ROOK
I glanceover my shoulder to make sure no one is watching then knock on the door.
Word got around fast that Camile has moved to the house Normie was supposed to have occupied. Apparently, there had been some big blowout at Jack’s place, and she’d wanted out from under his roof. Who could blame her? Jack is fucking terrifying. I’m a grown-ass man, yet whenever I’m around him, I feel ten years old again.
In my free hand is a bag, and the aroma coming from it makes my stomach growl.
I’m about to knock again when the door swings open, and Camile is standing on the other side, her dark hair caught up in a bouncy ponytail. She’s wearing a baggy t-shirt and a pair of shorts, with her feet bare, and she looks cute as hell.
I immediately become flustered.
“Oh, hey. I hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”
She opens the doorwider, smiling. “Rook! No, of course not. I’m happy to see you. I wanted to apologize for you getting in trouble earlier.”
“Hell, I should be the one apologizing to you.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she says firmly. “Jack is just a dick.”
I find myself glancing over my shoulder again, hoping no one had overheard her saying that, or me agreeing with it.
“Yeah, but he’s the Prez. He gets to make the rules.”
“Not when it comes to me, he doesn’t.”
She puts back her shoulders to make her point, and I try not to stare at the way the action makes her tits jut out. Is she wearing a bra? Her nipples are clearly visible, but I clear my throat and look away.
I hold up the bag. “Anyway, I brought you something to eat. I figured you wouldn’t have much here. Bikers aren’t exactly the most adventurous when it comes to cuisine.”
Her dark eyes brighten, and for the first time I notice how tired she looks. She’s had a rough time these last couple of days. That I can do this small thing to make her happier warms me inside.
“Aw, that’s so sweet of you. You didn’t need to do that.”
I hand her my offering. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I just got you some of everything. There’s fried chicken, and pizza, and noodles, and fries.”
She stares at the bag and then back up at me. “I’ll never eat all that.”
I shrug. “Just throw away whatever you don’t want.”
“I can’t do that. What a waste. No, come in and join me. I bet you could do with something to eat, too. If you haven’t eaten already, of course,” she adds hurriedly.
My stomach growls audibly, betraying me, and she giggles. The sound is like a melody, and I’d give anything to hear it every day...Even your place at the club?a voice says inside my head.
“I’ll take that as a no,” she says. “Now come on in and eat with me. I could use the company.”
Jack has made it clear that he doesn’t want any of us touching her, but surely, he doesn’t mean for us to ignore her completely. The poor girl has just lost her father. She’s away from all her friends. It would be cruel to leave her completely alone.
We head into the kitchen, and she clatters around finding plates and cutlery while I unbag the food.
I remember my manners and empathy and give her my condolences. “I’m sorry about your dad, by the way.”
“That’s okay. He was a bit of a bastard, truth be told. The world is probably a better place without him.”
The bitterness in her tone surprises me. She must notice my reaction as she gives me a tight smile.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out so cold, and I am shocked and upset. But my dad wasn’t exactly the loving type, so it’s kind of tempered by that reality.”
“Tell me about it,” I say wryly. “I barely even remember my dad from before I got tossed into the system.”
