Roxy
I slam my hand down on the bar top, making the man in front of me jump in his seat. He stares up at me with unfocused eyes and sways to the side slightly before he can right himself.
“It’s time for you to call it a night,” I say sternly.
I'm done with everyone tonight. I just want to go back to my apartment and slip into a hot bath.
I want to close my eyes and forget I'm a Savage princess.
I want to forget all about the motorcycle club I was born into and pretend I'm just an average girl relaxing after a shift at work. Pretend I didn’t have to be this tough biker chick and just get to be myself.
“What’s going on?” Chopper’s gruff voice pulls me away from my thoughts of being someone else and brings me back to the present. He leans his forearm on the bar top and keeps his attention on me, though his body is positioned to deal with Marty if need be.
“Don’t worry about it, Chopper. I can handle myself,” I sigh and turn my glare on Marty again.
“Yeah, I know you can.” Chopper nods his head like he’s really listening to me. “I’ve seen you take full grown men to the ground many times… but that doesn’t mean you need to handle everything yourself all the time.”
I glance over at him and find so much sincerity in his green eyes, it has me swallowing hard. I know Chopper will always come to my rescue, but I don’t want that. I hate how he views me as weak and always wants to swoop in to save me.
“Can he leave?” Marty aims a thumb in Chopper’s direction, making me chuckle.
“No, he can't leave,” Chopper growls. “He is protecting his woman.”
“Oh my gosh! I'm not your woman and I don’t need protecting! Marty’s harmless. He’s just drunk and needs to go home!” I huff as I plant my hands on my hips and glare at him.
“Uh oh, you upset the honey badger,” Marty singsongs.
I turn my glare to him and raise a brow.
He did not just call me a honey badger. It’s been a joke around the club since I was in high school.
I was the honey badger because I'm strong, fierce, and tough. I don’t take crap from anyone and I'm not afraid to go toe to toe with men much larger than me because I'm fearless.
My sisters, Oakley and Dixie, got much kinder names.
We’re triplets and the daughters of Porter Reeves, the president of the Savage Wolves motorcycle club.
He’s one of the most feared and respected presidents in the area and he doesn’t take crap from anyone.
Apparently, I got my personality straight from him.
Dixie’s always been called Little Fox. Her husband named her that when we were little because she’s smart and curious, but she’s also ambitious and driven to succeed. I think Storm also called her Little Fox because she’s cute, shy, and tiny.
Storm is the vice president of Savage Wolves and even though the entire club was warned to stay away from the Reeves triplets, Storm didn’t listen.
He’s lucky he’s still alive. I'm shocked Daddy didn’t kick him out of the club when he found out Storm was dating Dixie.
I was even more shocked when he encouraged Storm to give Dixie his property patch.
Everyone knows a property patch is equivalent to getting married, yet Storm wanted that too. He wasn’t stopping at anything until Dixie was his in every sense of the word. I'm sure now that they’re married, Dixie will be popping out his babies soon enough.
Oakley, on the other hand, was nicknamed Tiger.
Dad agrees it’s a fitting name for her because she’s quick-tempered and intense when she’s angry, but can be playful and funny when she’s calm.
She’s fearsome and doesn’t give up no matter what and is way too confident for her own good.
Plus, she’s more of a loner than I am. Half of the time we don’t even know where Oakley is.
I think my sisters’ nicknames are fitting and they don’t mind them one bit… But why do I need to be a honey badger? They’re so tiny and ugly. They’re not someone you want to be around. Is that really how people see me?
“Get out of my bar, Marty,” I growl, getting right in his face.
“I thought this was a saloon.” He tries to turn around to look at the sign on the wall, but he’s too drunk to do it without falling off his stool. He grips the edge of the bar like it’s the only thing keeping him upright, and honestly it probably is.
“It’s a bar because I say it’s a bar. Now. Get. Out.” I slam my fist down on the slick wood again and this time my flesh stings with the force. I grit my teeth, never letting anyone know I just hurt myself.
Marty scrambles off the stool and falls four times trying to get to the door. Chopper whistles to grab the prospects’ attention and motions to Marty. Jasper and Morris nod their heads and follow him out. They’ll make sure Marty gets home safely and doesn’t put himself or anyone else in danger.
That’s why the police and officials in our little town stay out of the way of the Savage Wolves.
They know we’ll take care of the people in this town, even if they’re not members of the club.
They turn a blind eye when rival clubs try to creep in on our territory or start crap with us because they know we’ll handle it and get rid of them.
Not only that, but if they drove the Savage Wolves out of town, there would be another club to replace us within a few weeks.
That club might be worse than us. That club might participate in worse crimes than we do and handle those crimes within the town limits. A different club could destroy this town and its people.
“What’s going on with you, baby?” Chopper takes the seat Marty was just occupying and leans his thick arms across the top of the bar.
Black ink swirls around his skin, drawing my attention to the designs he’s added over the last few months.
He’s covered in ink and even has it crawling up his neck.
I'm not sure if he likes tattoos or if he feels like it’s the biker thing to do, but they make him look dangerous and sexy.
They draw your attention to his muscles and make you wonder what it would be like to have those arms wrapped around you.
His long blonde hair is tied back into a pony tail and his beard hangs low on his chest. He looks the part of the dangerous biker, but I know he’d never hurt me.
Chopper grew up in the Savage Wolves, just like me and my sisters did. His dad was patched long before he was born and as soon as he was old enough to prospect, he jumped at the chance.
He’s always hung around Dixie, Oakley, and me, but we knew it was most likely out of a sense of loyalty to Dad and less about wanting to spend time with us. What’s better than getting on the president’s good side by protecting his daughters?
“I'm fine. I'm just tired.” I wave him off and continue cleaning up the bar. I have less than thirty minutes until I can close the bar and I'm counting the minutes.
“Are you not sleeping at night?” His concerned gaze narrows on me. He’s examining my eyes, looking for some sort of sign I'm not getting enough rest.
“I'm sleeping, but not well.” I sigh, wishing he’d leave me alone. I don’t like anyone looking at me as closely as Chopper does. He somehow sees parts of me I try so hard to keep hidden from the rest of the world.
“Why not, baby?
“I don’t know. If I knew, I’d fix it.” I glance at the clock again and practically jump for joy when I see it’s time for the guys to wrap it up. “Drink up!” I yell above the noise of the bar.
The men grumble and lift their glasses. They know I won't tolerate them dragging their feet. They need to down their beers and settle their tabs or they’ll have to pay extra. They know I don’t mess around.
“Thanks, Roxy.” One of the club members slaps his money down on the bar before walking out. He’s consistently quick to leave once I give them a ten-minute warning. I’m always happy to serve him since he respects me so much.
Slowly but surely, the men filter out of the bar until it’s only Chopper and me. I raise a brow at him, silently asking why he’s still here.
“I walked over tonight. I assume you’re walking home and I can keep you company.”
“You know you don’t need to walk me home.” I roll my eyes. “It’s like two blocks.”
“Do we really have to have this argument every night? We both know I'm going to win.” Chopper smirks, making me even angrier.
“You only win because you follow me around like a lost puppy. I’d tell my dad if I didn’t think he’d laugh at me and shake your hand. He’d probably somehow promote you within the club.”
“Are you upset that your dad likes me?” His grin widens until it lights up his entire face.
“No, you’re practically the son he’s always wanted. You and Storm.”
“You know you and your sisters are the most important people in that man’s life. He doesn’t care about anyone other than his daughters. C’mon, baby. Let’s go home.”
He holds out his hand as he stands from the stool.
He arches a brow when I don’t take his hand right away.
I scowl at him, but place my palm in his and walk with him to the end of the bar.
When there’s no longer a piece of wood between us, Chopper wraps an arm around my waist and tugs me into his side.
He presses a soft kiss to the top of my head and flips off the lights as we pass them.
If someone saw us, they’d probably think we were together. But we’re not. Chopper and I are friends and we’ll never be more.