“Oh! Um…” I stammer. I notice Cady turns to me attentively. The other women start to laugh before I can think of anything to say.
“Come on, Ember, don’t be embarrassed,” Jewel giggles. “It’s not like we’re nuns around here.”
“He’s… um… good?” I choke out. The women laugh harder. “Okay, fine. He’s really good.”
“Oooh, girl, I am not surprised! That man is a hot mess, but emphasis on the hot!” shouts an Emma Watson lookalike named Kylie.
“I thought you and Striker were seeming pretty cozy earlier today,” Cady cries. “Ember, it’s none of my business, really, but I thought you were married.”
I realize that at this point, there’s no reason not to be truthful with Cady and the others. “I’m about as married as you are, actually.” I hold up my left hand and wave it, showing her the fire opal ring. “This isn’t my wedding ring. My husband and I have been separated for a while now. I’ve been putting off filing for divorce, same as you.”
Cady’s eyes grow wide, and then she starts to crack up. “You’re kidding me!” she chortles. “Striker has been protecting Ember, just in case my crazy ex comes into town and tries to cause some shit,” Cady tells the others, glancing around the table. “Tank was worried about her since she’s our lawyer. Crazy coincidence that we’re both separated from our men and end up with one of the Lords!”
“Well, it’s not like I’m ending up with Striker,” I admit.
“Sure, but I’ve definitely never seen a woman on the back of his bike before,” Eden says calmly, putting a hand on her belly. “Striker is even more of a dog than most of these men. But he’s also got a romantic side, I think. He tries to hide it, but I think he’s a one-woman man. He just hasn’t found the woman yet. Or at least hadn’t,” she corrects, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
“Oohhh,” Eden’s sister Alix squeals, ducking her head. “He’s looking over here right now!”
All the women’s heads swivel at once to stare over at Striker, who is indeed staring this way. He blinks, confused, and turns quickly away.
“He liiiikes you!” sing-songs Stacia.
“He’s a good one,” Eden says. “Striker’s a fixer-upper for sure, but with the right woman? I bet he’d be amazing.”
“Plus, the heat he’s packing… and I don’t mean his gun,” Jewel winks.
The bartender comes with my glass of chardonnay, and the chatter turns to Striker’s hotness relative to the other men of the Lords of Carnage. It’s raucous, hilarious, and loud as hell. I’ve never had a lot of friends, and not much family to speak of. These women are a tribe, it’s clear. And I find myself longing for a place in it.
At some point, as the women move around in little mini-groups, I find myself sitting next to Eden.
“You’ve accomplished something I would have thought nearly impossible, capturing Striker’s heart,” she says to me, her lips curving upward.
“I really, really think that’s an overstatement. To be crude, we’re really just boinking,” I admit.
She giggles. “These men don’t spend this kind of time with a woman unless they’re serious about her. Trust me. Lug Nut was talking marriage with me about a week after we met.”
“Wow,” I gasp. “Well, I’m definitely not ready for that, even if you’re right.” I hesitate for a second. “I’m sorry about your husband. It must have been so hard to lose him, especially now.” I glance down at her very pregnant belly.
Eden’s eyes glisten. “It is. I keep thinking it will get easier, but it hasn’t.” She sniffs. “I don’t know how much Cady or Striker have told you about me, if anything, but I was a heroin addict. I got mixed up with some really bad people, and the Lords saved me. Lug Nut was there. He stood by me the whole time while I was detoxing and afterward. He told me he believed in me, that he knew I could get sober.” A tear falls down one of her cheeks. “He was the first person to ever make me feel deep down like I was worth something.”
“Oh, Eden.” My heart literally hurts for her.
“The Lords gave me Lug Nut,” she says, wiping under her eyes with her fingers. “But then, their lifestyle took him away from me, too. It’s been hard being around them since his death. The club decided to go legit, in part because of what happened to Lug. But I just keep thinking, why after his death? Why did he have to be the one to die?” Her voice cracks. “I love them all. And they’ve been so good to me, taking care of me and promising to take care of the baby, too. They’re my family, but it’s really hard to be around them now. Everything in Tanner Springs reminds me of Lug.”
Giving in to impulse, I put a hand on her shoulder. “I understand. Are you thinking of leaving?”
She exhales shakily. “My sister Alix is here, so I feel like I should stay. And once the baby comes, I know I won’t want to be alone. But I don’t know. Sometimes I think I need a clean break.”
Eden’s words are on my mind as we all order some food for dinner. Striker comes over and sits by me as we eat, and it really does feel like a date. He’s affectionate and funny, and more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him — probably because with all the other Lords around, he’s not as worried about guarding me. We stay out much later than I thought we would, and by the time we decide to leave, it’s almost midnight.
“I hope you’re not too sleepy,” Striker says huskily in my ear as we get ready to go. “I’ve got some plans for us when I get you back to your place.”
A bolt of desire shoots through me at the heat of his breath on my skin. “What would those plans entail?”
“You’ll just have to wait to find out,” he murmurs.
As he moves against me, I feel the hard length of him and let out a soft moan.
“You play dirty,” I whisper.
He chuckles. “You don’t know the half of it.”
The ride home in the dark is magical. The stars are out, we’re almost alone on the road, and the crisp night air contrasts with the heat of Striker’s strong, solid body. I wrap my arms around his waist, laying my head on his back. I breathe deeply and marvel at how thankful I am for this day and for this moment. I resolve not to think too hard about the future, or what this means, or anything other than what Striker is going to do to my body as soon as we get home.
By the time we reach my front door, I’m so drunk with lust I don’t even notice the scratch marks near the jamb and knob until later. I impatiently turn the key, abstractly noting there’s none of the usual resistance. Huh. Maybe I forgot to lock the door when I left.
I push the door open and feel for the light switch to the right of the frame. I flick it on.
Then I let out a loud gasp that ends in a scream.
“What is it?” Striker barks from behind me.
“Look!” I cry.
Together, we stand in the doorway, gaping. My front foyer and the living room beyond has been ransacked. Broken furniture is everywhere. Cushions have been ripped open, bulging stuffing. Fragile things are lying in fragmented heaps on the floor next to walls, as though they’ve been flung against them to break. There’s almost nothing in sight that hasn’t been ruined.