“Well, damn, I think I’m starting to see why you like him,” Stephen scoffed. “You’ve got one hell of a spark, kid. And you’re right, I shouldn’t have said what I did last night, so I won’t try to make excuses. I’m sorry, and I won’t let it happen again.”
“Good.” And just like that, Mav turned and kissed me, hard and desperate, his tongue pressing past the seam of my lips. “I’m going to have to head home soon. I… Well, let’s just say Ireallyneed a long bath for multiple reasons.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but if you wanted, you could always use the bathroom upstairs,” Stephen offered.
Damn. Mav might not understand it, but Stephen offering to let someone he barely knew into a part of the house he never let anyone go, was major. It was probably the closest to acceptance we were going to get right now. I’d given my brother a hell of a lot to digest in the past twelve hours, so I’d take whatever he was willing to give.
“Would that be okay with you, baby?” If Mav wasn’t comfortable, we’d pack up and leave, but it would be nice to hang out here for a bit today so the two of them could get to know one another a bit better. I also wanted to find out more about whatever trouble Stephen was having that was making him so paranoid. I hadn’t truly considered the possibility that Stephen wouldn’t rescind the request and Mav wouldn’t go running for the hills when he learned about the club. Now, it seemed that option was on the table.
“Yeah, we can do that. But I’m going to need something to wear. I can’t put on dirty clothes again if I’m going to take a bath.” I chuckled, because of course that would be his concern. Little did he know, I was more than prepared to solve his problem.
I lifted him up and turned him so that he straddled my legs. He reached behind him to make sure he wasn’t offering a full, lacy moon to my brother, then draped his arms over my shoulders. I pressed my forehead to his. “Who are you today, Mav?”
He blinked a few times, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.
“There’s no right or wrong answer,” I reassured him. “If you’re my princess, I’m sure I can find something that won’t shock my brother too much for your first day out here. And I might have packed your makeup bag and hair shit yesterday just in case we wound up here.”
“You’re the best Daddy ever.” I wasn’t so sure about that, but I’d keep trying if it meant he’d keep trying to choke me with the tightest hugs imaginable. Then again, he might not think I was so great after I told him what hewasgoing to do after his bath. He smoothed a finger across my forehead. “Uh-oh. You have your grumpy Daddy lines. What’s wrong?”
I glanced over his shoulder, only to realize that Stephen had gone back inside to give us some privacy. That made it easier for me to speak freely. Soon, I’d find out if he wanted to be my boy all the time or only when we were alone, but until then, I needed to tread carefully.
I fisted my hands in the back of his shirt, tugging so he leaned back, looking down at me. “It sounds like Tanner’s really worried about you. After your bath, I want you to call him and apologize.”
“But he’s going to be mad at me,” Mav whined. “If I give him a few days to calm down, maybe he won’t yell at me for scaring him. I’m sure he’s already talked to Ryan.”
“That doesn’t matter. Just like you told Stephen that he needs to respect you, you need to respect your friend enough to call him yourself,” I insisted. This wasn’t something I’d negotiate on. The call was certain to be tense, but it needed to happen.
“Fine, but I want cuddles after.” I hugged Mav tight, pressing my face into his chest. He smelled like last night’s sex, sweat, and a faint hint of my cologne. Not something that should turn me on, but that was becoming a constant state around him.
“You’ll get all the cuddles you want before we have to go to work,” I promised. “But not untilafteryou apologize to Tanner. If he comes out to see Ryan, I don’t want him thinking I’m some controlling asshole who’s trying to isolate you.”
“He’d never think that. He knows how I am.”
Stephen came back with three travel mugs of coffee and a box of donuts. He handed one to each of us before opening the box. “Sorry it’s not a great breakfast, but it’s all I’ve got right now.”
“It’s perfect.” Mav flipped around, draping his legs over mine.
Now that he’d said his peace, he seemed content to close his eyes and listen to my brother and I catching up on what had been going on. Even with the request for me to join the club hanging over my head, it was a damn good morning.
21
Mav
I couldn’t believe I’d come storming out of the trailer and called John’s brother out like that. When I woke, shortly after he’d gotten dressed and walked out, I’d told myself I was going to wait for him to come back. But the longer I heard the two of them talking, the harder it became for me to let him deal with the fallout from last night.
And, okay, maybe I was bitter that Stephen had disrupted the night’s plans. Seriously, was it so much to ask to live outonefantasy without the universe trying to bite me in the ass? First it was Ryan and then Stephen. If not for the fact we’d crossed a point of no return while we were at the club, I’m not sure either of us would have still been in the mood to fool around by the time John got done coming out.
The fact that had happened still floored me. While he hadn’t come out and said it, it was becoming pretty clear his brother didn’t just have buddies who rode motorcycles. I’d seen a few wandering around the property last night, all in their leather vests with patches on the back. It made more sense now why he was trying to shelter me from this side of his life, but he didn’t realize I’d spent six agonizing months serving at a diner where some of the local clubs back home stopped to grab food after a long ride.
I didn’t take their shit, so I sure as hell wasn’t going to take it from people who were supposed to have John’s back. That didn’t change the fact that my timing could have been better.
Having slept for total shit last night, once I’d said what needed to be said and there hadn’t been the altercation I’d expected, I was content to doze in Daddy’s lap while he and his brother talked. I didn’t know any of the people they mentioned, which made listening in boring as hell. I smiled and squeezed Daddy’s middle when he started slowly rocking me back and forth.
“I’m worried about you.” That got my attention. I knew Daddy felt me tense, but I tried to keep pretending like I was asleep when he began stroking my thigh. “This is a big change for you. Are you sure it’s not some sort of midlife crisis?”
“Yeah, Stevie,” Daddy scoffed. I felt his chest rumble with a low growl. “I’ve spent so much time hanging out at a gay club, I figured it was time to see how the other half lived.”
“Hey, you can’t blame me for asking. You’ve been different ever since you and Les split up. First, the trailer, and now you’re dating a boy.”
