“Kodiak said you tased him,” Fuzz says with a smirk and I laugh, nodding my head.
“Uh, yeah. I did.”
“Why?”
I shrug. “’Cause he was being a dick.”
Hoots and hollers rise up around us.
“Oh, she’s going to fit right in,” someone says and my heat skips a beat because for the first time in my life, I really do feel like I belong here. My skin crawls with the sensation of being watched again and I glance toward the grill where Blaze is still staring at me, his face white and his eyes filled with pain. What the hell is with this guy?
Smith stands up and trudges over to us before dropping another fifty in Lincoln’s lap.
“Thanks, Tate,” he grumbles and I shrug.
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
Moose snorts out a laugh and slaps Smith on the back as he plops back down in his seat and chugs his beer.
“Now, I’m told that I need to ask y’all the stories behind your names?” I ask, glancing back at Lincoln as he grins. Moose groans and the guys start to laugh.
“What’s wrong, Moose? Don’t you want to tell Tate how you got your name?” Chance asks and he shakes his head.
“Naw, I’m good.”
“Well, I’ll tell it,” Smith says, launching into a story about a girl who knocked Moose out with a tranquilizer dart in an attempt to kidnap him and when he went down, he started moaning like a moose.
The entire circle falls into hysterics and my belly aches by the time we finally calm down.
“That story gets better every time I hear it,” Ali says, wiping at her eyes.
Moose grumbles and takes a sip of his beer. “Speak for yourself.”
“What about you, Smith?” I ask and he shrugs.
“That’s just my name, same as Chance. Fuzz was a cop in a previous life, Streak is the luckiest son of a bitch you’ll ever meet, Kodiak used to be a moody bear but not so much since he met you and the same goes for Storm since he met Ali.”
“And Blaze used to like to set fires,” Lincoln says and I glance toward the grill, scowling when I find two blue eyes still locked on me. Finally, he blinks and turns away from us before stomping into the clubhouse. No one else even notices but I glance back at Lincoln, who just shakes his head. What the hell is going on?
“Tate, come dance with us,” Ali says, holding her hand out to me and I smile as I take it and let her pull me off Lincoln’s lap.
“Just don’t bounce too much,” Storm grumbles and she rolls her eyes before arching a brow.
“Not even on your…”
“Watch it,” he snaps, cutting her off and I laugh as she wraps her arm around my waist with a victorious grin on her face. Carly, Ali, and I move away from the boys a little bit, closer to the speakers as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen starts playing. Ali starts out singing the first part and when she stops, I pick up where she left off, really getting into it as they laugh. After a few minutes, they sit down at one of the picnic tables and I join them.
“So, what do you do, Tate?” Carly asks.
“Uh, I’m just a waitress.”
Ali shrugs. “Hey, no harm in that. If you’re doing what you love, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”
“I wouldn’t say that I love it but I like it and it pays my bills. I’m actually thinking about going to school, though.”
“For what?” Ali asks, leaning back and propping her arms up on the table. Gravel crunches as someone walks up behind us and we all turn as Storm slams a bottle of water down on the table.
“Drink.”
She rolls her eyes again. “For fuck’s sake, Logan.”
“Drink,” he repeats, pointing to the bottle and she nods as she grabs it.
“Man, he’s bossy,” I point out as he walks away and she laughs, shooting water out of her nose.
“Oh, you’ve got no idea. Don’t worry, though. He’ll get his later for being such an ass tonight. He’s been especially uptight since we found out I’m pregnant.” She places a hand against her belly and I smile, imagining that for myself one day.
“How far along are you?”
“Only about six weeks which is why I’ve been trying to convince her to get pregnant with me,” she says, nudging Carly who sputters out a laugh and holds her hands up.
“Uh, no. I think Chance and I are good on the baby front for a while.”
The guys drop off three plates of food for us before going back to the grill and we chat as we eat. I’ve never been all that good at making new friends but with Ali and Carly, it’s easy to just be myself and they seem to like me. As I turn to glance at Lincoln, I see Blaze watching me from his seat by the fire and I scowl.
“What’s the deal with Blaze?” I ask and both girls turn to look at him.
“What do you mean?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. He’s just been watching me all night long.”
“Don’t let it bother you,” Ali urges. “Logan says that something has been off with him lately and he’s just grumpy.”
“So he doesn’t hate me then?”
Carly shakes her head. “No way. I don’t think Blaze hates anyone. He may look mean but the man’s a big teddy bear.”
“Speaking of bears… How did you and Kodiak meet?” Ali asks and I laugh, remembering the first time he came into the diner.
“Uh, I was his waitress and he was rude to me so I pretty much told him to go fuck himself.”
Both girls burst out laughing and the guys glance in our direction before turning back to the fire.
“That’s just perfect,” Ali mutters, shaking her head. “I swear, it’s what these guys need most of the time.”
I giggle. “What? Someone to put them in their place?”
She nods and starts talking about how ridiculous the guys can be, which has me in stitches by the time Lincoln approaches the table.
“Hey, baby. You about ready to get out of here?”
I turn to him and smile. “Yeah.”
“It was so nice to see you again,” Ali says, standing up and giving me a hug. “Get my number from Kodiak and we’ll hang out sometime, okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, that sounds great.”
Lincoln leads me back over to the fire where all the guys are. “Hey, we’re heading out.”
“Great to meet you, Tate,” Moose calls from his chair, holding his beer up and I nod.
“You, too.”
Smith jumps up and gives me a hug that makes Lincoln growl. “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”
“I think that’s enough,” Lincoln snaps, peeling Smith away from me and I grin at the knowing look in his eye.
“Thanks for inviting me,” I say to the whole circle. “It was great meeting all of you.”
We turn to leave and Lincoln slips his hand in mine, lacing our fingers together as we walk toward the car.
“Tate!” someone calls and I glance over my shoulder to see Smith waving to me. “When Kodi fucks up, I’ll be right here waiting, baby.”
I start laughing as Lincoln spins around and flips him off.
“You’re damn lucky I don’t break your neck tonight, Lucas,” he growls and a few of the guys laugh.