Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Levee

“All those hunnies out there and you’re in here chopping carrots with me,” Eddie said, shaking his head like I was out of my mind.

“Well, you’re in here too,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, ‘cause the hunnies like a man who can cook. This is me being in my element. Being all sexy and shit,” Eddie said, waving down at his apron-covered front.

To be fair, the girls did fawn over Eddie. They would be in and out all during the parties, heading to freshen up, grab drinks, steal some ibuprofen to fend off alcohol headaches, or sneak some food. And each and every time, they would stop to tell Eddie how hot it was when a guy could cook, how good his food was.

I honestly didn’t know how the guy was still single since the girls did seem to like him and he sure as hell loved them.

“I’m not interested,” I said, shrugging.

“Yeah?” he asked, brows raised. “That have something to do with a certain pretty hunnie I’ve heard some of the guys talking about?”

“Yeah,” I admitted. What was the use of trying to lie about it? Everyone in the club could see I was not my usual party-hard self.

You never would have found me hiding in the kitchen from the fun before. I would be right out there in the pool with everyone else.

But there I was.

Chopping carrots.

Wondering how long it could be before I slunk away to my room, locked the door, found my pictures of Jade, and rubbed one out like some fucking teenager or something.

I was still kicking myself for not getting her damn number. And while she had mine, I guess she was busy. Or didn’t want to seem needy by reaching out to me first.

Even if I was checking my phone fifty times a day in the hopes that she had texted.

“She got you all strung up, huh?” Eddie asked, tone completely devoid of judgment as he drained and rinsed several cans of beans.

“Guess so,” I admitted.

“Lucky, man,” he said, glancing over at me. “Just waiting for a hunnie who gets her claws all up in me. Dunno why these fuckers,” he said, waving a spatula toward the back door where the other prospects were all partying, “seem to think it’s the worst thing that could happen.”

“Dunno. Guess I was one of them a few weeks ago too,” I told him. As much as I liked seeing my friends, especially Seeley and Cato, happy with their women, some part of me just didn’t understand it.

That whole ‘why eat one meal when you can sample the whole menu’ mindset that I’d been carrying with me for years.

Guess everyone neglected to tell me that your mind changed and your tastes developed when you’d feasted on the best meal of your life.

Figuratively.

Though, yeah, I wouldn’t mind getting some eating done with Jade again… literally.

“Which one of ‘em you think is next?” he asked as a chorus of male laughter came drifting into the kitchen.

“I don’t know. I can’t see Coast settling down.”

“No? With how good he is with kids? I can see it. But maybe not next.”

“York is the oldest,” I said.

“Which might matter if love had an expiration date,” Eddie said as he started to scoop beans, rice, cheese, and beef into tortillas.

“Velle is the most… in touch with emotional shit.”

“Yeah, call me crazy, man, but I think that might work against him when it comes to finding a hunnie,” he said. “Besides, that guy has demons, even if he ain’t talking about ‘em.”

All of that seemed true when I thought about it.

“That leaves Kylo,” I said. “Or you.”

“Hey, man. Your lips to God’s ears,” Eddie said, crossing himself and looking up toward the sky. “So, when am I gonna meet this girl of yours?” he asked.

“Good question,” I said, resisting the urge to check my phone again. It was sitting on the damn counter beside me. I would have seen or heard a text coming in. “Wish I had an answer. Eventually, I hope.”

I was going to stop being such a pussy and just ask for her damn number the next time I went to visit my uncle. And got some more naked alone time with her.

“What’s her favorite food? Gotta brush up on my skills if it isn’t one of my specialties.”

“Everything is your specialty.” I mean, the man had cooked at least once a day for all that time I’d been at the club. I’d yet to eat a bad meal. “I know she likes cinnamon and raisin bagels and pizza. That’s as far as I’ve gotten on that front.”

“Hey!” a female voice called, a little too loud from the liquor and having to speak over the loud music out back. “I’m supposed to ask how long on the burritos,” she said, standing in the doorway dripping from her hot pink bathing suit.

“Burritos are ready,” Eddie said, holding a tray out to her. “The rest’ll be coming in an hour or so.”

“Don’t you ever get sick of cooking?” I asked when she was gone again. “I mean, it’s ten at night. You worked all day. And you’re here cooking again.”

“Nah, man. I love it. Keeps me calm. Feels good to put this kinda love into the club and these people,” he said as he took my carrots and set them on the tray along with potatoes, onions, peppers, brussels sprouts, and broccoli, then started to drizzle oil and some seasoning before slipping the tray into the oven.

“Figure, one day, I might have me a family to cook for, and I won’t be able to do as much around here. So I’m happy to do it while I can,” he added as he started to pull the marinated chicken out of a bag in the fridge and lay it out on another sheet pan.

“Can’t imagine the club without you cooking,” I admitted.

“It was a lot of takeout back then,” Eddie said, shaking his head at the prospect. “That your hunnie?” he asked as my phone beeped on the counter.

I barely held back from lunging at the damn thing. I unlocked the screen and opened the message from an unknown number.

It’s Jade. Was wondering if you wanted to hang out.

I was quick to text back, saying I was free, and asking if she wanted me to come over.

Actually, I’d rather come to you. Unless you’re busy. Could use to get out of the apartment for a bit.

I never sent someone my address so fast in my life.

“Jade is heading over,” I told Eddie, getting a knowing smile out of the man.

“You sure there are no science experiments going on in your room?” he asked.

It was an old joke the guys all still shot at me. Even though it had been a long time since I was that big of a slob.

“My room is fine,” I insisted. “But I might go change my sheets,” I decided.

And pick up the clothes that hadn’t made it into the laundry basket. Do a quick dust.

“Go on then. Spruce the place up. I got this from here.”

With that, I did. Getting the place as neat as possible, checking that there were condoms in the nightstand, then doing a quick change of clothes while I was at it.

I made it down the stairs just as there were headlights pulling into the driveway, creeping up the line of bikes, then parking.

I tried to keep myself inside, to not seem too eager. But, fuck it. I was eager.

I met her halfway to the door, but stiffened as soon as I got a look at her.

“Doll, the fuck?” I asked, reaching out toward her face.

She flinched back. It was a quick gesture that she quickly tried to shake off.

But I saw that shit.

And the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“What happened to your face?” I asked, trying to keep my tone calm.

But there was a nasty cut on her cheek, her nose was swollen with some dried blood still in her nostrils, and there was a nice shiner starting under her right eye.

“I slammed face-first into the wall trying to get into the building tonight,” she said, rolling her eyes to play it off. But there was a false note in her voice. “Then I went and got myself looked at,” she added, trying to move the conversation away from the ‘walked into the wall’ bullshit. “And then I decided I just wanted to get out for a while. So here I am,” she said, forcing a really fake smile.

This was uncharted territory for me.

On the one hand, I wanted to force her to tell me what really happened.

On the other, I didn’t want to piss her off or push her away if she didn’t want to tell me.

Maybe the best way to play this was to just let her have her way. For the moment. Get her comfortable and calm. Then ask again. Maybe when she was all snuggly after a few orgasms.

But I was gonna get some fucking answers, damnit.

“Well, I’m glad you thought to come see me,” I said, sliding my hand up her jaw, then tilting her head up, so I could lean down and press a light kiss to her lips.

I didn’t want to accidentally bump her nose if it was broken. I knew that pain pretty well.

But the second I tried to pull away, Jade’s hands snaked up my chest to grab my cut, pulling me close by it, and dragging the kiss out.

My arms went around her, pulling her close as I let her take the lead, take what she clearly needed from me right then.

“Is something cooking?” she asked as she pulled away.

“Eddie is cooking,” I told her.

“At this hour?”

“He likes to cook when the guys have company. Or, well, anytime anyone is hanging out around here. There’s burritos right now. And there will be roasted chicken and veggies in about forty minutes.”

“God, that sounds good,” she said, her hand going to her stomach like she hadn’t eaten in ages.

“Long day?” I asked.

“Yeah, I guess. Haven’t been sleeping well. Then I went to an art gallery tonight. Hence the extra effort,” she said, waving down at herself.

She was dressed more subdued than usual in a little black dress. There were some colorful flowers embroidered on the hem, but otherwise, it was very bland and dark for her usual style. Even her hair was different, pulled up into a fancy updo instead of long and loose.

“You look nice,” I said. “But I think I like you in color more.”

“Me too,” she said, smiling. “But this was one of those fancy galleries. They wouldn’t have let me in wearing a crop top and floral skirt.”

“Then they would be missing out,” I said, moving to stand beside her and hooking an arm around her hips. “Ready to meet the rest of my brothers?” I asked.

“And the foul-mouthed parrot?” she asked, hopeful.

I led her in through the front of the house, drawing her into the kitchen where Eddie was trying to act like he wasn’t waiting for her.

One look, though, and his face fell.

“Jade had a little mishap with a wall tonight,” I said, so she didn’t have to repeat.

“Did you?” he asked, clearly picking up on the bullshit, but deciding to let it drop too. “Well, you’re stupid pretty even all bruised and scratched up,” he said, giving her a big smile.

“This is Eddie,” I told Jade.

“I’ve heard about your cooking,” she said. “I’m really excited to try some.”

That was the exact right thing to say. Eddie literally puffed up at her words then started to babble about everything he was going to have ready in an hour. Which involved three more dishes than he had previously planned.

You had to love Eddie.

“Fuck… fuck… fuck you,” Mackie grumbled to himself, making Jade whip around to find him sitting on top of his cage, his feathers all puffed up as he was likely trying to get some sleep.

“Oh, aren’t you the most beautiful thing?” she cooed, moving closer to him.

“Here,” I said, fishing a grape out of the bowl of fruit on the counter and handing it to her. “If you want to be friends with Mackie, his love can be bribed with food.”

Mindful to be careful with her fingers, Jade set the grape in her flattened palm and held it out to Mackie who woke suddenly up and rushed over to take it.

“Does he curse because of you guys?” she asked, looking over at me.

“No. He’s a rescue. We figure his previous owner really hated someone named Benny. Because that’s who he is usually saying Fuck you to.”

“It sounds like there’s a pool party going on,” Jade said when there was a break in the music and we could hear a squeal followed by a loud splash.

“Want to go check it out?” I asked.

“Sure,” she said, nodding. “Save a plate for me,” she said to Eddie.

“You’ll get the first one,” he assured her, then set to working at warp speed to get the extra meals going.

We moved out into the backyard where the girls and guys were all in or around the pool. There were almost twice as many girls than guys this time and I was curious how that was going to play out later. Though it wouldn’t be unusual for Coast to take more than one girl to bed with him.

Seeing us standing there, Velle—who was sitting on a chaise and seemingly in charge of the music—turned the stereo down.

“Hey, guys. Just wanted to introduce Jade to those who haven’t met her yet,” I said. “Over on the chaise, that’s Velle. And that’s York,” I said, pointing toward the lumberjack with a woman sitting on his shoulders. “This is Candy and Cherry and… their friends,” I said, not recognizing the other girls.

“What happened to your face?” Coast, who never suffered with a filter, blurted out.

“Fell into a wall on the way in to my building,” she said.

My gaze slid immediately to Velle, catching him eyeing her with his brows pinched.

“Sounds like you need a drink,” Kylo said, waving toward the dispenser where Eddie’s famous margarita was waiting for her. “It’s raspberry,” he added.

“Oh, that sounds so good,” she said, moving away from me to go get her drink.

When she seemed occupied by talking to Kylo, I made my way over to Velle, dropping down in the chaise next to him.

“She’s lying, right?” I asked.

“About the wall? Absolutely,” he said, nodding. “But I think it’s more than that.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Doesn’t seem like she’s slept in a week,” he said. “She’s already loosening up,” he added, watching her laugh at something Kylo said. “But she’s tense as fuck too. You don’t know what’s going on?”

“No. But it hasn’t been… serious,” I said. “And I maybe see her once a week, so… I dunno. But I don’t buy the story about the wall for a second.”

“I wouldn’t push, though. She seems a little fragile. She’s probably here to try to get away from whatever it is bothering her. Be that getaway for her. If she’s comfortable enough, she will let you in eventually.”

I wouldn’t pretend to understand how Velle got so much insight into a complete stranger just by observing her. But everything he said rang true to me.

“How long do I need to be the comfort person?” I asked.

“As long as she needs,” Velle said, getting up off of the chaise to walk over and join Kylo and Jade.

I sat back for a moment, watching, ready to step in if Jade looked uncomfortable. There was no chance of that, though. She was someone who seemed able to easily get along with strangers. I mean, look at the close bonds she already made with her neighbors in such a short amount of time.

I just waited for her to come to me.

Which she did. After finishing one drink and starting another, stopping to talk not only to Velle and Kylo, but York and Coast as well as the girls.

Watching her, you’d think that she’d been a part of this club for months or years with how easily she seemed to fit right in.

But I was just glad to see her usual smile come back, to watch her laugh and lose the tension in her shoulders.

Making her way toward me, her head tipped to the side, she didn’t move to sit on the chaise next to me that Velle had abandoned. Instead, she dropped right down on mine.

“I really like your friends,” she told me.

“Even Velle?” I asked, knowing that sometimes people found him a little off-putting because he seemed to see so much.

“He’s got a quiet intensity, but he has kind eyes,” she said, shrugging as she finished off her margarita.

“Those are good, aren’t they?” I asked.

“They don’t even taste like alcohol,” she admitted, shifting easily as I reached to pull her back against me.

“Oh, but they are. You might want to wait until you have some food in your stomach, or you’re gonna be too shit-faced to walk straight.”

“I’m buzzing already,” she admitted, reaching to put her cup on the ground, then relax into me, taking a slow, deep breath.

“Buzzing is good,” I agreed, sliding my hands up her arms, her neck, the sides of her face, then pressing my fingers into her temples.

“That’s nice,” she said.

“Headache?” I asked.

“A little. The tequila helped,” she said. “So, are the girls… girlfriends?” she asked.

“No. They’re… club girls,” I told her.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s just a biker thing, I guess. When you have a club, you have club girls.”

“To party? Or do they hook up with the members?”

“Both. Either. Depends on the girl, I guess. Does that bother you?”

“Why? Because you’ve had sex before?” she asked, turning her head to glance up at me. “No virgin is as good in bed as you are,” she told me. “And all the women you’ve been with before are a part of that. Why would I complain when I’m reaping the benefits?”

“I like the way you think,” I said, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“We all have histories,” she went on. “That’s kind of what makes us all so interesting. This is nice,” she said, watching the girls on York and Coast’s shoulders pick up inflatable batons and start whacking each other.

“Yeah, it is,” I agreed. “Found family here,” I admitted. “Better family than my blood ever was.”

“I can see that,” she agreed. “You deserve that for all the care you do give to your blood family, even though they don’t really appreciate it. Oh!” she said as one of the girls lost her balance and fell into the water. “Can we play?” she asked, shooting me an excited smile.

“Sure,” I agreed. “You got anything on under that?” I asked.

“Not enough to be decent,” she admitted.

“I’m sure we have something in the community closet that will fit you.”

“Let’s get moving,” she said, hopping up, then reaching for my hand, pulling me along with her into the house.

We made our way upstairs, stopping in the hall closet to fish through the plastic container full of bathing suits of various sizes, all of which still had the tags on.

Jade grabbed a bright yellow top and a boy short combo.

“Gotta grab my suit too,” I said, reaching for my door handle. “You coming in?” I asked as she moved in at my side instead of going into the hall bath to change.

“Are you feeling shy?” she teased, eyes bright. “Because I’m not,” she added with a playful little smirk as she walked backward into my room, already starting to hike up her skirt.

“Nope. Not at all,” I said, reaching for my shirt as I kicked the door closed behind me.