And mine. Yeah.
It wasn’t official with me and Jade. Not yet. But I knew as much as I'd rip any cockhead apart that tried to fuck Jade, she’d do the same for me. Jesus. Just the thought of another man touching my Princess, had steam coming from my ears.
So no, I wasn’t tappin’ that ass, no matter how tempting, or how horny I felt. Because if I wanted the same behavior from Jade, I had to give her that, too. If there was one thing I never fucked with it was Karma. Because yeah, that bitch had a way of leveling things that us humans had no idea about.
I needed a fucking beer. Pronto.
“Where you been, brother?” Cobra asked as I got back to the clubroom.
“Just to check my room was OK.” I pulled a beer and virtually gulped it down in one go.
“Something happen there?” Cobra raised an eyebrow. Brother was sharp. He knew me so well that it was scary as fuck.
“Nah. All good,” I said as I downed the last drop and went to get another for Cobra and myself.
“Where the hell is the barmaid? Isn’t that her fucking job?” Cobra complained as he nodded toward the bar. He was grumpy as fuck. I knew he was in pain and had to get back to resting soon.
“Yeah, where is she?” Razor asked as he looked around. The look on his face was thunderous. Jesus, if I’d fucked Sheila, I’d have my dick cut off by more than only Jade. Razor had it bad for the girl. And she said she’d been saving herself for me? This was some fucked-up shit. I smelled trouble brewing. If Razor hadn’t been able to get to that pussy, I was assuming neither had Ox or any of the other boys. And she was offering it to me on a platter? Since when did I get so fucking lucky? I smirked, and drank more beer.
This morning on our way here, I’d contemplated moving back to the clubhouse. I was going to talk it over with Cobra on the way home. Now I wasn’t so sure it was a good idea.
Resisting temptation seemed futile, ‘cause I knew the kind of woman Lexi was—she was going to try everything till she had my cock inside her pussy. She was the black-widow type of woman—she’d lure her prey, and then eat him afterwards. Usually that kind of game amused me. The sex was intense, borderline deadly.
A few months ago, I would’ve taken Lexi—I still thought the name Sheila suited her better—till I tired of her, and then passed her on to the brothers. I wouldn’t have cared less about anybody’s feeling as long as I was satisfied having that fine ass to myself. A few weeks or so, and I'd have had my fill of her. Because once I mastered her, got her tamed, the game ended. It always did.
And that’s exactly why I was so surprised about this thing with Jade. Now I'd had her, I thought I'd have gotten her out of my system. Instead she was fucking with my head, even when she wasn’t around.
I started feeling more sympathy for Cobra. I’d always teased him about his possessiveness with Mia: the way he wanted to own her, and went mental if another man just looked at her too long. And Mia was a beautiful woman, so it happened a lot. Especially when she had that glow about her when she was pregnant; then, men had found her irresistible. So much so that Cobra considered locking her up at home when he wasn’t around. Understanding was beginning to dawn on me about how a man could feel like that.
It also said a lot about our brotherhood that he trusted me to live alone in a house with Mia and his two kids. Not that he really had a fucking choice with all those bullets lodged in his body.
Cobra brought me out of my thoughts with a slap on the back. “Hey man, I’m talking to you.”
“What?”
“I said: I’ve organized for a barbeque next Sunday—here at the compound. Brothers need a morale booster. We need to get our fucking shit together. Show those motherfuckers we ain't scared or broken.”
I sucked in a breath. Fuck. That would be dangerous. But Cobra was right—we were acting like scared pussies. It was time to get back in the saddle.
“Are you up to it, brother?” I was concerned that Cobra was trying to do too much too soon.
“Yeah. Fuck this shit. A man’s gotta do what he has to do. Besides, I already spoke to Mia about it. She agrees it will be good for building the club spirit back up. In typical woman fashion, she’s already planning the food.”
Mia was levelheaded. I trusted her judgment. If she thought Cobra was up to it—and she should know—I’d go along with it.
I nodded. I'd just put extra security on for the day. Be extra careful, ‘cause I had a tingling down my spine, and that didn't bode well.
Lexi sauntered back behind the bar counter, not looking in my direction. She smiled sweetly at an agitated Razor, and flirted outrageously with the man. Razor’s frown melted and he seemed to lap up the attention. Was she trying to make me jealous? I chuckled to myself. Bitches. When would a man ever understand them? At least Razor was happy and was benefitting, so I just watched their interaction with amusement.
It still niggled at my mind: I knew Lexi from somewhere. But where?
“Ready to head back to LA?” I finished my beer and banged the glass down on the counter, suddenly eager to get back to the city.
Chapter 13 ~ Jade
I wasn’t sure exactly how to dress for the occasion. I'd never been to a barbeque at a MC compound. Why I'd even accepted Mia’s invitation was beyond me. Mia had told me Ryder was living between the house and the compound since Cobra had come out of hospital. I guessed it was because he wanted to give the family their own space, yet needed to check that they were safe. I also knew that Ryder would use any excuse to go for a ride on his beautiful Harley.
But it was all a new experience for me. I was going into unknown and scary-as-hell territory. Especially after I’d had such tainted ideas of what bikers were all about for so long.
In my gut, I knew the answer: I wanted to see Ryder in his natural habitat, so to speak. I’d only ever seen him in LA, far away from his normal environment. The fancy house in Beverly Hills was out of his comfort zone, and I’d picked that up from day one. So now I wanted to see the place where he was comfortable to just be himself.
Besides, I was an adult now, I had to find out for myself what a group of bikers were all about and make up my own mind. That didn't mean I wasn’t still freaking out. Especially if Harrison found out about my plan. I shuddered just thinking about his reaction.
It was hot. Summer was in full-swing, and California was humid and uncomfortable. I chose a pair of denim shorts that I hadn’t worn in years and a white tank top. Usually I was self conscious about showing off my bare legs, but I wanted to be comfortable and just a little bit sexy. At the last minute, I slipped a shirt on, and tied a knot at my belly.
Both Mom and Daddy were on the patio, reading the Sunday paper over a cup of coffee. I poured some orange juice into a glass and made small-talk for a few minutes before announcing that I was off to a friend’s place for the day.
“Girl friend or boy friend?” Mom asked. The woman was shrewd.
I laughed. “I'm going to a barbeque with a girl friend and her family. I adore her kiddies. And—I’m hoping to make lots of new friends—girls and boys.”
“Remember lots of sunscreen. You don’t want to burn and be sore tomorrow,” she warned.
“And drink lots of water, especially if you’re having alcohol,” Daddy added.
They were just acting like they always did—caring and somewhat overprotective—but God, today it grated on my nerves. I rolled my eyes and sighed. They had to stop treating me like a damn kid.
Kissing both their foreheads, I headed off for the day. If they really knew where I was going they’d probably try to ground me.