Chapter 10
WREN
I wake up the next morning feeling better about the situation. After talking with Axel, I don’t feel so guilty about leaving that night, and I feel better about what happened with Dylan.
As much as I don’t like the idea of someone from the club following me all the time, I like it a lot more than the idea of Dylan following me. At least I know what the club’s intentions are.
I get out of bed and go into my bathroom, relieving myself before stepping into the shower.
I shave, exfoliate and wash my hair before cleaning my body.
Once I’m done, I step out and dry off, putting my hair in a towel before applying lotion all over.
I step into my closet and grab a pair of leggings and a dark green sweater to wear for the day.
Lenny is out of the office today, so I can dress more casually since we won’t have any clients coming in.
I take down my hair as I walk back into the bathroom and then apply product before blowing it dry and brushing my teeth.
I decide to go without makeup today and toss my long brown hair into a messy bun on the top of my head.
I walk into my room and grab a pair of socks and my tennis shoes, sitting on my bed to put them on and then grabbing my purse and walking to the entry way of my apartment.
I grab my keys and look through the peep hole before walking out.
I look around as I exit my apartment and relax a little when I find no one there.
I quickly lock my door and walk towards my SUV.
I see Theo and Ace watching from one of the club’s black vans across the street and wave in their direction.
They both smile and wave back before starting the van to follow me.
I hop into my white Buick Envista and turn on my heated seat immediately. Fall is turning into winter faster than it usually does around here. I love the cooler weather. In fact, I wish that we had more of it, but it still takes me a while to get used to the chill in the air.
I bought this car when I got the job with Lenny since I got quite a pay increase.
I was finally in the field that I wanted to be in and rewarded myself.
One day, Lenny wants me to take over the practice, at least he’s mentioned it before.
That would take more schooling on my part, though, and right now, it’s just not in the cards for me. No matter how much I want it.
I pull out of my parking space and onto the street, heading in the direction of Sophie’s house, needing to see her before I head to work.
It’s a Tuesday and there’s not a lot of people on the road, so it only takes a few minutes to get there.
I love Sophie’s house. Grayson designed it after what she described she wanted for their house when we were teenagers.
I park beside Grayson’s truck and walk to their front door, watching as the prospects pull to the side of the road. I knock on the door and wait for someone to answer.
The door opens a crack and my best friend’s guilty expression greets me.
“You can’t be mad at me,” she winces as she steps to the side and lets me enter.
“I just had a baby, and my hormones are all over the place. How could you expect me to hear what happened and not tell Grayson?” She rushes out as I walk into the living room and smile down at Lily, who is sleeping in her bassinette.
“That’s right, look at the cute baby. You can’t be mad at the woman who brought her into this world. ”
That makes me laugh. “I’m not mad at you, Soph.”
“You’re not?” She scrunches her nose.
“No,” I tell her honestly. “A part of me knew that you would tell Grayson what happened. I know that you were just trying to protect me and I shouldn’t have expected you to keep it from your husband.”
She sighs in relief and sinks onto the couch beside the bassinette. “Thank God. I was really worried for a minute there.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell,” I reply dryly. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she says, brushing me off. “She sleeps like a rock and Asher has been such a huge help. He’s such a good big brother.”
I knew that he would be. Asher is a fantastic kid, and he was so excited about becoming a big brother. Lily was truly born into the best family.
“Good.”
“Are you okay?” She asks.
“I’m fine,” I murmur. “I was a little surprised when Axel and Luke showed up at the office and told me that the club decided I have to act like I’m dating Axel to try and get Dylan to back off.”
“What?!” She screeches and then winces when she checks to see if Lily is still asleep. She settles when she realizes she wasn’t disturbed. “They’re making you fake date Axel?” She whisper-hisses.
“Well, according to Axel, he doesn’t want it to be so fake,” I mumble.
“What do you mean?” Sophie asks, sitting up, her interest piqued.
“He showed up at my house last night to check on me, and we ended up talking about the night we slept together,” I tell her. “He told me that since we’re spending all this time together anyways, we might as well see where it goes between us.”
Sophie’s eyes widen. “Oh my God, yes!”
My brow furrows. “No, not yes! Don’t you think this is a terrible idea?”
“No, I think this is an incredible idea,” she tells me softly.
“This is a way that you guys can see if there is really something between you without the pressure of people knowing that it’s real.
People know you have to spend time together because the club agreed to it.
You guys can explore this without all the added pressure. ”
“I’m scared of exploring what’s between us,” I admit. “I’m more scared of that than I am of Dylan. That’s why I left in the middle of the night before we could talk about it.”
“Well, why don’t you set some boundaries, so you’ll feel more comfortable?” She offers.
“Like a list of rules?”
“Exactly like a list of rules! Rules for fake dating.”
A smile spreads across my face. “I’m intrigued. Let’s do it.”
She stands up and walks into the kitchen, grabbing a pad of paper and a pen and hands them over to me. I tap the pen against my lips as I think.
“I feel like ‘no sex’ should be at the top, right?” I ask.
“Sure, not that I think you’ll stick to that rule,” she mutters.
I smirk but write it down anyways. “No sex with anyone else?”
“Definitely.”
“No one outside of us can know that it’s not totally fake,” I murmur as I write it down.
“Mention the end date,” Sophie offers.
“Ends when we figure out everything with Dylan.”
“I can’t think of anything else.”
“Me either,” I mutter. “Maybe I’ll read them to him and see if there’s anything else we should add.”
“That’s a good idea. When are you seeing him next?”
“Tonight, after work,” I tell her as I rip the piece of paper from the pad. “He told me to come to the clubhouse.”
“Why do I have a feeling that number one on the list is going to be scratched out by the end of the night?” She chuckles.
“You’re not being helpful,” I mumble.
“Just being realistic, my friend.”
She’s probably not wrong, even though I hate to admit it. There is undeniable desire between Axel and me. It’s bound to boil over at some point.