Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
MARIE
“No fucking way,” I breathe, taking my heat and birth control pills with water as I stare at my phone screen.
Grimacing, I shake my head. Ew. These are more bitter than usual.
There’s a lot of fucking money in my account, and I’m not sure why. I received a notification in my email about two deposits when I got up after my shift, and now I can’t stop staring at a number that surely can’t be real.
It’s enough to finish paying off my car, but it’ll leave me with no money again. Ugh, I hate adulting. I’ll leave it alone in case it’s a mistake. I don’t want to end up with a negative number in case the hospital and unemployment office decide to debit it from my account.
Yes, I think ignoring it for now is the best option.
Tossing my phone on the bed, I get up and grab my clothes, towel, and toiletries to shower. This sleep schedule is rough. It feels like I barely slept. I stumble out of my room and to the communal bathroom, hoping that a cold shower will help wake me up. It’s worth a shot, right?
As the freezing water hits my naked skin, I hiss like a cat.
Fuck, this sucks. Thankfully, it gets my ass moving as I hurry through my shower and wash my hair.
Once dried off and dressed, I drag myself to the sink to brush my teeth and dry my hair.
I don’t know if one of the guys is planning to pick me up, but in case they don’t, I need to leave early for work.
It’s not until after I’ve eaten and I’m leaving the alley with my bag that I see Wilder leaning on his bike across from Omega’s Haven.
He’s so tall, he towers over the world as his green eyes flick over to me.
His hair is a wild mess over his head as he balances his helmet on the bike, and he twists his body as he sits to watch me.
It’s intense and unnerving, and I find my hips rolling a little more as I walk. His hand snakes around my waist once I’m close enough and he pulls my body up until I’m straddling his waist.
“Hi,” I breathe, swallowing hard. I really want to smooth back his hair, but curl my fingers under to keep from doing so. The sun makes his chestnut hair gleam, and the dark scruff on his face makes me wonder what it feels like between my thighs.
“You smell like heaven,” he murmurs, making me blush furiously. Damn my pale complexion. I swear, you can tell exactly how I feel all the time. “And I love when you blush.”
His hand on my ass rocks me over his erection, making me whimper, and his chuckle vibrates over my skin.
“I shouldn’t rile you up before work, huh?” he asks, his lips moving up my throat. My head drops back to give him access, and he sucks gently on my jaw as I mewl softly. “Why don’t you want to be mine, baby?”
“Your life is dangerous,” I whisper. “I don’t want to get involved if you’re temporary.”
“This doesn’t feel temporary,” he says, kissing me hard. My lips feel puffy once he lifts his head and sighs. “We bought a house. That’s not temporary either.”
“No, but I feel like it’s not fair that I’m tying you to me,” I admit, finally giving in to play with his hair. It feels like we’re in a bubble as we sit on the quiet street, so I give him some of my truths.
“Marie, I don’t mind change,” Wilder says.
“I’ve been chasing new experiences my whole life.
Part of the reason for our nomadic lifestyle is that we didn’t have the money to pay for a safe place to have a club in our early years, and now that we do, there was no reason to stay in one place.
Not till now. Our club will still work the same way it always has, with one exception.
Lore, Storm, and I will have you to come home to. ”
That seems like a promise, and I take a huge breath in.
“Things went off the rails when we first met you. We just wanted to fuck with you a little, but you’re such a spitfire. It went a lot further than planned,” he admits.
“I’m not sorry for running you over,” I mutter.
“I am sorry for making you choke on my cock without permission,” he croons in reply. My body erupts in goosebumps as he rubs my skin underneath my light sweater. “Do you have time to eat at work?”
“I packed something,” I shrug. It’s just a sandwich and an apple, but it’s hard to find time for more. “The ER is busy. Someone always needs something, and while it makes the shift fly by, it also means I’m exhausted at the end.”
“And you really have to wait until payday to slow down?” he asks. “What’s your end goal, baby?”
“A place of my own and a running vehicle,” I sigh. “I need to rebuild my savings too.”
“You should let us pay for the car,” he says, his caramel and salt flavor surrounding me as he kisses me again. “It’s tit for tat, Marie. We fucked it up, we should pay for it. You don’t owe us, we owe you.”
It’s really hard to argue with that, but it still feels wrong.
“When things break, no one offers to fix them without some type of ulterior motive,” I mutter.
“That’s shitty,” he says mildly. “Let us take responsibility for this, Marie. I’m asking you for now, but I’m not a patient man.”
Rolling my hips, I smirk as his hand tightens on my ass as he grunts in pain.
“Everything reverts to a threat with men like you, doesn’t it?” I purr, rolling my eyes.
“Taking care of my girl isn’t a threat,” he murmurs. “One day, you’re going to agree to let me fuck, ruin, and adore you.”
“One of those things is not like the other,” I whisper, shrugging. I’m trying to act as if being ruined doesn’t sound amazing, but what happens when it all ends? “I think I’m too boring for you, Wilder.”
“Oh you do know my name,” he smirks. “Move in with us, Marie. Help us decorate and build your nest.”
“This doesn't feel real,” I sigh, shifting on accident this time. He’s all hard muscles and experiences, while I’m soft and sweet. Tommy may have shown me the underbelly of his work and life, but it just made me more insistent to keep mine separate from that.
“I’m definitely real,” he says, his hand on my ass moving to grab my hand and press it against his chest. I can feel the soft thumping of his heart, and when he begins to purr for me, I whine.
I want to believe this so fucking badly.
“Things don’t have to be reciprocal when you’re dating someone.
I’ll always pick up the check, find ways to keep you safe, and remind you that you’re mine. ”
“We barely know each other,” I say weakly.
“Then I guess you should have breakfast at our new place after your shift to help change that,” Wilder murmurs. “We have a lifetime to get to know each other. I once read that people are meant to change as they get older. I look forward to relearning who you are at every age, Marie.”
Getting lost in his gaze, it takes me way too long to pull myself together.
“How do you make it look so easy to say things like that?” I whisper.
“I’m only poetic when I’m feeling inspired,” he chuckles. “Let’s put your bag away and get you to work, baby.”
He helps me off his lap since my feet won’t touch the ground from here, and I put my things away before getting on the bike behind him. After putting on my helmet, I watch as he slides his on and he fixes my arms around his waist the way he wants.
I can’t stop the smile that appears as I ride to work with him, the rumbling of the engine affecting me as much as it did with Lore. My thighs are trembling as I get off the bike at work. Wilder collects the helmet as I get my bag, and I can feel his warm gaze on me.
“Lore will come get you after work,” he says. “We’ll be working on the house today. Can I have your phone?”
Digging through my bag, I purse my lips at him before I hand it over unlocked.
“I just want to put our numbers in,” he explains, his fingers flying over the screen. “There. That wasn’t hard, was it?”
“No, it wasn’t,” I say, cursing as I see the time. “I gotta go.”
I’m already running inside when he begins speaking, and I completely miss his next words. I hope work is busy because I’m going to need the distraction. It feels like that’s what work is now.
The independence I keep insisting I need feels like an excuse, and I don’t know how to stop running.
LORE
The brownstone has entire rooms that have furniture now, though the second floor has a room with a giant mattress and that’s it. Cian helped us figure out what we’ll need, but delivery can take time for some of our choices.
Thankfully, we have a couch in the living room, we hung gauzy curtains, and even have a rug.
The kitchen has plates, utensils, and pots and pans, and the roof top has patio furniture.
While it seems random, it was done with the intention of having comfortable spaces for Marie to hang out in with us.
“Can you handle making breakfast?” I ask Wilder.
“I’m probably the only one between the three of us that can cook without burning anything,” Wilder chuckles. “Isn’t it time to pick up Marie?”
Glancing at the time, I see that he’s right. “Yeah, it is,” I agree.
“I’ll start the fire in the fireplace soon,” Storm says. “It’s cooler upstairs on the roof and I don’t want Marie to get cold.”
“Fuck, did we forget to buy blankets?” I groan.
“No, there’s at least three in one of the boxes in the closet,” Wilder says.
We tried our best to clean, set things up, and then hide our mess. It’s not perfect, but better than you’d expect from three nomadic bikers.
“Okay, I’ll be back,” I murmur, feeling nervous. “Do you think she’ll be upset that we’ll have to leave town soon?”
Ace called me today to tell me there’s a hiccup with one of the deliveries. I need to figure it out, make sure the club who paid for the parts gets what he wants, and avoid any further issues. If it’s a supplier that’s getting greedy, then I need to nip that shit in the bud.
I have a good reputation with the Knotted Anarchy charters, I don’t want that to change.
“Soon as in tonight?” Wilder snorts. “I doubt Marie will like it. I did my best to explain that we should pay for our mistakes. Instead of her punishing us forever.”