“Bear with me, darlin’. This is also out of my comfort zone. I want you, in every way. Mostly, though, I just want the chance to spend time with you. When I’m with you, I feel lighter, and the idea of never kissing you again, not being able to touch you whenever the feeling arises, seems impossible to me. I’m not an expert on relationships, and I haven’t been a saint, but I can promise you I haven’t touched a woman since that first night I met you.
“If you agree to go down this road with me, I vow that I never will. You are all I want, all I think about. I want to take you out, feel you pressed against me on the back of my bike, wake up with you in my arms. I can’t promise it will be smooth or easy, but I know I would regret not giving it a go. So, I guess what I’m asking is, will you go on a date with me?”
All I could do was nod. A smile broke out across Bash’s face, transforming it. There were small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and one side of his mouth hitched up a bit higher than the other. He was already breathtaking, but something about that smile felt different, private, something just for me.
Without thinking, I reached out, running my fingers over his lips before leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his mouth. When I went to pull away, he locked his arms around me, holding me close to him and taking over the kiss until it turned into something much headier. With a harsh groan, he locked his arms around me as he buried his face in the crook of my neck.
“Alright, let’s get you upstairs,” he said, his voice lower than usual.
Before I could wonder how I was going to detangle my limbs from his, Bash was opening the driver’s door and lifting both of us out in one fluid move. He carefully lowered me until my feet hit the ground, then, with his arm around my shoulders, we headed up to my apartment.
Once I had the door unlocked, I turned to say goodbye, only to have Bash pull me in for one last kiss. This time, I was the one who needed a break, out of breath, mind and body turning to mush.
“I know you and Charlie have plans for tomorrow, but can you text me to keep me updated on how you’re doing? A prospect will be with you, but regardless, let me know you’re okay and when you’re on your way to the clubhouse.”
“Okay,” I answered meekly. There were so many thoughts and questions running through my head that I needed to process, and I couldn’t do that with his annoyingly handsome smile right in my face.
“Lock up after me, baby,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead.
It took me a minute to realize he was standing in the hallway, waiting for me to close the door. When I did manage movement, it had a bit of a slam to it as I unintentionally rushed to close and lock the door.
As I slid between my bedsheets, I finally let myself think about Bash. I believed him, everything he said. He didn’tpromise me his undying devotion or an engagement ring. What he promised was worth so much more: honesty and a chance to explore the feelings between us. Feelings I could no longer ignore. Sighing, I knew the conversation with Charlie would not go as smoothly as the one I had with Bash. I drifted to sleep, once again comforted by memories of his arms around me.
Charlie picked me up early the next morning, and any anxiety I might have felt at the prospect of going to the club was lost in the whirlwind that she was. Right from the start, she was talking a mile a minute as she drove us to the local mall. During our pedicures, as I was trying to hold still despite how ticklish my feet were, Charlie finally brought up the elephant in the room.
“So Bash asked you out?” she asked, and I looked at her, trying to read her emotions. She didn’t look angry. She looked almost hopeful. So I nodded quickly.
“Is that okay with you?” I asked, suddenly terrified that she might say it wasn’t.
“I don’t love it, but I’m not going to stand between the two of you. He acts differently around you. I’ve never seen him like this before.” I reached out and grabbed her hand.
“Are you sure? If you don’t want me to go out with him, I won’t. I don’t want to do anything that puts our friendship at risk,” I said honestly.
“I’m a big girl, I can handle it. To be clear, though, I think YOU could do better.” I laughed at that, and the rest of the day passed in a blur of Charlie pushing me around.
I was grateful that she had talked me into buying a few new outfits. Dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a fitted black T-shirt, I took it up a notch by pairing it with chunky boots that gave me some height and my favorite gold earrings. I swiped some mascara and blush on before leaving the bedroom. Giving me anod of approval, Charlie hustled me out of the apartment, and then we were on our way to the clubhouse.
We pulled up to a large building, completely gated, with a guard booth at the entrance. The Brother manning the booth stepped out to say hi to Charlie, and I didn’t miss the look I got when he noticed me in the passenger seat. Once through the gate, Bash met us outside.
Several bikes and cars were parked around the building, and there was an area off to the side that looked like a garage or storage unit. The space looked massive, and I had to imagine it was three floors or more.
The three of us walked into the clubhouse together, and I was grateful to see it wasn’t too crowded. The main room was huge and contained a large bar, a pool table, and a TV area, as well as some card tables. Guard was at the bar talking with an older man I assumed was the President, based on the patches covering his vest.
The space was pretty bare, but was somewhat cleaner than I imagined. There wasn’t a lot of clutter, and furniture was sparse. As we entered, Guard came over to give me a hug and welcome me to the clubhouse.
“C’mon, Bash. Reaper needs a minute. Fee, why don’t you go sit with Match over there? Just holler if you need anything.” I nodded and let Charlie pull me over to the TV area.
She introduced me to the two Brothers sitting with Match, Scythe, and Crow. There were a few girls milling about when I first got in, but once we sat down over there, two of them decided to come join the conversation. The older-looking of the two walked right into the group and sat on Crow’s lap.
“Hey, baby. Didn’t expect to see you here today,” she said in a sultry voice.
She had long dark hair and ruby-red lips. She was wearing a short leather skirt and what looked to be a child-sized tee. Itbarely covered her chest, and if she moved her arms up at all, her leopard print bra was revealed. She was very slim, a dangling belly button ring showing off her toned stomach, and when she turned, parts of a tattoo were visible on her lower back.
“Easy, Dolly. We’re here to talk with Fiona,” Crow replied.
There was something in his tone that unsettled me. There was a dare in his statement, and I knew he was going to be trouble. The other girl looked around at the rest of us, confused, before giving me a little wave.
“Hi! I’m Cara!” she said, and I smiled.
