“Shall we?” I ask, as Faye stretches a little.
“We shall. Show me what you’ve got, Anna,” she says, stepping to me, raising her clenched fists in front of her body. “If you want to stop, just say when, all right?”
I nod and step closer to her. She strikes first, her punch aiming for my jaw. I block her arm before it reaches my face and strike back with my own hit. Neither of us is hitting with all our strength—it’s more about who can get in the hits than how hard they are. She somehow gets me in a hold, turning me around and wrapping her arm around my neck, applying only a little pressure. I elbow her in the stomach, which has her stepping back, her eyes full of excitement, and the corners of her lips turned upward. “I think I’m going to like you, Anna.”
I grin. “I hope I can say the same.”
She laughs then, and shakes her head at me. “Let me teach you something I learned last week.”
I perk up at the prospect of learning something new. “I’d like that.”
We share a smile.
Looks like I found some common ground with the queen bee after all.
* * *
Sweaty, my sports bra and yoga pants plastered to my skin, I walk out of the club’s gym and head straight to my room, wanting a shower more than anything.
“Now I see what Rake was talking about when he said you were badass,” Arrow says, leaning against the wall with one leg bent. “You held your own.”
I smirk. “I know. Now let me pass, I have to take a shower.”
His gaze rakes over me from head to toe, making me feel as though he missed nothing. When his eyes hit mine again, I can see the heat in them.
“Fuck,” he whispers. “You’re perfect.”
He takes a step closer to me, but then we hear voices. Sounds like the women are back.
“I’m so glad Arrow is the one staying behind,” we hear one woman say. Arrow’s eyes don’t leave mine as we listen to them chatter.
“Looks like I’ll be the only one getting laid while the men are away.”
I don’t look away, but I try with everything in me to not let the hurt shine through. Arrow reaches out and cups my jaw.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs, longing in his gruff voice. “But not for me.”
“Only because you don’t care enough to fight for what you want,” I reply, lifting my chin. “Now let me go.”
He knows what I mean, because he breaks contact between us and rubs the back of his neck.
He needs to let me go. No more of this I want you but I can’t have you shit. If he really wanted me, he would damn well take me.
“Arrow, there you are!” a woman says as she walks up to us; seeing me, she frowns. “Who are you?”
Arrow turns to her and winces. “Get the fuck out of here, Jill.”
She nods and retreats, following his orders like an obedient dog. I’d seen enough. I know there’s more to Arrow, so much more, but it’s like he doesn’t care. He doesn’t want to be that person. I read somewhere that the worst mistake a woman can make is to fall in love with a man’s potential.
I will not be making that mistake.
It also seems I am locked in a house for a few days with Arrow and his girlfriend.
Just fucking great.
I avoid his gaze and push past him, our bodies touching, my arm rubbing against his chest. That small bit of contact makes me want to moan, the feel of his hard, muscled body.
It’s official—I need to get laid.
* * *
Faye introduces me to all the women. Names and faces blur, but there’s Allie, a redhead named Jess, a cute girl named Katie, and, of course, Jill. Jill was, according to Faye, a club whore who had clung on to Arrow, and she now only serviced him. Her words, not mine. Then there was Clover, Faye and Sin’s beautiful little girl. The biker princess, I liked to call her—she was absolutely adorable.
I watched Sin and Clover together, and I couldn’t look away. He is so sweet with her, and it made me wish I had that growing up. I’m blessed to have Rake, but he didn’t compensate for lack of a father figure. Watching Sin lift Clover up on his shoulders and her giggling and calling out “Daddy!” made me miss something I’d stopped yearning for years ago. The wishes and dreams of a young little girl, waiting for her father to come and save her. A father who never did.
“I’m trying to find a nanny,” Faye says, looking down at her sleeping daughter. We were alone, sitting in the living room. “The club is keeping me busy working for them, and Sin can’t watch her all the time.”
An idea pops into my head.
“I could ask my best friend, Lana. She’s great with kids, completely trustworthy, and she needs a job while she’s still in school,” I reply.
Faye nods. “I met her once. You think she’d be interested?”
“I could ask,” I say. “There isn’t anyone I would trust more with my own kid. And she would keep quiet about club shit.”
Faye grins, opening an apple juice box and taking a sip. “Club shit—don’t let Dex hear you say that.”
I pick up my glass from the coffee table in front of me and take a sip. “Duly noted.”
“So what the hell is going on with you and Arrow?” she asks.
I look down into my drink, which has suddenly become very interesting. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Really,” she purrs. “The sexual tension is so high even I’m getting turned on.”
I choke on my drink, orange and vodka dripping down my chin.
“Sexy.” She smirks as I wipe it away with the back of my hand.
“Arrow is Arrow,” I say, sighing.
“That he is,” she says, giving me an inquisitive look. “I love him like he is my own brother, you know, but even I know his flaws. However, he has a heart of gold and a reason for being like he is. He used to be a lot more easygoing. When I first met him, sure, he had his grumpy side, but he was also quick to joke and put up with all my shit.”
Interested, I lean forward and gesture for her to continue.
“Mary,” she whispers. “She was a good friend of mine, and Arrow’s woman. The men went on a run and she was shot when another MC broke into the compound.”
My eyes widen. “So when they say dangerous, they aren’t fucking around.”
“I know,” she says. “Anyway, Arrow took that on himself, and he’s been miserable ever since. Except . . . when he’s around you.”
I put my hand up. “Don’t read into that. He’s been clear as crystal about where the two of us stand. And let’s not forget Jill.”
“I can’t pretend to know what goes through his head, but I know that since Mary I haven’t seen him have any interest in another woman—”
“Except for sex.”
She cringes. “Well, yeah. When I saw him with you it was like you breathed the life back into him. It was a good thing to see.”
“So he loved Mary?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
She nods, a sad look taking over her expression. “There’s no one who didn’t love Mary. She was kind, sweet, and gentle. How she ended up with a biker like Arrow I never knew, but she was all things good in the world.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. I could never compare to that, and I shouldn’t be expected to. It’s obvious that Arrow isn’t the man for me. If only I could curb this stupid attraction I have for him. It’s bad enough he’s hooking up with random skanks every night—competing with the ghost of his ex-lover is not something I want to do. I’m sorry for his loss; in fact, I wish he still had Mary. Arrow deserves to be happy; I’d want that for him.
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask her.
She wrings her hands. “I think you’ll be good for him. I think that he wants you but is fighting it. He’s letting the past control his future. He’s not letting himself be happy because of the guilt and pain he’s still carrying over Mary’s death.”
Why does he feel guilt, I have to wonder. It wasn’t his fault. His lifestyle is a dangerous one, and I’m sure Mary knew that. Maybe because he couldn’t protect her . . . Yeah, I could see a man like Arrow being guilty over that. He’s probably carrying a whole lot of shit on his shoulders.