Chapter 7

7

TESSA

W hen Kian had told me that he was taking me home with him, I’d been an odd combination of relieved, excited, and more than a little nervous. The thought of going home and facing my dad was daunting, especially when one of the neighbors was bound to tell him that I’d gone roaring off on a motorcycle with a man. The opportunity to spend more time with Kian was thrilling because it gave me the chance to get to know the intriguing, sexy man better. But hanging out at an MC clubhouse was far outside my comfort zone since my only experience before now was our short stop at the Iron Rogues when Blade checked my ribs. And although the members I had met during our visit to their clubhouse were kind to me, I hadn’t felt as though I belonged there.

I was surprised to find the same couldn’t be said for what I experienced when we arrived at Kian’s clubhouse. The atmosphere at the Silver Saints compound was so different from the Iron Rogues. There were wives and children running around, and everyone smiled and greeted me as though I was family. I experienced a sense of belonging that was unexpected but very welcome.

“Having a good time, sweet girl?”

I tilted my head back to smile up at Kian. “I really am.”

“I’m glad.” He jerked his chin toward the food-covered tables to our right. “Did you get enough to eat?”

“More than enough.” I patted my belly with a laugh. “I don’t think I could handle one more bite.”

“I hope you’re wrong because dessert is not to be missed at our barbecues.” Placing his palm on my lower back, he guided me over to a table loaded down with cookies, pies, and cake. “I could happily devour one of Cat’s pies all by myself, but I’d have a battle on my hands with my club brothers if I took more than one slice.”

Even though I was full, my mouth watered as my gaze scanned the wide variety of baked goods. When I spotted a plate piled high with double chocolate chip cookies, I groaned, “Please tell me those don’t taste as good as they look.”

Kian shook his head. “Sorry, no can do. Lucy makes some of the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

“I think you meant to say the best,” Dom growled, leaning between us to grab one of the cookies. Popping it into his mouth, he strolled away to return to his wife’s side. Lucy rolled her eyes with a smile.

Laughing softly, I picked up a cookie. “With an endorsement like that, I guess I can make room for just one.”

“I think we can do better than that.” He took two more from the plate and wrapped them in a napkin before shoving them into a pocket on the inside of his leather vest, sending a shiver down my spine when his fingers brushed against the underside of my breast. “There, you can eat these whenever you’re hungry later.”

“Did I just see you put cookies in your concealed carry pocket?” Mac grumbled.

“Yup.” Kian flashed him an unrepentant grin and shrugged. “I didn’t want Tessa to miss out, so I snagged a couple of extras for her.”

“Good call.”

I would’ve been shocked by the Silver Saints president’s easy acceptance of Kian’s explanation, except I’d seen how he was with his wife and kids. He was a big, tough guy on the outside, but he was a giant softie when it came to his family.

“Sorry, but I need to drag you away from Tessa.”

Kian started to shake his head, but I waved them away. “Go ahead. I’m more than fine. I’ll go compliment Lucy on her cookies while you’re busy.”

“I won’t be too long,” Kian promised.

“Sorry, Tessa.”

It turned out that the apologetic smile Mac aimed at me was about more than just pulling Kian away for a quick conversation during the barbecue, which I found out a few hours later when I followed him up to his room. The large space was surprisingly clean but sparsely furnished with just a king-sized bed, dresser, recliner, and bedside table. And a giant flat-screen television—exactly what one would expect in a bachelor pad.

“We’re…um…staying here?”

“It isn’t much, but it’s what I’ve been calling home since I joined the Silver Saints. Which turned out to be a good call because you can pick out the new place and it’s a buyer’s market right now. Great timing.” While I was wrapping my head around him trusting me to choose his next home, he strode to the closet and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. “Go ahead and get ready for bed. I need to do a couple of things first.”

Feeling nervous about sharing a bed with a man for the first time, I took longer in the bathroom than I normally would have. When I finally came out, I spotted a duffel bag near the door, and surprise replaced my worry. “Are we going somewhere else?”

“Not we. You’re gonna stay here while I take care of something for Mac.”

My shoulders slumped, and I ducked my head while I thought about how to respond to this news. I was so disappointed that Kian was leaving, but I had no right to ask him not to go. Although he’d brought me here, he didn’t owe me anything.

“Hey now, sweet girl.” He pressed a finger against my chin to tilt my head back until I stared into his blue eyes. “I’m as disappointed as you are. You have no idea how much I wanted to tell my prez that he had to find someone else to handle this particular club business, but there isn’t anyone else as equipped to handle it as me. I hope you understand that I can’t let them down.”

Somehow, Kian had become my safe place in such a short amount of time. Knowing he was willing to honor his commitment to the Silver Saints, even when it meant sacrificing what he wanted, only reinforced he was the kind of man I could trust.

And although I didn’t want to be separated from him so soon, the last thing I wanted was to distract him while he was doing something potentially dangerous. So I put on a brave face and murmured, “I’m not going to lie and say the timing doesn’t suck, but it’ll be okay. Everyone has been so nice to me. I’m sure I’ll be fine staying here without you.”

“You’ll be more than fine, Tessa. Nobody gets into the compound without our say-so, and Mac will stick close and keep an eye out for me.” He cupped my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. “Which means Bridget will be here too, so you’ll have someone to hang out with. Some of the other guys and their old ladies, too.”

“Then it sounds like I’ll have plenty of distractions until you return.” My nose wrinkled. “But when do you need to leave? Right now?”

He shook his head. “Not until early morning.”

“Oh, good.” My relief over having a little more time with him dispelled my nervousness over spending the night in bed together. “You should try to get some rest then.”

“I could say the same. It’s been a long couple of days for you.” He tugged me over to the bed and helped me settle on my good side. Then he gently wrapped his arms around me, being careful not to put any pressure on my ribs.

Being cradled in his embrace was even better than I imagined. “This is nice.”

“Fucking perfect,” he rasped, his breath hot against my neck. “Hate to ruin the moment, but I need to update you on your college fund before I leave.”

Twisting my neck to look at him, I laughed softly. “It hasn’t even been a full day yet, and the bank is closed, but you already have an update?”

“When you have someone like Grey on your side, you don’t have to worry about business hours. He put his hacking skills to good use and set up an untraceable bank account for you. Then he transferred every last penny from your college savings into it, so nobody can touch the money except for you,” he explained. “So now you have time to figure out what you want to do without anyone pressuring you into making a decision you might regret later.”

“I really appreciate him taking a risk like that for me. Thank you.”

Knowing that I had options was a relief, but I couldn’t help but wonder how bad things would get for my dad if I didn’t give him the money.

“Anything for you.” Pulling me closer, he brushed his lips against mine in the briefest of kisses.

Before he could pull away, I cupped the back of his head and whispered, “More. I want my first real kiss to be a good one.”

“Fuck,” he groaned, his mouth crashing against mine as he proceeded to blow my mind by exceeding my wildest imagination of what a kiss could be. Our tongues tangled together while he cradled me gently against his chest, his palm stroking my side before his fingers dug into my hip.

When he finally lifted his head, I was in a dazed fog. “Wow.”

“Rest easy, sweet girl. I’ve got your back.”

While that was both literally and figuratively true since he was spooning me, I drifted off to sleep faster than I had in months.