Текст книги "Dragon's Lair"

Автор книги: Chantal Fernando

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Chapter Five

The place is cleared out when I re-enter, but I can still hear laughter, so I know they’ve just moved their party elsewhere in the clubhouse. I appreciate it. The whole place is huge inside. I follow behind Dex, taking in every detail. I sigh when I come across a wall full of mug shots. We pass the party room, a kitchen, and a large living room, until we come to a stop. He opens the door, turns on the light, and waits for me to enter.

“Get settled, I’ll get your stuff from both the cars,” he says, shutting the door before he leaves. I look around the room. It’s spacious, with a king-size bed, a cupboard, and a desk. The rest of it is bare. Utilitarian even. I open one of the doors which leads to a decent sized bathroom. When I see the claw foot tub, my mouth turns up into a smile. My day just got a little better, it really is the small things in life.

Dex returns a few minutes later, carrying my bags. He puts them on the bed, turning to me with a contemplative look on his face.

“You hungry?” he asks, his eyes roaming to my stomach.

“No, I’m okay,” I tell him. I still have food in my bag if I do get hungry. He steps closer to me, his fingers lifting my chin up.

“Not the best situation,” he says, lip twitching.

“You think?” I all but growl.

“You can study some of your units online, can’t you?” he asks, scanning my features.

“Yeah I can. That’s what I was going to do. I really want to finish my degree, baby or not,” I tell him. It’s the truth. The degree is for me. It’s what I’ve always wanted. I know a baby changes things, and it might take me longer to do it, but I will reach my goals in the end.

“You do whatever work you can online, you hang out here for a bit, okay?” he says, his eyes softening.

“What am I meant to do here?” I ask him.

“You’ll find your place. Some of the old ladies are nice women,” he says, smiling.

“Some?”

“You picked up on that, hey?” he comments, chuckling.

“I’m a lawyer, what do you think?” I say dryly, causing him to laugh harder.

“Not yet you aren’t,” he points out.

“Whatever,” I sigh.

“What kind of lawyer are you going to be?” he asks, eyes still dancing with amusement.

“Criminal,” I say, raising an eyebrow at him. I don’t really know if I’m going to be a criminal lawyer yet, I just say it to annoy him.

“Is that so,” he says, grinning like a damn fool.

“What the hell is so amusing?” I snap, narrowing my eyes on him.

“Club could use a good lawyer,” he says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“Oh, hell no!” I say, lifting my finger and poking him in the chest.

“Did you just poke me?” he asks, looking like he’s about to start laughing again.

“Yes, what’s it to you?” I ask belligerently.

“How would you like it if I poked you?” he asks, trying to keep a straight face.

“You already did, you asshole! That’s how I got pregnant!” I yell in his face.

This time, the laughter doesn’t subside. He falls onto the bed, clutching his stomach like a damn kid. The door suddenly opens, two rough looking men standing there. Both are wearing leather vests telling me they are part of the MC.

“What the fuck,” Dex snaps at their entrance.

“You all good in here?” one man asks. He looks to be in his late thirties with brown hair and eyes. He has a beard which, I’m not going to lie, he pulls off nicely.

His eyes find me and narrow slightly. “Who’s this bitch?”

“This bitch would be Faye,” I answer in the same tone. How fucking rude.

“I wasn’t asking you, I was asking Sin,” he replies in an annoyed tone. “Learn your place around here, and fast, little girl.”

Okay, what a jerk.

“Arrow,” Dex warns. “Faye is under my protection. No one so much as breathes in her direction, you got it? And you can pass that on. I know you fuckers like to gossip.”

At least he was standing up for me. Arrow scowls but doesn’t say anything.

Kill them with kindness.

“Nice to meet you Arrow,” I lie, ignoring his look of surprise. I then turn to the next guy. He has dark hair and eyes, a scar across his neck. It looks like someone sliced him with a knife.

“Irish,” he says with a slight accent.

“Nice to meet you Irish,” I say, nodding my head at him. They both look at me like I’m crazy, and I probably am. Good manners were instilled in me, it’s really not my fault.

“Why do they call you Arrow?” I find myself asking. “Do you have an arrow tattoo?” I search what I can see of his body for any signs of it.

Silence, then laughter.

“What the hell is so funny?” I ask, looking between them in confusion.

Arrow leans against the door and stares at Dex.

“What?” Dex replies, no trace of laughter on his face.

Arrow shrugs, and then looks at me in a new light. “Can’t remember the last time I heard you laugh like that Sin.”

Dex scowls. “Is there anything else?”

“No, we just wanted to meet your baby mama,” Irish says, looking completely amused.

I wiggle my fingers at them.

“Oh darlin’,” Irish says, “You are way too good for him.”

“Get the fuck out you two,” Dex growls, sending a glare in their direction. They leave, and I can hear their laughter down the hall.

I turn to Dex. “Do I have to call you Sin now?” That’s going to take some time getting used to.

“If you want to,” he says, laying back on the bed. His t-shirt rides up a little, showing off his toned stomach. It should be illegal to look this good. He finds me staring but doesn’t say anything about it.

“I think it would be weird calling you anything other than Dex,” I admit quietly.

“Few things you need to hear. Your actions reflect on me while you’re here. Respect the other guys, respect me in front of the other guys. You can get mouthy when we’re in private, I kind of like that,” he says with a wink.

“So you want me… to not be me in public?” I gape, gritting my teeth.

“No. Not at all—”

“Fine, I’ll try to keep the browbeating to a minimum. In public anyway,” I joke.

“Anything else I should know?”

“You’re lucky I know what that mouth can do. It’s worth putting up with your shit for,” he says, amusement dancing in his eyes.

I narrow my eyes on him. “You better not say stuff like that in front of the others!”

“Why not? Sex isn’t some secret thing around here. You’ll learn that quickly, don’t worry.”

“No one is going to…”

“Nothing will happen here that you don’t want,” he says, the tension in the room reaching an all-time high. “Yes, the men enjoy women and regularly, but all the women are consenting. We’re not monsters Faye.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that you are… It’s just, well. I don’t know how things work here,” I try to explain.

“Everyone will come around with you—don’t worry about that.”

I wasn’t worried until he just mentioned it.

“So…” I start. “Where are you sleeping?” I ask, taking in the one and only bed.

“This bed is massive,” he says, lip curving.

“It is,” I agree, waiting for him to continue.

“So, I’m sleeping here with my baby mama,” he says, grinning at me.

“You did not just call me that,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I did. Listen here woman, this is how things are going to go. I’m going to sleep here every night, but don’t worry, I’ll be keeping my hands to myself. Now go take a shower,” he says, covering his face with his arm. I ignore the feeling of disappointment at the ‘keeping his hands to himself’ part. It’s probably for the best. Besides who needs hot sex with the sexiest man you’ve ever laid eyes on?

Me, that’s who.

I decide to let future me worry about it and jump in the shower. I dress in my pink cupcake pajama pants and a white singlet top. When I walk out, Dex is still on the bed watching a movie.

“Finally,” he grumbles, heading into the bathroom. Finally? That was me trying to be quick. I wouldn’t say I was high maintenance, but I’m definitely not low maintenance. Feeling thirsty, I stare at the door, wondering if I should head out or not. My thirst winning, I slip out the door and head to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I pull out a bottle of water and smell it first, just to make sure it isn’t vodka or something.

“May I ask why you’re smelling the water?” comes a highly amused voice from behind me. I turn and come face to face with a very attractive man. Very.

“Well hello there,” I say, checking him out. Shoulder length blond hair. Wearing nothing but a pair of low slung track pants. Amazing body covered in tattoos.

“Nice pjs,” he says, staring at my pants.

“Thanks, I love cupcakes,” I say.

“So do I,” he says through a chuckle.

“You guys should make a calendar,” I blurt out, causing the man to grin at me.

“Who are you?”

Wait, am I not allowed to ask questions like that?

His eyes widen at my question as I wait for his reaction. “I’m Tracker, who are you?”

“Oh good, you aren’t going to kill me or something,” I say to myself.

“What?” he asks, making a choked sound.

I shrug sheepishly. “I’ve been warned.”

“Faye!” Dex calls out.

“That would be me,” I say, giving him the small wave.

“You’re the baby mama?” he says, eyebrows reaching his hairline.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” I snap, narrowing my eyes. “Is that going to be my name now?”

Dex walks out, a scowl etched on his handsome face. “Why the hell did you leave the room?”

“I was thirsty!” I tell him, waving the bottle of water at him.

“You were thirsty?”

“I’m pregnant remember? You were there I believe. Yes, thirsty,” I say. I turn to Tracker. “You were just going to tell me about those tattoos of yours?”

Dex turns to Tracker, and if looks could kill.

“Good luck with that one,” Tracker says, his body shaking from laughter. Dex, looking considerably less happy, if that’s possible, takes my arm and pulls me back to the room. He locks the door behind us. He stares at me, as if thinking about what to say. Then he shakes his head.

“Don’t walk around at night by yourself.”

“Am I a prisoner?” I ask him, my tone ice cold.

“No, of course not, but this place is filled with men. You’re beautiful. You do the math.”

“O– oh,” I stutter. God he can be sweet when he wants to be.

“Sleep.”

“Okay,” I say, sliding into bed and getting comfortable. He joins me but stays on his side of the bed.

Just as I’m about to fall asleep, I hear him say, “I know you think I’m going to be a shit father, but I’m going to try my best. Goodnight Faye.”

I fall asleep with a small smile on my lips.

Chapter Six

I walk out into the kitchen the next morning, rubbing my eyes. I stop in my tracks as I see a man standing over the stove.

Naked.

He has an extremely white ass and is frying something in the pan.

“There goes my appetite,” I mutter to myself. Arrow turns around, completely unabashed.

“Mornin’,” he says, checking out my pajamas. I stare at his huge penis in horror but am unable to move my eyes away. Suddenly, it gets hard, pointing right at me. Like an arrow.

Light bulb moment.

“Seriously?” I say, covering my eyes with my hand.

“Bit late for that,” he says, chuckling. “I saw you looking.”

“And I saw you saw me looking,” I reply, pouring myself some juice and averting my gaze.

“I think I had the wrong idea about you…” he says, turning back to the stove.

“How so?”

He shrugs. “Thought you were some tramp trying to trap Dex.”

“And how do you know I’m not?” I ask him.

“Good sense of character,” he says. “I’m never wrong.”

“Bold claim,” I say as he turns around. My eyes straight away lower, I can’t even help it.

I point at it when he takes a step in my direction. “Don’t bring that thing near me!”

Dex walks in and sighs when he sees Arrow’s bare state.

“Fuckin’ hell Arrow,” Dex barks, turning to me and checking my expression. I take this time to check him out myself. Black track pants on his narrow hips and no shirt. I could really get used to the view.

“I’m traumatized, but I’ll live,” I reply. “At least I know why you all call him Arrow. That thing points at its next victim!”

Arrow spins to me, his eyes wide with surprise. “I’m actually glad you’re here, this place was getting boring.”

“Arrow!” Dex growls, clearly losing his patience. “That boner better not be for my woman.”

Arrow laughs.

Dex stares him down.

I puff out a dramatic sigh.

“I’m gone,” Arrow finally replies, taking his plate of food and leaving.

“They don’t have to wear clothes on the account of me,” I tell him, wiggling my eyebrows.

The smile drops from my face, then I run to the bathroom just in time.

I hate morning sickness.

In my haste I didn’t lock the door behind me, and Dex comes in rubbing a hand down my back. How embarrassing. I think I could have gone through my life without a man seeing me throw up.

“Faye,” he says, sounding worried and a little horrified.

“I’m okay,” I manage to say, bracing myself.

“What do you need, tell me,” he implores, stroking my hair.

“Can you get me some water and maybe make me some toast with vegemite?” I ask him, really just wanting a moment’s privacy.

“Yep,” he says, quickly leaving to do the task. I clean myself up and brush my teeth before he calls out that my breakfast is ready. I see a plate on the bed with two slices of toast and a bottle of water.

“Thanks,” I tell him with a small smile, sitting down and taking a bite.

“Do you get sick every day?” he asks, frowning.

I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “Sometimes.”

“And you’ve been going through it alone these last few months?”

“Well, yeah. No one can really help me,” I say, chewing and swallowing. “It’s just something pregnant women go through.”

“Still, I wish I had been there for you,” he says.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I tell him, looking down at my plate. Maybe I would have told him one day, maybe I wouldn’t. I don’t really know, to be honest.

“Why didn’t you?” he asks, the atmosphere in the room turning tense.

I consider it. “Eric told me you were the VP for a motorcycle club, and I realized I didn’t know you at all. We had a one-night stand; that was it. Even though we knew each other growing up—our age gap never really let us know each other. I guess I was telling myself I could do this on my own…”

“I went to Mum’s to visit, and I heard him telling her you were pregnant. I knew it was mine,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Then I came to find you.”

“How did you find me?” I ask.

“Tracker didn’t get his name for nothing,” he says, lips curving into a megawatt smile.

We sit in comfortable silence for a few moments, watching each other. “What are we doing here?”

“You’re going to study and relax, and I’m going to take care of you,” he says, piercing blue eyes never leaving me.

Take care of me, how exactly?

Because I could use some taking care of right now.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at me in question.

“Oh, you know. The usual things,” I reply. “So how did you find yourself in an MC?”

“Sometimes you need to make your own family,” is all he says.

It’s all he needs to say, because I get it.

“Maybe I could do that,” I say, lifting the second piece of toast to my mouth. I don’t have my parents anymore. I don’t have Eric—who has been in my life a very long time. I have some cousins and family in Melbourne, but that’s about it. It would be nice to have people in my life I can rely on. People who can be there for me, and vice versa.

I wouldn’t take that for granted.

“You already are babe,” Dex replies in a gentle tone. “You aren’t getting rid of me so easily.”

“Who would have thought we’d be here right now?” I say, lip quirking.

“Not me, that’s for sure,” Dex says. “But I don’t regret it. Any of it.”

Well that’s nice.

Really nice.

“Thanks for strawbmaking me come here Dex. It’s a lot better than what I would be doing right now, living in a shitty motel and working my ass off to make ends meet,” I admit, letting the expression on my face show him that I was indeed grateful. I might not understand the appeal of an MC lifestyle, but I knew I had it better here than I would on my own.

I felt safe.

I didn’t have to work, instead I could continue my studies, giving me a more promising future.

I appreciated it more than I could express.

“You’re welcome babe. You know you’re stubborn as shit though, yeah?” he says, shaking his head at me, something like admiration shining in his eyes.

I gape. “I’m stubborn? You’re a brute!”

He grins. “I gotta head out. Will you be alright hanging out here?”

“Who will be here?” I ask, not really wanting him to leave.

“People come and go babe, there’s always someone around. No one will hurt you, don’t worry about that, okay?” he says gently. “Just mind your business and try to stay out of trouble. I’ll bring you lunch on my way back.”

“Okay,” I reply. This is my life now, and I have to get used to it.

No hiding behind Dex.

I could do this.

Dex showers and dresses in jeans, a black top, and a leather jacket. Unable to keep my eyes off him, I realize that I like him.

Maybe even more than like him.

I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but I guess I was going to find out.

Chapter Seven

“You must be Faye,” a gorgeous looking redhead says to me the next morning. Dressed in figure hugging jeans and a white tank top, she looks a hell of a lot better than I do in the morning.

“That would be me,” I say, smiling at her.

“Jessica,” she says. “You want to help cook breakfast?”

Not really, but I couldn’t exactly say that. “Sure. Where’s Dex?”

“Sin? He went out with the guys. Club business,” she says, shrugging like it’s irrelevant. I woke up alone this morning, and I didn’t like it. I had a shower and awkwardly walked out of the room, not knowing exactly what I was going to find or what I was meant to do. “He told me to get you fed and keep an eye on you. I’m Trace’s old lady.”

Trace? I haven’t met a Trace yet. I tell her as much.

“He will be around this evening,” she says. I smile and help her fry bacon and eggs, until the smell begins to be too much. I then spend the next twenty minutes throwing up. I clean myself up and head back out into the kitchen. Several women sit there chatting and eating. A few of them smile at me and a few of them don’t. I ignore the ones giving me evil looks and sit next to Jessica.

“How are you feeling?” she asks knowingly.

“A bit better now,” I say, serving some toast and eggs for myself.

I’ve taken a few bites when one of the women starts talking to me. “So you’re the one then…”

“What?” I ask, putting down my piece of bread and staring at the blonde.

“The one who got pregnant on purpose to try and keep Sin,” she says, sneering at me. Wait, what?

“Right, because that was my dream in life,” I say sarcastically. “Screw going to uni and becoming a lawyer. My real dream was to get pregnant at the tender age of twenty and get kicked out of my house with nowhere to go. You’re really smart, you know that?” I tell her, turning away from her red face when I’m done.

The women are silent for a second before they burst into laughter.

“She told you Allie,” one guffaws, earning more laughter from the rest of them.

“Whatever bitch,” she taunts. “Sin will come back to me, he always does.”

“I’m sure it’s for your charming personality,” I add, keeping my tone even.

“He’ll still be fucking me whether you’re pregnant or not,” she adds with an evil smile.

“Are you a club whore?” I ask with a smirk.

“You f—”

“Allie, stop,” Jessica snaps, slamming her plate down.

Allie shoots me a look but doesn’t comment further.

I try not to let her comments get to me. Sin can be with whoever he wants. It’s not like we’re dating or anything. We had sex, and I got knocked up. Not exactly the best grounds for starting a relationship. The best I can hope for is mutual respect and friendship. Who the hell am I trying to kid here? I want him.

The women stare at me with a new light. It may even be respect I see in their eyes. Yeah—I’ve read a biker book or two in my day. I know how this all works. They are like a pack of wolves. They sense weakness. I need to show them that I’m not a pushover.

“Do you want help cleaning up?” I ask Jessica, ignoring a fuming Allie.

Jessica grins. “We cooked, they can clean.”

That sounds good to me.

“I have to get to work,” she says. “Do you have Sin’s number?”

I shake my head, a little embarrassed that I don’t.

She walks to the kitchen, digs in a drawer, and pulls out a pen and paper. Scribbling down his number, she hands it to me. “Call him if you need anything.”

“Where do you work?” I ask curiously.

“I own a beauty shop. You should come by sometime, I’d love to get my hands on your auburn locks,” she says, staring at my hair. “Maybe we could go a little darker even.”

“You aren’t touching her hair Jess,” Dex says as he walks in. His eyes find mine and roam over me, softening fractionally. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I reply, unable to tear away my gaze.

“Fine,” Jess says, grumbling, not even bothering to put up a fight.

“Hey Sin,” Allie purrs, sliding up next to him.

“Hey sugar,” he replies, turning his head to look at her for a second before returning to me. “Come on, time to meet Prez.”

How come I didn’t get a ‘Hey sugar’? I’m the baby mama!

I fume silently. If Dex is going to parade women in front of me, I don’t know how I can stay here. We never spoke about us being together, but I did only just get here. I guess I had kind of hoped… but he didn’t really promise me anything. I now feel like a first class idiot, making something out of nothing. Maybe he just wants me here because of the baby. Not because he feels anything for me besides obligation.

Rake walks into the kitchen with Irish and an older man I haven’t met before. Dex takes me by the arm and pulls me into our room.

“You alright?” he asks when the door is closed.

“I’m fine, I woke up alone, cooked, threw up, and got stared at all morning.”

He stares at me. “You were sick again?”

“Yeah but I’m fine,” I tell him, shrugging off his concern. “What am I meant to do all day while you’re out playing criminal?”

He ignores my comment and gestures to his desktop. “I bought you a new laptop. Enroll for your online units and buy your textbooks.” He pulls out a credit card and hands it to me. “For whatever expenses.”

“What’s the limit on this?” I’m unable to stop myself from asking.

His lip twitches. “Ten grand.”

I sigh heavily. “I guess that will do.”

Now he laughs at me.

“Don’t laugh! Since I apparently got pregnant on purpose to keep you, because you know, you’re such a catch. At least you come with a credit card though,” I joke.

I watch as the smile drops from his face. “What did you say?”

I blink. “I don’t remember.”

“Who said that about you Faye?” he demands, his playful demeanor gone.

I smirk. “Someone in the house you’ve slept with.”

I watch his face go blank. Jeez how many of the women has he slept with? I tap him on the shoulder. “I’m sure you will be able to figure it out. I suggest doing a chart or a graph.”

“Fuck, you’re a pain in the ass. How did Eric handle you?” he says on a sigh.

“He didn’t,” I say, smirking once more.

“I’ll bet he didn’t,” he growls, his gaze lowering to my lips.

“How many men have you slept with?” he asks, taking a step closer to me, invading my personal space.

“What a rude question,” I muse. I’m pretty sure that’s not something you go around asking people.

“How many, Faye?”

I count all my ten fingers. “Well that was just this year…”

“Faye…”

“Two, including you. How many women have you slept with?” I ask, wiggling my eyebrows at him. “Do you need a calculator?”

“Eric is a boy. I said men,” he replies, tucking my hair behind my ear.

“I guess only you then,” I whisper, caught up in his gaze.

He smiles, showing his straight white teeth. “I like that.” It doesn’t escape my attention that he ignored my question, but I don’t push. I know I wouldn’t like the answer.

“Of course you would,” I mutter to myself.

“It means that you’re mine now,” he whispers, then looks away. I think I hear him mutter the word ‘soon.’

“Come on, we gotta go meet the boss,” he says, taking my hand in his. He leads me down the hall and knocks on a door.

“Come in!” a rough voice yells. We walk into an office. Well I think it’s an office. It has a huge table and a cabinet in it, and another door. A man who looks to be in his forties, with salt and pepper hair and a beard, sits at a table. He looks fit, no beer belly for this man. He looks up at me and scowls.

“What did I do?” I ask, unable to help myself. He has a grumpy face but kind eyes.

Dex squeezes my hand, as in—shut up Faye.

“Jim this is Faye. Faye this is Jim, our president. You will show him respect,” he says, warning in his tone. I stare at the man’s leather vest with the word ‘president’ written on there.

“Hi,” I say carefully, not knowing what he wanted to see me about.

He leans back in his huge black chair and studies me. “Do you know why you’re here?”

I swallow. The man is intense. “Because Dex feels sorry for me?”

“Because Sin is a good man, and you’re carrying his baby. I hope you’re a good woman. Sin says we can trust you, and as my vice president, I trust him.”

I nod at the club president. “Thanks for letting me stay here.”

I knew Dex was the VP because Eric told me, but also because it says so on his vest.

I turn to him. “VP is impressive by the way.”

A dimple appears. “Glad you approve.”

“I trust you know your place here?” Jim asks, staring me down.

I nod sagely. “Yes sir. I won’t even tell anyone about the orgies you guys have.”

Jim turns a weary look to Dex who sighs. “I’ll handle her don’t worry.”

“You damn well better,” Jim says, having a silent conversation with Dex with his eyes.

Dex nods back at him. “Understood.”

Jim looks back at me. “Help out when you can and keep your mouth shut about anything you hear or see.”

I nod, internally fuming at being treated like lesser human being. Fucking bikers.

“Can I ask you a question?” I ask Jim, pasting a smile on my face. “How come everyone has a nickname but you go by Jim. Can I give you a name suggestion?”

A few come to mind.

He shakes his head at me, but I don’t miss the amused look that flashes on his features. “Goodbye Faye.”

Dex grabs me and leads me out. I grin. “I like him.”

I watch as Dex palms his face.