CLINT
I vy dropped into sleep rather quickly. Still sitting on Sutter’s bed, I considered her earlier attempts to speak to her uncle. The best thing would be for her to create a similar attachment to my family.
Leaving the bedroom, I remained anxious over today’s change in tempo. During my ride, I’d been on autopilot. My thoughts were centered on Boone’s freedom and Tricky’s growing club size.
Once I saw Ivy, I could only focus on keeping her happy with me. The more I learned about Ivy, the more I understood her overall situation. But everything remained new, and I wasn’t certain what she’d want in the morning.
At ten, I headed downstairs to the building’s enclosed courtyard, so Hanzee could do his business. Rock was already there with Boa.
“How’s your lady?” he asked in a mocking tone.
“Sleeping restfully.”
“Of course. She landed herself a big fish to feast off.”
I smirked at his taunt. Without a doubt, if our situations were flipped, I’d be telling him the same shit as he currently tossed in my direction. We weren’t romantic men longing for wives and children.
“Ivy liked watching Boa. If you ever go out of town and want to leave him with us, I bet she’d have a ball watching your dog.”
Rock nodded. “Give me time to adjust to this new lamer version of you.”
“Fine. So, rather than discuss my love life, let’s focus on Tricky’s rush to supersize his crew,” I said, glancing at the door leading inside where Tricky was likely settled in for the night.
“His new prospects all seem to be from Louisiana and tied through blood to the Black Rainbow Motorcycle Club,” Rock explained. “How is he even finding these fuckers?”
A year ago, Tricky swore he would never make an alliance with the Louisiana club. Yet, men from Baton Rouge were now vying to wear the LM Joker’s vest.
Rock asked, “Do you think the Jokers have made a secret alliance with the Black Rainbow club?”
“He’s got a bug up his ass about that club. These dipshits he’s patching in might be rejects from the Black Rainbow club.”
Frowning, Rock muttered, “Tricky isn’t as picky about the people he patches in as we are.”
“Yeah, because all the quality people joined our club. He’s stuck with the crappy leftovers.”
Rock nodded at my sensible words, yet his mind was on our childhood friend. “If Tricky wanted to remove us from the power structure, he’d need a big club.”
“Rock, what would happen if Tricky erased the Crimson Guard from existence?”
My practical question broke through Rock’s paranoia. “Our fathers would kill Tricky and send sympathy flowers to Joker and Amanda.”
“That’s why Tricky can’t pull big moves against us. Our families are too tied together.”
Rock gave me a nod, but he wasn’t satisfied with our talk. Sharing more wasn’t an option here in the courtyard when Tricky and a few LM Jokers members lived at the Five Points Lofts. Our old friends were known to eavesdrop.
Throwing Rock a bone, I pointed out, “The Black Rainbow club has been requesting a meeting with us ever since they got their new president. Maybe we need to shake things up and see what Zodiac Bondi has to say.”
“Joker didn’t trust them.”
“Sure, Ford even went bat-swinging-crazy on Zodiac once. There’s bad blood there. But we shouldn’t let the past dictate our choices now. If Zodiac is making a move here, avoiding him isn’t the answer. Maybe it’s time for us to play nice.”
“How nice are we talking about?”
“I’m thinking nice enough for you to jump out of a birthday cake on Zodiac’s special day,” I said and picked up Hanzee. “Really fucking friendly.”
“I’m not going to fit in a cake, you dumbass. We should send Sabrina. She’ll look great while she carves smiles into everyone’s faces.”
“That can be plan B,” I told him as we headed to the back door. We walked inside and took the elevator up to the fourth floor. “I’m bringing Ivy to the party at the Sorority House next weekend.”
“Makes sense. If the foxes don’t approve of her, this soulmate shit won’t stick.”
“It’s sticking, man. Get used to me having a woman. I’m bringing her along, so she can make friends and rely on someone besides me.”
“Because you might die?”
“I know you find great comfort in writing my future eulogy, but let’s keep the death thing down low when Ivy is around. She lost her entire family. I don’t want her worrying about me dying next.”
Standing outside my condo, Rock asked, “Is telling lies the smartest way to build a relationship?”
“Sure, as long as they’re lies of omission. Didn’t your father ever teach you anything?”
Rock smirked at my comment and dropped the conversation so we could head inside for the night.
Hours later, I rested in my bed and wondered if trouble was brewing for Little Memphis. The city had been quiet for decades. With two aligned clubs running the city, and our allies in the state capital, a threat seemed unlikely.
Despite my logical arguments, I found myself infected by Rock’s paranoia. Mainly because I was now responsible for Ivy. Though I’d been responsible for people for years, I knew each of them inside and out.
Unlike Tricky, I rarely patched in members who weren’t connected to the old clubs. I didn’t trust outsiders.
Maybe my paranoia was why I checked on Ivy three times during the night. I finally slept deep around four after finding her curled up and comfortable.
Just before dawn, I woke up with an uneasy feeling and peered over the railing from the loft bedroom to find Ivy and Hanzee sitting on the couch.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, stumbling down the stairs.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
My body demanded more rest as I considered the long day ahead of me. My parents could either be incredibly chill toward Ivy or create a lot of drama. With too many variables awaiting me, I needed a few more hours of rest to function.
I lifted Hanzee into my arms and took Ivy’s hand. “The problem with a loft bedroom is all the noise in the condo reaches me. Grab your phone and come upstairs.”
Ivy did as I instructed, and we walked upstairs. “Climb in bed. Don’t get any ideas about fooling around. I’m too tired to bring the heat.”
Ivy snickered at my wording, but she was quick to climb into bed. She set her phone on the side table and watched me. Hanzee settled into his dog bed in the corner. I joined Ivy and smiled at her.
“I’m tired. Need sleep. No talking.”
Ivy smiled wider. I expected her to be restless in bed. Instead, she closed her eyes and fell asleep before I did.
Hours later, I awoke to find a sleepy Ivy watching me.
“Here’s what happens next,” I mumbled as I rubbed my eyes. “We’ll take Hanzee down for his piss break. Next, we’ll walk to the breakfast place at the end of the block. Afterward, we’ll head back to the condo and chill until it’s time to visit my parents. Does that sound good?”
Ivy’s sleepy eyes brightened when I helped her picture her new life. She also kept peeking at Hanzee in his bed. I decided we should bring the dog to my parents’ place. If Ivy became overwhelmed, Hanzee would help calm her.
We separated to get dressed. Minutes later, Ivy emerged from the secondary bedroom. She looked sexy in her orange Converse, army-green track pants, and a thin, long-sleeved gray top. Her blonde hair hung loose and wavy around her shoulders. She’d applied a little makeup, not too much, looking more casual than when we met.
Ivy slid into her bomber jacket—an orange version of Elle’s army green—and smiled so full of pride.
I considered how she’d never picked her clothes before. That seemed so odd to me. I’d started helping choose my clothes when I was five after Shay bought me jeans that made my balls itch.
“Is that a medical thing?” Shay had asked Ford when I couldn’t stop messing with the crotch of my pants.
“Baby, you’ve got to give his little avocados room to breathe or they’ll fester and fall off.”
“My brothers never had any issues with their balls. You gave our son a weird medical problem.”
Ford had beat on his chest like King Kong and announced, “No, I gave him big manly balls. Your brothers have tiny girl balls.”
My uncles—Donnie and Devin—were teenagers by the time I came along. Despite growing up in a house with an outlaw biker as their male role model, they decided to go the straight-and-narrow route by joining the military. These days, Donnie was married to a club member’s daughter and worked for the state patrol. His younger brother Devin was a Little Rock detective.
The end of the ball argument between Ford and Shay led to them discussing matters alone in their bedroom. I heard what I thought was a struggle and nearly went inside. Before I saw something that might have scarred me, my older cousin Lula grabbed my hand and shook her head.
“You’ll never unsee it,” she warned.
After that day, Shay let me pick my own clothes. I was also more careful about opening my parents’ bedroom door.
Ivy didn’t experience those milestones. When she spoke about her mother, I got the sense Ivy was a doll for Geraldine Humphreys to play with rather than a human being with their own tastes. Ivy’s days of dancing for someone else were over. I wanted a partner, not a puppet.
With Hanzee dancing around the door, I took Ivy’s hand and headed into the hallway. We took the elevator down to the main floor and out a side door to the building’s gated courtyard. Sitting on a bench near the grassy center were my cousins Vanessa and her younger brother, Roy.
The siblings looked half-asleep as they hid under their long hair. Roy—referred to as Rowdy by most people—lived at the condos. I assumed Vanessa stayed over like she was prone to do whenever they stayed up late playing games and smoking pot.
Rowdy and Vanessa inherited their fair blue eyes and height from their dad. Vanessa was also blonde like Pax. Rowdy had his mom Bebe’s brown hair. Otherwise, my only male cousin was the spitting image of his father.
Vanessa and Rowdy’s Chihuahuas—Porche and Goblin—welcomed Hanzee. They followed him around as he did his business.
Ivy couldn’t figure out if she’d rather focus on the new people or watch the dogs.
Rowdy drew her attention by exhaling smoke and announcing, “So this is the mythical figure capable of thawing Clint’s icy heart.”
Vanessa shoved her little brother and muttered, “You’re making her uncomfortable, man. Whisper that shit.”
Smiling at their sibling taunts, I introduced them. My cousins gave Ivy half-hearted hellos. I sensed their lack of enthusiasm was more from fatigue than indifference.
“Will you be at dinner tonight?” I asked my cousins.
“Of course,” Vanessa replied, wearing a smirk. “Sabrina’s planning to put your girl through her paces.”
I glanced down at Ivy to see if she was nervous, but she only smiled at me.
“Elle told me about your cousin Sabrina.”
Chuckling, I smirked at the siblings. “Ivy’s ready for whatever your sister throws at us.”
Rowdy snorted. “We’ll see.”
“So, Clint met you at a gas station?” Vanessa asked as her brother finished his cigarette.
Ivy nodded. “Yes.”
“Were you working there?”
“No,” I answered.
Vanessa looked at Rowdy. They shared a silent conversation before she nudged him away.
“You have to understand,” Vanessa told Ivy. “Clint isn’t known to be an emotional guy. Like, um, he isn’t a bleeding heart. He’ll help people, but letting someone in his home involves trust he doesn’t usually exhibit. The gossip is you two aren’t really strangers.”
“We met yesterday,” I insisted while squeezing Ivy’s hand. “Why would I lie about that?”
Vanessa glanced at Rowdy who shrugged and said, “Maybe Clint’s a sloppy bitch in the matters of the heart.”
“Sure,” Vanessa replied to Rowdy. “But a secret affair with an out-of-town fox makes more sense than seeing a rando at the store and sweeping her into his life.”
Rowdy jumped up and walked over to Ivy and me. “This rando is hot. Sabrina would get it. Your numb muff has blinded you to Clint’s reasoning, Nessa.”
“Stop shaming my muff,” Vanessa muttered. “Besides, Clint doesn’t have a heart. Remember that time he was getting his knob—”
Rowdy interrupted his sister. “Let’s not say anything that might make our president flip his lid.”
While I rolled my eyes, Vanessa insisted, “Ivy knows blowjobs are a thing. Don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” Ivy replied, surprising me.
Rowdy smirked. “Well, I choose to believe in the power of love. When will you have your first kid?”
“In three years,” I replied since they were getting on my nerves. “I want to spend two years getting to know Ivy first. You know, since we just met yesterday.”
Vanessa narrowed her eyes while very deliberately removing her phone from her jacket. She winked at me and began furiously texting the other foxes in the club.
Rowdy remained at my side. His icy blue gaze left Ivy and focused on me.
“What?”
“I don’t agree with Rock,” my cousin said and smirked. “You’re not fucking nuts.”
“Thank you. Be cool later when everyone’s together. I want Ivy to feel comfortable with our family.”
We both looked down at Ivy. She glanced up at us, seemed intimidated by Rowdy. After a second of freezing up, she looked to me.
“Can I meet the other dogs?” she asked, completely disinterested in the teasing going on.
“Hell, yeah,” Rowdy said and gestured for her to follow him to the dogs sitting together in the grass. He stroked his black-and-tan dog while explaining, “Now, be careful with my boy Goblin. He likes to nibble pretty girls’ little fingers.”
As soon as Ivy’s hand went near Goblin, he started gnawing. Her resulting laughter made me smile.
Eventually, the chilly morning drove us back into the condos. Ivy couldn’t take her eyes off the three dogs dancing around our feet on the ride up in the elevator. Though I assumed she was focusing on the animals to distract from her nerves, she smiled just as wide once we were alone in the condo.
“Am I your girlfriend?” she asked after giving Hanzee fresh water.
Scanning my phone messages, I immediately replied, “Yes.”
“But we haven’t kissed.”
“We will.”
I looked up from my phone to find Ivy standing right next to me and staring with an almost devious gaze.
“Can we kiss now?” she asked and gave my body a once-over glance before focusing on my face again. “I can brush my teeth again if you want.”
Grinning at the way she admired my body, I shoved my phone into my jacket. “We’ve known each other for less than twenty-four hours. I’m still figuring you out. Why rush?”
“I was in your bed earlier.”
“Exactly, but you knew you were safe. If I’d been kissing all over you last night, would you have felt that safe?”
“Yes, because you saved me.”
My fingers traced her smiling lips. “There’s no harm in savoring these early parts of a relationship.”
Ivy’s expression flipped from alluring to wary. She only knew what she’d learned from entertainment. I wasn’t behaving like she expected.
“I’ll kiss you tonight, okay?” I said when she watched me as if I were untrustworthy. “Today will be our first date. Does that sound good?”
Ivy stepped back. “I’m confused.”
“About what?”
“I don’t want to say.”
“Then why bring it up?”
The corners of Ivy’s lips turned downward, and she looked to Hanzee for help. “Yesterday, you and Elle told me to talk more and say what I want.”
“Yes, we did.”
Ivy backed away from me. Her entire demeanor shifted. I realized how much different she seemed today than when we first met. Ivy trusted me enough to break from her family’s programming, yet I was now telling her to behave and follow the rules.
I held her gaze as my mind ran through various scenarios. I didn’t want to make a rash move that’d leave us both full of regret.
Except I felt Ivy pulling away from me emotionally. A wholly unusual panic seized my chest. Ivy was mine. I needed her now. If she left me, I couldn’t survive. I hated how weak this need made me feel, but there was no fighting it.
I lost control of myself. My hands gripped her hips, lifting her onto the barstool. Ivy gasped. She didn’t flinch or fight. Her childhood was filled with mental abuse, not the physical sort. She was too na?ve to truly fear me.
My fingers sunk into her soft blonde hair as I stared into her eyes. A pain gripped my heart. I couldn’t lose this woman. Yesterday morning, I hadn’t even known she existed. Now, I’d imagined our future together. I pictured her carrying my child. I saw us going gracefully gray together like my parents had. Losing her wasn’t an option.
My mouth covered Ivy’s soft, plump lips. As I breathed her in, the pain in my chest lessened.
When I deepened the kiss, her arms tugged me closer. My tongue slid against hers, winning a startled moan from Ivy.
Nothing in my life ever felt more incredible than this lust burning through my every nerve.