Chapter 4

GRIZZ

"You sure this is okay?" I ask, unlocking The Bar and letting Danii go inside ahead of me.

"It's fine," she says. "Who wants a posh dinner in a restaurant when you can have a drink here?"

I groan. "I've fucked up, haven't I?"

She laughs as I take her coat and place it on a bar stool. "No, honestly, it's fine. We said a drink, right, and this is a drink."

I pull out a chair, and she lowers into it. "Red or white?" I ask, grabbing a bucket and filling it with ice.

"White," she replies, and I grab a bottle from the fridge to pour her a glass. I stick the bottle in the bucket and carry them over to her. Placing the glass down and the bucket in the stand beside her, I whip out my lighter and light the candle between us. She flutters her lashes. "Candles? How romantic," she teases.

I go back over to the bar and measure myself a glass of whiskey. "So, confession time," I tell her, "I've never done this." I join her back at the table and lower into the seat opposite. "Dates aren't really my thing."

She gasps in mock horror. "You're kidding, I'd never have guessed." She leans her elbows on the table and stares me in the eyes. "So, why did you agree?"

"I don't know," I admit with a laugh. "Something about you."

She groans. "Oh god, that's so cliché."

"It is," I agree, "but hear me out." She gives a nod, still looking amused. "Life in the MC isn't like life out here."

"Out here?" she repeats, arching a brow. "You sound like you're at war."

I give a humourless laugh. "Sometimes, but that's not what I mean. There are women on tap. I can click my fingers and get a woman, and that's not me being big-headed, it's just the life."

"Are you trying to warn me you're a player?"

I shrug. "I'm saying I've never needed to look elsewhere. But then you kind of popped up and it's made me think."

"Of?"

I take a drink of my whiskey to avoid the conversation getting deep. "For that answer, you'll need to have a few more dates with me."

She smiles wider, showing her perfect white teeth and cute dimples. "If that's your way of asking me out again, we'll have to wait and see how this pans out."

We talk, and it's nice to have a normal conversation about life and plans without it involving the shit from the club. She clears the bottle of wine before calling it a night, and I offer to walk her home. She doesn't live far, so within five minutes, we're standing outside her townhouse like teenagers, unsure of what comes next.

She presses her lips into a fine line to stop a smirk as we stand awkwardly. "So," I mutter, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

"So," she repeats. "I'd invite you in for coffee, but . . ."

I'm already shaking my head because I decided on the walk here that I wasn't gonna repeat the same shit I always do. This time, I'm playing it right. "As much as I want to," I tell her, looking her in the eye so she can see I'm genuine, "I want to see where this could go."

She chews on her lip and gives a nod. "Okay."

"So, I'm gonna ask you again, and this time, I want an answer. Can we do this again?"

Her smile shines through. "I'd like that."

I bring a hand to her jaw and lean down to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Great. I'll talk to you tomorrow to arrange it."

I watch her walk up the path and go inside the house before I leave with the biggest smile on my face.

I head straight over to Luna's place, enjoying the short walk to clear my head. I knock on the door. It's a minute before it swings open and I'm faced with the sulky teenage babysitter again. I frown. "She didn't come home?"

The babysitter checks her watch. "It's only eleven. She's never home before at least midnight."

I push inside, ignoring her protests. I'm relieved to see the boyfriend's gone and Ivy is sleeping in her basket. "Okay, you can go." I pull out a twenty and hand it to her. She scowls at it like it's poison, and I sigh, adding another twenty. She stuffs the notes in her pocket and grabs her coat.

"Tell Lu her brother stopped by."

"What's his name again?" I ask.

"Nate."

"Do you know him?"

She gives a nod, and I follow her to the door. "Everyone knows Nate."

"How come?"

She gives me a look like I'm stupid for not knowing this prick. "He's just a wrong un," she says, and I frown. "Yah know, always in trouble and up to no good."

"Drugs?" I guess.

"And the rest. He thinks everyone likes him when, actually, everyone thinks he's a proper weirdo. He only gets respect cos of who he works for."

"Who does he work for?"

She rolls her eyes. "Are you a copper?"

I pluck at my kutte. "Do I look like one?"

She gives me another wary look before saying, "The Kings."

My frown deepens as she leaves. The Kings MC have their own patch on the other side of Manchester. Why would they be on our side? We've never had any problems with the club. In fact, last year, their President, Reaper, tipped us off that one of his members had gone into business with one of our bookmakers and they were skimming money from us.

I decide I'll raise it with Axel tomorrow, but right now, I need to find Luna. I call her mobile and she doesn't answer, so I immediately redial. I do it several times, and each time, she ignores my call.

Ivy begins to stir, and I scoop her up. "Be kind to me, kid. I have no idea how to make a bottle."

I head into the kitchen and find the powdered formula. I don't wanna get it wrong, so I put a call into the only woman I know will answer. "What?" Lexi mumbles sleepily.

"Hey, Lex, I need your help."

"Who the fuck's calling you?" comes Axel's voice.

"A man," she mutters, and I hear rustling.

"Who the fuck is this?" he barks into the phone, and I grin, contemplating if I should fuck with him.

"Who's this?" I ask.

"Grizz, you better have a good reason for calling my old lady when she's in my bed."

"Does she know how to feed a baby?" He groans, and I hear him pass the phone back to Lexi. "Do you know how to make up a bottle of formula?"

"Why would I know that?" she asks.

"I dunno, cos your sister had a kid?"

"I didn't feed it. Are there instructions?"

I turn the tin over in my hand and smile. "Yeah, good thinking."

"Great, goodnight."

"No, don't go," I say, and I begin to read the instructions out loud so she can help me.

"How old is the kid?" she asks.

"A couple weeks."

"Okay, so a scoop per ounce, that's two scoops and two ounces of boiling water. Then run the bottle under the cold tap to cool it."

"How do I know when it's cool enough?"

"Erm, taste it? You have to use a clean bottle, like it needs to be sterilised or something."

I give a nod even though she can't see me and open the cupboards again. I spot a basket with the label ‘sterilised bottles' and smile. "Perfect. Okay, you can go now."

I make the bottle, and while I'm cooling it under the tap, Ivy begins to wail like a tiny devil. I smile as she goes red in the face cos, damn, it's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

I'm just settling into the couch with Ivy sucking on the bottle like a goblin when the front door opens and Luna appears. She frowns. "What are you doing here?"

"Where the fuck have you been?" I growl, keeping my voice low so I don't disturb Ivy.

"Is Ivy okay?" she asks, rushing closer. She gently runs her hand over Ivy's head. "Where's Jess?"

"If you mean the irresponsible teenager who lets her boyfriend round and then leaves the baby with a biker she doesn't know, she went home."

"Jess is great with Ivy. Do you know how hard it is to get a babysitter who works this late? You better not have scared her off."

"You won't be needing her anymore," I say firmly. "You're not working at Zen again."

She scoffs. "What?"

"You heard. You need to be here to look after Ivy."

"In case you didn't notice, I don't have money rolling in like you, so I can't afford to just stop working. Jesus, get off my case, Grizz, you're not my dad."

Her words piss me off. "Contact her father and ask for money. He should be paying for his kid."

"That's not possible," she mumbles, shrugging out of her jacket.

The bruises on her arms are turning a sickly shade of green and I eye them with contempt. "How can you go to work and fuck strangers after what happened?" I regret the words the second they leave my mouth because the look of hurt that passes over Luna's face is soul-crushing.

"Get out," she says.

I don't apologise, it's not something I ever do, so I narrow my eyes. "I paid you a night's money, so you didn't need to work tonight, yet you chose to anyway. Do you like those fuckers pawing over you?"

Her chest heaves as she tries to stay calm. "I want you out, Grizz. And don't come back."

Ivy releases her suction on the bottle, and I push to stand before placing her in her basket and covering her with the soft blanket. "By the way, your brother came to see you tonight. Jess was here alone." Something changes in her face and there's a flicker of panic in her eyes. "Is he dangerous, Luna?"

"If you don't leave, I'll call the police."

"I'm trying to look out for you," I hiss.

She puts her hand into her bag and pulls out the rolled-up notes I left in her tip jar. "Take this with you."

She shoves it hard into my chest, and as I take it, I grab her wrist and tug her closer. Her hands press against me and she stares up at me with a lost look in her eyes. My cock stirs, an instant reaction. "Axel told me to watch over you, and I always follow what my President says."

"Then I'll call Axel and tell him you're not wanted or needed," she snaps. "In fact, I'll cut ties with the club, and that way, Axel can stop worrying about me."

"You're so fucking annoying, do you know that?"

LUNA

There'resparks flying between us. It's not something I'm used to feeling, as getting paid for sex kind of turns the entire act into nothing more than a transaction. But with Grizz, there's tension and definite electricity. We're practically chest to chest—or head to chest in our case—and there's a definite bulge in his trousers, so I do something I've never had the urge to do before and throw myself at him. He catches me, and before he can question it, I kiss him. The last boy I wanted to kiss was when I was eleven years old, and that was a complete disaster because Nate found us and kicked off. Not long after that, I started working to bring money in. He said if I was old enough to throw myself at boys, I was ready for the real world. I never tried to kiss anyone again.

Our tongues tangle in an urgent dance of need. Grizz's hands cup my backside, and he walks with me until I'm pressed against the wall. He trails his kisses along my cheek, down my neck, and across my chest while he unfastens his jeans. He retrieves a condom from his back pocket, and I snatch it from him, sliding down his body until my feet are back on the ground. Taking him by the hand, I pull him to the bedroom. We're not even fully through the door before I'm ripping the packet and dropping to my knees. Grizz watches as I tug his trousers farther down until his erection pops free. I smirk up at him, remembering the last time we fucked was when he first got out of prison. It was hot, and I'd put it down to him not having it for five years.

I roll the condom over his cock and lick my tongue over the tip. He shakes his head, placing his hands under my arms to pull me back to my feet. "I need to be inside you, Fable," he murmurs. I don't take too much notice of the way he uses my club name. It's hard to get used to the change.

He walks me backwards until I fall back onto the bed and then he crawls over me like a prowling lion. I appreciate the way he avoids my breasts as he slides my top up my stomach and places kisses there. I reach between us to push my leggings down, taking my knickers with them. A second later, he's pushing into me and groaning in pleasure. His arms rest either side of my head, supporting his weight as he slowly withdraws and slides back into me. His pace is careful and gentle. He takes his time, occasionally dropping a kiss to my head or neck as he fucks me slow.

When he nuzzles into my neck, I turn my head slightly to capture his mouth with my own. The slow sex with kissing is everything I need right now, and I feel the build-up of an orgasm. It takes me by surprise because I don't come easily, and never during sex, except that one time with him. I fake it every single time with customers, and lately, the only orgasms I have are when I'm alone, and even that hasn't happened for some time because I'm too exhausted.

I grip his shoulders, scared to fully let go seeing as it's not happened before. He smirks, sliding a hand down to my thigh and hitching my leg up slightly so he's fucking me at an angle. He hits the spot immediately, and I arch my back while crying out in surprise. His mouth moves to my ear. "That's it, let go," he growls. "I need to feel you on my cock." His dirty mouth is the final straw, and I shake uncontrollably while the unfamiliar feeling rips through my body. He groans in satisfaction, briefly closing his eyes as my pussy clamps around him.

He waits for me to come back to Earth before pulling from me and tapping my arse so I turn over. I go onto all fours, but he pushes me flat and places his legs either side of mine. He's on all fours like a predator as he slides back into me. It must feel tighter this way for him because he moves faster, groaning and grunting with each thrust. Minutes later, he slams in hard and stills, shivering as he comes.

The only sound in the room is our pants as he flops down beside me. A second later, his light snores replace the heavy breaths, and I glance over to see his arm covering his eyes. I take in his jeans that are still halfway down his thighs and smile to myself. Sex with someone I like is so much better.

Grabbing the shirt he left me yesterday, I pull it on, then use a tissue to remove the condom and drop it in the waste bin. I slip from the bed and go to the bathroom to clean up.

I get Ivy's basket and bring it into the bedroom, then I slide back into bed and pull the covers over us both.

I wakewith a start when Ivy lets out a scream. I sit up and look around the dark room, struggling to get my bearings for a second. Memories of Grizz fill my mind and I find myself smiling, until I feel the empty bed beside me and my heart sinks.

I turn the bedside light on and climb from the bed, picking Ivy up to comfort her. I check my phone for the time and see it's almost three in the morning. Ivy hasn't woken for a feeding during the night since Grizz began to sit with her. She must sense his loss like I do.

I head through to the kitchen to make her a bottle, pausing when I see the roll of cash I gave Grizz earlier. Next to it is a note. I snatch it up and glare at the words.

Thanks. As we weren't at the club, I thought I should pay?

The words blur through my tears. Of course, he was using me. That's what I'm for, right? Club whores are for fucking, and as we weren't at the club, of course, he'd think about paying. After all, that's my line of work. I give my shoulders a shake and wipe my tears. I don't know why I expected anything different.