard that,” Pink called.
Bone didn’t even flinch. “Good.”
I laughed and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
He looked at me.
I froze. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that.
We’d kissed plenty. Done a whole lot more than kissed. But somehow kissing his cheek in the middle of the clubhouse with his guys standing around felt different.
Bone didn’t seem bothered. His hand settled briefly at my waist. “Don’t let her work you too hard.”
“I’m standing right here,” Pink called.
“I’m aware.”
Then Bone walked away with Myth following him toward the hallway.
I watched him go.
“Hazel.”
I turned and saw Pink was smiling.
“What?”
“You can stop looking at his ass now.”
My mouth dropped open.
Taco almost fell off the chair. “Oh, shit.”
Pink pointed at him. “Watch your mouth and the ceiling fan.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I covered my face. “This was a mistake.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Pink handed me a spray bottle. “Windows.”
I looked down at it. “You really are putting me to work.”
“Of course.”
“Bone said I didn’t have to.”
Pink snorted. “Bone says lots of things.”
That was true.
I took the bottle. “Windows it is.”
For the next hour, I learned more about the Grave Prowlers than I had since moving to Wisconsin.
Nothing secret.
Nothing about whatever business Bone disappeared into his office to handle.
Just them, and they were ridiculous.
Mostly Taco.
“Why the fuck am I still on this fan?”
“Because you’re still talking instead of cleaning,” Pink replied.
“I’ve been cleaning.”
“You’ve been complaining.”
“I can do two things at once.” A huge smile spread across his lips. “It’s called multi-tasking.”
“Apparently cleaning isn’t one of them.”
I leaned against the windowsill and laughed.
Taco glared at me from his chair. “You think you’re safe because you’re new.”
“Safe from what?”
“Pink,” he grunted.
I spritzed the bottle in his direction. “I am Pink’s favorite.”
Humpty snorted from across the room.
“Is that why she told you to do the windows?” Taco laughed.
I quirked my lips. “I mean, I guess it’s better than doing the fans, yeah?”
When Pink had pulled onto the road leading toward the clubhouse earlier, my first instinct had been that we shouldn’t be there.
This was Bone’s place.
His club.
His world.
I’d assumed there was some invisible line around it that I wasn’t supposed to cross.
Bone had erased some of that when he’d taken me to his room.
I like having you here. I’d believed him.
Now I was standing in the clubhouse with window cleaner in my hand while his mother terrorized a group of bikers into cleaning.
It wasn’t exactly how I’d pictured my afternoon going, but I wasn’t uncomfortable.
Quite the opposite.
Munch crouched down with the vacuum by the couch, and then immediately recoiled. “What the fuck?”
Everyone looked over.
Pink sighed. “Now what?”
Munch reached under the couch and pulled out a sock. Then another. Then a plastic fork, two beer caps, a lighter, a half-eaten pack of Oreos, and something that looked like half of a beef stick.
I stared. “That’s quite the array of… things.”
Taco looked at the pile. “We had Oreos?”
Bull shook his head. “I mean, I guess we still do, though I can’t remember when we opened them.”
Munch held up the beef stick. “Anybody want this?”
“Eat it,” Taco said.
“You eat it,” Munch grunted and curled his lip.
“Five bucks,” Taco enticed him.
Munch looked at him. “Ten.”
“Seven.”
“Eight,” he countered.
“Deal,” Taco agreed.
“No!” I shouted.
Everyone looked at me.
Munch had the beef stick halfway to his mouth.
I stared at him. “Do not eat something you just found underneath a clubhouse couch.”
“Eight bucks is eight bucks,” he reasoned.
“I don’t care if it’s eighty.”
Taco pulled his wallet out. “Ten if you eat it before Pink sees.”
Pink turned around. “Before Pink sees what?”
Munch threw the beef stick into the trash. “Nothing.”
Taco slowly put his wallet away and ducked behind the couch.
Pink narrowed her eyes. “I don’t want to know, do I?”
“No,” five men answered at once.
She nodded. “Good. Now, I’m going to order pizza!”
“I love you, Pink,” Taco called from behind the couch.
Pink shook her head. “Idiot.”
“That’s what everyone says,” Taco called, resigned to the fact.
The pizza arrived twenty minutes later, and cleaning ended the second food appeared.
Nobody officially announced it, it just happened.
Boxes covered the table. Beer came out. Pink grabbed herself a soda and handed me one before I could ask.
Munch reached for a third piece of pizza.
Taco slapped his hand away. “Wait your turn.”
“I did.”
“You already had two.”
“So did you.”
“I’m patched.”
“What the fuck does that have to do with pizza?”
“Everything.”
Munch looked at Humpty. “Does it?”
“No.”
Taco glared at him.
Humpty took another bite. “Stop abusing the prospect.”
“I’m teaching him patience.”
“You’re stealing his pizza.”
“Same thing.”
Munch grabbed the slice while Taco was looking away. “Ha.”
Taco turned. “You little fucker.”
Pink pointed at him. “Sit down and eat.”
Taco sat immediately.
I laughed into my soda. “You know,” I told Pink, “I think you might actually be president.”
Taco pointed at me with his pizza. “Don’t give her ideas.”
“I don’t need ideas,” Pink replied.
“That’s what scares me.”
I sat at the table between Pink and Bull, listening to the guys argue over whether pineapple belonged on pizza.
Obviously it was a serious issue.
Very serious.
Humpty threatened to throw an entire pizza outside because Pink had ordered pineapple.
Taco threatened his life.
Munch ate it without caring.
Bull claimed food was food.
Myth finally came out of the hallway halfway through the argument. He grabbed a slice from the box and Taco looked at him.
“Well?”
Myth frowned. “Well what?”
“Pineapple.”
“What about it?”
“On pizza.”
Myth stared at him. “You’re fucking arguing about this again?”
“Yes.”
Myth rolled his eyes but took a bite of the pizza. “Yes,” he drawled.
Taco slapped the table. “Thank you!”
Myth walked away, then Bone came out.
I felt him before I looked. Which was stupid because it wasn’t like I had some magical Bone radar, but my attention shifted toward the hallway anyway.
His eyes found me immediately and stayed there.
I smiled.
His expression didn’t change much, but I caught the slight lift at the corner of his mouth.
He walked over. “Having fun?”
“Your club has very strong opinions about pizza.”
“Don’t get involved.”
“Too late,” Taco said. “Hazel, pineapple. Yes or no?”
I looked at Bone. “Is there a right answer?”
“No.”
“Yes,” Taco said.
“Shut up.”
I looked at the pizza. “Yes.”
Taco threw both hands into the air. “Fuck yes!”
Humpty pointed at me. “I liked you.”
“You still like me.”
“Less now.”
“I’m devastated.”
Bone’s hand landed on the back of my chair.
Easy. Possessive without really being possessive. I liked it.
He looked at Pink. “You about done destroying my club?”
She glanced around. The room did look better. “Almost.”
“Good.”
“Why?”
“Need to get some work done with my guys that involve more than a mop and broom.”
“Fine, fine,” she sighed. “I guess that can be done for today. I wanted to run to the grocery store and the thrift store before they close anyway. Hazel coming with me?” she asked.
He looked down at me. “You okay with that?”
I nodded. “I’m always down for a thrift store find.”
Pink clapped her hands. “We roll in ten minutes, girl.”
“Your mom’s kind of bossy.”
“Tell me about it.”
Pink called, “I heard that.”
“Good,” Bone replied.
I laughed and then he leaned down.
I expected him to say something. Maybe tell me he’d see me later.
Instead, his hand slid along the side of my neck, and he kissed me.
Right there in front of everyone.
My brain stopped.
It wasn’t a dirty kiss. Wasn’t anything like the ones we’d shared alone, but it wasn’t a quick peck either.
His mouth moved over mine slowly, his thumb brushing beneath my ear.
I forgot there was anyone else in the room until Bone pulled back.
Silence.
Complete silence.
I blinked up at him, and his eyes stayed on mine.
Then, “Well, shit.”
Bone closed his eyes. “Taco.”
“What? I didn’t say anything.”
I looked over. Everyone was staring.
“You literally just did,” I laughed.
Taco pointed at me. “See? This is why I like her.”
Humpty leaned back in his chair. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
Bone turned his head. “See what fucking day?”
Humpty immediately picked up his beer. “Nothing.”
Myth was smiling.
Bone caught him. “You too?”
“I didn’t say shit.”
“Your face did.”
I laughed.
Bone looked back at me. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.”
“Lock your doors tonight.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “I always do.”
“Good.”
There was something in his voice that made me want to ask why he’d said that, but I didn’t. He had club business, and from the look on his face, now wasn’t the time to ask questions.