“Morning.” The one who first noticed me walked over to where I was standing. “You must be Rylee. I’m Mac.”
His name rang a bell, but my brain was feeling sluggish this morning. I didn’t realize who he was until the other two joined us and the guy with short ash-blond hair and blue eyes said, “Otherwise known as our president. I’m Link, club treasurer.”
“And I’m Patriot, aka captain of this motley crew.” The last guy flashed me a grin and wagged his brows.
Since he was the one who’d called me a babysitting job when we had arrived at the compound yesterday, I wasn’t feeling very friendly toward him. I kept my focus on Mac and Link as I replied, “Thank you so much for getting me away from my stepdad. One of the Ukrainians almost spotted me when we left, and Nova thought maybe they were getting ready to try to make a grab for me soon.”
“You did the smart thing, reaching out to Arya when you did.” A muscle jumped in Mac’s jaw. “If he’d gotten down there even a day later, Nova might’ve been too late.”
“I caught a lucky break when my mom left her phone out overnight, or else I wouldn’t have been able to make that call to Arya.” A shiver raced down my spine at the thought of how wrong things could’ve gone if Nova hadn’t been there to rescue me.
“The man your mom married doesn’t deserve to be called a stepdad,” Link growled, shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter if you’re his blood or not, a parent should be willing to die to protect their children. Not fucking sell them off to pay for their fucked-up mistakes.”
Mac slapped Link’s back. “The bastard will get what’s coming to him in the end.”
Patriot cleared his throat and tilted his head in my direction. “Rylee probably doesn’t want to talk about her ordeal, guys. Not after her close call yesterday.”
“Shit, sorry.” Mac flashed me an apologetic smile. “Didn’t mean to freak you out.”
I felt Patriot staring at me, but I avoided his gaze as my irritation with the man grew. “I’m not a delicate flower who’s going to fall apart over my narrow escape. Nova got me out of there in time, so I’ve got no room to complain.”
“Great way to look at the situation.” Link’s eyes contained an approving gleam. “I heard you only brought one bag with you. Do you have all the supplies you’ll need to tide you over until we can figure out what to do about the Ukrainians?”
I waved off his concern. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I don’t need much to get by.”
“Pretty and not high maintenance. Impressive,” Patriot murmured.
I let out a little puff of air and rolled my eyes, still not looking at him.
“Aww, c’mon now.” Patriot pressed his fist against his chest over his heart. “You’re gonna hurt my feelings if you keep pretending I’m not standing here, Rylee.”
“I knew I should’ve gone back outside to kick your ass yesterday,” Nova growled from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder as he stalked toward us. He was barefoot, his jeans unsnapped, wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his leather vest was clenched in his fist. With his dark eyes promising death to Patriot, he looked just as hot as he had when he was sprawled naked in his bed. How was I supposed to resist Nova when he was temptation personified?
Patriot lifted his palms. “I didn’t even do anything, man.”
Pointing at him, Nova growled, “Keep your hands and eyes off her, motherfucker.”
The guy hadn’t won any brownie points with me, but Patriot really hadn’t done anything to warrant Nova’s anger. “Pretend he isn’t in the room. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
“Not good enough,” Nova gritted out as he lifted his leather vest and shoved my arm into one of the holes. “You can ignore the guys down here all you like, but no way in hell are they going to miss you. That’s why you gotta wear this at all times. So none of these motherfuckers get the wrong idea.”
I stared up at him in shock as he shifted around me to slide the vest in place. Remembering what Arya had told me about how big of a deal it had been when Dax had given her his property patch, I gulped down the lump that had suddenly appeared in my throat. My voice came out hoarse as I asked, “Doesn’t me wearing your cut send the wrong message? I thought only old ladies were supposed to do that.”
9 Nova
I had the sides of my cut in both hands, so I used them to haul Rylee forward until we were no more than an inch apart. “Damn, straight,” I growled. “Pretty sure I made it clear that you’re mine, angel.”
“You-you can’t just...just...decide I’m yours!” she stammered.
Leaning down so that my lips were right next to her ear, I whispered, “Your body already knows it’s true. Should I take you back upstairs and prove it?”
Rylee’s mouth opened slightly, so I closed the gap completely and sealed my lips over hers. My tongue slipped inside, and she immediately melted into me. I let go of my cut to hold her close, one hand cradling her skull and the other gripping one of her ass cheeks.
I devoured her, making sure everyone who saw us had no doubt who this woman belonged to. But when she let out a soft moan, I broke the kiss. I didn’t like the idea of anyone hearing
