11. Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ORA
Lu’s at the bar, an empty shot glass in her hand and a scowl on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, looking at Skull standing next to her. Bones must have swapped with him as her bodyguard.
“Nothing,” she replies, but her eyes flicker to the stage, where Haze is making out with one of the club girls. The band is taking a break, and now loud music is blaring through the speakers. “You want to dance?”
I look up at War. “We’ll be back.”
He nods and leans back against the bar. I feel his heated gaze on me as we push through the crowd until we find a spot. We dance against each other, moving in perfect sync. Lu’s hands are in the air as she seductively swivels her hips, and it’s not long until a man stands behind her, his hands on her waist. Lu winks at me while she continues to grind, making me laugh. I’m about to leave her to go back to War when a warm, hard body pushes up behind me. I turn to move, but a big hand grabs my wrist, pulling me back and spinning me to face him.
I frown when I look up at Ghost.
“Dance with me?”
Opening my mouth to decline, War and Skull step between Ghost and me. War says something to Ghost, then pushes him backward. Skull moves me safely behind him, feet apart and arms spread out. Ghost says something, and then War punches him in the face. Chaos ensues before Skull picks me up and carries me out, and the man dancing with Lu does the same with her.
“What the fuck was that?” Lu asks, wrapping her arms around me. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Turning to the man with Lu, I ask, “Who are you?”
He chuckles and offers me his hand. “Blade.”
Blade is cute, with curly dark hair, warm green eyes, and a lean yet muscular build. He’s shorter than War, though still towering over Lu. He’s wearing a cut, so he’s a patched member, but he doesn’t have a patch stating any club rank. I wonder why they call him Blade . My gaze searches his body, but I don’t see any knives on him.
“Don’t let War see you looking me over like that,” Blade says quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. He lowers his voice to a husky whisper. “He just punched Ghost, who used to bare-knuckle fight in an underground circuit, and I’d like to live through the night.”
I roll my eyes. “I was just trying to see if you carried blades, and that’s how you got your road name.”
He smirks and winks at Lu. “Maybe your friend here will tell you in the morning.”
War storms toward me, checking me over to make sure I’m all right. The music is still pumping, and I’m guessing the party has resumed.
What’s a little fistfight amongst brothers, hey?
His dark eyes flicker between Lu and Blade. “Can you get her home safely?”
Blade nods. “Of course.”
“Anything happens to her, and I’ll make you regret it,” he warns. I know I shouldn’t melt in this moment, especially when he’s making violent threats, but the way he cares for my best friend because of me is a green flag in a sea of red.
“I’ll take her home,” Haze says as he walks toward us. He’s an attractive man, I can’t deny it. Those amber eyes look over Lu, who seems to avoid looking at him.
“No, I’ll go with Blade,” she replies, crossing her arms over her chest.
Haze turns to Blade. The tension in the air gets thicker. “I’m taking her home.”
War glances between the two men but stays silent.
Blade scowls but nods, a muscle in his cheek working. Okaaay then.
“Lu?”
“I’ll be fine,” she replies, still refusing to look Haze in the eyes. What the hell have I missed here? “I’ll message you when I get home.”
War pulls me away and picks me up when we reach the stairs, carrying me until we reach his bedroom. Then he strips me down, pushes me back against the wall, and gets down on his knees, lifting my thigh over his shoulder. His talented tongue works its magic, and soon, I’ve lost all coherent thought.
It’s only him and me.
Yeah, being with a biker has a few cons.
But there are also more than a few pros.
The next morning, I get up early and make everyone breakfast—bacon, eggs, sausages, waffles, pancakes, hash browns, and toast. Coffee is ready to go, and also some freshly squeezed orange juice. The table in the kitchen is a ten-seater, so there is plenty of space for me to spread out the dishes. Bones, Skull, and Lore, are the first in, just like last time.
Bones sticks his head into the room, smiling widely when he sees the food. “Fuck yes, we were hoping for this.”
“She cooked again?” Lore asks, stepping inside and doing a little happy dance.
Skull winks at me. “You’re everything we didn’t know we needed, Ora.”
I grin and nod toward the table. “Take a seat. Now, I have to ask who stocked the fridge and pantry?”
The twins laugh. “We got the club girls to do it, hoping you might grace us with your culinary expertise once more.” Bones grins, tying his hair back with a leather band in preparation to consume the meal.
War steps into the kitchen in nothing but light jeans with the top button undone and a scowl on his face. I can see his sexy V peeking out, and my mouth is suddenly watering. And there it is, déjà vu to last time. He throws the room a dark look before he storms up to me and gently but firmly grips my neck. He lowers his voice and speaks into my ear. “Baby, I’m sick of waking up to find you gone from my bed.”
“I wanted to let you sleep. Well, the first time we slept together, I was just sneaking away,” I add with a small giggle.
War’s eyes darken. “Don’t remind me.”
I lift onto my tiptoes to brush a kiss against his lips. “Take a seat and eat.”
He doesn’t. Instead, he turns to his brothers, giving me a proper look at the big wings tattooed on his upper back. “You fuckers better not expect this every time she’s here.”
Lore pours some maple syrup on his pancake. “You’re a lucky bastard, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I’d take her off you in a heartbeat. She’s hot and can cook.”
Bones gets a slap on the back of his head for that one.
Haze steps into the kitchen next, his brow furrowing as he takes us all in. “Since when do we get fed here?”
Skull dips his head toward me. “Since War got himself a woman who can cook.”
Lu messaged me last night, assuring me that Haze got her home safely, but I still don’t know what the deal was between them.
Amber eyes give me a quick once-over.
“There’s plenty of food… take a seat.”
He grins, flashing a dimple on his right cheek. He licks his lips as he takes one of the waffles, and I notice his tongue is pierced.
Yeah, Lu is in trouble.
The men all start to pile in, a few I haven’t met yet. I get to put a face to the name when War introduces me to Angel, the man who walked in on us last night. He has dark eyes framed in thick lashes, deeply tanned skin, a beard, and a deep scar slashing through his eyebrow and continuing down his cheek.
He’s both hot and terrifying.
When Ghost arrives, he takes in the full room, his brow furrowing. He sees me in the center, making sure everyone is fed.
Our eyes lock and hold, and the air in the room becomes denser. He runs a busted-up hand over his bald head but doesn’t say anything, waiting for me.
“You want something to eat, Ghost?” I ask.
An olive branch.
He nods, and I gesture to an empty chair.
It’s kind of amusing because it’s his clubhouse, not mine, but he was almost asking permission.
War nods at him, a pleased look flickering across his face.
And then the last person to join us is Rome.
He, too, takes in the room—the men all sitting together, laughing, joking, and eating together like a family.
Then he brings his now warm blue eyes to me. “Can I fix you a plate?” I ask, not sure if I’m meant to refer to him as Rome or Prez.
Or Dad.
Shutting down my intrusive thoughts, I wait for him to reply.
“I’d love one. I can’t remember the last time we all sat down and ate together,” he murmurs, taking the last empty seat at the head of the table.
It’s almost as if they all saved it for him.
War’s plate was the only other one I dished out myself. I wonder if he notices that I’m doing the same for Rome.
“Thank you, Ora,” Rome replies, scanning my face.
“You’re welcome,” I reply, and War pulls me onto his lap.
Rome eyes us, taking in War’s hand spread out over my stomach—a possessive hold. “If you fuck this up, War, don’t think there’s a brother in here who wouldn’t want to step up and claim her.”
My eyes flare, not expecting those words from the president of the MC.
War goes still underneath me, and the tension radiating from him is palpable. “I’m not going to fuck this up.”
My hand squeezes his thigh, and he relaxes. “Next time, I’ll make everyone a nice dinner.”
The men call out their happiness, their thanks and appreciation.
“Better put a property cut on her, War!” Haze calls out, smirking.
Ghost’s lip twitches, and to me, that feels like a win.
War runs his thumb across my waist, and a warm feeling consumes me.
Glancing around the table, watching everyone eat, I can’t help but smile.
I’ve never had a big family—no brothers or sisters, no father. I’ve never had anyone to cook or bake for besides my mother when she was alive.
War has given me more than he knows.