Chapter Twenty One

KATRINA SLID A BEER bottle across the counter to Rush and turned to Dio. "What are you drinking?"

"Depends. Are you making it?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" She backed up and pointed to the counter behind her, where she'd straightened all the bottles. "Pick your poison."

"All right. All right." Dio laughed and then cocked an eyebrow. "Give me an Adios, Motherfucker."

"Boy." She scoffed. "Sit down. You aren't even making me work, brah."

The men standing around cheered, egging her on. She pulled out her imaginary dress and curtsied. It was easy to entertain the men. They all loved to tease and enjoyed the banter she gave them.

"Ah, shit. Dio is going down. She knows what she's doing." Link tipped back his bottle. "Give him a half hour, and one of us is going to be carrying his ass out of here."

Katrina enjoyed the conversation. It was the way men communicated. The drunker they got, the more vulgar they became.

She pulled the vodka and gin out of the collection, searching for tequila and rum. As she gathered everything, she pulled the last bottle.

"You'll get Triple Sec—straight orange because it doesn't look like Jagger carries blue cura?ao." She grinned, knowing she'd won the challenge.

Lastly, she added some 7-up and set the drink in front of Dio. "Don't blame me in the morning, darling."

Dio held up the glass and drank it all to the chants from his MC brothers. Katrina shook her head in amusement. She could never understand drinking to excess so fast. Sometimes, she believed the bikers weren't imbibing for fun but to escape. The quicker they got out of their heads, the happier they were.

It saddened her to believe most of them came with a past that would break an average person. Bikers were hard men, but each had a soft spot. It was hard to see, but it was there.

Jagger parted the crowd in front of the counter and approached her. Reaching behind her, she grabbed an unopened bottle of Jack, knowing that was his preferred drink.

He walked around the bar. She recognized the devilish look in his eyes and sat the bottle down before he pressed her against the counter.

A hush swept through the clubhouse, making the butterflies in her stomach even more powerful. He grabbed the front of her throat. She fisted the front of his vest to keep from losing her balance, and he held her in front of her, capturing her mouth.

Jagger swallowed her scream of pure joy at the attention. Getting affection in front of others was exciting and new.

His tongue dove deep. She sucked and mingled, tasting the heat of him.

Chaos reigned inside the clubhouse. Some of these men she'd known her whole life. Others were new to her. But she was familiar with how they celebrated life, taking in all the pleasure they could find. Caught up in Jagger and the public announcement that she was the president's ol' lady, she laughed in happiness.

Jagger let go of her neck and eased back, licking his wet lips. She stared into his eyes.

"Mine, Kat. You've always been mine."

She raked her top teeth over her bottom lip. He'd claimed her in front of everyone. A dream she always thought impossible. For a moment, she accepted what it was and stopped worrying about what tomorrow would bring.

Mama Sue would be happy for them.

"I love you." She kissed him softly. "Forever."

The men manhandled Jagger away from her, slapping his back and pushing him. His gaze intensified, and he pointed at her.

She beamed, feeling the love she'd always dreamed about cover her.

He was rough, stubborn, strict, and sometimes an asshole, but nobody saw the tenderness, the possessiveness, the commitment, and the love that she received throughout the years.

Jagger pushed away from the others and returned to her.

The music outplayed the cheers as the others returned to what they were doing. She looped her arms around Jagger's neck and swayed in front of him. She'd had years of practice to know what he liked and felt comfortable stepping up and having the eyes of the club on her.

"Who put you behind the counter?" Jagger palmed her ass.

"No one." She reached over and picked up the whiskey bottle without leaving his arms. "I got tired of waiting for you to return and decided to organize the drinks. That led to serving the men."

"Kat." He frowned.

"I made two hundred dollars for an hour's worth of work." She grinned. "Havlin members are generous."

She'd socked away most of the money she'd earned since she was sixteen. Whether she was in Beaverton or Seaglass Cove, members took care of family, including her. She had no need to worry about money.

"You don't have to work." He smoothed the hair off her cheek. "Not now or afterward."

"Don't." She looked away.

Every moment was ruined by the threat of her father returning and seeking punishment. She refused to imagine what would happen.

"You need to know some things." He held her close and put his lips near her ear. "Mom's house is paid for and in your name. It's yours."

She pushed against him, trying to get away from the truth.

"All my money is yours." He inhaled. "Bane has everything you'll need in case I'm not here. You can trust him."

Her eyes burned, and her vision blurred. The only reason he wouldn't be here was if her dad killed him. In her heart, she knew Jagger would never willingly leave Havlin Motorcycle Club.

There was nothing to say. She'd argued with him about how to handle her dad. He wasn't going to budge. He believed in the Havlin bylaws and would willingly take the punishment at the cost of losing everything they had together.

She met his gaze and spoke her truth. "What if he doesn't return?"

Jagger frowned. "Why wouldn't he?"

"He left me once for eighteen years."

"Kat." He leaned his forehead against her forehead. "He didn't willingly leave. He was arrested."

"Maybe he got arrested again." She closed her eyes, shutting out the intrusive thoughts.

Pulled in two different directions, she would never want her dad to go to prison again. But she had no other solution to save Jagger, who'd been a part of her life longer than her dad.

She was no longer a child. Past the age of needing anyone to take care of her, she had to find a way for the two men in her life to get along. Her dad needed to accept she loved Jagger and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.