I pushed it open and found myself facing a whole fucking gaggle of old ladies. A gaggle? Was there an actual collective term for them? Why the hell was my mind going off on that crazy tangent right now?
“Uh… hi.”
Caroline was in the midst of the women, with them sitting around her and opposite her, but she didn’t look panicked or uncomfortable. She looked relaxed.Relaxed. How the fuck did they do that, and could I take notes? I was so fucking relieved to see her like this, instead of terrified and overwhelmed.
“Baby, you doing okay?”
She smiled and reached out a hand to me, so like a puppy I headed over to the seat she occupied, and crouched beside her, taking and gently squeezing her hand.
“I’m sorry about them. They’re jackasses, and I’m incredibly fucked off with both of them.”
“Wow. Classy,” Jamie murmured, and I ignored her completely. The only woman my eyes should be on was the beauty right in front of me.
“Of everyone, I thought I could trust those two to help you feel comfortable here. That’s on me, for expecting anyone here to act like grownups. You want me to take you home now?”
She nodded, but gestured to the nosy group of old ladies still watching and listening, like this wasn’t a private moment between just the fucking two of us.
“Everyone’s been so lovely, Harley. I’m sorry I weirded out on you. I mean, I know Grease and Rocket, so I know they wouldn’thurt me, but I guess it was just shock. I’m not usually in places where men fly at each other and start throwing punches.” And unfortunately, that was exactly what this place was, wasn’t it?
“That doesn’t happen that often,” Cammy offered, and then she rolled her eyes as the other women laughed.
“If it helps, they might roughhouse with each other, but they’d never put one of the women in danger. These men are all about protecting the women in their lives. They’d stand between them and bullets, trust me.” I turned to stare at Grace in surprise, because we hadn’t really spoken beyond a quick hi and bye now and then, but her words were exactly what Caroline needed to hear, because they were true. Not of the Rogues, but definitely of bikers Phoenix MC were willing to put their colours on.
“Thank you all for keeping Caroline company, but if my old lady’s ready, I’d like to get her home.”
I turned back to raise my eyebrows at Caroline, a slow smile creeping across my face as her cheeks flushed red again. Why was that so fucking appealing? It wasn’t that I liked embarrassing her, but it was knowing I made her feel something with my words, or my behaviour. Never bad things either. She talked about being weird and not good with people, but she was showing me the opposite every fucking day. I wished I could help her see that.
“Nothing weird about you, babe, except for the fact that you seem to keep choosing me.” I stood up and hauled her up from her seat at the same time, grinning as she fell forward against my chest.
“Oops, my bad,” I murmured in her ear.
“I’d say get a room, but we all know you did that already,” Jamie said snarkily, and since she made my old lady giggle, I shot her a grin.
“Catch you all later. Enjoy the lounge.”
Tori practically sneered as she stood up. “I know it’s new, but it smells like feet or something. Men don’t know how to use air fresheners, that’s for sure.”
I dragged Caroline out of the lounge, and back outside, where the noise had dulled appropriately, and Grease practically followed us to my ride.
“You want something?” I asked, turning and putting myself between him and my old lady.
“Wanted to talk to Caroline, man, you wanna sod off?”
“In your dreams,” I said lightly, but Caroline peered around me, so I tucked her under my arm.
“Hi Grease.”
“Just wanted to say sorry about before, Caroline. Rocket can be a real prick, but I punished him for you.”
Dickhead. I rolled my eyes, but she giggled as he winked at her, and I hated that, because it looked too much like fucking flirting. With MY woman.
“You wink at her again, and I’ll remove that eyeball.”
“What if I do it with the other one, VP? Isn’t that a loophole in your little threat there?”
He backed up, laughing at my face, which was probably telling him I’d remove both his fucking eyes.
“Later!” He disappeared among the others, but thank fuck my old lady was giggling again.
