“If you’re looking for volunteers, I’m used to guard work,” Cain said with a shrug.
“Good. Brooks will work out the schedule.” Fallon’s gaze flicked to mine again. “How’s Gracie?”
Too fucking enticing for her own good.
“She’s alright. Think it didn’t sink in until the cops were gone. But no grazes or anything. Maybe some scratches from being tackled,” I added, kicking myself for not inspecting her for that.
“Small price to pay,” Reign said, shaking his head.
“Think we all should have a drink,” Dezi said, “in honor of our hero here,” he added, knocking me on the shoulder as he moved through the crowd to set up the shot glasses on the bar.
“That’s not—” I started, uncomfortable.
But to my surprise all the men got up and grabbed a shot glass, lifting them up as Dezi started to speak again.
“To Perish. Saver of our princess. Tonight, we’re all thankful you’re basically the size and density of a tank.”
I just barely resisted the urge to shift my feet as everyone cheered and looked at me before throwing back their shots.
“Have mine,” Lazarus said. He’d been clean most of his life, so he passed me his shot glass after he toasted with everyone else.
And fuck if I didn’t need some liquid courage to deal with all this damn attention and admiration.
I threw back the shot, then went ahead and accepted a drink that Dezi brought me.
“What’s your favorite kind of pastry?” he asked, making my brows pinch. “You know, as another thank-you.”
“I, uh, don’t know.”
“No? Well, seems like I need to order some of each kind for breakfast, huh?”
I was pretty sure those pastries were more for him than me, but I welcomed his chatter about baked goods over more appreciation from the club brothers.
Little by little, most of the OG and married members of the club headed out until it was just me, the prospects, the twins, Fallon, Brooks, and Duke, who was waiting for Luca and Matteo’s guy before he brought his women home to fret over them all night.
As for me, I waited until no one was looking at me and snuck out the back door, glad to have some fresh air and quiet.
“Hated every minute of that, didn’t you?” Spike asked, making me turn to find him leaning against the clubhouse, taking a long drag off a vape, then filling the air with, of all fucking things, coconut.
“Pretty much.”
“Not used to being the center of attention.”
“Not for any good reason.”
I got a dark chuckle for that.
“I know that feeling. Figure it will all go away in a week or two. Fill the time with those groups of women you like to have fawning over you.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
But, suddenly, the last thing in the world I wanted was to gather up some of the club girls and nearly suffocate under a pile of them.
The very idea of it made me feel hollow.
I made my way back inside and into my room, dropping down on my bed fully clothed, smelling Gracie still all over me.
Immediately, my cock started to stiffen, pressing so hard against the fly of my pants that I had no choice but to reach down to undo my button and zipper to ease the ache.
