In my defense, she had five orgasms so it couldn’t have been all bad.
Ember
I didn’t need the complication of a man in my life, much less a huge mountain of a man who could turn my world upside down and inside out.
But he’d certainly done so the night before. Not to mention that morning.
Fuck, but I was sore.
He made me sit while he and Tess made breakfast for the four of us. We had biscuits and gravy and bacon and eggs and sausage and fried potatoes. Somehow, Dementor snuck a pan of cinnamon rolls into the oven when I wasn’t looking, and I stood and gave him a hug. Could he be any more thoughtful?
Tess and Mac stayed several days before Drake Security whisked her off to the next safehouse. Aaron would want Dementor with me another three or four days, probably, but we no longer had to return to my house every night. He could take me to the MC’s clubhouse now, or to his apartment.
But would he want to?
And even more, did I want him to? Yeah. I needed to see him in his element before I could make an informed decision.
While I was on campus, he stationed himself so he could see the door to the classroom I was in, and I wondered how much Aaron was paying him. It had to be a boring job, and yet, he couldn’t let his mind wander. I wasn’t sure I could stay focused, but I’d have to do just that when I became a bodyguard.
When I came out of my last class, we walked to a nearby barbecue place. As usual, he refused to let me pay. At some point, I was going to buy this man a meal, and he was going to deal with it, but I didn’t want to make a scene right then.
“Before,” I told him, “Aaron wanted me to keep to my regular schedule, and to go home when I wasn’t supposed to be somewhere. Things are more relaxed now. We can go back to your place if you want, or you can introduce me to your biker friends.”
I knew they’d lost a lot of people in the battle, so there weren’t many left. I also knew the ones still alive were fiercely loyal to each other. I didn’t know much more, and I wanted to.
“We have some people on loan from other chapters. McGyver is usually in the control room, and he’s from Chattanooga. Orange Crush and Kahn have come up from Mobile. For that matter, Bobcat’s from Chattanooga as well, but we’re hoping he’ll stay. Otherwise, it’s Mad Dog, Sasquatch, Mister Clean, Gears, and Frost, who’s about to get out of jail. We’ll throw him a huge party when he gets out. Are you up for a biker party?”
I couldn’t help my smile. If he only knew the kinds of parties I’d been to — sometimes as a party favor. “I’m pretty sure I can handle it. Is that an invitation?”
“Yeah, I guess it is. It’ll be on a school night, though.”
“Why’s he in jail?”
“Bullshit charges. Wrong place at the wrong time during the riots. He needed a quick exit and someone was dead in their four-by-four, so he pulled them out and drove off in it, intending to get off the roads to make it to safety. The cops got him for the stolen truck and brandishing a weapon and I forget what else. You’d think they’d thank the people on their side who were helping them, but...” He shrugged, obviously pissed, but he didn’t want to give it any more energy. I changed the subject.
“Are you going to let me meet some people ahead of time, so I don’t walk into a big party without knowing anyone?”
“Sure. We can eat at the MC’s restaurant after your derby practice this evening, and then run by the clubhouse after. I’d invite you to stay at my apartment, but it isn’t anywhere near as nice as your place. I have a house, but I haven’t been there in a while. We’re all staying at the apartments to keep the residents safe. I suppose I could show you my house?”
I shook my head. “Maybe your apartment and house? I’d rather see where you’re living now. I want to spend time in your space.” And I was saying way too much. He didn’t need to know how badly I wanted to get to know all of him.
“My house is more my space than the apartment. It’s temporary and it shows — it’s just a place to sleep for the time being. We advertise the complex as safe, and that means living there. We also take turns on sentry duty.”
He’d already explained that their clubhouse had been burned to the ground during the battle. They’d bought this apartment complex at a bargain price, and they’d converted the existing main building into the MC’s temporary clubhouse. They had the money to rebuild, but the construction companies all had long waiting lists. Years.
“Wherever you want to take me will be fine. I don’t need fancy.” I looked down, deciding how much to tell him. Hell, why not tell him the whole thing? I looked back up. “The first weeks with the owls, the trainers were determined to break me down to nothing. It’s like they wanted to tear the thoughts of being a princess out of my head. I’ve learned now, it’s about breaking the person and then rebuilding them. I slept outside in the dirt, chained to a tree like a dog. I ate dog food from a dog bowl, with my hands bound behind me and my hair falling into the food, but I was so hungry it didn’t matter. I was treated as the lowest slave, that first week.”
I looked down, took a breath, and looked back up. “I was born a princess, and yeah, I was raised a spoiled brat, but I never thought I was better than other people just because of the accident of my birth. I was determined not to marry into royalty, and I misbehaved in public enough, my father couldn’t arrange a suitable marriage. I was waiting until I aged out of my father owning me so I could find my own way in life. Perhaps that’s why Uncle Raul gave me to the Owls instead of giving them one of the other princesses? I don’t know.”
“Your father owned you?”
“It’s a swan thing. Your father owns you until he gives you in marriage, and then your husband owns you. Our species hasn’t caught up with the times. Sophia is slowly changing things. It may take a few generations before it’s widely accepted, but she’s working on it.”
He looked at me a few seconds as if he were analyzing things, and he finally said, “Aaron has taken over your protection? Why isn’t your father seeing to you?”
“He disowned me when I didn’t let Sophia free me from the Owls. When I was given to them and didn’t have a choice, he was embarrassed, but it wasn’t my choice so he didn’t completely turn his back on me. But then, once it was my choice, he told me I was no longer his daughter.”
“I’m sorry he couldn’t support your decision. I’m glad you have Aaron and Sophia. Everyone needs family. Whether it’s your biological family or chosen family, you need that support system.”
I refused to cry in front of people. I looked down and took a few deep breaths. We needed to change the conversation, and fast.
It took a few moments before I could meet his gaze without bursting into tears. “Thanks for your kind words, but we need to talk about something else before I lose it in public.”
“Okay. I’ll show you both places — house and apartment. I had Velvet get anything out of my apartment fridge that might spoil, so we’ll need to stop for the basics if we’re going to spend the night. I have plenty of frozen goods at both places.”