Chapter Thirteen
I worked twelve hours today, and while I should be exhausted and ready to be off my feet, my body is buzzing with excitement.
I was nervous at first. Who am I kidding? I am still nervous as hell, but I am ready to finally see the part of Loyal’s life that has always been there in the background. The one I ignored.
I’m done ignoring it.
If I want to see if a real future with him can work, I need to know all of him, which means I need to meet the people he calls family.
That familiar doubt settles in as I look at myself in the mirror.
When I asked him what to wear, he said whatever I wanted.
Gina tried to get me to wear leather, but I told her I was going for casual, not full-on psychopath.
So I settled for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
It’s not sexy by any means. The jeans hug my body enough, but I hate the little bit of slack in them.
It reminds me of the weight I’ve lost from stress.
When I look at myself, I feel like the parent of a teenager. I don’t feel like a woman about to go out on a date with a twenty-two-year-old man.
This is stupid. They are all going to laugh.
The thought is always there, lingering in the back of my mind.
Maybe Farrah is right about all of this.
Shaking my head, I try to hype myself up.
No. This is going to be great. You are going to have a great time.
Not giving myself time to pause, I grab my keys and head out the front door.
I pause in the doorway when I see the man waiting for me. Dressed in his normal jeans, plain black T-shirt, and cut, he leans against his bike, looking like every woman’s bad boy fantasy.
He’s mine.
The thought takes my breath away.
Here I am inside thinking about all the ways we shouldn’t work and how I might be embarrassed because they will think I am too old for him while he stands out here waiting for me with that look in his eye that says you are all I see.
I am one lucky woman, and I need to start acting like it.
Turning, I lock the door before heading down the steps toward him.
“You look gorgeous, Mami.”
“It’s a plain T-shirt and mom jeans.” I roll my eyes.
He grabs my hips, pulling me closer. “Mom jeans are hot as fuck. I want to bend you over my bike right here and take that sweet ass of yours. Would you let me?”
My mouth salivates at the thought, and when I don’t respond, he moves, pushing me against the bike as he steps behind me. My hands land on the seat as he whispers in my ear.
“Can you imagine it? Me fucking my woman as she wears my jacket against my bike. It’s a dream come true.”
I press back into him, panting at the thought. I’m ready to tell him to take me when headlights turn on the street.
He steps away, pulling me to stand upright.
“I got you this,” he tells me, ignoring our conversation from before.
When I turn, I’m shocked to find a helmet in his hands. It’s plain and black, but it fits me perfectly as I pull it on my head.
He does the straps before grabbing the leather jacket laying across the back of his bike. “This is so I can see you in my jacket.”
His eyes flare with heat as I turn, keeping my eyes on him as he helps me put it on.
When I’m facing him again, he pulls me in by the jacket and kisses me.
“I love that the world will know you are mine,” he growls.
I should tell him not to be so possessive, but something about the way he wants to possess me excites me. He isn’t being overbearing or condescending. He truly wants me as his woman. Not an object or something for him to manipulate, but something to cherish and share his life with.
“We should go before I pull you inside,” he whispers.
“I want to meet your family. Rain check?”
He smirks. “Later.”
I let him climb on the bike before he guides me behind him. When I wrap my arms around him, he reaches back and cups my thigh. It feels intimate in a way I have never experienced.
I think I love it. I could become addicted to this feeling.
As he takes off, I relish in the feeling of being on his bike. It’s scary yet exhilarating at the same time. He never drives too fast, nor does he do anything stupid, yet I still feel like a bit of a badass as I cling to him.
I don’t miss the stares we get as we ride through town. Women salivate over him while men glare. It feels powerful being the woman he has chosen. The one he puts on his bike.
The ride is over far too soon. He pulls into a place miles outside of town with nothing around. A young man opens a gate before we pull inside and up to a large building that looks more like a compound than a clubhouse.
Loyal cuts the engine, helping me from the bike. I’m surprised my legs feel like jelly, and he catches me as I stumble.
“You’ll get used to it,” he promises.
I smile. I don’t mind the feeling.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“This is the clubhouse. It’s where our headquarters are. We party here. We sleep here. If there is a lockdown, this is where we come. It is our safe haven,” he tells me.
He holds out his hand so I take it.
“You sleep here?” I ask.
“Not much since I moved in next to you, but yeah. I have a room. I’ll show you it later.” He winks at me, making my cheeks warm.
I don’t ask any other questions as he leads me inside. When the door opens, music flows out.
“How did I not hear that outside?” I yell into Loyal’s ear.
“Insulation,” he yells back.
I nod as if I understand exactly what he means and look around as he pulls me through people.
This isn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be, but it is more like it than I hoped. The place is crowded with many men wearing cuts like Loyal. Women are dressed in essentially lingerie or sports bras, rubbing their bodies against the men. It’s raunchy and loud. I’m not sure I like it.
When I catch one man’s eye, he winks at me before pushing his hand down the front of the woman in his arms’ shorts.
I look away quickly and keep my eyes on Loyal’s back.
When we get to the bar, he turns to me. “What do you want to drink?”
I was excited about tonight before, but now I’m unsure.
“Water,” I call.
He nods and turns to the pretty woman behind the bar. She passes him two waters before he leads me through the room again. When we step out back, the noise drops considerably.
My ears are ringing as he pulls me under his arm, leading me to a group around a fire.
“Hey everyone. This is Sami. Please don’t scare her away.” Loyal introduces me, making my nerves go haywire.
“Oh my goodness. I have been dying to meet you. Come sit with us and chat.” A pretty woman with brown hair grabs my arm and pulls me to an empty chair.
I look over at Loyal, who smiles before handing me my water.
I have a feeling it is going to be a long night.
She’s nervous.
I considered taking her around the clubhouse to meet up with Savage, Fang, and their women, but she needs to see it all. I had to show her what a true party looks like at the clubhouse. It’s X-rated for sure, but that’s not the life for me. Never really was.
“You are prettier up close,” Bailey tells her.
I clear my throat, giving her a look. I don’t ever plan to tell Sami I stalked her for a bit.
“You’ve seen me?” I hear Sami ask.
“Dropping stuff off at Loyal’s a long time ago. I told him you were really pretty and he should talk to you. Looks like he took my advice.”
“Bailey, you are a menace,” I growl at her.
She shrugs. “I know.”
“So is that how you met?” Cami asks, as if she doesn’t already know.
I appreciate it. She’s going out of her way to make this a normal interaction for Sami.
As Sami starts to tell them how we met, I turn to Happy.
“You healing up okay?”
“I’m fine. Stop worrying about me. Your girlfriend might get jealous,” he mutters.
“Oh, you were the one in the ER?” Sami jumps into our conversation. “You gave my colleagues hell.”
He smiles as if he were proud. Sami freezes, noticing the scars before she forces a smile of her own.
“Who knew bikers could be scared of needles,” she adds.
“Dude, you are scared of needles?” Savage snorts.
“What a really fucked-up fear. You have literally survived bullet holes, but a needle is what scares you?”
I frown at Fang. I don’t need Sami hearing about bullet holes and all that, but she seems to take it in stride.
“I mean, it happens. I’m sure you have an irrational fear too. Snakes? Spiders? Public speaking?” Sami teases.
“Spiders. He is terrified of them. I have to get them out the house for him,” Cami admits.
“Hey. That’s a secret. What the fuck, little dancer?” he hisses at her.
She stands and moves to his side. He pulls her into his lap.
“It’s okay. I still love you,” she says before she kisses him.
“Wait, didn’t you say his name was Fang?” Sami asks Cami.
She must have named everyone for Sami. Fuck, I should have done that.
“I did. Yes, the irony is hilarious.” Cami beams, so proud of herself.
Fang pretends to pout. “They can kill you. They are dangerous little bastards.”
Cami pats his head. “I know.”
Savage beckons Bailey over as we continue to talk, and I watch as she drops into his lap as well. I want to do the same to Sami, but this is new. I don’t want to press my luck.
When Tiny comes out, Bailey’s best friend next to him, Sami stands.
“Here, you can sit here.”
No one questions why she is giving up her seat when there are plenty. Especially when she slides into my lap like she belongs.
I wrap my arms around her and nuzzle her neck.
“Is this okay?” she whispers to me.
“More than. I always want you in my arms.”
“Sami, this is my best friend Laura. That’s Tiny,” Bailey says, introducing them. “Sami is Loyal’s, as you can see.”
“Nice to meet you,” Laura says softly.
“I’m glad to see you getting out. Do you want a drink? I can go grab you one,” Bailey offers.
“I’m on it.” Tiny heads back into the clubhouse.
“He finally let you out of his sight for once. I’m shocked,” Bailey snorts.
“Only because you are here. He’s suffocating me. I want to throat punch him sometimes,” Laura mutters.
“Is he not your boyfriend?” Sami asks, making us all laugh.
“Nope. Not even a little bit,” Laura answers.
“Some shit went down a while back, and Tiny seems to think he needs to baby Laura. I told you I could take care of it for you. One word from Savage, and he won’t bother you again.”
I watch as Laura’s face softens slightly. “I can handle it. I don’t want anyone else fighting my battles for me.”
Sami nods. She understands. Not in the same way, but she is doing the same in her own life.
“I love that shirt. Is it vintage?” Laura asks Sami.
Sami winces. “It might be considered vintage now. I’ve had it since I was fifteen. It was new back then.”
She looks down at her Linkin Park T-shirt.
“Did you get to see them in concert?” Laura sounds excited now.
Sami nods. “I had to sneak out. I got caught, but it was worth it. Chester was brilliant. He’s a soul that was taken far too soon.”
“So true. That is so amazing. I wish I had a chance to see them before he passed. Dammit for being too young.”
Sami laughs. “Being old ain’t all it’s cracked up to be either. Trust me.”
Laura smiles warmly. “Age hits us all differently. If you hadn’t outed yourself, I would have never known you were old enough to have seen Chester Bennington live. Especially with him on your arm. You guys look good together. Like you belong.”
“Thank you,” Sami beams.
The conversation turns onto other topics as Sami continues to interact with my family.
I feel her relax more and more, to the point she even does a shot with the girls.
I know what was going on inside scared her, but this is what it’s really like being in the club.
Sitting around bullshitting with your best friends.
This is what it would be for us. A place for us to belong. People we could trust over all others. Somewhere for her to shed her inhibitions and be the woman she wants to be instead of the one her family and society have programmed her to be.
This is the place for her. Right here in my arms.
I think I’m on my way to convincing her of it.
Now I need to work on her daughter.