Chapter Thirteen

Compass

Her hand was warm and soft in mine as I led her down the hallway to the common room. Fallon and I… things had shifted. This wasn’t a charade anymore. If I was going to lie to my club for her, I was damn well going to get something out of it, and she wanted to give it to me.

I wasn’t some animal who’d take what wasn’t offered. That wasn’t how I worked. This worked because I could see it in her eyes—the want was there, just as strong as it was in mine.

The past few days had been more than I expected. I hadn’t anticipated this, not really. Sure, Fallon had set all this in motion, but I didn’t believe for a second that she’d known what she was doing. Only someone twisted like Boone and Gibbs would pull the kind of shit that had us all tangled up. They were still out there, still hunting us.

As we entered the common room, I heard Adalee’s voice ring out. “Grab a plate!”

I glanced around. The camera crew was still there, minus Clay, lingering like flies on a carcass. Hopefully, Mark and whatever the other guy’s name was would be out of here soon. It was only day two of their stay, and I was already sick of their presence. It was all for the show, but I couldn’t wait for them to pack up and leave.

Yarder’s eyes were sharp on Fallon’s hand in mine, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but I didn’t want to know. I wasn’t pretending anymore. This was real.

We made our way over to the food table, and I piled up a plate of pizza. I made sure to grab enough for Fallon, too.

“I didn’t know you worked at Domino’s,” she teased Adalee. “I thought you were cooking up a storm for dinner.”

Adalee grabbed a slice and winked at Fallon. “Oh yeah. I worked up a sweat ordering pizza with Fade’s credit card. And this is just as good as a home-cooked meal. Fed is best, after all.”

Sloane snorted. “I think they say that about breastfeeding or formula-feeding babies. I’m not sure it applies to bikers.”

“Pretty sure all of these guys wouldn’t be against being breastfed,” Dove cracked and earned a laugh from the group.

“Amen to that,” Throttle cheered, grabbed Dove around the waist, and pulled her in for a kiss.

The camera crew swarmed them instantly and focused on them like they had just struck gold. I guess sex did sell.

Pirate rolled his eyes. “Speak for yourselves,” he grumbled and reached around me to grab a slice of pizza. “We haven’t had a good party in ages. I can’t remember the last time—”

“Stop right there,” Yarder called and cut him off. “I don’t want to hear a damn word that involves you and breastfeeding.”

Pirate muttered something under his breath and grabbed another slice. “Fucking prude,” he grumbled, but everyone was too busy laughing to care.

I didn’t care either. My focus was on Fallon. I led her over to a table, set my plate down, and grabbed her hand. It was crowded, and there was only one chair left.

“There’s only one chair here,” Fallon whispered.

I chuckled and slid into the seat. “Plenty of room, babe.” Without a second thought, I pulled her into my lap. My arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close as my other hand grabbed a slice of pizza.

The room seemed to go quiet for a split second. I could feel everyone’s eyes on us, but I didn’t care. They probably thought it was part of the act, but it wasn’t.

I wasn’t hiding what I wanted anymore. Fallon wasn’t just some girl I was playing along with for the cameras. She was mine. And I wasn’t going to pretend like she wasn’t.

“Anyone need a drink?” Smoke called from across the room.

I turned to Fallon. “You want anything, babe?”

She looked at me, her eyes wide, and whispered, “My own chair.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Remember what happened five minutes ago?” I asked and raised an eyebrow.

She nodded, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“This is part of being mine,” I said, my voice low.

She shifted a little in my lap and squirmed slightly. “We’re going kind of fast, aren’t we?”

I grinned. “I didn’t see any posted speed limit signs, babe.”

She cupped my cheek with her hand, and her fingers traced over my stubbled skin. “You’re crazy, Compass,” she whispered. A playful smile curled on her lips.

I pressed a soft kiss to her palm. “What do you want to drink?”

“Something strong,” she laughed. “I think I’m going to need it.”

I nodded and called over to Smoke, “I’ll take a beer, and Fallon wants something strong. Do your worst, Smoke.”

“Oh, we’re drinking,” Poppy cheered and clapped his hands. “Make me one of those, too, Smoke.”

Sloane laughed. “Oh hell, better make six of them and keep them coming!”

I shook my head and chuckled. “Look what you started.”

Fallon’s smile widened, and she leaned in to press a soft kiss to my lips. Her touch lingered, warm and sweet, and it sent a shiver down my spine. “Tonight’s going to be fun. I promise.”

I wrapped my arm tighter around her and squeezed her to me. “Oh hell yeah, it is.”