“Thank you, Hadley,” I murmured into my phone as I pulled into a parking spot beside a small SUV with beads hanging from the rearview mirror. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“You’ll tell me everything,” she ordered. “Or I swear I’ll throw you to the wolves.”
I grinned, knowing she was joking.
However, I could hear the hint of honesty in her tone. She was tired of me keeping secrets, and I couldn’t say I blamed her.
I’d changed since I’d met Tommy, and she didn’t understand why.
She wouldn’t understand until I told her.
And I wouldn’t be telling her. Because despite her assurance that she wouldn’t tell a soul, I knew the type of person that Hadley was. She couldn’t hold a secret to save her life, and I wasn’t telling her a secret that could ruin mine.
Motherfucker.
I shouldn’t be here.
I didn’t know why I was here…other than that look on Tommy’s face had been one that broke my heart into a million tiny pieces.
I wasn’t talking about the words he’d hurled at me before he left.
I knew he didn’t mean them.
I could tell as soon as he’d pulled in that something was bothering him. I should’ve known that I shouldn’t have pushed it.
Did I, though?
No.
Why?
Because that wasn’t me.
I pushed, even when I shouldn’t.
Which was why Tallulah had come early, in a freakin’ cop car.
“Can I help you?” a deep, scary voice broke into my inner dialogue.
I jumped and turned to find a man sitting on the front porch steps of the clubhouse.
An address in which I’d had to beg Hadley—who only knew the address because she’d been to a party there and had told me all about it—to give me, knowing for a fact that it would elicit questions on her part.
“Ummm,” I mumbled. “I’m looking for Tommy.”
“Tommy’s not here.”
I blinked, then frowned.
“He invited me here and then he’s not going to show up?” I asked.
It’d been a statement more than a question, but the man answered it anyway.
“When did he tell you to come?”
Just as I was about to reply, the sound of a Harley pulling up had me turning to survey the area behind me.
Tommy got off his bike, an open beer in one hand, and a six pack in the other, and stared at me with anger shining clearly through his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“You invited me.”
Tommy walked away, dismissing me, but I followed him.
He didn’t hold the door for me. He didn’t introduce me to anyone.
And the icing on the cake was when a woman, who was clearly in need of some more material to attach to her hoochie-short skirt, threw herself at my man and wrapped her skanky arms around his neck.
“You came!” she cried, laying a smacking kiss on top of Tommy’s head.
I cleared my throat.
“Would you like to introduce us, Tommy?” I asked sweetly.
Tommy set the woman down on her feet and turned to me, leaving his arm around her shoulders.
“No.”
The woman slapped his chest.
She was beautiful. Long brown hair, light blue eyes. Tall with long legs as far as the eye could see that were topped with that teeny-tiny skirt that seriously tested the boundaries of obscene, yet she was able to pull off without looking like a hoe. Her shirt was a neon green that hurt my eyes to look directly, and I wanted to hate her. I really did. She was that beautiful.
“My name is Ellen Tomirkanivov.” She smiled brightly. “Tommy’s sister.”
Relief poured through me.
I sat stunned for all of two seconds, then offered my hand to her. “Tally. I’m Tommy’s girlfriend.”
Ellen looked at her brother, then a huge smile broke out over her face.
“Look at you, brother. Getting a girl under mom’s nose.”
Tommy’s eyes were absolutely glacial.
“How about you just get your little stinky nose out of my business?”
I nearly choked.
“Stinky nose?” I teased him. “That’s pretty harsh, don’t you think?”
He shot me a glare.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” he countered. “Now you may leave.”
“No can do,” I apologized. “I have a babysitter until the morning, and it’s spring break. I deserve a day to unwind.”
“What changed your mind?” he asked suspiciously.
I grinned.
“That little pouty lip you have going on right now,” I touched the pouty lip under question.
He ripped his face away from my fingers and glared.
“Go away.”
Ellen started to laugh uproariously. “Let’s go inside. I think you’ll like the ladies.”
“What ladies?” I asked as she pulled me in her wake.
“Well, I’m pretty new myself,” she told me. “I arrived only last month, much to my brother’s annoyance.”
“Why would he be annoyed that his sister is back from wherever she went?” I asked in confusion as she led me into the house.
The minute my feet crossed over the threshold, my feet came to a stuttered stop.
“Oh, wow,” I breathed. “This is really nice. I didn’t expect that from the outside.”
She grinned at me. “This is the entrance, as you can tell.” She pulled my hand and led me around, showing me everything in a blur of activity.
The ‘clubhouse’, as Ellen called it, was a hidden gem.
On the outside, it didn’t look like all that much.
On the inside, though, it was a beautiful palace.
Rich warm colors coated the walls, and beautiful hardwood planks the color of cherry donned the floors.
The entrance led into a giant great room with ceilings that were at least twenty-five feet high. The gabled ceiling led into a wall of windows that overlooked the rolling hills of the estate beyond. And then, there was the kitchen.
That bad boy was beyond amazing, and it was something that I aspired to be able to afford one day. It had state of the art appliances, black countertops with flecks of blue interspersed throughout, and the sink.
That sink was my dream sink.
A stainless-steel farm sink that was so deep I could probably fit inside of it.
It was freakin’ awesome!
“Wow,” I breathed.
“Isn’t it amazing?” Ellen asked. “I about fell over when I saw this. This is a freakin’ dream come true to a designer.”
“You’re a designer?” I asked, turning to survey the woman who had the potential to become a great friend.
“Yep.” She nodded her head. “I used to work in Chicago, but…” she stopped when she saw her brother coming. “I’ll tell you some other time when Mr. Grumpy Pants isn’t here to listen in on what I have to say.”
I sensed a story, but I wouldn’t be pushing it. I had my own overprotective brother to deal with.
One who was constantly on my case lately.
One who thought—ever since I got pregnant out of wedlock—that it was his job to keep me in line.
“I have one of those,” I told her conspiringly. “He’s on his way home as we speak. He feels that he can be of some help now that we had the flood. He’s actually a disaster specialist, and usually works out of California and the surrounding areas where forest fires are prevalent. His team is usually one that deals with situations in other states since he prefers the West Coast.”
She blinked, then grinned. “That’s pretty amazing, actually. Has your brother met Tommy yet?”
“No,” I shook my head. “And it probably won’t be for a while. I have a feeling that the two of them will go together like oil and fire.”
“What�
�s your brother’s name?” she asked, not realizing what kind of reaction that would pull out of me.
Any time someone asked about my family, it was hard.
They always inevitably ended up hitting on the hard topics, even though they never intended for it to happen.
“His name is Brett,” I murmured softly.
“Is he the oldest?” she questioned.
I swallowed.
He is now.
“Yes,” I cleared my throat. “Are you older or younger?”
I needed to change the subject.
Otherwise I might just cry in front of all these badasses.
Badasses who were currently staring at me like I was a bug.
One that was likely to bug the shit out of them or sting them…neither of which I intended to do.
“Younger,” she grinned. “By a couple years. I’m the big thirty-one, and don’t plan on ever aging past it.”
I snorted.
“My mother says that,” I told her with a laugh. “She hasn’t aged beyond thirty-five for fifteen years now.”
Ellen’s laugh sounded like tinkling bells.
Her laugh didn’t just catch my attention, but also the attention of a man across the room.
One I’d seen while working my shifts at the hospital. He was the paramedic that worked for the county, and he was beautiful.
Rough looking, but beautiful nonetheless.
He reminded me of my brother, actually.
A permanent scowl on his face. Tattoos. Beard. Angry eyes.
I’d bet the cake that was sitting in my SUV that they’d be the best of friends if they were to meet.
Not that Tommy didn’t also seem like he’d fit right in with my brother, but my brother would hate him on principal.
Nobody was good enough for me, and he made no attempt to hide that fact from anyone else.
My sister, Morgan, and I were sweet, innocent girls who would be virgins forever. As far as he was concerned, I’d had my child by way of immaculate conception. Apparently, I was the modern-day Mother Mary.
“And who do we have here?” a man boomed.
I blinked, and then turned to find the police chief staring at me.
“Uhhh,” I licked my suddenly dry lips. “I’m Tally. Tally Slater.”
The man’s grin was enough to make me quake in my boots.
I had the unusual desire to confess my sins. Just blurt every single one of them out.
I stole a pizza slice in the fifth grade from a kid that coughed on my lunch. At the age of sixteen, I took a joy ride in my mom’s car, and threatened to run away. When I was eight months pregnant, I accidentally stole a package of pacifiers and was too tired to return them. They’re still in a box at home, waiting for the day that I can return them without feeling like a complete and total dumbass.
Oh, and I am having sexual relations with my teacher!
“What did you just say?”
That voice…it was one that sent shivers up and down my spine, at the same time
“Uhhh,” I murmured, licking my lips. “I didn’t mean to say any of that out loud.”
“It’s not every day that I have a woman confess all her sins,” the man in front of me chuckled. “But it’s nice to know that you won’t have a problem telling the truth. My boy there deserves a woman who won’t fuck him over.”
My brows rose.
“Have you had a woman fuck you over before?” I asked him, my head tilting slightly to the side to take in Tommy’s eyes.
They looked bluer today. I don’t know if it was because his face was more scruffy than normal, or if it was because he had dark circles underneath his eyes.
He still looked delicious, though, regardless of his messy hair, unkempt beard, and his obvious exhaustion. Especially since he was in jeans and a t-shirt instead of the hospital scrubs I normally saw him in.
“Don’t you have to work tomorrow?” I asked him, eyeing the beer that he popped open.
He grunted.
“Was that supposed to be a yes?” I pushed.
He sent a glare in my direction.
“What are you, my mother?” he challenged.
I gritted my teeth.
“No,” I denied. “I’m your girlfriend who is concerned about your well-being. I was just wondering if I should drive you home or not.”
“I’m staying here,” he grunted, returning his eyes to the men that were watching us like we were the main event. “What the fuck are y’all looking at?”
His snapped words only had grins popping up on the men’s faces.
“All right, darlin’,” the big man in front interrupted. “My name is Big Papa. This is Ghost,” he pointed at the man who spoke to me when I’d first gotten here. “You know Tommy. That’s Seanshine,” he pointed at the angry man who couldn’t take his eyes off of Ellen. “Then you have Truth and the New Guy over there making dinner.”
New Guy was obviously new to the club seeing as his was the cleanest looking leather cut in the room. He was at the stove stirring a pot of what smelled like chili with a badly scarred hand.
Truth, I had met, when he and Tommy rescued me and Tallulah after my 4-Runner was swept off the road in rising flood waters. Considering I was terrified and in a little bit of shock then, I hadn’t taken the time to really appreciate him.
He was gorgeous. Tall with longer black hair that brushed the nape of his neck, and beautiful green eyes that were piercing in their clarity. He was also carrying…a sword?
“Uhh,” I murmured. “Hi.”
Truth grinned.
“I won’t bite,” he winked.
Tommy growled and pulled me roughly into the curve of his arm, tucking me securely against his side.
“Go the fuck away, Truth,” Tommy snapped.
Truth held up his hands.
“Guess you’ve been through the Beer Barn already tonight. How many did you have on the way home?” Truth questioned.
Tommy glared. “I’ve had a quarter of a beer on my way here…so sue me. My shit day is burned into my soul.”
Truth nodded once, his eyes going distant, and I took advantage of that moment of silence and started to pull Tommy toward the door.
“How about we take this outside?” I asked him, pulling him along in my wake.
Though I wasn’t fooling myself. Had he not wanted to come, I would’ve still been standing back there in the middle of all those men. The man was as immovable as a freakin’ tree due to his mass.
“Where are you planning on taking me?” he asked.
I was heading in the direction of the back porch when I saw it occupied by about ten ladies, all of whom were scantily clad.
“Who are they?” I asked as I diverted off course and headed into the direction of the front of the house, right back past the men who were still staring at us, not talking.
“Those are sluts and hoes,” he murmured, taking another drink. “Isn’t that what they looked like?”
One of the men snorted, but it was Aaron that started to growl.
“My woman is neither a slut or a whore,” Aaron growled.
“He wasn’t talking about me,” said a woman with silvery blonde hair cut in a cute, chin-length bob as she waltzed in from a different direction. “I was in your bedroom trying to sort through your mountain of laundry. Why, if you have a washer and dryer at home, do you leave all your dirty clothes here? I can’t wash them here, because I don’t know about them.”
I snorted a laugh, and caught the woman’s eyes.
“Those are my friends, Tommy.” She gave a mock glare. “My name is Imogen,” she offered me her hand. “And you are?”
“This is Tommy Tom’s new woman, Tally,” the scarred man said. “Come ‘ere, baby.”
The woman ignored his demand and wrapped her arms around me in a surprisingly strong hug.
“The woman whose car I worked on.” she snapped her fingers. “I’m sorry I mis
sed you picking up your car. I’m so glad I’m not alone here anymore,” she whispered into my ear. “It’s like these men have an overabundance of testosterone and it’s driving me crazy. Which is why I bring my own friends so I’m not so outnumbered. Now we can be the best of friends.”
I grinned. “That sounds like a deal.”
She winked and backed away. “Now, Aaron,” she teased as she walked over to her husband, her full hips swaying as she moved. “When will dinner be done? I’m starving.”
His eyes lit.
“That sounds like a personal problem to me…”
She slapped him hard on the chest, making him jump back and start laughing.
“Not nice,” she pointed an accusing finger at him.
Tommy’s arm went around my hips, and he finished leading us outside.
The moment the door closed behind him, he stared at me for all of two seconds before his mouth was on mine.
“So this is what you’ve been doing instead of hanging out with me over the last few months.” Hadley gasped.
I tore away from Tommy’s hold, staring in shock at my best friend.
“What are you doing here?” I gasped, my hand going to my heart.
I couldn’t tell whether my heart was racing due to the man that was still holding on to me, or the fact that she’d scared the absolute shit out of me.
“I wanted to see why you would need directions to this place…and I now know why you do.”
I grimaced.
“It’s not what you think,” I tried.
“It’s exactly what I think,” she shot back.
I shook my head.
“No,” I cleared my throat. “This is nothing.”
I pointed between Tommy and me, and felt the moment he started to pull away.
One second we were as close as we could get, and the next I’d opened my mouth. Ruining it just as fast as I’d gotten it back.
“I guess that’s my answer, isn’t it?” Tommy asked.
And then he walked away, making sure to lock the door behind him so I couldn’t get back in.
I sighed, knowing that there would be no talking to him tonight.
I’d have to apologize, and tonight wasn’t a good night for him to listen.
Not after the night he’d had.
“Thanks a lot,” I murmured to Hadley. “How did you even get here?”
I looked around for her car and didn’t see it.
Fear the Beard (The Dixie Warden Rejects MC Book 2) Page 15