Chapter 4

4

ALICE

I was excited to meet the people important to Grady, but I was also nervous because I had no idea what to expect. As we pulled through the gates of the Iron Rogues compound, I felt a little as though I was being thrown into the deep end since I was totally unfamiliar with how motorcycle clubs worked.

Grady parked his bike in front of a large building and cut the engine. Then he twisted around and directed, "Hop off to the left side, gorgeous. And be careful of the muffler on the right when you swing your leg over."

I appreciated how careful and patient he'd been with me during our ride. I never expected to be on a motorcycle, but I had enjoyed being on the back of Grady's so much. And not just because wrapping myself around his muscular body had been one of the best parts of our date.

Gripping his broad shoulders, I did as he instructed. My legs were a little wobbly at first, but he held my hand and waited to dismount until I was steady. After he hung both of our helmets from the handlebars, he grinned at me. "All good?"

"Yup," I confirmed, my knees feeling weak again for an entirely different reason now. That sexy smile of his was a lethal weapon to my panties. If I'd known how quickly—and often—they would get drenched during our date, I would have tucked an extra pair into my purse. But then I wouldn't have been able to look him in the eyes when he pulled the bag out of his saddlebag and handed it to me. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

He settled his palm on my lower back to guide me into the clubhouse. When the door shut behind us, I blinked my eyes to adjust to the lack of light compared to the bright, sunny day outside. It wasn't dark inside, but the sharp contrast took me a moment to get used to.

When I found a bunch of people staring at us—mostly me—I kind of wished I was still having problems seeing. I'd never liked being the center of attention, and already feeling like a fish out of water only magnified the feeling. It also didn't help that the men were almost as hot as Grady, and the women were gorgeous.

"Does your club recruit from a modeling agency?" I mumbled.

I had a bad habit of blurting stuff out when I was nervous, and it had been the cause of embarrassment more often than I wanted to admit. And this was no different.

Any hope that my question was too low for anyone but Grady to hear was dashed when the other guys laughed along with him, and the women giggled. One of them stood and hurried over to us. "Don't be embarrassed for saying what us old ladies have thought many times before."

"Um…I wasn't just talking about the guys," I confessed, my cheeks filling with more heat.

"Aw, thank you." She started to hug me but was gently pulled back by one of the men, who tugged on the hem of her shirt and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You better have been talking about me and only me, angel," he muttered, brushing his lips against her temple.

The woman twisted around to roll her eyes at him. "We're married, I'm wearing your property patch, and I'm carrying your baby. You've put every claim on me that you can, and the only guys here are your club brothers. Plus, I only have eyes for you. There is no need to be all over-the-top possessive, Hayes."

He settled his hand over her slightly rounded belly. "You could give me a dozen babies, but that's never gonna change."

One of the women laughed. "If he's anything like his president, he's definitely not lying."

"Or his VP," the woman next to her added.

The redheads had the same color eyes and pale skin, so I assumed they were related. My guess was quickly confirmed later as Grady introduced me to everyone.

Pointing at the first woman who spoke, he explained, "Dahlia is married to our president, Fox. Her sister, Molly, belongs to our VP, Maverick. And these two are Ice and his wife, Marnie."

"Nice to meet you all," I murmured, doing my best to put faces to names so that I would remember them all later. "I'm Alice Payne."

"What about us? Are you really not gonna introduce us, Deviant?" one of the guys he hadn't pointed out asked.

"Fine," he grumbled, pulling me against his side as he jerked his chin toward the other four men in order of their names. "This is Wrecker, Phoenix, Viper, and Stone."

"Just pee around her and get it over with," Viper teased.

Wrecker nodded. "It does seem to be an Iron Rogues tradition now that so many of our club brothers have claimed old ladies."

"I didn't call you all in so you could gossip like women," Fox muttered. "We have club business to discuss."

His wife glared at him. "As if you guys don't gossip more than we do."

"She's got you there," her sister chirped with a grin. "I know we're the ones who are called old ladies, but the term applies to you guys even more when it comes to gossiping."

"Really, baby?" Maverick asked, shaking his head.

Molly quirked a brow. "Yes, really."

He dipped his head to claim her lips, and didn't lift his head again for at least a full minute, effectively ending the conversation. "You gonna be okay while I go take care of some club business?"

She nodded. "I always am."

Grady pressed his finger against my chin, tilting my head back until I met his concerned gaze. "How about you, gorgeous? You sure you're good to hang out with the old ladies while I'm in my meeting?"

While trying to wrap my head around how easily they all used the term "old ladies" without laughing, I nodded. "Yup, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Don't worry, Deviant." Marnie tangled her fingers in mine. "I'll stick close to her."

"Thanks." He flashed her an appreciative smile that made Ice growl.

"See you soon," Grady promised before following the other men out of the room.

Molly clapped her hands. "Now that it's just us girls, you have to tell us how you and Deviant met."

"Yes, and how long you've been dating," Dahlia agreed as Marnie led me over to one of the couches.

After we all got settled, I admitted, "We just met yesterday. This is our first date."

"And he already brought you to the clubhouse?" Marnie beamed a smile at me. "I see good things for you two."

As I told them about my new job and Grady's niece being in my class, it was impossible not to contrast her reaction to seeing Grady and me together versus what Britney had said yesterday. These women were much more welcoming, and I could see myself becoming friends with them if we had the chance to hang out more.

I was just wrapping up my story when an alarm went off on Molly's phone.

"Sorry, we have to run over to Iron Inkworks," she apologized.

Dahlia hooked her arm with her sister's. "Do you guys want to come with us?"

"Um…" my gaze darted toward the door Grady had walked through.

Marnie came to my rescue. "You can hang out with me while you wait. I'm stuck staying here anyway. Hayes would not be happy if I was gone when the meeting is over."

Molly wagged her brows. "You're missing a prime opportunity to have him carry you out of the tattoo parlor. Trust me when I say it can lead to amazing things."

Dahlia rolled her eyes. "You'd be the one to know since your relationship started with Maverick tossing you over his shoulder from Silver Ink and basically kidnapping you."

"Mom taught us that you can't kidnap the willing," Molly joked as they walked away.

When they were out of earshot, I turned to Marnie and whispered, "They weren't being serious, right?"

"Girl, you have no idea."

After she finished telling me a couple of stories that blew my mind, another biker walked into the clubhouse, and his gaze zeroed in on me. "You should have friends over to the clubhouse more often if they all look like this."

Marnie shook her head with a laugh. "You wish she was only here as my friend."

He flashed me a grin. "Whatever brought you here, it's my lucky day since none of my club brothers are around and I get to meet you first."

I was about to correct him when Marnie elbowed me in the side. As I turned to look at her, wondering what she was up to, she introduced me to him. "This is Alice Payne."

"Payne?" he echoed, his grin widening. "I was right about it being my lucky day. My road name is Pain."

"Really?" My eyes widened as I wondered what he'd done to earn that nickname. "What a coincidence."

"Or we were just meant to meet."