“No!”
“Never!”
I arched an eyebrow, finding that a little hard to believe.
“Seriously, he was never interested in club girls. He, uh, had townies for that,” Roxie eventually said.
“Okay, great. Neither of you slept with Charlie’s brother AKA my boyfriend. Can we all be friends now?” I asked, and a sudden hush filled the room.
“Baby girl, really?” Bash’s voice rumbled from behind me.
I turned around to see a crowd of Brothers eyeing the scene before them, unsure whether to focus on the food laid out or the interaction between Bash and me.
“What? I’m trying to clear the air here so I can hang out with my friends,” I said, pointing at Roxie and Star. Bash rolled his eyes before coming over to pull me to him for a kiss.
“Sorry, let me back up. Hey, honey, what are you doing here?” he asked with a big smile on his face.
“I was trying to be nice and bring you all dinner,” I said, not enjoying his amusement at my expense.
“Enough of the soap opera. You’re blocking the food. Fee, did you get Hawaiian for me?” Match asked, before shoving past Bash to grab some slices. The rest of the Brothers converged on the pizzas, but Bash stayed where he was, arms around me.
“Thank you for coming by. Hated that I couldn’t pick you up from work,” he said softly, and I couldn’t help the warm tingle that ran through me.
“I didn’t like it too much, either, hence why I’m here. Hurry and make yourself a plate. I’ll save you a seat,” I replied as I looked over his shoulder, watching the enormous amount of food disappear at a rapid pace.
“Not yet. You still haven’t officially greeted me,henceyou need to give me a proper kiss hello,” Bash said, causing my focus to shift to only him.
The husky timbre of his voice made me blush and hyperaware of all the people around us. Once I locked eyes with Bash, though, everything faded away. I stood up on my tiptoes, and his hand slid to the back of my neck as he kissed me like we hadn’t seen each other in months.
Any thoughts Id' had about holding back, trying to remain chaste in front of everyone, melted away as soon as he claimed my mouth.
“Get a room,” Match yelled, causing me to pull away from Bash, my face heating up. Rolling my eyes, I shoved him toward the food as I returned to my seat across from the girls.
“Damn, he has it bad,” Roxie said as I sat back down at the table.
“She’s not doing any better. They’re so cute.” Star sighed, leaning over to rest her head on Roxie’s shoulder. Shaking off the fog from Bash’s heated kiss, I focused on the two women eyeing me with indulgent smiles.
“You’re exaggerating. It’s just new and exciting,” I said, and they both laughed.
“You’re both completely gaga over each other. Never seen him like this before. He’s soft with you and really pays attention to you. It’s sweet,” Roxie said.
“You make him laugh. He’s been so serious since taking over as VP. You’re good for him,” Star added.
“He’s good for me too,” I replied, meaning the statement.
“Aw!” the two girls squealed. Soon, our table was filled as Match and Bash joined, then Bull made his way over, eliminating any extra space.
It was a fun night, and Bash kept me close the whole time. We went back to his house after that, and he spent the rest of the night showing me his appreciation.
After that day, I was finally getting comfortable in his world and all the new people it brought into my life. Our relationship was thriving, and my life was fuller than ever. Despite all the progress, I found myself increasingly frustrated in one area.
Halfway through the books from the various MC-owned businesses, nothing appeared out of place. I felt like I was lettingthe club down. They were trusting me with something huge that I should have been great at, and so far, I hadn’t come up with shit.
Deep down, I knew I wasn’t giving the books my full focus, distracted by my new relationship and all that came along with that. Between working on Bash’s farmhouse and my increased presence at the clubhouse, my downtime had severely diminished.
It felt like my social calendar was booked all the time now, with dates with Bash, girls’ nights with Charlie, even future outings with Star and Roxie. The Reaper’s Guard wasn’t just a nebulous idea, a group I vaguely heard about but didn’t understand. They didn’t just give me a window into their world; they welcomed me with open arms.
In the short time I had known them, they had done more for me than most people I had met throughout my lifetime. That someone would take advantage of them, the trust they granted them when they hired them or patched them in, burned me. Filled with renewed vigor, I dove into the remaining books, determined to find out who was fucking with my family.
