Chapter 9

GRIZZ

"Why do I think you have something to do with this?" I growl close to Lexi's ear. She jumps before spinning to face me.

"You made love to her," she hisses, poking a finger to my chest.

I frown. "Huh?"

"You've been leading Luna on, and now, she's devastated."

I groan. "Is she?"

"Of course, she is, but don't you dare tell her I said that. What was last night about if you don't like her?"

"I do like her. She's a lovely girl."

"Oh god, that doesn't sound good."

"I'm not talking about this with you," I tell her, turning away to look for Danii. I let out a second groan when I see her speaking to Luna. "Fuck, she'd better not cause me trouble or I'm blaming you," I tell Lexi, stomping over to where they are.

Danii smiles wide, sliding her arm around my waist. "Here he is, the man of the hour."

Luna gives an awkward smile. "Congratulations."

"What are you two talking about?" I ask briskly, feeling Danii's eyes on me.

"I recognised Luna from the church," she tells me. "She helps out and makes the most amazing bread."

"Does she?" I mutter.

"Excuse me, I need some air," Luna almost whispers, walking away.

"Oh, that was odd," says Danii. "We were having a lovely chat until you came over. Don't you two get along?"

I shrug. "She's a club wh—" I stop the words because Danii wouldn't understand. "She hangs around the club. How do you know her from church? Are you a Christian?"

She shakes her head, laughing. "No. I donate whatever food is left from the coffee shop at the end of the day on Wednesdays."

Lexi comes over. "Danii, I need you to come and help decide what drink I should try next," she says, pulling her away. I take the hint and head outside to where Luna is scrolling on her mobile.

She looks up and immediately shoves her mobile away. "Lexi convinced me to come," she blurts.

I feel bad. I wanted to explain about the opening and invite her, but that meant I had to tell her about Danii, and I wasn't ready to see the hurt on her face. The hurt I'm witnessing now. "It's fine," I lie. "I just forgot to mention it."

She gives an unamused laugh. "I think we both know you didn't want me here."

"Luna," I say on a heavy sigh, "it's not as easy as I want it to be when it comes to me and you."

She pushes off the wall. "Me and you? I'm not an idiot, Grizz. I know there's no me and you."

"Really?" I ask, arching a brow.

"I'm a club whore. Brothers don't marry club whores and live happily ever after. They fuck them, and that's good with me." She looks past me to inside the bar. "She's pretty."

"So are you," I mutter, my heart aching inside my chest.

"She looks so . . ." She frowns like she's trying to think of the right word before adding, "Clean. She's perfect for you."

She goes to head inside, but I slam my arm across the door to stop her. "I wanted to tell you," I try to explain.

She ducks under my arm and steps inside, turning back briefly and asking, "I assume you won't be needing my services tonight?" She forces a smile. "I'll let the guys know I'm back in business." And then she's gone, pushing her way through the crowd and leaving me with any objection stuck in my throat.

Fletch and Kade,one of the prospects, are either side of Luna. They're buying her drinks and making her laugh and doing shit that makes me want to rip all my hard work apart in this bar.

"You okay?" asks Axel, slapping me hard on the back so I drag my eyes away from the threesome that's playing out in front of me. "You haven't taken your eyes off her."

"I thought you told the guys to stay away from her?"

He gives a nod. "I did. But we agreed it was only until she was happy to make a comeback. She's an adult and she can use her own words."

"She's not ready."

"Luna," Axel shouts, and I groan when she turns around. He signals for her to come over. "You need to hear it for yourself, VP," he mutters to me.

"It's Fable," she tells him, and I bristle at her words. Using her club name is her way of showing me she's back to old habits. That was the only word I needed to confirm it.

"My VP is concerned you're not ready to hang out with the brothers. Are Fletch and Kade bothering you?" he queries. She gives a shake of her head and does that small, shy smile she used to do when she was being Fable. I decide I hate it. "Just so we're clear, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. You're free to stay at the clubhouse for however long you need, rent-free, and you're not required to fuck anyone you don't want to." She gives another nod.

"Words, Luna," I growl. She brings her eyes to me, and this time, instead of seeing hurt, I see the Fable I used to know, the one who knew how to make a man fall to his knees. And with that comes silence. "I swear to fucking god," I warn, "you tell me with words or I beat the shit out of anyone who goes near you."

"I am ready to be a club whore again," she hisses through gritted teeth.

Her words hurt. Every single one is like a punch in the gut. "And Ivy?" I spit angrily.

"She was fine last night while you were fucking me." The words come so quickly, I don't have time to tell her to shut the fuck up. And now, Danii is standing behind her, glaring at me. She spins on her heel and marches out the bar.

"Fuckkkkk," I yell, rushing after her. "Danii, wait." I catch her wrist and pull her to stop outside. "It's not what you think."

"Really?" she asks, and now, her eyes are full of hurt. "I mean, I know it's only been a few dates and we haven't done any of that stuff yet, but I thought you liked me."

I lead her around the side of the bar and away from listening ears. "I do like you."

"But you're having sex with somebody else."

I scrub my hands over my face. "I was but not anymore."

"I don't care. I'm not hanging around to be cheated on."

"Luna doesn't mean anything to me," I lie. "Not like that."

"You're having sex with her," she snaps.

"That's her role," I mutter, knowing she won't understand before I've even completed the sentence. "She works at the club."

"As a prostitute?"

"Not exactly. There are women who hang out at the clubhouse to have sex with the brothers," I explain. "They get free food, and they get to live there rent-free."

"Not free—they have sex," she says.

"It's been that way forever. The women are well looked after, and I know it sounds shit when you don't live that life, but I promise they're never forced into anything and they're happy to live that way."

She takes a step back with a look of disgust on her face. "And if we became a thing, would you continue to have sex with her?" she demands.

GRIZZ

I hold my breath,waiting to hear Grizz's reply. I couldn't help but follow them out. A part of me wanted to reassure Danii that Grizz isn't a monster, even though my heart's in tatters. It's my own fault for getting carried away.

"No," he says firmly. "Luna is a club whore and nothing more. We have a good time together, but the second I get involved with someone, that stops."

"How do I know you won't go back to her? She looked upset back there, like she really likes you."

"Maybe she does. Maybe she's got things twisted. That happens sometimes. I'll have a word with her and make it clear. I like you, Danii. When I think of my future, you're the sort of woman I'm looking for. You and she are completely different, worlds apart."

I ball my fists in anger and force myself to flag down a cab. At least I know where I stand.

Grizz doesn't comeand see me when he finally arrives back at the clubhouse. I hear him stumbling around, trying to unlock his door, but I don't bother to help him, not wanting to face him after overhearing his conversation.

The following morning, I head down for breakfast and almost stop in panic when I see him hunched over the worktop, resting his head on his arms. He's in his running gear and wet through with sweat. Lexi spots me, so I continue my path to the table and sit beside her. "Where the hell did you disappear to last night?" she asks.

"I needed my bed," I tell her. "I'm not used to partying anymore."

"I came looking for you," says Grizz, and I stiffen slightly at his words. "You just left without a word."

"I came looking for you," I tell him, keeping my back to him. "You were busy, so I grabbed a cab."

"I thought you'd left with Fletch and Kade."

I roll my eyes even though he can't see me. How the hell did I end up telling Axel I was fine going back to being a club girl? "Oh," says Lexi, frowning. "I thought you were taking a break from all that?"

"Nope, apparently not," says Grizz, and I feel him behind me. "She's back open for business." And then he leaves.

"What the hell's that about?" whispers Lexi. I shrug, blinking away the tears that have decided to gather on my lower lashes without permission. "Hey," she says, rubbing my arm, "you wanna talk?"

We go back up to my room, where Ivy is still fast asleep after her morning feed. "I overheard him with his new girlfriend last night," I tell her. "He basically told her she's the one for him and explained how I'm a nobody, just a club whore doing her duties." I groan, burying my head in my hands. "Why did I let my brain get so carried away?"

Lexi gives me a sympathetic smile. "I don't think I helped there, did I? I shouldn't have pushed you into coming last night. I just saw the way he spoke about you, and I felt there was something there."

I scoff. "You should've heard how he spoke about me last night. And the worst thing is, I can't even be mad, can I, because he's right. I'm just a whore, and he's a biker—I was doing what I'm supposed to do."

"Bullshit," she snaps. "He's got to take some responsibility in this too. He's been all over you and practically ordered everyone to stay away from you. It's giving claiming vibes."

I roll my eyes. "Clearly not. I'm such a twat."

The door opens and a freshly showered Grizz pops his head in. "Oh," he mutters upon seeing Lexi. She scowls, not bothering to move, which is clearly what he wants as he steps into the room. "Can we talk?"

"I think you've done enough talking," Lexi mutters.

"Of course," I say, giving Lexi a warning glare.

"Can you give us a minute, Lex?" he asks, and I desperately want to grab onto her to stop her leaving. She looks to me for confirmation, and I give a reluctant nod.

Once she's gone, he sits on the edge of my bed. "What's her problem?" I shrug. "I wanted to talk about last night."

"I shouldn't have come. I'm so sorry."

He goes to grab my hand, but I retract it, and he frowns. "What I was going to say was that I should've mentioned it. I made it weird by not. And I should've talked to you about Danii."

I'm already shaking my head. "You really don't need to apologise. What you do in your private life is nothing to do with me."

"But we're mates, right?" His words sting, but I give a nod. "So, I should've told you, and honestly, I don't know why I didn't."

"Glad we cleared that up," I say, pushing to stand. I just need him gone because the more he talks, the more my heart aches and the more stupid I feel. He grabs my hand, forcing me to stop beside him. His hand goes to my exposed thigh and he gently runs his thumb there. I hate the pity in his eyes, so I turn on the Fable charm and smile shyly, placing my hand on his shoulder. It's not what he was going for, and I can see him already wanting to pull away. He doesn't like me as Fable for some reason, so I play it to my advantage.

"Sorry, did you want some time alone?" I glance at Ivy before turning back to him. "I've probably got ten minutes before she wakes."

He arches a brow and stands, his hand falling from me. "No, Fable, that's not what I want," he mutters, and the use of my alter ego hurts.

I force another smile. "Okay, well, have a great day, and you know where I am if you need me." I turn away and busy myself with making the bed. I wait until I hear the door open and close before dropping down onto it and burying my face into the covers. Fuck, I need to get my shit together.