The closer I got to the front door, the more nervous I became.
This didn’t look like a place to drink. This looked like someone’s house!
I pulled my phone out and called Lenore.
“Umm,” I said once she answered. “Where the hell am I?”
“You’re at The Uncertain Saints’ clubhouse,” Mig said from behind me.
I jumped and turned, and my heart started to pitter-patter.
This definitely wouldn’t work well with my whole ‘try to get over Mig’ plan.
***
Mig
I don’t really know what I expected out of this night.
Peace and quiet.
Time to chill and just be one with the world.
It was definitely supposed to be a much needed breather from my bitch of a wife.
What I didn’t think I’d see was the one woman that never failed to make my heart beat faster.
The one that I just couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.
And we were having an in-depth discussion with the whole fuckin’ club about why I didn’t like my wife.
“Why don’t you divorce her? I don’t understand why you put up with her if she did that to you,” Annie asked with confusion.
She was about two beers in, and I liked her this way.
She was chatty instead of nervous, and I found that this Annie was also fun to watch.
Not that I didn’t like her sober, but I liked how the alcohol loosened her up, and she didn’t hesitate to say what was on her mind.
I was lucky to get more than two sentences out of her on a normal day.
Which was why I was talking about this subject instead of shutting it down.
I wanted to talk to her.
“That’s because he has the morals of a damn preacher. His conscience won’t allow him to drop her like she deserves,” Peek offered from his position across the table. Peek was the president of our little motorcycle club, and a major pain in the ass sometimes.
Annie blinked.
“Why? I know she did something bad. You don’t get off on treating women badly. Yet every single woman you meet, you’re suspicious of,” Annie said.
I did do that.
But I couldn’t help it.
“When my father started to date after my mother and he split up, he’d bring every single one of his bitches home to meet me. And every one of them was nice as could be in front of my father, but the moment he left the room, they could care less about me.
“That continued for the rest of my childhood. Then I started dating, and women just kept proving to me over and over again how devious they are. I’ve yet to find one, besides the one I can’t have, that aren’t bitches,” I told her.
Annie’s eyebrows rose.
“You’re not calling me a deceptive, manipulative bitch, are you?” She teased.
I gave her back an eyebrow raise in return.
“I said ‘besides the one I can’t have.’ not being bitches. That’s you,” I told her.
She snorted. “I never said you couldn’t have me.”
My heart started to race.
“You know I can’t,” I said.
She shrugged.
“I guess I’ll settle for being your only female friend then,” she teased.
I snorted.
“You can come drink beer with us anytime you want,” I invited, gesturing to the table of my friends.
Peek and his wife, Alison. Griffin and his woman, Lenore. Wolf and his kid, who was currently sleeping in his room. Ridley and Casten. Even Apple, the prospect, wasn’t half bad.
We were a bunch of people that had become family out of necessity.
And I would trust each and every one of my brothers to have my back if I needed it.
And Annie was easily becoming one of the few women in the world I would trust.
“I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard why you and your wife got together. What’s the big deal?” Lenore asked with confusion.
I was surprised Griffin hadn’t shared.
It wasn’t a secret.
It just pissed me off to think about.
So I didn’t tell anyone if I didn’t have to.
Which luckily wasn’t often since my brothers were more than willing to tell it, like it was obvious that Wolf was ready to do.
“Jennifer came to one of our parties. We don’t have many, so when we do open them up to the public, quite a few people show up,” Wolf started. “This bitch must really have been jonesing for this party, because the moment she walked into the door, she locked her eyes on Mig.”
“Now, anyone who’s been around this town for a while knows that Mig isn’t exactly the nicest one of us. He doesn’t even pretend to be. So there she was, walking straight in and right up to Mig like they knew each other,” Wolf continued. “And not one of us thought it was odd at the time. We went on about our business, drinking and having fun. Mig tried to ignore the woman and was doing spectacularly at it until a fight broke out among two young girls over who was going to play pool next.”
“Okay… So, what happened then?” Annie asked while Wolf paused to take a sip of his beer.
“What happened next was cloudy for most of us. All we saw was Mig breaking up the fight, then going back to his table where he was talking to a couple local officers and drinking his beer,” Griffin started. “The next thing we know, he’s taking Jennifer to his bedroom and leaving the party. But who are we to block him from what he wants.”
“Except…” Annie urged.
“Except for Mig waking up the next morning totally blank on what happened, with a headache from hell, and a sore cock,” Ridley piped in.
Annie blinked, turning to me.
“You were drugged?” Her voice rose.
I nodded, the bile burning deep.
“Went to the doctor the next morning thinking I was dying. Turns out I had enough roofies in my system to knock out a two-ton rhino,” I answered.
“And you think it was Jennifer?” Annie asked.
“I know it was Jennifer. Went searching for her the next day and found her brother who informed me just how vindictive his sister really is. Took me to her room in the apartment they shared, saw the fuckin pill bottle that the roofies came in. Took it to have it tested, then came back to confront Jennifer a week later where she told me her plan. Apparently, her mother had helped her come up with a plan to bag herself a ‘heir’ as a husband,” I answered.
“You’re an heir?” She asked.
Casten slid the bottle of vodka he’d been sharing with Ridley for the last half hour across the table.
It came to a stop in front of Annie, and she was looking at it in confusion.
“My dad owns Konn Vodka,” I answered.
Her eyes widened.
“I think I have some of that in my cabinet right now,” she answered, turning the bottle around.
“I think everyone does,” Lenore answered, pulling the bottle to her and looking at the label.
“So what happened next?” Annie asked.
“Didn’t hear from her again for eight weeks. Then she shows up at my work and tells me that she’s pregnant,” I answered.
“And you fucking married her?” Annie screeched.
I snorted.
“After I had a DNA test to make sure the kid was mine, yes.”
Annie shook her head. “And I thought my ex-husband was bad.”
I snorted. “Maybe we could compare notes about the shittiness of our spouses.”
“He’s not my spouse anymore. You’re fucked, I’m not.”
Ain’t that the truth?
“We have a poll going to see when he breaks it off with her,” Casten said, getting up and walking to the board at the back of the room and pulling it to the table.
I rolled my eyes at the men’s guesses that were written down on the huge dry erase board that they’d bought specifically f
or my viewing pleasure.
Griffin’s guess of a month had already passed seeing as we’d been married for six now.
The rest of the guesses spanned from an eight-month time period to two years.
And the way I left it with Jennifer tonight, I doubted that I’d be seeing eight months.
I’d gotten home from work early for once, but only because I’d needed to change my clothes before I went to the clubhouse.
And I’d found Jennifer on the couch talking to someone.
She’d freaked when I’d shown up, immediately hanging up the phone and looking at me like she’d seen a ghost.
I had a feeling if I took her phone away from her, I’d have seen a man on the receiving end of Jennifer’s call.
Something I planned on researching tomorrow.
But that wasn’t even the biggest problem.
Once Jennifer realized I was going out without her, she’d threatened to leave.
When I’d left anyway, I’d seen her staring at me like I’d committed a sin right in front of God himself.
“Can I get in on that?” Annie asked, tossing me a wink over her shoulder.
I wanted to wrap her up in my arms.
Instead, I shook my head and stared at the board as Ridley wrote down Annie’s guess.
Seven months.
And for some reason, I had a feeling that she was about to pull out all the stops when it came to us.
And I was about to have a hell of a time resisting her.
Because when it came to Annie, I had no resistance.
The only thing keeping me from taking her as my own was Annie not pursuing me.
If she started to do that, then I’d be well and truly fucked.
Figuratively and literally.
The real test would be whether she acted like she was doing now when she didn’t have two beers in her…and I found that I rather liked thinking about her pursuing me.
But that didn’t negate the fact that I still had a wife.
Chapter 4
It’s a proven fact that bearded men give better oral sex. Ten out of ten women agree.
-Annie’s secret thoughts
Mig
The next morning turned out to be an exercise in patience.
“I’m not going to be there today. I have some papers to file,” I told Griffin.
“Fine with me. But I’m not your boss. Why are you calling me?” Griffin asked. “And what kind of papers are you filing?”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’m calling you because I’m supposed to meet you in half an hour at the office to discuss the case. But I can’t make it there until after lunch, if at all. I have some digging to do…then I’m going to need to go to the courthouse,” I answered dryly.
“You’re divorcing her, aren’t you?” Griffin asked, relief evident in his voice. “Thank fuckin’ Christ.”
“I’ll catch up with you later in the afternoon,” I said, hanging up without giving an answer.
I was at my house, sans my wife.
My wife had woken up at six in the morning and had left before I’d gotten back from my morning run.
Granted, I didn’t much care when she left.
But today I’d intended to follow her to see if she was actually going to work.
It was Sunday, after all.
Most people didn’t go to the office, where they were a receptionist, on Sundays.
And even if they did, perchance, have to go into work on a Sunday, it wouldn’t be at a little past six thirty in the morning.
I usually ran for an hour, and I’d left the house at five twenty.
I arrived home at six twenty to an empty house, pissed off that I’d decided to run early instead of later in the day like I’d told myself to do just because of this very reason.
So now I had to find her.
But first I had to find a car that wasn’t so noticeable.
Lucky for me, I had a neighbor that had one.
I didn’t even care that it was so early. She’d open the door for me no matter what time it was.
I just slipped a t-shirt on over my still wet chest, grabbed my cut from the chair that designated me as a member of the Uncertain Saints MC, and threw it on over my shirt as I walked out my front door.
I paused to lock the door to the house, thinking I’d need to find Jennifer an apartment this afternoon as well and hire some movers that could come out either today or tomorrow to box and move her shit out of the house.
As I made the mental list of things I needed to finish today, I walked across the space that separated my house from Annie’s and went right up her front steps.
I knocked loudly, then bent over to pick a piece of paper off the front porch.
I want you back.
Four simple, little words that had the power to send rage coursing through my veins.
Here I was, fucking married, and I was getting pissed off that Annie’s ex wanted her back.
What a head case I was.
“Ohh,” a voice said from behind me.
I slowly stood up and handed her the note.
But her eyes were still focused on where my ass had been ten seconds before, which meant she got a good look at the erection that was starting to fill out the front of my pants simply from hearing the husky sound of her ‘just woke up’ voice.
Her face flushed, and I finally got my first good look at her without being ‘all done up.’
Her hair was a mess of curls, all piled into a bun on top of her head.
Her face, free of makeup, had me wanting to see it every morning across the pillow from me.
She was wearing tight black shorts that barely covered her ass and a pink tank top that only accentuated the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
The sight of her unbound breasts had my mouth watering with the urge to suck them.
They were perky and luscious, even with their larger size.
I could make out the outline of her nipples through the thin fabric, and I had to clench my hands to keep from reaching out and tracing the pattern with my fingers.
To cover up the problem I was having with gathering the ability to speak, I thrust the note in her direction.
“I’m guessing this is from your husband?” I asked.
She glanced down at the paper like it was a snake ready to strike.
“You can toss it into the trash,” she offered, opening the door wider for me to come in.
I passed by her, accidentally brushing my right arm against her breasts as I moved.
I swallowed, trying to get into her kitchen without making a complete fool of myself.
“Where’d you find it?” Annie asked as she moved into the kitchen behind me.
“Your front porch,” I answered, letting the trash fall into the can before I turned around and pinned her to the spot with my gaze. “I want to borrow your car.”
She lifted her brows at me.
“Why?” She asked in confusion. “Is there something wrong with your bike?”
I shook my head, surveying her kitchen.
She had a huge pile of mail along the back of the counter next to the back sliding door.
The other surfaces in the kitchen were spick and span.
“Nothing wrong with my bike,” I answered. “I just need to borrow yours for a couple hours.”
She crossed her arms and gave me the glare.
You know the one.
Every woman had it perfected before they even hit the age of eighteen.
The one that was supposed to make a man tremble in his boots.
With Jennifer, that move didn’t work at all.
With Annie, though, it only made my primal instincts flare to life.
The urge to fuck the attitude right out of her was instinctive and nearly overwhelming.
“I want to follow Jennifer, but she knows my truck and bike. You drive that little hatchback, and about fi
fteen hundred people in the vicinity have that car,” I finally answered.
She snorted.
“Was that so hard?” She asked, handing me the keys to her car. “But it’s empty…like running on fumes empty, and I need to leave in about thirty minutes to meet someone.”
“Who are you meeting?” I asked.
She walked to a table where a pile of what looked to be garage sale items sat.
A pillow. A black leather bag. A vase. And a huge rock.
“I’m selling some of my old stuff. I need to have a garage sale, but I’m a lazy person, so I’m not gonna do that. I’ll just sell off a little but at a time,” she answered, pointing to the stuff.
“And you’re going to go meet where?” I asked.
“The mall parking lot,” she answered just as quickly, walking into the back bedroom.
“That’s not very safe,” I said, walking to the living room and looking at the pictures on her walls and mantle as she dressed.
In the first picture she was sitting with her sister, a woman I’d seen from afar since she’d moved in beside me.
The other two were, I guessed, her parents.
They were older versions of the girls, and they were smiling. The man with his arm around the sister. The woman with her arm around Annie.
A picture perfect family.
“I don’t think it’s unsafe. I’m meeting them all around eight this morning in the mall parking lot,” she said from the other room.
The mall wasn’t actually a ‘mall.’
It was a store on the Uncertain/Jefferson border that was sort of a mini dollar store.
It had a little bit of everything, which was why the owners called it the mall even though it wasn’t technically labeled as one.
It was also out in the middle of fuckin’ nowhere, Texas…and not somewhere I’d want Annie meeting someone by herself.
“The mall is not a good place for you to be meeting. And if you’re going to do it today, then I’m coming with you,” I said, booking no room for an argument.
She didn’t answer, which gave me more time to study her photos.
The other ones on the wall were of Annie and her friends, women I’d seen coming here to her house to visit quite a few times since she’d moved in as well.
The last photo my gaze caught on, however, was the one of Annie in a white dress that came all the way down to her ankles.
Jack & Coke (The Uncertain Saints Book 2) Page 3