Smokey (Hell's Bastards MC 2)

It didn’t matter, though.

There was no way in hell she intended to bring up the possibilities of a relationship. The club wasn’t exactly warming to her, even though she adored them all. She loved stopping by with extra baked goods, or listening to them talk about nothing. They treated her as if she was a nobody, and that was fine.

She got it. To them, she wasn’t anyone important.

“I’m not going to this party without you. I’ve been looking forward to it all week. I even broke my rules for you. I promised myself no matter what, I wouldn’t shop for a chick. I did all of that for you.” He grabbed her arm and she followed his tug as he moved her in front of the mirror. “Now I don’t know what shit is going on in your brain and quite frankly, I really don’t give a shit. I love what I see.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his chin against her shoulder. “We’re going to that party, and you’re going to have fun. Do I need to threaten to put you over my knee?”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Fine, but if they all laugh at me, we’re coming right back here, watching a movie and drinking cocoa. Deal?”

“Deal.”

He took her hand and walked her out of the house. She groaned when she saw his bike waiting for them.

A couple of times now, she’d ridden on the back of it. Each time, she’d ended up screaming and begging him to stop. So embarrassing.

“It’ll be fine.”

“Seriously? Couldn’t we, like, walk?”

“In those heels?”

She glanced down at her feet. He’d purchased a pair of stiletto heels. They were quite high, and she felt a little dizzy just glancing down at the floor.

“Fine. It seems you’re winning all the arguments tonight.”

“It doesn’t take me long to do.” He winked at her.

He climbed onto his bike and waited for her.

She threw her leg over the bike and climbed on, trying not to jostle her weight or show him how heavy she was. The women at the clubhouse were slender. Each woman, apart from Abriana and Raven, had been sure to tell her how easy it was to diet and how important it was to count calories.

Ava got the message big time. They were slim, she was not. Big deal.

She held on to Smokey as he started up the bike and took them off into the night. A small scream escaped her, and she held on even tighter to Smokey, not wanting to let him go for even a second.

“I’ve got you, babe. You just got to have a little faith.”

She closed her eyes when she felt the panic rise up inside her. They were going to crash. In the back of her mind, she knew it wasn’t possible because of how good of a driver Smokey was, but she couldn’t stop herself.

“You’re doing good, babe. Not long to go now.”

Still with her eyes firmly shut, she squeezed Smokey even tighter, praying for the ride to end. When it did, her fingers ached from the tight hold she had.

Slowly, she opened one eye, then the other as the clubhouse parking lot surrounded them.

The desire to climb off and kiss the pavement was strong. She held herself in check, settling on just getting off the bike in the most elegant way possible. It wasn’t easy. She struggled with it, but fortunately, she achieved it and she felt so happy.

Smokey chuckled. “Damn, you’ve got a firm grip.”

She winced. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Nope, but I love having you at my back.” He cupped her face and kissed her. “You’re going to have to get used to it.”

Ava didn’t want to get her hopes up, but each time he said something like that, she found herself on the cusp of believing this was more than just sex. Rather than ask him, she simply smiled and followed behind him when he took her hand.

They were heading toward the main clubhouse, but the loud, hard music could be heard outside.

She heard a couple of women giggling, but rather than look toward them, she kept her focus on Smokey’s hand.

Once inside the clubhouse, she looked past his shoulder, and wow. There was no other word for it as naked women danced on tables, the bar, and she even caught sight of a naked woman on the makeshift dance floor. If it could really be called that.

Women in many different states of undress were everywhere.

She’d never noticed so many brothers in one place.

“We’ve got two different chapters in tonight,” Smokey said. “It’s a party.”

Ava couldn’t deny that.

There surely was a lot of nakedness going on.

Smokey didn’t stay in the sanctuary of the entrance for long. He held her hand even tighter as they moved through the circles of people. She smiled at any familiar faces, but other than that, she stayed perfectly content.