15. Angel
ANGEL
Rogue’s side of the bed is empty when I wake up but the Arizona sun peeking in tells me it’s not that early.
I glance around to find a clock or something but there’s nothing like that around.
Rogue’s bathroom is manly, all dark green and brown.
A little stark, no rugs or anything of the kind but super clean.
I jump in the shower and let the pelting water run over me, massaging my scalp with the spray before using his shampoo to wash my hair.
I inhale deeply It’s not an overtly manly smell, but it’s not full of perfume either.
It will do in a pinch. Far better than taking the walk of shame smelling like him to my room to shower.
But there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to wash anything that he gave me away.
Besides, there’s something about being in Rogue’s personal space that makes me feel comfortable, maybe even safer.
I inhale his body wash and smile, putting a generous amount in my hands to rub onto my skin.
Now this is going to make me smell like Rogue all day long and as I rub it in, I don’t necessarily feel like that’s a bad thing although I may get a look or two from his grumpy crew.
The smell of bacon cooking wafts upward as I take the stairs to the main club area. Four men are sitting around the large square table and two are helping Rogue in the kitchen behind the bar. He looks up, his eyes meeting mine, as though sensing me from afar.
His eyes travel the length of me, sending tiny shivers of desire right down my spine. I walk toward him, trying to avoid looking at the men at the table but a glass thudding on the table catches my attention. I glance their way and am shocked as every single one of them gives me a nod.
I swallow through the emotion and return their friendliness with a small smile. I’m not sure what that was all about but I’ll take a greeting like that compared to the glares I’ve received since I arrived any day of the week.
“Morning,” I say to Rogue as I walk behind the bar. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shakes his head. “No, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum have the rest of it covered, don’t you boys?”
“Yes, Prez,” they answer in unison, making him grin before turning to me. “Orange juice? Freshly squeezed from the oranges picked in the grove out back,” he says.
“Sounds amazing. I’ll have that and some coffee too. I’m absolutely parched.”
He nods. “Working around all the dust and drywall yesterday. The masks help but it still gets in your system.”
I take the glass of chilled orange juice he hands me and take a long sip.
“This is delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had freshly squeezed juice like this, just the store brands.
” I take another long drink. It’s thick, the pulp hasn’t been removed but it’s the best juice I’ve ever had. “You should bottle this.”
He laughs. “We got lucky with this piece of property. Right on the edge of town, behind all the business, but adjacent to the agricultural area behind us. Best of both worlds if you ask me.”
“Do you like coffee?” I ask, rinsing my empty glass in the sink before taking a coffee cup from the strainer sitting on the counter. “Do you mind if I have a cup?”
He grins. “I like coffee, black. You can have anything you want in here but don’t use that cup. It’s my VP’s. He’ll have a total breakdown if someone puts their lips on his cup.” He opens the cupboard and hands me a stark white cup. “Use this for now.”
I glance over at the table and can’t for the life of me picture any of them having a fit over a mug, but I’ll take his word for it because I’m not in any hurry to get on their bad side again.
The recruits plate our breakfast and take it to the table.
“Let’s eat, the guys are coming to start on the outside of the club tonight. ”
I follow him to the table and sit next to him, trying not to look down the line of men, but Rogue isn’t going to let the silence ride.
“All right everyone. Let’s get the formal introductions out of the way.
“Everyone knows Angel. This is Hayze, VP, Drifter, Sgt at Arms, Baldz is our Road Captain and Sears is our cleaner.
The rest of the guys are still sleeping or taking a turn on patrol.
And you’ve met Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,” he says.
“Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m so very sorry about the damage to your club. I know that doesn’t hardly make up for what happened, but I’ll do my best to help fix it in any way that I can.”
The bearded one who intimidated the hell out of me when I first got here, Drifter, gestures to the floor. “We appreciate the work you put into the club yesterday. The floor looks fantastic.”
My chest fills with relief. “I had some help mopping but I was going to give it another round today.” The nods of appreciation settle into my soul.
Maybe these men aren’t as bad as the Scorpions.
They had every right not to trust me. Hell maybe by coming after me like the Scorpions did showed the Royal Bastards that they didn’t send me in as a plant.
Whatever changed their minds, I’ll take it.
We’ve barely finished breakfast when a rap on the club house door catches our attention. Rogue looks down at his watch and touches the screen. “Johnny from down the street,” he says. “Let’s go see what they want us to do.”
“I’ll take care of the cleanup,” I tell Rogue, stacking his plate on mine, and then moving down the line to gather the other’s empty plates.
“That’s what we’ve got recruits for,” Rogue says with a smile.
I grin. “Well, now you have two more hands to help you outside,” I say, earning me a grin of gratitude from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and a nod of admiration from one of the guys.