No, I wanted her to come to me. I wanted her to beg for it before I finally took it. And it was looking like I’d have plenty of time to make that happen now that I’d claimed her.
She finally put out two plates of bacon and eggs and sat down across from me.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Sure.” I dug in. Food was pretty damn good.
“I mean, for saving me. Last night.”
“You ain’t saved yet, princess.”
She picked at her food. “What do you mean?”
“We have shit to do. And we’re not sure who offed your friend yet, either.”
“Rod,” she said softly.
“Rod. Whatever.” I took a big sip of coffee. “How’d you end up with a scumbag like that?”
“By accident,” she said. “He had a bike and I like riding on them. He used to bring me to biker parties sometimes too. That’s how I found your place.”
I nodded. “You said that last night.”
She looked surprised. “I did? I guess my memory is a little hazy.”
“You were in shock.”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I guess so.”
“So he just brings you to some drug deal or whatever the fuck?”
“I think he was in love with me,” she said. “He was probably trying to impress me.”
“How’d that work?” I asked, smirking.
“Not good. He’s dead now.”
I laughed. “Hard to love a dead man.”
She gave me a look. “Don’t be an asshole. Rod was a good guy.”
“Was he? Or was he just another biker-trash asshole?”
“You mean like you?” she snapped, standing up.
“Yeah, guess so.”
“I don’t know why you’re being a dick this morning,” she said, shaking her head, “but I want to go home now.”
I stared at her for a second. “You think you’re going home?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
“You forget why you came to me? Those guys know who you are.”
“I’ll go to the police.”
I laughed. “And be an accomplice to a murder? Go ahead.”
She stared at me. “So what am I supposed to do?”
“We’ll figure that out today, princess.” I finished off my coffee and stood up. “Come on,” I said.
“Where are we going?”
“Your place to get some of your shit.”
“For what?”
I grinned at her. “Haven’t figured that out yet, sweetheart? You’re staying with me for a while.”
She just stared at me hard, and I relished the look. Defiant, angry, scared, and so fucking sexy.
She lived in a little piece of shit apartment right off the University of Texas’s campus. She lived alone, as far as I could tell, and her place was a fucking mess.
“Be fast,” I grunted at her.
“Okay.” She disappeared into the back room as I looked around her place. It looked pretty typical: paintings and pictures on the wall, pictures of friends in frames, but none of her father.
I hadn’t seen anyone hanging around outside of her place, but that didn’t mean they weren’t watching. I would have been surprised if they had found her so fast, though. Bikers weren’t exactly known for their fucking smarts, and overall that was true. They’d find her eventually, though.
I walked over to the front window and peeked outside. Nothing there, just my bike parked against the curb and the slow trickle of young students wandering around.
“How much do I need, anyway?” she asked.
I turned back and looked at her. She tossed my sweatshirt at me and I grabbed it.
“I don’t know,” I said. “A week’s worth, I guess.”
She had changed into a tight V-neck T-shirt and short jean shorts, her hair piled up on her head. I couldn’t help but stare at her breasts, not really bothering to hide it, and she didn’t seem to mind.
“A week?” she asked. “That long?”
“Don’t know,” I said again, looking away. “Couldn’t be less, could be more.”
“Fine.” She disappeared back into her bedroom. “By the way,” she called out, “I remember something from last night.”
“Yeah?” I called back, watching the outside. “What’s that?”
She came back out. “You said something about me. Something about ‘claiming’ me?”
I glanced back at her. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“What’s that mean, you ‘claimed’ me?”
I sighed. It was the damn conversation I had been avoiding since she’d woken up, but I knew we’d have to have it eventually.
“Means technically you’re off limits. You’re mine.”
“Okay, but what exactly do you mean by that?”
“You’re my old lady,” I said, annoyed. “My woman. You get it?”
She smiled awkwardly. “Like, we’re dating?”
“Not exactly,” I grunted. “More than that.”
“Explain it then.”
I turned back to her, crossing my arms. How the fuck did I explain this to the girl? She didn’t know anything about our club, about our ways. She didn’t know what it meant when I had claimed her and she didn’t dispute it. It was way too late to back out now.
“More serious than dating,” I said. “When you didn’t dispute it, meant you were accepting it.”
“Why would you do that?” she said. “We don’t even know each other.”
“The guys in there, they would have thrown your ass to the wolves in a second to maintain their precious peace.” I turned away and looked out the window. “You wanted protection, so you fucking got it. Just comes at a price.”