I stared at her stunned, then blushed. I’d judged them without knowing anything about them. “I don’t feel so bad about being a librarian now,” I said, shamefaced.
They all burst out laughing.
Jodie refilled the drinks.
“If you have any questions, Lila, just ask,” Kelly said, offering me a gentle smile.
I chewed my lip. I did have questions. Several of them. Screw it. “The last party I came to here…there were girls, a lot of them and…”
“They’re not old ladies. They come to party with the guys. But that’s it. They’re not one of us. And that’s why you don’t see them here now.”
I frowned. “Doesn’t that bother you?”
Mandy shrugged. “Stones doesn’t fuck around. I would never put up with that.”
“Grinder would lose his dick if he so much as touched another woman,” Kelly said.
Jodie nodded. “Spanner doesn’t screw around, either. But yeah, some of the guys do. If you haven’t already, you need to tell Grifter what you expect from your relationship and don’t accept anything less.”
“I don’t think Jesse would cheat on me.”
Mandy grinned. “Me either. The boy is gone on you. He’ll have a property patch on you before you know it.”
I froze in my seat. “No offense, but I don’t want that. I’m not anyone’s property. It doesn’t matter how much I love Jesse, I won’t be doing that.”
Then I froze again. Not only had I just insulted these women, I’d told them I loved Jesse, and I hadn’t even told him that yet.
“I understand where you’re coming from,” Mandy said, and thankfully, she didn’t look angry. “Look, any woman coming into this world without any knowledge of club life balks at the idea of wearing a property patch. When I first met Stones and he tried to give me one, I threw it back in his face. I didn’t understand what it meant.”
“I won’t be controlled. I’ve had enough of that in my life,” I said.
“It’s not about that, Lila. A property patch is a sign of respect. It’s not about ownership, it’s pretty much the equivalent of a wedding ring in our world. It’s your man telling his brothers, his club, any club, that you are protected. If anyone tried to harm you, that person wouldn’t just answer to Grifter, he’d answer to every single Rambler. Every member here would lay their life down to protect yours.”
Jodie nodded. “We go to rallies, some with thousands of people. Wearing your property patch means no one will mess with you. They keep us safe.”
These women weren’t fools, they were tough, and smart, and extremely patient with me. I was sitting here questioning their choice to wear one. They weren’t taking offense, they were trying to explain, to help me understand.
“We get it, it’s a lot to take in. But we’re a family. We look out for each other, always.”
I liked the sound of that. My own family hadn’t exactly been loving or accepting. No, they’d thrown me and Kate away, like we were nothing. “Thank you for answering my questions. And I don’t think I have to worry about that just yet. Jesse and I are just dating. That’s next-level commitment, and we’re not there yet.” Even as I said it, I wasn’t sure that was the truth. And going by the looks I got, they weren’t buying it, either.
The glasses were refilled again and the conversation changed to Kelly’s search for the perfect sexy underwear for her wedding anniversary.
“I’ve been looking, but I don’t want whorish, I want classy slut, you know? Is that too much to ask?”
We all burst out laughing again, and when Jodie nearly fell off her chair we all cracked up again. I wiped my eyes. “I think I can actually help you out there. I spend way too much on pretty underwear. I know just the store for you.”
I searched for the website on my phone and handed it to Kelly.
“Oh, this is perfect. Grinder will lose his shit when I walk out in something like this.”
“Like what?” a rough voice said behind us.
A biker with a scruffy beard stood there and Kelly held up my phone for him to see.
His nostrils flared, then he growled and hauled her out of her seat. Kelly managed to hand the phone back to me before he strode off with her.
The other women booed.
“Traitor!” Jodie called after her.
Kelly flipped her the bird and squealed when Grinder smacked her butt before he carried her out the back door.
Warm lips and a whiskered jaw pressed against my neck. “Okay?” Jesse said against my ear.
I turned and grinned at him. “Yep.”
He hauled me out of my seat before I knew what he was doing. He sat down and tugged me onto his lap. Stones and Spanner joined us as well and we all hung out, talking and laughing and drinking.
Jesse kept his arm around my waist, his hand just under my shirt, touching my skin, like he needed that bit of contact. I leaned into him, my arm around his neck. Every now and then, he’d kiss me, like he needed to do that as well. I loved it. It was one of the best nights I’d ever had.
Later, before we left to head back to Jesse’s house—he wanted me in his house and his bed this time—Mandy and the other women exchanged numbers with me and promised to be in touch.
As we drove away, I hoped I’d get to do it again. Some of Jesse’s family may be a little—okay, a lot—rough around the edges, but they were good people.
I grinned at Jesse and he reached out and took my hand.
He held it all the way to his house.
Chapter Twenty
Lila
Everly sat back down beside me and grabbed my hand. I squeezed hers back and gave her a sideways look.
My best friend blushed. “What? I had to go congratulate Dane on his win,” she said over the noise in the warehouse.
“Oh sure.” I smirked, even as my belly rioted with nerves. “Your hair looks like you’ve been through a wind tunnel.”
She blushed harder and Spanner, who was standing behind us, chuckled.
It was fight night, and we were sitting at the edge of the ring, surrounded by a bunch of Ramblers. Jesse had seated me here, kissed me hard, then after saying something to Spanner, left to get ready for his fight.
Jesse was fighting next and I was about ready to come out of my skin. I’d seen him fight here before. I’d come with Eves. She’d been looking for Dane at the time, and when we walked in Jesse had been in the ring.
I’d never forgotten it.
He’d been fighting a man much bigger than him, and the smack of his gloves hitting flesh repeatedly had shaken me to the soles of my feet. Jesse had won, and the sinister smile on his face, blood smeared across his mouth guard as he smiled down at his fallen opponent, had been etched in my brain since.
“You okay?” Eves asked.
I nodded, tried to smile, and failed.
Jesse had been quiet on the way here, so deep in the zone, that he’d almost vibrated with aggression. He loved it. There was no mistaking it. I, on the other hand, didn’t know how I felt. Yes, there was excitement, but I wouldn’t be human if there wasn’t some fear as well.
The man I loved was about to put himself in a situation where he could get beaten on.