by Emma Slate
I didn’t call Joni back to tell her not to bother coming over because I had a plan. A plan to get Joni and Zip in the same place and see what happened. It was pure evil, but maybe they needed a push in each other’s direction. My new friend wanted him, and I wanted to see his reaction to her.
Thanks to Laura—the club groupie who had brought over bags of used clothes—I had a wealth of new cute outfits to choose from. I settled on a comfortable spaghetti-strap, blue cotton dress that hit just above the knee. It showed off the freckled skin of my shoulders. I was just putting the finishing touches on my lashes when the doorbell rang. I went downstairs to answer it, glad to see it was Joni looking hot and tall in a pair of dark, skinny-leg jeans, a black, flowy tank top, and long, silver, dangle earrings.
“You look amazing!” I stated, waving her inside.
Her high heels clacked on the wood floor as she entered. Smiling, she said, “Thanks. You look pretty, too. You ready to go? Cheese can follow us.”
“Uh, yeah, about that. Colt wanted Zip to drive me.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “Then why am I here?”
There was a knock on the door and I shot her a look. “Just go with it, okay?” She nodded, and when I opened the door Zip stood on the porch. Leather cut, wavy blond hair, sharp blue eyes—focused on Joni.
“Hi,” he greeted.
“Hey,” she answered.
“I’m such an idiot,” I chirped. “Joni offered to give me a ride, and I forgot to call her and tell her you were driving me.”
“No sweat,” Zip said.
“Why don’t we carpool?” I suggested.
“Isn’t it easier if Joni takes her car?” Zip asked.
“She wants to drink,” I blurted out. “And I don’t want her to drive.”
Zip’s eyes slid to Joni.
“Uh, yeah. I want to drink,” Joni stated. “A lot.”
“Okay,” Zip sighed in feigned annoyance, though it appeared to be all for show. “You guys ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I said. I grabbed my cell phone off the coffee table and a spare key, realizing that I didn’t have a purse.
“I can hold those for you,” Zip said after I locked up. Cheese was on his bike. Revving the engine, he waved and then pulled away.
“Thanks,” I said, handing Zip my two items of importance. I was excited to get out of Colt’s house. As comfortable as his home was, I was about to scale the walls just to have something to do.
I climbed into the back of Zip’s black SUV before Joni could. I wanted to give her the front seat. It was unbelievable watching them. They repelled like magnets, except for their gazes. They couldn’t stop looking at one another. I wondered if Colt had any idea about the attraction between his VP and his sister.
The drive to the clubhouse was quiet. I stared out of the window, watching the flat land swish past. The entire ride was filled with tension and silence. When we arrived at the clubhouse, I immediately hopped out of the car, wanting to escape Joni and Zip’s weird bubble of avoidance and sexual tension.
I waited for Joni to get out of the car and then followed her inside. We moved through the expansive living room to the open-designed kitchen. Darcy stood at the granite island, cling-wrapping a plate of raw hamburger patties.
“Hey, sugar!” Darcy greeted, leaning over to give me a cheek brush. “How did you feel this morning?”
“Slow to start,” I admitted. “But after my second cup of coffee, I felt okay.”
She nodded. “Girls’ nights can get rowdy. That one was pretty tame. Wait until we go out dancing.”
I paused, surprised that she was already inviting me to another girls’ night out.
“I’m so glad I didn’t have to work at the hospital today,” Joni said with a laugh. “I was fairly useless until about ten this morning.”
“Didn’t we drink the same amount?” I looked at her. “Did I drink you under the table?”
“It would appear that way, yes,” Joni said with amusement.
I gestured with my chin to the counter. “What can I do?”
“Take that plate of hotdogs outside and hand them to Gray. He’s at the grill.”
“Put me to work,” Joni commanded.
“Condiments need to go on the tables,” Darcy dictated.
“Got it.” Joni went to the fridge and rooted around the shelves, pulling out bottles of mustard and ketchup. Her butt was on display in her amazing jeans and I caught Zip staring at it.
“Zip, find me a prospect and send him in,” Darcy said. “I need another case of beer brought up from the basement.”
Zip grinned. “These parties would be a shit show without you here.”
Darcy rolled her eyes. “They turn into a shit show after a few bottles of bourbon.”
He kissed her cheek on his way toward the hallway. He gestured for me to follow and when we got to the back door, he opened it, allowing me to go out first.
Before I could continue to the grill, Zip put his hand on my arm and stopped me.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
I frowned in confusion and lifted the plate of hotdogs. “I thought it was obvious.”
“Not that. The shit you pulled with me and Joni?”
“You and Joni?” I asked, feigning innocence. “There is no you and Joni.”
Zip’s jaw clenched and his blue eyes went frosty. “Stay out of it.”
“Stay out of what?”
“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered. He reached into his pocket to retrieve my phone and keys before stalking away to join a few Blue Angels sitting around in folding chairs, coolers of beer nearby.
Smiling to myself, I approached the guy at the grill who was at least ten years older than Darcy. His salt-and-pepper hair was pulled back into a ponytail, his muscled arms heavily inked. He shut the lid of the gas barbecue grill and glanced at me.
“Those for me, darlin’?” he asked, gesturing to the plate of hotdogs.
“I think they are.” I handed the plate over and said, “I’m Mia.”
He grinned, white teeth appearing through a salt-and-pepper beard. “I know who you are.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Welcome. Grab a beer and get to know the boys.”
“I’ll do that,” I murmured.
I had plans to introduce myself to everyone, but Joni was a step ahead of me and took it upon herself to lead me around after she set out the condiments. I sipped on a beer while conversing with Boxer—the blond flirt I’d met the first day. He was charming and carefree, but I didn’t think for a second he couldn’t be strong and forceful. He was a Blue Angel.
Kids ran around, yelling and laughing. Adults conversed near the salsa and chips while Gray manned the grill. When Boxer left me alone to grab another beer, I escaped. Everyone was nice, but curious, so the questions had been steady for the better part of an hour.
Colt still hadn’t shown up yet.
I wandered away from people, ambling toward a group of kids that were hanging out under a tree. I didn’t know who belonged to whom, but there were eight of them, with more girls than boys, age range varied.
Two of the older girls glanced at me with shy smiles. A young boy, maybe ten years old, was bolder. He got up off the ground and ran toward me, a mop of dark brown hair falling into his eyes. Brushing his hair away from his face, he peered up at me with a huge grin. He was missing his two front teeth, and it only made him cuter.
“Hi!” he said.
“Hi, there.”
“Who are you?”
“Mia. Who are you?”
“Cameron. You can call me Cam. Did you know asparagus makes your pee smell funny?”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. As solemnly as I could, I answered, “I did know that.”
“He’s been telling everyone that fun little fact,” one of the older girls said, calling out from her spot under the tree.
“What happened to your arm?” Cam asked, gesturing to my cast.
“Oh, I trip
ped over a tree root.”
Cam’s brown eyes widened. “Really?”
I nodded. “I’m clumsy.”
The boy latched onto my uninjured hand and pulled me toward his friends. “Want to sit with us?”
“Sure,” I said, parking it on the grass and sitting on my haunches so my sundress hit my knees.
Because they were kids and naturally inquisitive, they asked me tons of questions without worrying if they were inappropriate. But they were adorable and full of energy, and before I knew it, we were all engaged in a game of tag and I was It.
Pretending to be out of breath and slow, I sank down to my knees. The youngest girl of the group—a little blond moppet named Lily who happened to be Cam’s sister—approached me.
“Help!” I panted. “I’m tired!”
The girl took another step toward me, coming within my reach. I attacked her with tickles, her shrieks of laughter loud and infectious.
“You’re It!” I teased, standing up, brushing the grass off my knees. My dress was dirty, but I didn’t care.
“I don’t want to be It,” she said. “I want a hotdog.”
“Me too,” I said. I held out my hand to her, and she clasped it. “Let’s go.” I looked at the other kids. “You guys hungry?”
There was a chorus of ‘yesses’ and then we were off for food. The gaggle of kids surrounded me. The older girls, who I learned were thirteen—Allison’s sister and her friend—were at that age where they thought adults weren’t cool. But they were excited to talk to me. Guess I didn’t scream adult to them. They asked me questions about clothes and makeup, and they brought me into their inner circle.
“Will you fix my hotdog for me?” Lily asked, scrambling up to take a seat on a picnic table bench.
Before I could answer, Darcy jumped in, “You don’t have to make her a hotdog. I can do that.”
“Ah, so Lily and Cam belong to you,” I said with a smile. Lily had Darcy’s nose, and their resemblance was easy to see once they were together.
“I claim them,” Darcy said, picking up a paper plate and filling it with a little bit of everything and a hotdog.
“Plain,” Lily reminded her.
Darcy set the plate down in front of Lily and then before the little girl could protest, Darcy had a paper napkin tucked into the front of Lily’s dress so she wouldn’t get food on herself. “I’m not a baby,” Lily muttered as Darcy moved on, fixing a plate for Cam.
I made my own paper bib and stuck it in the front of my dress. I winked at Lily who giggled. I procured myself a plate of food and was munching away, purposefully getting mustard all over my face to make Lily feel better.
“You’re messy!”
“Yes, I am,” I agreed, wiping the mustard off my cheeks.
She lost all interest in me when she looked across the lawn and bellowed, “Uncle Colt!” She climbed down from her seat and ran toward him.
I watched in amazement as the broody biker lifted the little girl high in the air above his head. His face was soft and open as he carried Lily back to her seat and plopped her down. She began eating again, a wide smile across her face as she chewed.
“What happened to your eye?” she asked Colt.
“I walked into a tree branch,” Colt said, not missing a stride.
“Really?” Cam piped up. “Mia tripped on a tree root. You guys are clumsy.”
“Yes, we really are,” I agreed. I bit my lip to stem a smile.
Colt grinned at me and reached up to wipe something off my cheek.
“Mustard?” I guessed.
“Yeah.”
“Did you stop off and get beer and chips?” I asked him, spearing a piece of watermelon and putting it in my mouth.
“Nope.” Colt piled his plate high with potato salad, a hotdog, and a cheeseburger.
“What? Oh man, now everyone will think I’m a bad party guest.”
Colt looked at me in amusement. “This party is for you, you know.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he said, taking a bite of the cheeseburger. “The guys wanted to meet you.”
“Why?”
He grinned. “Why do you think?”
“Because I’m a novelty.”
Looking up from his food, he stared at me. “One of a kind.”
Happiness curled through me and I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face.
Chapter 11
Afternoon sank into evening. Gray lit the bonfire and Darcy brought out the ingredients for S’mores. Lily and Cam sat on either side of me on a log, asking me to make them dessert. I looked to Darcy who told them they could have one each. They grumbled, but when I promised I’d only eat one too and then smeared melted chocolate on all of our faces, they giggled and didn’t care.
I caught Colt’s gaze, flickering and dark in the firelight. Looking relaxed, he sipped his beer, nodding every few beats to something Zip was saying. Throughout the barbecue, I’d sought him out. Even when I was talking to Joni or Rachel, and some of the other Old Ladies, my mind and gaze wandered to Colt. There were a few times that I’d caught him looking at me, too.
Studying him in his element with his club showed me a different side of him. Though he was always in control, this was Colt around his tribe. I gave myself the luxury of a fantasy of what my life would look like if I chose to stay.
Acceptance. Family. Home.
Was I knowingly going to walk away from that?
The more time I spent with Colt, the more I was beginning to think he was right. We did fit together, we did understand one another, we were both looking for something more out of life than to just get by after the deaths of loved ones.
My thoughts were heavy as the night wore on. Those with children were gearing up to leave. Cam and Lily hugged me goodnight and then Darcy took them home. The kids who were siblings of members or girlfriends had their mothers come get them and then it was just the adults. Conversations turned low, and people split off into couples. I watched Joni and Zip sit next to each other but not touch or talk.
Wanting to be just a little bit closer to the fire, I got up off the log to sit on the ground. I felt someone at my back, and then the sweep of my hair off my shoulder. Colt’s large, warm hand rested on my neck, his thumb stroking the curve. I leaned back against his knees and closed my eyes, the heat of the fire warm at my front. A slight spring breeze tickled my ear and I let out a sigh.
He leaned down and inquired, “Meant to ask…did you sign up for online classes?”
I shook my head. “No, I need my credit card to seal the deal and it hasn’t arrived yet.”
Colt paused. “I’ve got a credit card.”
“You’re not suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.”
“Use my credit card,” he stated.
“You trust me not to do an online shopping spree?”
“Yeah, I trust you.”
My insides felt like mush. “I’ll pay you back.”
“Fine,” he answered brusquely.
I smiled even though he couldn’t see me. I would never be someone who would take handouts and give nothing in return. I wasn’t wired that way. I liked to contribute on my own and bring something real to the table. Colt seemed inclined to want to take care of me. He was president of the Blue Angels and an older brother. It was in his DNA to be in control and to protect. I could appreciate that about him, but I had no trouble pushing back and letting him know I could take care of myself. I was glad he’d take my money when the time came.
The atmosphere of the party changed with the departure of children and the arrival of young women in tight clothing. I watched as some of the married men groped and made out with the women who had come to the club gathering. Darcy and the other Old Ladies hadn’t talked about this part of club life. It was one thing to sleep around when you were single, but these were married men and it felt like a different deal all together.
Zip got off the log next to Joni, took his beer bottle and went to a skimpy
-clad woman with fake breasts. She screeched in excitement and then jumped into his arms. He caught her and then they started making out.
“Ew,” I muttered and then discreetly glanced at Joni. Her gaze had dropped to her lap, and I knew she was battling her hurt.
With a squeeze to Colt’s leg, I stood up from the ground, my tailbone numb. “Bathroom,” I said to Colt. He nodded. I walked over to Joni and without a word, grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the party and the man she couldn’t have.
“I think I’ll ask Cheese for a ride,” Joni said when we were far enough away from the bonfire not to be overheard. Defeat weighed heavily in her voice. “He’s sober and I’ve got to get out of here.”
We entered the hallway of the clubhouse, passing more women on their way out to the bonfire. They looked ready to party, some of them already swaying on their high heels.
“Don’t go,” I pled. “Hang out with me.”
Darcy had left. Rachel had disappeared with Reap into his clubhouse room, and Allison was too quiet and I felt like when we spoke, I was speaking at her.
“I can’t do this,” Joni said. “I’ve watched him do this for years, and I’m done. I need to be done.”
“Stay and fight for him.”
“He doesn’t even see me—and if he wants to play around, then fine, but I won’t wait for him anymore.”
“I’ll walk with you to find Cheese.”
“Most of them are like that,” Joni said. “Fuck anything that walks—a lot of the married guys are the same way.”
“Gray plays around on Darcy? I find that hard to believe.”
“I said ‘most’. Gray’s a solid, faithful guy.”
“I guess not all men are cheaters.”
We exited the clubhouse and stood on the porch. I looked around for Cheese and found him standing guard with a prospect named Acid.
“Colt’s not like that,” Joni said.
“He’s not?”
She shook her head. “Dad never played around on Mom and Colt is cut from the same cloth as our father.”
“Is that why you all keep pushing me to be with Colt? Even though it’s so sudden? I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of intensity…”
