He probably didn’t remember that I’d already seen something like that the night I met him. I pressed my upper back against the car in an attempt to put some distance between us, but it didn’t work. “Then why am I here?”
“We’re celebrating, which means everyone in the club will show up at some point tonight. It’s the best chance for everyone to see you and Bull together. Start them talking. That shit will get back into the community, and the Widows will hear it.”
I tilted my head slightly to the side. “I thought you said everything that happens here is confidential.”
He shifted back, putting some much-needed space between us. “Shit gets out, just like anywhere. Some of the guys are dating girls who are new to the club, and they’ll talk. Just play your part.”
I gestured to the small space between us. “And what will they say if they see how close you’re standing to me right now?”
His eyes heated, and he watched me closely while he spoke. “I’m the president, Josie. They won’t say a fucking thing.”
“So you can do anything you want?” I asked quietly.
His attention flicked down to my lips again, and I resisted the urge to lick them. His gaze lingered there for a moment before slowly returning to my eyes. “Who’s going to stop me?”
I laid my hand on his chest and pushed him until he took a step back. I don’t know how I knew he’d move if I wanted him to, but I did. The idea that I felt safe with him was both comforting and unsettling. “I think you might be surprised.”
He stood to his full height while I skirted out around him. When he closed the door to my car, he twisted so we were face-to-face and lifted his eyebrow. “By you?”
I started toward the clubhouse, not surprised in the least when he fell in step beside me. “You shouldn’t underestimate me, Bear.”
He didn’t say more, and neither did I as we made our way to the door. Bear didn’t like being challenged, which made me want to do it all the more.
“Prez.” The young man at the door addressed Bull while he pulled open the door.
He jerked up his chin and gestured for me to go in ahead of him. “Blaze.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Your name is Blaze?”
He grinned. “I’m a fireman, ma’am.”
“Really?” I smiled when he nodded. “That’s a very selfless profession.”
His grin grew. “It’s not totally selfless. Girls seem to like the uniform.”
I laughed and nodded. “I’m sure they do.”
Bear put his hand on my back and ushered me forward until we crossed the threshold. I heard him say something to Blaze but couldn’t make out his words over the music inside the clubhouse.
When the door slammed behind me, Bear leaned down over my shoulder, and his warm breath floated across my ear. “Knock it off.”
Twisting, I looked him in the eye, putting our faces closer together. “Knock what off?”
“You’re with Bull. No one else.”
My eyes widened when it suddenly occurred to me what he was saying. “You think I was flirting with Blaze?”
“I was watching, wasn’t I?”
“That was not me flirting. That was me being friendly,” I explained and pulled away, putting some distance between us. “But I’ll make sure to flirt with Bull tonight so you can see the difference.”
Spinning on my heel, I faced the room and breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed Bull walking toward us. His eyes flicked between Bear and me, but I didn’t look over at Bear. I didn’t need to see his face to know that I had once again pissed him off.
Bull got to us, and his eyes drifted from Bear to land and stay on me. He slid his arm around my waist and yanked my body up against his, forcing me to tilt my head back to see him. He leaned down and put his face very close to mine. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I confessed.
He smirked and pressed a fast and hard kiss to my lips before reaching down for my hand and turning to face the crowd. He pulled me alongside him toward the bar. Oddly, the kiss and him holding my hand didn’t feel bad or good, but it did feel comfortable. Maybe this would be easier than I’d thought.
He pointed at a stool, and I dropped his hand to sit, then leaned my elbows on the bar top. Dozer made his way toward us but focused his attention on Bull. “What’re you drinking?”
“Beer.” Bull glanced down at me, and I shrugged but then nodded. Since I drove, I wouldn’t have more than a few sips, so it didn’t matter what he ordered. “Two.”
Dozer tapped his knuckles on the bar top. “How ya doin’, Josie?”
“Good,” I responded before he moved down the bar. I glanced over my shoulder at Bull. “Is Dozer a prospect?”
Bull slid onto the stool beside me but angled his body so he could lay his hand on my thigh. I forced myself not to acknowledge it, so we looked like we were comfortable with each other, but it was hard. “Yeah.”
Dozer slid two bottles of beer in front of us with a nod before moving on to the woman who was seated several stools away on the other side of me. “Who’s teaching you about club life?”
“Becs gave me a quick tutorial.”
He grabbed our bottles and handed me one while he took a drink from his. I took a sip and frowned, which made Bull laugh.
I took another drink and looked around the room, noticing it was packed. “Bear said we’re celebrating tonight.”
He took another long drink from his bottle. “We are.”
“What are we celebrating?”
He gestured toward the pool table where a few guys were hanging around. “Skinner was just patched in as a member.”
“Which one is he?”
“One with brown hair and the blonde hangin’ off him.”
I nodded and studied the man who had just been patched in. He looked in his late twenties, possibly early thirties, but I couldn’t see him clearly from where I was seated. I hadn’t met him, yet I hadn’t met a lot of these people. Taking a deep breath, I looked back at Bull, who was watching me closely. “I thought this was a bonfire.”
“It will be,” he replied while scanning the room. “Party usually starts inside, then works its way outside.”
I nodded, and we both drank again. “Becs told me these parties can get rowdy.”
“It will.” He tapped the bottom of his bottle against mine. “You ready for that?”
I shrugged like I didn’t care either way, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for rowdy. When Bear was warning me outside, I did my best to sound confident because it annoyed me that he thought he knew my type.
“You don’t drink beer.”
Both Bull and I turned to look behind the bar when we heard Bear’s voice. His attention was locked on me, and as usual, he looked angry.
I held up the bottle. “I am tonight.”
“Thought you didn’t like it.”
I smiled sweetly and leaned my shoulder into Bull’s. “I like it with Bull.”
Bear’s expression hardened, and Bull cleared his throat before swinging his arm around my shoulders. Bear’s eyes left mine slowly to land on Bull before he turned, grabbed a beer for himself, and stomped away.
“This is gonna get fucked.”
I didn’t look up when I heard Bull speak, but I did wonder what he meant.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BEAR
I like it with Bull.
Fuck, those words pissed me off.
Slamming the door to my office, I popped the top off my beer and took a long swallow while I walked around the desk and sat down. She shouldn’t be here. The more I’d watched her and Bull together, the more I realized having her here was a mistake.
“What?” I barked when a loud knock sounded on my door.
Gunner pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing it behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the door.
I took another long drink from the bottle while he watched me quietly. Slowly lowering my bottle
, I arched my eyebrow. “Need something?”
“Watched that play out,” he shared.
“Watched what?”
Gunner pushed off the door and dropped his arms before walking over and sitting in the chair across from me. “Don’t try to bullshit me, brother. I know what I saw.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Okay.” He laid his arms over his stomach and linked his fingers. “Then it won’t bother you that they were goin’ at it when I came back here, and she looked like she was havin’ one hell of a good time.”
I clenched my jaw, my initial thought to deny that his information pissed me off, but this was Gunner, and he knew me better than anyone.
Slamming the bottle on my desk, I leaned forward and shook my head. “I want to kick his ass, and this was my fucking idea.”
“Christ, brother.” Gunner chuckled. “Only you would want the girl who hates you, the club, and everything to do with club life.”
I dragged my hands through my hair. “I don’t even like her.”
“But you want her,” Gunner stated. “Can’t deny that.”
“Anyone else notice?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not that I could tell. They’re too busy watching Bull and her to notice the fucking daggers you’re sending their way.”
“This plan isn’t going to work,” I admitted.
“Not if you can’t keep your own shit locked up tight.” Gunner agreed. “You got other ideas?”
“Not yet.”
Gunner pushed out of his seat. “Then for tonight, you should probably stay in here.”
“Probably.” I stood before grabbing my beer and moving out around the desk. “But I’m not.”
Gunner chuckled and followed me to the door. “Didn’t think so.”
We left the office and headed back into the bar area, but I immediately noticed most people had gone outside. The prospects would continue to watch the door while everyone was out back in case we had any unwanted visitors. Looking around the room, I didn’t see Bull or Josie and assumed they’d already gone.
Gunner crossed the room to his girlfriend, Maggie, and leaned down to whisper something that made her giggle. Shaking my head, I grabbed another beer and headed outside. I leaned my hip against the outside bar and scanned the enclosed backyard. It was fairly big, definitely enough room for everyone to spread out and even get some privacy if they wanted it, which they rarely did. At least not the young guys.
My stare settled on Bull and Josie, who were talking to Becs. I hadn’t been sure if she was coming tonight and put Race on her as a precaution in case she stayed home. Race had never liked to party so I knew he wouldn’t come, but my sister loved a good party. Although that had changed over the past year, and now being pregnant, it seemed to be changing more and more.
Shifting my attention from Becs to Josie, I growled when I saw her lean into Bull. I had to give her credit—she was playing her part well. If I didn’t know better, I’d believe they were involved, especially with how easily they leaned into one another. He tossed his arm over her shoulders, and she laid her hand over his stomach, pressing her body tight against his side. She was small but curvy, and all those curves fell exactly where I liked them. I liked my women to be soft. I didn’t like to feel hard muscle or bones when I ran my hands over her, and I had no doubt that running my hands over Josie would be the best fucking feeling I’d ever experienced. Her blond hair laid just below her shoulders and shined when the outside light hit it. I remembered how soft it was to touch when I cleaned her up in the hospital. I could already imagine fisting it in my hand while I fucked her slowly.
Shaking my head, I dropped my eyes and tried to calm down. All the damn blood in my body felt like it rushed to my dick when the image of her and I floated through my mind. What the fuck was it about this woman?
“You’re quiet tonight.”
I barely held back a sigh when I recognized the soft voice speaking beside me.
Candy.
She was a mistake a lot of the boys in the club had made, but I hadn’t. It wasn’t because she hadn’t tried to get me to fuck her because she had. Candy made no attempts at hiding her efforts to become attached to a man in the club. She’d take anyone. I’d seen this before when a woman wanted to belong in the club and would do just about anything to find a place there.
I ignored her attempt at flirting. “Having a good time?”
“Yeah.” She smiled and shoved her long, dark hair off her shoulder. She was pretty, and she knew how to work it, but for some reason, her looks hadn’t been enough to convince any of the guys to keep her. “I always have a good time here.”
Over her shoulder, I watched Josie wrap her arms around Bull’s waist, and he smiled down at her. Shifting my attention back to Candy, I did something I’d never done and was going to regret later, but I wanted to see if Josie reacted. I had no idea if she hated me like Gunner said or was always pissed because she felt the chemistry between us. She was hard for me to read, and that was unusual.
“Wanna grab a drink?”
She lit up like a fucking Christmas tree and nodded. “I’d love to.”
We settled onto stools, and I motioned for the prospect tending bar. When I had his attention, I held up two fingers. He nodded and grabbed two bottles of beer from the cooler behind the bar.
He’d just set them down in front of us when Candy turned on her stool and put her hand on my upper thigh, her fingertips grazing my cock. She grinned when she felt the hardness, but she had no idea it wasn’t for her. Lifting her hand, I moved it down my thigh and ignored her pout. I grabbed both bottles before handing her one, which she took with her empty hand, not lifting her other hand from my thigh. I didn’t want her, and I wouldn’t go there with her. But I wanted Josie to react to her sitting close, and I didn’t care how juvenile that sounded.
I took a long drink of beer and shifted my attention back to Candy when she spoke again. “Do you have plans later?”
Christ, this girl didn’t waste any time. Just having this drink with her was proving to be the problem I assumed it would. Glancing once more over her shoulder, I locked my eyes with Josie’s, and my cock hardened to the point of pain. Her eyes flicked down over me, and I saw them land on Candy’s hand. She slowly lifted her eyes back to mine and studied me a moment longer before turning her body so her back was to me.
I lifted my beer and put the bottle to my lips, tilted my head back, and finished the whole damn thing in one large swallow. Then I slammed it down on the bar and stood. Candy stared up at me, but I didn’t have any interest in explaining myself.
“Have fun tonight.” I turned, heading back inside.
I went straight to my office and slammed the door closed, sitting down at my desk once again. I dropped my hand and ran it over my aching cock. I needed some fucking relief, but that was not going to come from my own hand.
I have no idea how long I sat there until a knock on my door sounded. “Yeah.”
When the door was pushed open, I expected to see Gunner again but stood when Bull walked through the door. “Ritz needs to talk to me about a few things.” He gestured behind him into the hall. “Thought I better leave Josie with you.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets and nodded, but my blood was pumping hot at the idea of being alone with her. “Yep.”
Bull turned toward the hallway, but I heard Josie mutter. “I can just wait at the bar.”
I didn’t hear Bull say anything, but she huffed and walked through my open door. My eyes locked with hers while Bull left and closed the door behind him.
She put her hands on her hips and looked around my office, but I wanted her eyes back on me. “Getting too rowdy for you?”
Her head snapped my way, and she narrowed her eyes. “No, actually, I was having a nice time, but Bull thought we did enough convincing tonight.”
“He must’ve seen something he liked.”
I was purposely being a dick, which would o
nly lead to yet another argument and lowering her opinion of me even further, but I still couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to shock her. I wanted her to judge us so I could remember I didn’t like her or her opinion of my club. I wanted her to think Bull was willing to shove her in her car and send her home so he could fuck someone he actually wanted. I knew that shit wasn’t true and hated the depths I would sink to, but none of that mattered when I thought of her pressed tight against Bull.
“Good for him.”
I walked out around the desk. “That wouldn’t piss you off?”
“Why would it?” Her forehead wrinkled.
Leaning my hip against the desk, I stood less than a foot from her. “Looked to me like you were enjoying yourself.”
“I’m playing the part.”
“You’re not that good of an actress.”
“I must be.” She raised her eyebrows. “Everyone thinks I like you, don’t they?”
I took a few steps to close the distance between us. “Nobody thinks you like me.” I laid my palm against her side. “But I know you do.”
She tilted her head back to look up at me when I slid my hand around her back and yanked her against my body. I wrapped my other hand around the side of her neck, my thumb brushing against the pulse beating beneath her soft skin. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off, not giving a damn about the bullshit she was going to throw at me, especially after feeling her pulse speed up.
“I saw you watching me with Candy.” I lowered my head until my lips were right above hers. “I didn’t want her hands on me.”
“I wasn’t watching you.”
“I was watching you,” I admitted.
“I don’t like you,” she whispered, but her words had no punch, and her body pressed in tighter to me.
“I don’t like you either, sweetheart.” I squeezed the side of her neck. “But that’s not gonna stop me.”
Her eyes widened right as my lips dropped to hers, but she didn’t fight me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and jumped when I slid my arms under her ass. I needed her at my height so I could get our bodies as close as they demanded. Tilting my head to the side, I groaned when she opened her mouth so I could slide in my tongue. Fuck, she tasted good, and she felt good. But I’d already known she would.
End Game (Sinners MC Book 2) Page 10