Vicious

I was still thinking about what Micaela said to the woman and man in the elevator when we pulled into the compound. It was after five o'clock. The rest of the club would be getting home any time now. I realized we hadn't decided on exactly where she was staying. We all wanted her to stay with us, but that wasn't logical. We weren't to the sleeping together stage, and we still had to work out how it would even work, and each of our trailers only had two bedrooms. As Dragon parked his truck, I brought it up. We'd pulled up next to the trailers.

"Lips, where do you want to stay?"

"Lips? God, you, and that name. Now you're shortening it. As for where I hadn't considered it. What do you guys suggest?"

"Mine," Ashes said right away.

"No, mine," was Dragon's reply.

"As much as we'd all love you in our places, you should take the empty three-bedroom trailer. It's right next to mine. If you need anything, we'll be right there," I told her, although it hurt to do it.

She seemed to be mulling it over. We sat there in the truck and let her. "If I stay in the three-bedroom one, it's too much for one person. You wanted me here so we could spend more time together. I know we're not at the point of things being intimate, but would you be willing to stay with me? It doesn't have to be all the time. But maybe a few nights a week. I think it'll help us all not only to get to know each other but to get comfortable with us as a group," she said with a tentative smile.

"Sweet thing, there is nothing I'd love more," Ashes stated instantly.

"I can more than do that," Dragon informed her.

I winked at her. "Only if you promise not to attack me in my sleep. I'd hate to miss anything."

She burst out giggling. "I'll try my best, but no promises. Alright, let's see where my new home is for the next few weeks."

Dragon helped her out while Ashes and I grabbed her luggage. I led the way to the one next to mine. There was no need to lock doors in the compound unless you wanted to ensure privacy. The key to each trailer was kept inside the door, hanging on a hook on the wall. As I passed it in her new abode, I snagged it.

I took her biggest suitcase to the big bedroom. Ashes brought the other bags. With those tucked away, we went back to the living room. Dragon was busy explaining the layout to her and how she could get groceries delivered by ordering online and then sending Cullen or Colton to pick them up.

We trailed behind them as he gave her the brief tour. When we returned to the living room, I handed her the keys. "Here you go. Lock up if you want or not. It's safe inside the fence. It's too late to get groceries tonight, but here in a while, we'll get you to fill out the list and set a time for pick up. For now, why don't you unpack? Then we can hang out, watch a movie, and in a while order food," I suggested. Hell, if all she wanted to do was sit there and let us watch her breathe, it was fine with me.

"That sounds perfect. It won't take me long to unpack. Be right back."

We watched her walk away. When she was in the bedroom, I began whispering to my brothers. "We're gonna have to make sure Daredevil doesn't sneak over to confront her again. Until the nonsense with him calms the fuck down, one of us needs to stick to her. I can stay home tomorrow. Can you divide it up on Wednesday and Thursday? I'll take Friday. We'll all be off on the weekend, so no worries those days."

"Sure. I'll talk to Rampage tomorrow," Ashes stated.

"I'll let Torpedo know about Thursday. He shouldn't have an issue. Do you anticipate Boomer having any problem with you taking off two days?" Dragon asked me.

"Nah, he shouldn't. We're ahead of schedule by a tad, and everyone is working. No one is out using their PTO."

"Good. Do you think Sin and the others are talking to him right now, or will they do it later?" Dragon asked.

"I don't have a clue. I'm tempted to take a short stroll through the clubhouse to see if any of them are there or not," Ashes whispered.

"Go. We'll cover for you. While you're there, grab some drinks for the fridge," I nudged him.

"I'll be back as fast as I can. Don't get too involved until I'm back," he said before slipping out the door.

Standing was useless, so I sank down on the couch. All of the trailers came furnished with typical furniture. It was functional and in good shape but not fancy. The kitchen had a basic set of pots and pans, everyday kitchen gadgets, and enough dinnerware and silverware for six. Anything more, you had to supply yourself.

Dragon sprawled on the other end of the couch. We weren't alone long before she came strolling out to join us. There was room on the couch between us or in the overstuffed chair. She barely hesitated before sinking between us.

"Where's Ashes?"

"He ran to get us a few drinks. He should be back any minute. Is everything okay in the bedroom? Is there anything you need tonight? If so, we'll have it fetched," Dragon drawled. He reached over and placed his hand on hers. I decided to do the same. She didn't move away.

"Not anything I can think of at the moment. I had small containers of my body wash, shampoo, and such. It'll do until I get more."

"Are you feeling better?" I started to ask when the door flung open, and Ashes came bustling in. He had a sack with him.

"I brought drinks. Let's get this party started. I was wondering, Micaela. Do you like Chinese? If not, or you're not in the mood for it, is there something else you're craving for dinner tonight? I'm open." He chattered away. I wanted to ask if he saw Daredevil but decided to follow his lead and stay off the topic.

"I don't have a preference, and yes, I adore Chinese. What about you guys? Is it acceptable to you?" she asked Dragon and me. I snickered as Dragon and Ashes laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"It's the fact you said acceptable. We eat it at least once a week," I admitted.

"Well, don't let me interfere with your habit. I'd hate to lose fingers or something. Do you like a certain place, or will any of them do? I assume there's more than one in a town this size."

"As a matter of fact, there is one we love. Hands down, the best Chinese in Tenillo is from the Golden Lotus. No one makes it as good as Li Jun and his people," Ashes told her as he rubbed his stomach.

"Without a doubt," I agreed. The thought of it made me want to rub my stomach.

"Then the Golden Lotus it is. Are you hungry now?" was her reply.

"Always. Let me pull up the menu," Dragon said.

He took out his phone and tapped on it. The rest of us knew the menu by heart. He handed it to her. As she perused it, we filled her in on our personal favorites. The truth was, we'd never had anything from there that wasn't wonderful. She gave us her order. Dragon had the app open, so he put it in for her and then asked us what we wanted. We rattled our orders off to him. She shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Ashes asked.

"Men. You eat like elephants but never gain a pound. It pisses me off. You're just like my brothers. I know better than to ask if there'll be leftovers for tomorrow."

"You know, she's right. Better add a few extras," Dragon suggested. Each of us added one more entrée. She rolled her eyes at us, but there was a smirk on her face. With the order placed, all we had to do was sit back and wait for it to be delivered. Ashes was texting. He would tell the prospects to watch for the delivery person and bring it here. Again, nothing new.

As he finished his text, I opened the sack Ashes had returned with and took out a drink for each of us. I knew what they liked. I twisted the lid to loosen one for her and set it in front of her.

"Thank you, Axel. Do you wanna talk until we eat or start a movie? I'm not sure what's on, but surely there's got to be some chick flicks to choose from." She said it while fighting a grin. Without a thought, I growled and then attacked her neck like a hungry beast.

She shrieked with laughter and began to squirm to get away. She only instigated me to rub my beard against her more and my teeth to nibble rather than just my lips kissing it. It lasted several seconds before she was tugged away. She sighed in relief as Dragon, who was holding her, reprimanded me.

"Hey, that'll be enough of that."

She smirked at me and leaned further into him. Her smirk morphed into horror when he continued. "Don't hog all that neck to yourself. I need a taste, too." he barely let the last word drop before he attacked the opposite side of her neck.

I swear her shrieks got louder. I was grinning like a fool as she struggled to escape him. It was no surprise that Ashes came over and rubbed his hands in front of us. Dragon saw him and slowly lifted away. Micaela was panting and red-faced. When her eyes landed on Ashes, she shook her head emphatically and held up her hands.

"No! No, no, no, not you too."

"It's only fair that I get a taste, too. There'll be no favorites here, Sweet Thing," he said with a deep growl. Then he leaned over to press her into the back of the couch and went for the front of her neck.

By the time he was done, she was slumped on the couch, glaring at us, breathing as if she ran a race, and her entire visible neck was red. Seeing this temporary mark of possession filled me with happiness. And there wasn't an ounce of jealousy over the fact I shared her with my best friends.

She pointed a shaky finger at us, one at a time. "You've just declared war. I will find out something that makes you crazy, and when I do, I'll pay you back. You won't know when or where. Beware."

"Bring it on, Angel Lips," I said with a huge smirk.

"I dare you," Ashes taunted.

"I can't wait," Dragon said with a grin.

Instead of her getting upset, which I thought she might, our remarks made her smile. It was an evil one. Oh shit, what had we gotten ourselves into?