by Sarah Peis
Grim saw me first, barreling past Blade, who stumbled to the side. The big teddy bear engulfed me in a tight hug. “Sweetheart, I’m so glad you decided to come.”
“Me too. You still haven’t told me what the party is for though.”
He put his arm around my shoulder and led me back to Sebastian and Blade. “It’s Ace’s party. He’s now officially a member.”
The smile died on my face when I laid eyes on Sebastian. He had a black eye and a busted lip. I slid out from under Grim’s arm and rushed up to Sebastian. “Oh my God, what the fork happened?”
He put his arms around me and kissed the side of my neck. I sank into him, holding him tight.
“It’s nothing. Just a scratch,” he said near my ear, his lips brushing my lobe.
I shivered at the small contact, gripping his T-shirt. “That doesn’t look like nothing. Did you get into a fight?”
He pulled back so he could look at me and kissed the tip of my nose when he saw the expression on my face. “It was payment for lying to the club.”
The look on my face must have shown my horror at the thought of at least twenty people taking a shot at him.
“Are you insane? They could have done some serious damage.”
He brushed a strand of my hair out of my face, tracing his finger along my cheek in the process. “The club has become my life. It’s where I belong. Blade and a few others knew I was here undercover, but I still lied to most of my brothers. Something that required payment.”
I sighed but decided to drop it. Besides, him being in the club meant he wouldn’t be leaving. Maybe he really was serious when he said he wanted to stay here.
“Baby, I’m fine. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I have everything a man could need: brothers at my back and my girl by my side.”
He leaned back to look at me, taking me in from top to toe, his gaze a caress that sent a tremor through my body.
“Like the skirt, beautiful. And the shoes. Especially the shoes,” he said, pulling my front into his side so I could face Blade and Grim, who were both watching us, Grim with a huge smile on his face, Blade with a frown. The guy really needed to loosen up. Every time I saw him, he looked like he’d taken a sip of Bud instead of their treasured Stella.
I found out at the last party that they didn’t allow Budweiser into their clubhouse. Nobody told me why, but even if they had, I probably wouldn’t remember since I’d had a few drinks too many that night.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Sebastian asked. “I could have picked you up.”
“Is it okay I’m here?” I asked, pulling back.
He didn’t let me get far, tightening his arms around me as he leaned in. “It’s more than okay. I didn’t know how tonight would go, so I didn’t want to make you go through the trouble of organizing a babysitter for what could have been nothing.”
“Apparently Grim knew it would work out,” I said, sinking into him. “I’m happy for you if this is what you want.”
Sebastian finally did what I’d wanted him to do all day and leaned down and kissed me. I wound my arms under his leather vest—something that was called a cut, as Gears informed me, horrified when I called it a vest—the touch of his lips a delicious sensation I didn’t think I’d ever tire of.
The kiss soon turned heated and my hands wandered under his shirt, the feel of his smooth skin under my palms intoxicating. There was something to be said about biker parties. They didn’t care what you did. I never thought I was into public make-outs, but it turned out there wasn’t much I wasn’t into when it came to Sebastian.
“How much do you have your heart set on partying?” he asked when we broke apart, both breathing hard. My body was flushed, my pulse racing. His kisses were magic.
“Depends on what else you have in mind,” I said, my hand still under his T-shirt.
He grinned at me, and I knew what he had in mind. “You want to take this upstairs?”
The answer to that question would always be yes. “I have to check on Malena first. She came with me, and I left her with Talon.”
“I can guarantee she’s in good hands,” Sebastian said.
He was right. If I could pick anyone to take care of my friend, it would be Talon. “I’ll text her to make sure she’s okay.”
“So how does it feel to finally be on the right side of the law?” Grim asked Sebastian, then laughed when he received a rude gesture as response.
I texted Malena while Sebastian drew circles on my hip with his hand, making my whole body heat up and break out in goose bumps. I had trouble concentrating and ended up sending a few messages before one made sense.
Me: Are you Ikea?
Me: What hushed to my message?
Me: Meant to say ostrich.
Me: How can it spell ostrich but not ukulele??
Me: Argh, not ukulele either!!
Me: Let’s try again. Just checking in. Do you want me to come and get you?
She responded a few seconds later. I knew she would because she always had her phone in her pocket. That way if she ever lost her handbag, she could still get home. I’d started doing the same and then ditched the handbag altogether.
Bestest bestie: I’m good, but maybe I should be asking you the same question?
Me: With Sebastian.
Bestest bestie: Then you’re better than good. Glad you found him. I’ll be okay down here for a few hours. Let me know if you’re staying the night.
Me: No can doodle. We promised to never ditch each other and go home alone. Besides, I promised the kidlets a sleepover. They’ll wonder where I am if I’m not there when they wake up.
Bestest bestie: Got it. I’ll let you know when I’ve reached my limit of badass biker party.
Sebastian leaned in, his hand traveling over my butt. “Malena okay?”
“All good,” I said and turned to Grim. “Have you guys met my friend Malena yet? She’s a hoot. You’d love her.”
“She’s a foot taller than Nora, has brown hair and hazel eyes and an attitude. Hard to miss. Feel free to find her. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got somewhere to be,” Sebastian said, taking my hand and pulling me away from Blade and Grim. Grim belted out another laugh, and Blade frowned at us. Again.
We made it up to Sebastian’s room slower than we hoped. There were a lot of people who wanted to congratulate him and stop him for a chat.
The first few times, he talked his way out of it, but then he started waving instead of stopping, and soon he was just pushing through people, not even bothering to acknowledge anyone. I thought that was kind of rude, but I wasn’t complaining.
The thought that he wanted to be with me tonight and not party with the guys added another layer to my already swooning heart.
We burst through his door and he didn’t waste any time. He kicked it shut, and then his hands and mouth were on me until everything ceased to exist except the two of us.
And a man sitting on his couch.
Wait, why is there someone in his room?
My breath hitched when Sebastian kissed a trail from my neck to my collarbone. “Ahem, Sebastian, maybe you should stop.”
“Mhm,” he responded, continuing on his path, worshipping my body. And as much as I wanted the worshipping to happen, we needed to get rid of our audience first. I couldn’t make out the guy’s face, but the white of his eyes was enough to tell me all his attention was on us.
I pushed on Sebastian’s shoulders, and he stopped on his quest.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his breathing ragged.
I pointed to the couch, and Sebastian’s gaze followed my hand. He went stiff when he saw the stranger in his room.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Sebastian growled.
“Waiting for what’s mine.”
The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
“Get out,” Sebastian said, his eyes narrowed, his posture taut.
The guy stood up, holding what looked like a g
un. My eyes went wide when he lifted his arm. Definitely a gun.
Sebastian pushed me behind him. I slipped my phone out of my pocket while he was now blocking the guy’s view. I texted Malena since her message was still up on my screen.
Me: SOS
She immediately messaged back. Thank God for mothers. She’d always check her phone if she got a message.
Malena: Let me guess. You tried out a little bondage and now you’re stuck.
Me: Get Talon and Grim. Tell them be careful. Gun.
Malena: A gun?? What’s going on???
Me: TALON AND GRIM
Malena: They’re on their way.
Malena: I’m worried.
I didn’t respond to her since I didn’t want to push my luck and risk the guy seeing me text.
“You’re delusional if you think you’ll ever make it out of here in one piece, Clive,” Sebastian said, and the weird feeling I had about knowing him clicked into place. My harmless stalker had turned into a psycho with a gun.
“I’ll walk out without a hair out of place if you want to keep her unharmed,” Clive spat, waving the gun around. I hoped he knew how to handle that thing or at least kept the safety on. Accidental shootings weren’t really on my night’s agenda.
“Nora, come over here,” Clive said, gesturing to his side.
“She stays right where she is.” Sebastian’s hand tightened on my arm, keeping me firmly behind him. I didn’t pull away or try to step around him since I wasn’t keen on going anywhere with Clive.
“You have two seconds to move or I’m putting a hole in your boyfriend.” Clive pointed the gun at Sebastian, his arm shaking.
He looked high and unstable, not a good combination.
Since I liked my men without holes in them, I stepped to the side, pushing past Sebastian. “I’m not going to be responsible for you getting hurt. Let me go to him. Please.”
Sebastian’s hold on my arm tightened even more. “No fucking way. If he wants you, he has to go through me.”
“Great, at least now we have a solution,” crazy Clive said.
This was the one and only time I wished the club didn’t soundproof their rooms.
“No, wait, please. I’m coming over. Don’t shoot,” I pleaded, holding my hand out, palm facing him.
Not sure what I was planning to accomplish going up against someone holding a gun, but all I could think was that he couldn’t hurt Sebastian.
Too bad Sebastian didn’t share my sentiment, and his hand was like a shackle around my wrist. I tried to twist free to no avail.
While we were distracted, Clive must have decided this was taking too long.
A shot rang out, I screamed louder than I had ever screamed in my life, and Sebastian groaned in pain, folding in on himself before dropping to his knees.
I dropped down next to him, my hands wandering over his body, looking for the injury. “Oh my God. Oh no,” I cried, my breathing erratic, my hands shaking. “Where are you hurt? Show me.”
Sebastian caught one of my hands in his, holding it to his chest.
Oh God, is this the point where he says his last words to me? While holding my hand?
There was still so much to do. Like go on a date. Or fight over his dirty socks on the bedroom floor. Or make him do the dishes. So many plans that would never become reality if he died.
Snap out of it, Nora. He’s fine. Now shut up and try to talk the crazy psycho out of shooting you too.
“I’m okay,” Sebastian said, sounding fine. But maybe he was just putting on a front.
I didn’t exactly have much experience with gunshot wounds.
Before I could contemplate my next move or the right words to say to diffuse the situation, the door burst open and a guy I’d never met ran in, shooting his gun. Clive went down, and I jumped on top of Sebastian to cover his body.
“Dang rabbit, everyone needs to stop shooting,” I yelled, my head buried in Sebastian’s chest, my voice muffled despite my screams.
The ground shook, and Sebastian’s arms around me tightened. I lifted my head, deeming it safe enough to do so. “You jumped on top of me,” he said, his voice disbelieving.
My attention was diverted when I saw what caused the floor to vibrate. What must be the whole club had followed the shooting guy into the room, guns drawn.
I sat up, careful not to push on any parts of Sebastian’s body since I still didn’t know where his injury was. “Of course I did. You’re already injured. And I still have uses for you. Like helping me wash the dishes.”
He chuckled and sat up as well. Guess that was a good sign.
“I would be happy to wash your dishes for you, gorgeous,” he said, his face lighting up with amusement.
“Well, that was fun,” the stranger said, grinning down at Sebastian and me.
“Jacob,” Sebastian said.
“Good to see you lying on the ground, waiting for someone to rescue you,” Jacob said, raising a brow at Sebastian.
“I had a plan,” Sebastian replied, standing up.
“What would that be? Play dead and hope he leaves? Didn’t they teach you anything at that fancy police academy you went to?” Jacob asked.
Sebastian ignored him as he held out his hand and pulled me up as well, tucking me under his arm once we were both upright.
“Why the hell are you at the clubhouse? I thought you were banned from ever setting foot in here again,” Sebastian said.
“That ban was lifted months ago. I was in the neighborhood and heard about you having a girl. Wanted to meet her. Things have gotten boring since Jameson stopped talking to me. And all over a little kidnapping. How could I have known Willa was his girl? He never tells me anything.”
Sebastian raised a brow at Jacob before leaning down, his hand going to my cheek. “Are you okay?”
I blinked at him in disbelief. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? You’re the one who got shot.”
He lifted his arm, and I could make out a rip and a dark stain on the sleeve of his T-shirt. “He’s a terrible shot. We’ve been to the shooting range a few times together, and he barely hit the outline of the targets.”
“So you did have a plan,” I said.
“Of course I did. I’d do anything in my power to keep you safe.”
Oh my God, he was willing to get hurt for little old me. There wasn’t any hope left of recovering my heart.
“I was going to take his gun if he came closer. He always liked his coke, and it makes his hands shake.”
“But he could have hit you. Especially if he was such a bad shot. A shaking arm might have pointed his gun in the right direction,” I said, horrified that he took a chance like that with his life.
“Baby,” he said, kissing my cheek, then my nose. “I knew what I was doing.”
I was ready to argue about his strategy more when Malena burst into the room, eyes frantic, thick dark hair tangled around her face.
“Holy shit, are you okay?” she called out to me, pushing her way through the bikers still standing in Sebastian’s room.
When she reached me, she lunged, not caring that I was still attached to Sebastian. I caught her in a tight embrace, falling into Sebastian, who had wisely let me go just before she attacked.
“You scared the shit out of me.” She sniffed against my shoulder.
She turned to where Clive was detained, his hands cuffed behind his back and one of the guys patching up his side. Shame, I was hoping they’d hit something important.
“I’m going to sue your ass until you don’t even know your own mother’s name. You better brace yourself, because you’ll never see the world without bars again.”
I put my arms around her middle when she made a move in his direction.
“He’s already in a world of trouble. But I appreciate the thought,” I said.
“If you’re worried about paying me, don’t be. I’m taking this on pro bono.”
I let her go when I was sure she wouldn’t turn into Rocky and p
atted her arm. “I know you would. But it’s really not necessary.”
She glared at Clive, who was being led out of the room.
That was as much as she’d relent, and I’d let it go for now. If she really wanted to take on another case on top of her insane workload, she was welcome to.
When we got back downstairs, we heard sirens coming closer, and soon the clubhouse was filled with uniformed police officers and paramedics. Sebastian refused to go to the hospital, and since it was just a graze, they patched him up and sent him on his way.
Clive was officially arrested. After they took him away, one of the officers came over to speak to us.
“I’m Officer Leland,” he introduced himself. “I know this is a bad time, but I need you both to give your official statement. You can either do it tonight or come to the station tomorrow.”
We both nodded, eager to get this night over and done with. The thought of having to go to the police station to give our statement tomorrow seemed too daunting, and I was glad we could do it now.
“Do we know yet how he got inside the clubhouse?” Sebastian asked once we’d both told our versions of how the night had gone down.
“I’ll see if they got anything out of him at the station,” Officer Leland answered, then pulled out his radio. He walked a few steps away to make his call, and Sebastian pulled me into his body, kissing my head. I sank into him, holding on, counting my lucky stars that tonight didn’t have a different ending.
The officer came back, frowning. “Looks like a guy called Bullet let him in?”
He’d barely finished speaking when Sebastian charged across the room and up to a group of guys. He plucked someone out and punched him so hard he went down like a sack of bricks.
“You fucking traitor,” Sebastian growled.
Officer Leland ran up to him, stepping between Sebastian and the guy on the ground. “I’m going to pretend he fell and hit his head. But that was your only free shot.”
Sebastian gave him a curt nod but backed off. I joined them a few moments later, watching with big eyes as Officer Leland gave the guy a hand up. I recognized him as the same person who’d pulled me out of my house the first time I’d come to the clubhouse.