by Sarah Peis
“Just remember that I love you and you’re a lawyer. Attempted murder and causing bodily harm are frowned upon in your circles,” I said, taking another drink of my wine.
She leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I promise I’ll stay on my side of the table. But I can’t promise there won’t be any yelling.”
“Okay, so here goes nothing,” I started, diving in. “You both know I noticed Sebastian over a year ago when I first started at the club.”
“Noticed him?” Stella asked, chuckling. “That’s a nice word for falling head over heels for someone you’d never met before. Or hadn’t ever talked to.”
“It wasn’t like that. I just liked the way he looked.”
Malena twirled her hand in the air, telling me to get on with it since she was well aware of that part of my story.
“And you also know I thought he’d never so much as looked my way in all that time,” I said. “Well…” Then I told them the whole tale, from first talking to Sebastian to last night.
“Now I don’t know what to do. The thought of never seeing him again breaks me in half. But he broke my trust. And he lied,” I finished, looking at the girls, who were doing their best impression of blow-up dolls; their mouths formed O’s, their eyes were wide, and none of them spoke.
I waved at them. “Hello? Anyone there?”
“Have you considered drawing dicks all over his bike?” Willa asked, looking at me innocently with her big doe eyes.
“He’s in a motorcycle gang,” Stella said, her voice a hushed whisper. “And he’s an FBI agent.”
“Why are you whispering?” Willa whispered. “He’s not here.”
“Because what if the guy outside hears you? They’ll never find our bodies,” Stella whispered again, her eyes comically wide.
“They’re not that kind of club,” I put in, my voice sounding loud after all the whispering. “And he’s not really part of the MC. It was only a cover.”
Malena jumped up, waving her hands around, still holding her chopsticks. “Mi amor, you know I love you, but right now I want to shake you until your brain pops back into the right position. How could you not tell us what was going on? A stalker? And a motorcycle club? Jim taking your money? Are you insane taking that on by yourself?”
“I know this wasn’t the best way to handle it, but—”
She started walking the whole length of my kitchen and then the hallway when she had nowhere else to go. “Not the best way? It was outright stupid. Careless. After everything we’ve been through, you still don’t think you can lean on us.”
She’d stopped yelling halfway through, her voice now thick with hurt. I got up and walked up to her. “I’m sorry. So sorry. And it has nothing to do with me not trusting you. You’re my best friend. I trust you with my life. My children’s lives.”
Stella joined our huddle. “Best friend? What about me?”
“And me?” Willa asked. “You need at least three best friends. If one isn’t available and the other one is too far away, you can call your third option, who will ride in like a lady in shining armor on a white horse and rescue you. FYI, that would be me. I’d make a great lady.”
I chuckled and pulled her close as well, and we all huddled together in a group hug.
“And why did you not invite me to help you with your dance routine?” Malena asked, now pouting but not sounding upset anymore. “I used to do ballet.”
“I didn’t realize that transferred over to pole dancing.”
“Dancing is dancing. If only you’d asked me, I could have put an unforgettable routine together. I always wanted to try pole dancing.”
I pulled back, raising a brow at my friend. “You should give it a go. It was fun even if I was hopeless at it.”
“Hell yes. I want to come too,” Stella said, her eyes lighting up in excitement.
“I’m so in. Maybe Jameson can put a pole in at the apartment so I can practice,” Willa said.
Oh no, Mason and Jameson wouldn’t be down with that at all. The Drake brothers would cause a worse scene than Sebastian did if their girls started wrapping themselves around poles on a stage.
“You’re as coordinated as I am, if not worse. Remember how you’re banned from home renovations?” I said, looking at Stella, hoping she’d change her mind.
She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at me. “What could possibly happen to me?”
“Let’s see,” I said, counting on my fingers. “You could fall on your head and crack it open. You could pull something. Break a leg. Arm. Your pick.”
“Fine. But if Malena gets to dance, I want to be there,” Stella said.
“Don’t think you can leave me at home. Poles love me,” Willa said, dancing around the living room.
“That doesn’t even make any sense,” I said, watching her attempt a pirouette and falling on her butt.
Malena nodded, and I could tell she’d be up on that stage before the week was over.
I went back to the table and started clearing the dirty dishes. Everyone pitched in, and we had everything put away within a few minutes. We decided to have a quiet night in, watching movies and drinking wine.
I’d banned the girls from bringing any alcohol that could be turned into a cocktail since that hadn’t ended well last time. It was wine only from here on out.
We squeezed onto the couch, Stella topping up everyone’s glass.
“Did you hear from your mom again?” I asked her.
Her mom used to be the mayor of our town. She’d controlled Stella until she finally broke free and fell in love with Mason.
“She tried threatening me a few times to get me to fulfill the contract. But my lawyers said I did everything required to break it, so I’m good.”
Malena scoffed. “Where does she think she lives? And a marriage contract? Really?”
Stella shrugged. “There’s a contract for everything in her world. But she’s moving to DC, so I hope I’ll never have to talk to her again.”
Sounded harsh, but I’d met her mother once and didn’t care to repeat the experience. She was dismissive and cruel, and I was glad my friend was nothing like her.
“Is she still going to try and get a spot in the senate? Even after the whole mall scandal?” I asked, not surprised at her audacity.
“I guess so,” Stella said, biting her bottom lip. “But can we please stop talking about her? Thinking about her gives me an ulcer. And we have more important things to discuss. Like what you’re going to do now.”
Malena lifted her glass. “First, we need a toast.”
Stella, Willa, and I held up our glasses as well.
“What are we toasting to?” I asked.
“To women who think they’re not good enough even though they are everything and more,” Malena said, giving me her best side-eye.
I nudged her. “Why do I feel personally attacked by this?”
She clinked her glass to Willa’s, mine, and Stella’s. “Because you are.”
Stella chuckled. “She’s right, you know. Sounds to me like Sebastian was caught in a shitty situation. And he didn’t ghost you after the assignment was done. Now that would have been a dick move.”
“But he lied to me,” I said, already knowing I was just arguing to not look like a pathetic lovesick loser.
Stella leaned forward to look at me from behind Malena. “And that wasn’t okay. Don’t think we’re saying it was. But it sounds to me like he wants to make up for it.”
Can it really be that easy?
“If he wants you to forgive him, he won’t just give up. And do you really want him to disappear?” Willa asked.
“No, I guess I don’t,” I said, the realization slamming into me.
I would be devastated if he left. And no matter how angry I was, I still loved him with every breath I took.
“Now what did you bring for dessert?” I asked Willa, giving my brain a break from thinking about Sebastian.
“Cupcakes,” she said, getting up.
&nb
sp; She went into the kitchen and returned with a box from Sweet Dreams.
“Gimme, gimme, gimme,” Stella chanted.
Willa grinned and opened the box. “You act like you didn’t go to Sweet Dreams yesterday.”
Stella grabbed a cupcake and then handed the box to me before glaring at Willa.
“No pastry shaming. This town is too small for a feud between us.”
Stella might have huffed about the size of the town, but I knew she loved it here. Especially since it was where Mason was. She was head over ass in love, and I didn’t see that ever changing.
Mason was her person, and he treated her like a queen. After her sheltered and controlled upbringing, the free-spirited mechanic was exactly what she needed.
“Is he picking you up tonight?” I asked, knowing she wouldn’t drive after having more than one drink.
“He’ll be here at ten. That’s usually when you throw us out. Unless there’s cocktails involved. Then you wouldn’t care if we stayed till the next day.”
They both giggled, and I pouted. “Not true. I would never throw you out.”
We spent the rest of the night laughing at Malena’s stories from work. She had an ongoing feud with one of the lawyers in her firm, and neither one of them was willing to call a ceasefire.
He sent her to the wrong courthouse, gave her the worst clients, and scared away her assistant. In turn she messed with his calendar, regularly switched out his coffee orders, and made sure he had a vast supply of pens, totaling fifty boxes so far and counting.
A knock on the door signaled the end of our girls’ night. Stella let Mason in, who planted a long kiss on her, making Malena widen her eyes at me.
When they came back up for air, he nodded at us in greeting. “Hey, girls.”
“Hi, Mason. How have you been?” Malena asked, collecting her bag and jacket. “You still okay to give me a lift?”
“Of course,” he said, pulling a beaming Stella into his side.
She leaned against him, her body molding to his. I met her dopey smile with a grin of my own.
We walked outside just as Jameson pulled up to get Willa.
After hugs and kisses and promises to call tomorrow, they took off. I watched their taillights, and only when they disappeared around a corner did I go inside.
I straightened the already clean house, waiting for Sebastian to come back.
When it was nearing midnight and it was clear that he wasn’t going to show, I got ready for bed. Maybe he’d given up on us already.
I woke up what felt like five minutes later to a body sitting down on the bed. A finger whispered over my jaw and a familiar scent engulfed me.
“Sebastian,” I mumbled, opening my eyes.
“Sorry to wake you. I just wanted to see you before I went to sleep. You usually sleep like a bear in hibernation, and I didn’t think you’d notice if I was in here.” He looked at his hands. “Wow, that sounded creepier out loud than it did in my head.”
Is he embarrassed?
“Are you staying on the couch again?”
He took my hand, his thumb tracing lazy circles on my palm. “Of course.”
The thought of getting to keep him close warmed me, my heart doing cartwheels in response.
“Don’t you have your own place you want to go back to now that your assignment is over?”
He squeezed my hand. “I live in Chicago, so no, I’m in no rush to get back to my place.”
My heart stuttered to a stop and then lay down in defeat. How did he think we would make this work? Had I been wrong to think he wanted us to be together? Was I once again acting like a lovesick fool and reading the signals wrong?
“Oh, okay. I didn’t know.”
“I quit the FBI today,” he said, holding my hand tighter.
I sat up, bringing our faces close together. The dim night-light coming in from the hallway was enough to make out the clear-cut lines of his face and his firm and sensual lips.
But I couldn’t read his expression. He almost looked like he was holding his breath.
“Why?” I asked.
He brushed his thumb across the back of my hand. “It was time. I’ve known for a while that I had to get out. You can only do that sort of work for so long before it drags you down. My work used to be my life, my passion. But my priorities have changed.”
I lifted my arm, putting my hand on his cheek, the need to comfort him all-consuming. My next words came out stuttered. “Does that… does it mean… I mean, are you going to… stay?”
“All I care about is in this small town. Why would I go back to my life before you walked in?”
“Lie down with me?” I asked, shuffling to the middle of the bed and pulling the blanket back.
He didn’t hesitate to take off his shoes and lie down on his side, facing me. He laced his fingers through mine and rested our clasped hands between our bodies.
“I know there’s a chance you won’t forgive me. But I’m not willing to give up. If I have to prove to you for the rest of my life that you can trust me, I will,” he said.
Tears stung my eyes, and I shuffled closer, smothering his last words with my lips. He responded with slow kisses in return, stealing my breath, the undeniable magnetism between us pulling us together.
When we broke apart, I buried my face in his throat, and he wrapped his arms around me.
“I love you,” I murmured against his skin.
“I love you too,” he rasped against my hair, his voice overflowing with emotion.
I fell asleep cocooned in the safety of his arms, his drugging scent surrounding me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Are we really going to a biker party?” Malena asked, eyes wide, taking in the compound. “I can’t believe you talked me into this. I’m not sure it’s good for business to be seen with a bunch of bikers.”
Grim messaged me this morning, asking if I wanted to come to a party. I’d missed the guys and would take any excuse to see them, even if it was for a party at the compound. I wasn’t exactly the partying type, despite them thinking otherwise.
Sebastian had spent all week at my house and, true to his word, made sure I knew how much I meant to him. From flowers—the non-creepy kind—to dinners in the backyard, he’d pulled out all the stops.
He was gone during the day but still drove me to Pepper’s when I had a shift. He stayed with me when I stood outside the door, holding me tight and letting me do my thing without judgment. Last time, I only had to count to thirty-four before my legs agreed to carry me inside.
I knew he didn’t like what he saw by his taut expression and the intense way he watched me. But just having him there made everything so much better.
He picked me up again after my shift, driving me back home.
Luca and Lena were having a sleepover at Malena’s house tonight. Her parents were watching them, something they did occasionally. The kids loved it, and I felt safe leaving them there.
I couldn’t remember the last time Malena and I went out together. So when Grim messaged me, I immediately asked her to come along. It took a little convincing, but she eventually gave in.
“You told them I’m coming too, right? They’re not going to throw me out?” she asked, still staring at the brightly lit building. People were milling around outside, and the music was loud even from where we were standing in the street.
The taxi driver had refused to get too close and had dropped us halfway down the street. We walked up to the gates, and while I didn’t recognize the guy manning them, when I told him my name, he opened it right away.
“Nobody is going to throw you out,” I reassured my nervous friend. “They’re all nice. You’ll love it. Relax and enjoy tonight.”
She huffed but kept walking next to me instead of running back into town, which seemed to be an option at this stage. “Easy for you to say. You’re with one of them. I’m a nobody. And a lawyer.”
I chuckled and linked arms with her. “They’re not doing anythin
g illegal in there. Maybe a little pot. But I’m sure you can ignore that.”
“Have you heard from Sebastian?” she asked, frowning at a couple making out next to the entrance.
I patted the pocket of my tight jean skirt, making sure I had my phone on me in case he called. It wasn’t like I expected him to tell me his every move. We’d only exchanged a few texts today, and I hadn’t heard from him in a while.
“He said he was at the clubhouse. Do you think he’ll be mad if I just show up? He didn’t invite me.”
Malena squeezed my arm, and we stepped into the huge building currently crammed with people. “Of course he wants you here. That man worships the ground you walk on.”
We pushed our way through swaying bodies in search of a familiar face. Talon was one of four people pouring drinks behind the bar, pushing mostly beer into people’s hands.
He winked at me when he saw us and came over. “If it isn’t the little card shark coming back to the lion's den. You want a rematch?” he shouted close to my ear to be heard over the deafening music.
“No rematch. Grim invited me. Know where he is?” I yelled back, leaning up on the bar.
Talon nodded to the right, and I craned my neck until I made out Grim’s huge form. He was talking to someone at the end of the bar, and I groaned at the thought of pushing my way through more people.
Turned out I didn’t have to when I felt hands grip me around my waist, lifting me high in the air. I yelped in surprise and found myself standing behind the bar. I turned back around and looked at Gears, who winked at me before disappearing in the crowd.
“Much quicker this way,” Talon said, tilting his chin at Malena. “She with you?”
“This is Malena,” I said. “Can you keep an eye on her while I talk to Grim?”
Talon grinned and nodded. “Of course I can.”
He leaned closer to Malena and said something to her. I couldn’t make out what it was, but my ball-buster friend blushed and nodded.
I caught her eyes and pointed to the end of the bar. When she nodded, I gave her a thumbs-up and walked over to Grim.
My face lit up when I saw who he was talking to. Sebastian was standing next to him, and Blade rounded out the group. I ducked under the bar at the end to get out and popped back up on the other side.