I snort and shake my head as she wipes down the bar around me. “Yeah right, do I meet your expectations?” I joke as I watch her grab a beer to give to one of the other men.
“Sort of.” Lindsey flashes a pretty smile and comes back over. “I mean, you used to be a ballerina, and you haven’t been by, so I figured you’d be a little vanilla.” she says, looking me up and down. I realize I don’t look like the typical daughter of a biker guy like James, so I’m not offended.
Instead, I let out a sharp, breathy laugh and take a sip of the water. “Let’s just say, I never really embraced this lifestyle.”
Lindsey nods like she understands. “It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure.”
“I mean, I have no problem with people who do,” I say quickly, hoping I didn’t insult her. “I just… I had other plans…” I finish, quietly.
“I get it,” she says and leans on the counter towards me. “Nothing wrong with that. This place, these guys, it can be rough. You know that first-hand.” I tense immediately and shake the dark memories away before they can properly manifest in my mind. She goes on, “But these guys have looked out for me. Gave me a job. Helped me when I ran away from an abusive relationship. I get protection and I can earn a living.” She shrugs. “It works for me and I like it.”
I think about how protective Shay and James had always been. Despite their controlling ways, I’ve always felt safe with them and the guys at the club. I just didn’t like the fact that my stepdad cheated on my mum all the time, and I suspect they are possibly involved in some illegal bullshit. I think that’s another reason why Mum always fought with the guys, but I don’t know all the details. They never talk to me about club matters. I just have my suspicions based on what I’ve stumbled in on from time to time… bloody shirts, sketchy looking tools in the garage, late hour visits into Ashland where the Faceless headquarters are based. No one would enter someone else’s turf as often as the Beasts do the Faceless unless they had some mutual understanding or agreement.
Lindsey moves on to where Gavin is sitting quietly near the end of the bar. As soon as she stops before him, he lowers his dark eyes, and talks quietly to her. She leans in to hear him, smiling and nodding before grabbing him a glass of some harder liquor. I’m almost done with my food when Cody comes up behind me again and pulls me out of my seat. I cough as I choke a little on my bite of lasagna and squirm as he carries me back to the pool table. “Watch my leg, ass-hat!” I snap.
“Rematch, Precious!” He sounds positively gleeful as he ignores my insult. “I’ll even instruct you this time. No charge.”
Before I knew it, Cody had me bent over the table in his arms, pressing into my backside as he maneuvered the cue in my hands to line up a ball. At once, Aron and Gavin frown at him and call him out. “Yo, dude,” Aron calls, “back the fuck up.”
“What? I’m just showing her how to play…” Cody says with a way-too innocent undertone.
I shake my head and elbow his side. “This is so beyond cheesy,” I tell him. “I think I’ve seen this move pulled in at least five romantic comedies.” Yes, Cody was cute, but the last thing I wanted was his hands on me this way. It felt all wrong. I shoved back against him, trying to get him to move away while keeping my balance, when Shay finally reappears in the lounge. At once, his silver eyes lock onto us and he glowers at the sight of Cody holding my hips while pinning me against the pool table. He crosses the room like a predator on the hunt and at once, Aron and Gavin jump to their feet while Leif swings his barstool around to face us, looking like he was about to watch a show. I quickly gave Cody another shove and said loudly, “Hey, Shay!”
Cody lets me go at once and turns, smiling playfully at his friend. “Hey, Manic. Finish things up with Sheik and Bull?”
Shay stops about a foot away from Cody, arms crossed over his chest, and glares down at him in a way that would have made most men shake with fear. Even Aron and Gavin seem nervous. Cody swallows hard, giving himself away, though he tries to appear confident and tough as he stands his ground. When had he become so cocky? Especially against Shay? I mean, the first time I ever saw Cody Miller, Shay had been kicking his ass at the summer barbeque all those years ago.
Shay says nothing and reaches around him, his arm brushing against his friends as he takes my hand and pulls me over to himself. I don’t put up a fight. I know better than that. Not now when Shay looks absolutely murderous, and not in front of his brothers. James always told me to mind my manners at the club. Never argue, never disrespect him or other members, especially in public.
Shay pulls me against his chest so that my forehead is pressed into the dog tags I’d given him, which rest right over his heart. His thick arms wrap around me tightly, but his eyes never leave Cody’s. I felt like I could choke on the tension and testosterone that fills the air, like a heavy perfume. I keep quiet and still as I wait nervously for something to happen, all while praying for James to come in and intervene.
“I’m giving you a pass this time, brother,” Shay says finally, his voice deep and full of warning that makes me shiver “You know not to touch her.”
“She has no cut or tattoo.”
“Doesn’t matter. She's family. You’ve always known…”
Silence follows this statement and in that moment, I wished I could teleport myself the hell out of there. This was beyond mortifying. I wanted to tell them that they were both being ridiculous, that too much was being read into the situation, but when I peek up at Shay, the darkness in his glare silences me.
Cody finally laughed, though the sound was uneasy. “Sorry, brother. Meant no disrespect.”
“You knew the line. You crossed it. The only reason I’m not beating the shit out of you is because you have been loyal to me ‘til now… don’t fuck it up.”
“I’m still loyal. I get it. Hands off.”
I hear him step back then and Shay’s hold on me relaxes, but he doesn’t let go. Instead, he tucks his chin to look down at me. “You okay, Sweetness?”
“I’m fine. It’s all good, Shay. Cody was just teaching me how to play pool.” I know why I was defending Cody, because as much as I didn’t appreciate his hands on me like that, I didn’t want Shay to lose his shit because of it, either. It would just cause him problems with the club. And if he trashed the place and bloodied Cody up because of me, well, pretty sure members would have a problem with that. They didn’t like women intervening with their business, which was why James and my mum fought so much. She hated that he was always here.
I grin up at him, hoping to ease the tension. “I’m having a great birthday.”
At that, he visibly softens and flashes a rare, small smile at me. “Yeah? Did you get something to eat?”
“Ava brought some stuff over… I was actually going to hang out with Kate and-”
Before I can finish talking, Shay lifts me up, my chest crushed to his, and carries me back to the couch sitting beneath the birthday banner. He sits down, arranging me so that I’m in his lap. This wasn’t all that unusual, as I used to sit in his lap all the time as a kid, but now, it didn’t feel the same, especially when I think about the spanking and the frequent kisses and touches he gave me each night this week. The way he placed a hand over my stomach, gentle yet firm, makes me feel safe in this noisy, crowded room. No one can get to me while I’m with him. But… I can feel curious eyes on us as they take in our close proximity to each other and I feel a little chagrined. I shift a bit, deciding it would probably be best if I wasn’t sitting on my stepbrother, and beside him instead, but Shay firmly keeps me in place.