“Well,” Greyson says, breaking the moment with deliberate timing, “now that that’s settled, we’ve got business to discuss.”He claps Zach on the shoulder, his expression serious despite the warmth in his eyes.“Chapel in fifteen.”
The crowd begins to disperse, the excitement of the confrontation giving way to the regular rhythms of clubhouse life.Several members nod at me as they pass, a few offering fist bumps or shoulder claps, silent acknowledgments of my newly confirmed status.
“You okay?”Zach asks quietly, leading me away from the dispersing crowd and toward a quieter corner of the parking lot.
“I’m more than okay,” I admit, my voice coming out huskier than intended.I clear my throat, suddenly aware of how affected I am by his public claim.“That was… unexpected.”
A smile plays at the corner of his mouth, small but genuine.“Which part?The homophobic groupie or me announcing to the entire club that you’re mine?”
“Both.”I laugh, the sound slightly breathless.“But especially the second part.”
His eyes darken, tracking the flush I can feel spreading up my neck to my cheeks.“Had to be said,” he murmurs, stepping closer until our bodies nearly touch.“Should have been said sooner.”
“Zach,” I start, not entirely sure what I want to say, just knowing I need to express the storm of emotions swirling inside me.
“Later,” he promises, his voice dropping to that register that makes heat coil tighter in my stomach.“After chapel.We’ll talk.”His thumb brushes across my knuckles, the simple touch somehow more intimate than a kiss.“Or not talk.Whatever you want.”
The implications in those last three words send another wave of heat through me.I swallow hard, nodding.
“I should go,” he says, reluctance clear in his tone.“Grey’s waiting.”
“Go,” I tell him, forcing myself to step back, to create space between us before I do something inappropriate in the parking lot.“I’ll be here when you’re done.”
The heat in his gaze promises that our conversation is far from over.He nods once, then turns and strides toward the clubhouse, his cut shifting across his broad shoulders with each step.I watch him go, unable to tear my eyes away until he disappears through the door.
“Well, well, well.”Livie’s voice comes from behind me, amusement clear in her tone.“That was quite a show.”
I turn to find her and Tiana approaching, identical knowing grins on their faces.Heat rises to my cheeks again, but I can’t bring myself to feel embarrassed.
“I had no idea he was going to do that,” I admit, running a hand through my hair.
“We could tell.”Tiana laughs, linking her arm through mine.“Your face when he called you ‘his man’ was priceless.Like someone hit you with a defibrillator.”
“That obvious, huh?”I grimace, though there’s no real discomfort behind it.
“Honey,” Livie says, taking my other arm as they steer me toward the picnic tables, “if your pupils got any bigger, they’d have swallowed your entire eyeballs.”
I allow myself to be led away.“Is it always like this?So… public?”
“Club life,” Tiana explains with a shrug.“Privacy is a relative concept.But don’t worry, the important stuff stays private.We just like to make sure everyone knows who belongs to whom.”
“Belongs,” I repeat, testing the word.A week ago, I might have bristled at the possessive implications.Now, after everything that’s happened, after hearing Zach claim me so openly, the word feels right.Comforting, even.
“Don’t overthink it, doctor man,” Livie advises, correctly reading my expression.“It goes both ways.He’s just as much yours as you are his.That’s how it works with the good ones.”
We reach the tables, and they release my arms, gesturing for me to sit.Tiana disappears into the clubhouse, returning moments later with three beers.
“To new beginnings,” she toasts, handing me a bottle.
I clink my beer against theirs, taking a long swallow.The cold liquid does little to cool the heat still simmering under my skin, the lingering effect of Zach’s words, his touch, the promise in his eyes.
“So,” Livie says, leaning forward with a conspiratorial grin, “on a scale of one to ‘oh my God,’ how good is he in bed?”
I choke on my beer, coughing as Tiana pounds me helpfully on the back.
“Livie!”I manage between coughs.“That’s… private.”
“His expression says, ‘oh my God,’” Tiana observes, her grin widening.“Definitely ‘oh my God.’”
