Chapter 5 Ford #3
“What the fuck, Ford?” Royce seethed, lifting her chin so it was angled over her shoulder. My chin was at the crown of her head, but my fingers were still tucked inside her pocket, against her ass. For some reason I hadn’t pulled them out yet.
I rasped against her hair. “You can’t be here.”
She tried to step away, but I kept her in place. “Yes, I can. My dad is the president of this club, and I can be anywhere I want. I told you I was going to show up, and you responded by telling me to basically go for it.”
That’s right, she had warned me she’d be around more, but I didn’t think she was being serious.
“Unfortunately, due to yet another one of your fucking messes, you can’t be here. It’s actually imperative that you’re not.”
She yanked out of my hold and spun around. Her eyes were wide, cheeks flushed, and her hands…those landed on my chest. Accidently, by the way she glanced down and removed them.
“What the hell does that mean—” she started, but my hand shot out, grabbing hers so that I was pulling her away. The fewer people who saw her here, the better, and if I could get her out of the club before her father noticed, then I might avoid a huge scene.
“Ford, what the fuck?” she snapped as she stumbled behind me.
We were outside, in the back, under a full moon and a clear night sky.
There were lights strung up from the back patio to the fire pit, illuminating the grass and paved path.
Beyond the yard were parked motorcycles, and past that was the abandoned cabin.
I continued walking toward the old apartment yard.
The fence was in rough shape, but it was still functional.
Once we were behind the gate, I released her and immediately wanted to go back in and get her a jacket. Her shirt dipped enough that most of her chest was exposed to the cold air.
“If your dad came out and saw you in there, you know exactly what would happen.”
She tucked her arms over her chest. “That was a long time ago. I’m an adult now, he wouldn’t react that way.”
“Really? I’m so tempted to let you test that theory, but unlike you, I do actually care about this club and if people get needlessly hurt because of it.”
I wasn’t present for it, because I would have done something if I was, but I heard about it.
She was seventeen, hanging out in the club, and one of the prospects who was hoping to become a member didn’t realize who she was.
They groped her, became aggressive, and Killian practically killed him.
My dad had stopped him barely in time…a few more punches to the face and the man would have died.
It could have had disastrous repercussions that even our paid police couldn’t save him from.
Royce was scared enough that I assumed she wouldn’t return, but here she fucking was.
Did she even see how they looked at her?
Did she even care that she might be putting herself in harm’s way again?
“It’s been a while, but—” Her voice was soft, her lips pouty and too plump. I watched her mouth move and pulled myself together.
“You nearly got someone killed the last time you were here.”
Her hand shot out as if to hold an invisible reason for her presence. “I told you I was coming around, you said I could—”
“I didn’t honestly think you’d be stupid enough to show up!”
“I’m not stupid, Ford. I’m desperate.” Her eyes shuttered as anger seemed to steal her tone and features. A small part of me felt guilty.
That part of me was tucked back behind my heart, buried in a proverbial drawer that I had sealed shut.
“Not my problem, Royce. I honestly don’t give a fuck if you get your dream job.
People get passed over for their dreams every single day.
You’ll survive. Maybe it’s time you joined the real world and started acting like a grown-up.
While we’re at it, let’s have a little chat about that viral video of you that’s making the club members get all up in a frenzy about the Wolf’s daughter. ”
Her face paled, then her brows furrowed as if she were trying to work something out. “What are you talking about?”
Her hesitation nearly gave me pause, but I ignored it. “Did you happen to engage in a video ad for an underwear company?”
“What…yeah, like a year ago, why?”
“Any reason it would suddenly be popping up on club members’ algorithms?”
She yanked her cell from her back pocket, a confused expression stamped on her face. “Seriously… What the hell are you talking about?”
She must have been truly confused because she didn’t even snap at me when I moved next to her shoulder to see what she was pulling up.
In the search bar of her app, she typed a few ideas, which included terms for the underwear ad, and “girl in underwear” but she never came up.
She tried again using the brand she’d done the ad for, and again, she was nowhere to be found.
I gently took the phone from her and typed in the search bar “biker babe underwear.”
And the first video was her.
Fuck me, this video would be ingrained in my head forever.
In the video Royce looked sun-kissed, which complemented her bright eyes and blond hair so nicely that she practically glowed.
Her makeup was a bit heavy, but they’d made her lips this pinkish color that I would unfortunately imagine smeared all over my cock when I gripped it at night.
“I don’t get it,” Royce mused, clicking on the video and watching it play.
I most certainly got it. I wished so badly I didn’t, but my God, I did.
She wore a pink thong that stretched high up on her hips, with a low-cut cropped shirt.
It was more of a bra with ample cleavage, and it was see-through, showing peaked, rosy nipples.
Below her breasts, the pink fabric went to just above her belly button, showcasing her ribs and abs.
She did a little jump in the video which made her tits bob and then the video transitioned so she was standing in front of the camera with her ass bouncing.
Her manicured nails, which were painted the same color as her thong, lightly pulled up on the fabric that slid up through her crack and spread into a T across her lower back. Her hair bounced in soft, glossy curls against her tan skin, but my eyes fell to her ass. Her perfectly smooth, round—
“What the fuck is that?” My voice was practically gravel as I stared at the black tattoo on her right cheek. Even though I’d heard them mention it, it was different actually seeing the skull with roses budding from the eyes that made up our patch.
Royce probably rolled her eyes based on how blasé her tone was when she replied, “It’s a tattoo.”
“Royce, it’s not just a tattoo, it’s the Stone Rider patch. You didn’t think that might be a bad idea when shooting this ad? Since when do you get real tattoos? I thought you only did the temporary ones.”
She lowered her phone to glare at me. “First of all, this was never supposed to go anywhere but their website. I never agreed to them sharing on their socials. Second, the team loved that I had it along with a few other tattoos. They thought it would make my modeling stand out. Third…what the hell are you talking about? It sort of sounds like you don’t really know me very well, Ford.
Which tracks since you’ve barely said two words to me over the past ten years. ”
Something sharp stabbed at my chest, nearly making me inspect the truth in what she’d just said. Instead of giving into it, I brushed past it. “Well, you certainly stand out, Royce, but that’s never been a problem for you, has it?”
Her brows tugged in closer as she tucked her phone back into her jeans. “What is that supposed to mean?”
I wasn’t even really angry with her. I was angry at the fact that she’d always been this person so elusive and out of reach to me, and yet the whole damn world seemed to access her so easily.
“Weren’t you all worried about me causing drama for the club by stepping into the president’s role?
Yet, you’re out here, literally showing your ass for the whole fucking world to see, and on it you have a neon sign pointing to our goddamn club.
Jesus, Royce, do you ever think through a single situation? ”
Her lip wobbled the smallest amount, but she lowered her chin almost as if she didn’t want me to see it.
“Again, you don’t fucking know me, Ford.
You’re referencing things that happened when I was a teenager.
You’re assuming I don’t get tattoos and talking about how I don’t want to grow up.
Get a grip, Ford. I am grown, you just weren’t invited to be a part of it any of it, so you made up all these assumptions about me. ”
Humiliation was that thing poking at my chest, I could see that now.
She was right, but her comment about how I’d not been invited to be apart of her growing up was too painful for me to humble myself.
“You expect me to believe that? You do float around life in a bubble, Royce. No real consequences. Daddy will clean up every mess you make. That’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it will always be.
You don’t deserve that promotion but I’m sure you’ll get it because you’re Royce Quinn and you get whatever the fuck you want. ”
Despite feeling I had gone too far, I couldn’t seem to stop. I knew it for certain though when her hand came up swift and firm as it flew across my face. I’d missed that she’d started crying, and fuck, that actually hurt to see.
“Fuck you, Ford.”
Her head shook back and forth, but she said nothing else.
That hidden, jagged chunk in my heart tugged and tugged, trying to pull out that guilt and the concern I’d once had for her. They were feelings I had battled with my entire life—ones she so carelessly toyed with. I’d care that I hurt her now if she cared how badly she hurt me back then.
What mattered now was keeping her safe, and at this juncture there was only one way to do that. “I need you to stay away from the club.”
Her chin wobbled the smallest amount before her face finally fell and her hair slid in front of her. She remained like that for a few seconds before she lifted it again, as if she’d become determined.
“Maybe I’ll become a bunk bunny or a Sweetbutt.” Her shoulder lifted. “I like them. They’ve always been nice to me. I’ll stick with them. I can be here, and I don’t care if they talk about my video, those women will protect me. They watch out for their own.”
The image of her waking up in Johnson’s or Kody’s bed, with tousled hair, smudged eyeliner from being fucked all night…it practically ripped that buried chest out of its proverbial grave, and whatever I’d been so careful to conceal was now exploding inside my chest.
“You’ll just start sleeping with random members?” My eyes narrowed, hoping to intimidate her, but she smiled in return like what I had said was a great idea.
“Maybe. I haven’t decided yet, but the point is, you can’t tell me what to do.
Neither can my dad or anyone else. I don’t think I should have to stay away simply because men can’t control themselves.
What happened when I was seventeen wasn’t my fault.
That man was at fault. I should be allowed to exist in these spaces without fearing that I’ll be abused or harmed.
Sorry if that creates work for all of you, but I’m going to do what I want to do because I don’t cater to men or their needs. I cater to my own.”
Goddammit.
“If you so much as step—”
“Royce?” Killian pulled the gate open, poking his head into the space. Worry tugged his features down as he stepped further inside.
I realized too late that this probably didn’t look great, that I was over here, hidden away with his daughter who was now crying.
“Hey, Dad.” Royce gave him a feeble smile while swiping at her face.
His eyes flashed as he looked between us. “What’s going on?”
“He talked to me about the video. I’m really sorry for making things harder on all of you.”
Killian stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Oh, sweetheart. You didn’t. We just want to be sure you’re safe. I’m sorry if Ford didn’t convey that properly.” His eyes shot up to me in an angry scowl.
“Why don’t you head on home, and I’ll be there in a few.”
She nodded, then turned to leave without glancing back.
Killian followed behind her, likely wanting to ensure she got on her bike safely.
I was close behind him as we made our way back toward the club.
Once she was out of earshot, had started her bike, and moved down the trail toward her house, Killian swung his head in my direction.
“Is there something I need to be aware of regarding you two?”
I stared at her taillights, still curious how she pulled that thing I had buried out and made a mess of my chest with it. I also absolutely detested how sexy she looked on that bike.
“Ford, I’m only going to tell you this once,” Killian warned.
“She hides a lot from the public. There’s a deep place in her heart where she stores away all the hurt from people.
The rejection, the anger. She puts on a mask for everyone else, smiles and acts like nothing fazes her, then breaks for weeks alone, behind closed doors.
She needs someone who understands how to be tender with her. ”
“Can you please get to the point?” I droned, sounding bored when, really, my heart hammered a painful rhythm.
His eyes flashed, and I worried that The Wolf of Rose Ridge was about to tear the fuck into me.
“Sure. You’re too fucking harsh for someone like her. Leave her alone.”
I wanted to defend that I wasn’t trying to be with her, nor did I care that he assumed I liked her when I didn’t. I was trying to protect the club.
But instead, a very odd thing came out of my mouth.
“I’m not always harsh. I could try to be tender.”
Killian’s eyes blazed again, searching mine. “You can try all you want to, Ford. Just not with her.”
With that, he moved from the steps and took off toward his bike, where he’d follow his daughter home.
I was left standing there, trying to figure out why his disapproval hurt so much.