Chapter Seventeen

Talon

The prospects had been busy while Kelly and I napped, so dinner was grilled steak, baked potatoes, and sides. As I'd told Harvey to stay out the cabin earlier, he didn't have access to the refrigerator or pantry so if Kelly had been expecting another round of fancy appetizers, then she was sadly mistaken. I don't think she was too upset though, because she chowed down like the rest of us on her steak—which I have to say was pretty damn near perfect.

By the time we're ready to hit the road it's after seven. Tomorrow I've got stuff to do in town and it makes sense for us to stay at the clubhouse, besides that, it's not really possible to have a romantic evening when surrounded by five drunken prospects who just want to watch the game on TV. Not that an MC clubhouse is a better option, but at least we'll have some privacy in Rigs' suite. I keep thinking of it as his suite, but he's been living offsite for months now, maybe it'll end up being like one of those state rooms in swanky hotels, named after the most famous guest who stayed there. That makes me laugh—the Rigs Suite.

"What's so funny?" Kelly asks.

I explain about my silly thought and Kelly plays along.

"Awesome, you can list it on one of those room rental sites, maybe throw in Harvey as a personal butler."

By now we're both giggling at the absurdity, "Don't tell Siege, he's always looking for legitimate ways to make money."

Once we're out of the woods and heading back to the highway my mind drifts to the past few weeks. If I was being totally honest with myself, Sandra's death was affecting me more than I let on. I guess grieving is complicated, I wasn't in love with her anymore, I'd known that for months, and I'm not blind. Finding the evidence that she'd been cheating had blindsided me, but looking back, it was always there, and I just chose to ignore it. If she hadn't been brutally murdered then our marriage might have limped on for a few more months, or maybe years, until it ended in an acrimonious divorce. However, no matter what had happened between us, she'd been part of my life for ten years, and we'd been married for seven, and when anything ends it's hard.

Was I moving on too quickly? How was someone supposed to react in these circumstances? That's what was bothering me, I really liked Kelly, she was everything I had ever looked for, we both saw life in the same way and wanted the same things, but was it too fast, too soon? People talk about rebound relationships, and I really didn't want Kelly to be mine.

I try and shake some sense into myself, one of the prospects keeps going on about mindfulness and all that shit—live in the moment. Maybe that's what I need to do? Don't think about the past or the future, don't overanalyze but just enjoy the here and now. It seems so easy when you think of it like that, but maybe it's not so easy in practice. I make a mental note to have a chat with Rigs, he's always good for advice in situations like this. He tells it straight, no sugar coating or bullshit.

***

It's just after eight when we pull into the clubhouse parking lot. There are quite a few motorcycles and other vehicles parked out front, so I guess the bar will be packed full. I'm not sure how I feel about that, maybe spending hours tucked away in my little hideaway with Kelly made me yearn for more privacy, as I'd been thinking more that we'd have a quiet drink in the bar and then retire to my room for… maybe a continuation of what we started earlier.

Kelly climbs off my bike and stands looking warily at the entrance.

"You okay, sweetheart?" I ask.

"It looks busy, I get a bit anxious in crowded situations sometimes, especially if I don't know anyone."

I take hold of her hand, "We can head straight for my room if you want, truth be told I'm not sure I want to share you with anyone tonight."

Her eyes go big at that, and I have an awful thought she might misinterpret my words.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not jealous, that's not how I meant and—"

"It's all good, babe. I know how you meant it. I guess I feel the same," she says and gives my hand a squeeze. Her eyes narrow as we get closer to the door, "I'm not going to walk in on anything weird, am I? I've heard about what goes on in biker bars."

I swallow nervously, thinking back to a few weeks ago. Good job it's not the last Friday of a month or else she might be doing an about turn and getting the hell outta here. No balls out tonight, thankfully. "Could be rowdy, but I think Mel organized for a local rock band to come and play a gig. That's why it's so busy."

"Oh, that might be fun," she says looking less anxious by the second.

We head in, to see the band setting up on the small stage in our bar area. The show's not due to start for another forty minutes or so, so I guess we can grab a drink at the bar and decide how we want our night to go.

"What are you drinking, sweetheart?" I ask.

She looks thoughtful, "I was joking about the amaretto earlier, but it was really nice. So I'll have one of those."

"Good evening, Mel, an amaretto for the lady, and I'll have a whiskey on the rocks, if you would be so kind," I flash a grin at our bartender who's looking a bit frazzled, once we're settled, I'll take a look around and see if I can find any of the prospects and get them to help her out behind the bar.

"Coming right up, Talon," she says. Then she grins at Kelly, "I don't think we've been properly introduced, and your man is being rude. I'm Mel."

The women greet one another while I scan the room. Rider and Fran are sitting in the far corner with Cleo and Siege, and Tank and Ivy. I don't see Dutch or Rigs and their old ladies, so maybe they're coming later, or maybe they couldn't get a childminder. I see a few other prospects and think I can see the back of Vapor's cut disappearing round the corner, so they're probably hanging out in the games room.

I feel an elbow in my side, and Kelly shouts in my ear above the background chatter, "Did the prospects get my stuff?"

"Yep, should be in the suite waiting." As Kelly was going to stay here for a few days, I'd gotten the prospects to head to her apartment to pick up some clothing. Kelly had wanted to go, but after the abduction attempt, I didn't want her anywhere near her place, even if she had one of us with her. We'd not managed to track down Jerod Cooper yet, and while that fucker was on the loose, I wanted to keep Kelly close at hand.

"I'll go and change, if that's okay?" she asks. "I think listening to some live music would be a fun way to spend the first half of the evening."

"Whatever you want, sweetheart," I say with a smile. I raise an eyebrow and lean in close, "What have you got in mind for the second half of the evening, anything I should know about?"

She flashes a grin and shrugs, "I don't know, maybe find myself a hot biker to snuggle up with. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who's available?"

Before I have a chance to answer, she takes me by surprise and squeezes my ass, pulling me in for a kiss. I'm loving how bold she is, and also how she's clearly gotten over whatever anxiety she had about entering the clubhouse.

When we pull apart, she heads for the stairs and blows me a kiss.

I'm standing there like an idiot with a grin on my face, when suddenly I feel a movement to my left.

"She's not a natural blond, it's all fake."

I turn to see Lori standing there, glaring at Kelly's disappearing figure. Considering the amount of enhancements she's had, Lori is a fine one to talk about fake. I decide the best way to deal with her is to just ignore her, and hopefully she'll go away. We have a full house tonight so she's sure to find someone willing to take what she's so clearly wanting to give.

"I don't see a property cut on her, so I guess you're just having a little fun. Come to me when you're done, and I'll show you how a real woman fucks." With that she spins on her ridiculously high heels, and struts towards the games room.

"She's trouble," Mel says in an exasperated tone.

"Don't I know it," I add.

I take a mouthful of my whiskey and wait for Kelly to return, I'm looking forward to an evening of forgetting about all the shit that's happened and what I've got to do tomorrow. I'm looking even more forward to what I plan on doing after the band finish their show. I can't get enough of Kelly and the more time I'm spending with her, the more I crave her.