And there it is—that spark that’s been building since the night I picked her up crying—still here, maybe even stronger now.
I smile, slow and genuine. “Noted.”
Her smile widens, and the tension breaks. The witty banter, the easy rhythm, it all floods back.
“So,” she says, settling back. “Tell me about this motorcycle club. The non-scary parts, of course.”
I chuckle. “We do charity work for sick kids every year. Millie, a club hangaround, bakes for us because we have a great kitchen.”
“A biker with a sweet tooth.”
“I’m full of surprises.”
“Clearly…” She pauses.
“We have three club girls, Ro, Jessa, and Gia. Ro is the crazy one, we love her, but she’s…” I trail off with that thought. “If you ever meet her…whenyou meet her, just be prepared, Ro is a wild ride.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Do I want to know what a club girl does?”
I grimace. “Probably not, but it’s not as bad as everyone thinks. I’ll explain that another day.”
She smiles, but it’s genuine. “And the other guys at the club, do they have girlfriends?”
“So, girlfriends at the club are unique. When a brother is committed to a woman, we give them a property patch, and you become our Old Lady. It means that, in archaic terms, you belong to us, but it’s just another form of saying that no one else can touch you, but again, it’s deeper than that. It’s not ownership, it’s a partnership. It means we trust you enough to be a part of something. To be a part of the brotherhood. When a biker takes on an Old Lady, it means something.”
Marley bites her bottom lip and smiles. “That doesn’t sound archaic at all. It sounds… I dunno… kinda nice. Like you’reshowing the world that this woman you have chosen is the only woman for you. I have respect for that.”
Warmth floods my chest as an image of Marley wearing my property patch floods my vision, and I quickly blink it away. “Anyway, back to your original question, Sin has an Old Lady, her name is Victoria, and she’s great, but she and I didn’t get off to the best start. Victoria actually infiltrated the club as an undercover cop, trying to bring us down. It’s a whole thing, but she realized we were the good guys in the scenario, and she and Sin fell in love, so she left the force and is now a part of the club.”
Marley widens her eyes as if she is in disbelief, letting out a small huff. “Wow! Thatissome juicy gossip right there.”
“That’s the thing about the club, everyone underestimates us… even the police.”
She softens her shoulders. “So, you’re the good guys then?”
I tilt my head with a playful grin. “Mostly. But enough about me… what’s happening with you? You have a lot going on.”
Marley groans. “Well, as you know, I’ve been staying with Sage, and it’s cramped. Her place is tiny, I need to find somewhere to live, and apartment hunting in Vegas on my salary is impossible.”
Suddenly, an idea hits me. “I have an apartment,” I say. “Downtown. I barely use it, mainly just for business work. You could stay there.”
She jerks her head back in shock. “What?”
“I’m at the clubhouse pretty much every night. The apartment’s empty. You could have it to yourself.”
“Nitro, that’s too much. I can’t just take your apartment.”
“You’re not taking it. I’m offering. Temporarily. Until you find your own place. You need somewhere to stay, and I have somewhere. Problem solved.”
She looks at me as though she’s trying to figure out if this is real. “I could pay rent or—”
“No rent. Just use the place.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Just say yes, Small Town.”
She purses her lips, but then finally, she nods. “Okay. Yes. Thank you. But only if you’re sure.”
