Lay It Down: Bastards MC Series Boxed Set (46 page)

Chapter 13

Jo

I reached for Matty, only half awake, but I needed to know he was close. His skin was hot under my hand. and I instinctively moved toward him, hoping he would wrap himself around me. I smiled as he shifted toward me, strong arms enveloping me, and his lips found my forehead.

It seemed like only seconds later when he moved again, this time shifting me to the pillow, the cotton cold against my cheek. I tried to force my eyes open, mind scrambling.

Matt shushed me though. "Sleep, baby." The bed moved slightly as he leaned over me and kissed my forehead, whispering, "I love you, Joes."

When I finally woke up, threw on some clothes, and stumbled to the kitchen for caffeine, I was disappointed to find him not only gone but already at work. I had wanted to talk to him while he drove, just to help keep him awake. I also longed to hear his voice for more than a five-minute conversation. Being around him made me miss the friends we used to be.

He'd sent me a very sweet text message, telling me he wished he was still in my arms but his meeting couldn't wait. I smiled, thinking about the “I love you more” that he'd ended the text with. That would have to tide me over until I could talk to him tonight.

I sat at the table, sipping the burning hot liquid and staring off into space until Rocker joined me some time later. I glanced up, concentration broken, surprised at his appearance. I smiled my greeting, unsure of what to say. He nodded back.

"I'm glad you're home. It's quiet here without you.”

"Glad to be home." He smiled. "Fuckin' sucks, right? I hate bein’ heah alone.” He turned his coffee mug around, staring at it thoughtfully. "'Course, I hate it when it's crowed too." Looking up, he caught my eye. "How's the job hunt goin'?"

I scowled. "Not good." Shrugging, I added, "I'll find something, but I..." The elevator arrived with a loud ping, and we both turned. "Must be Cris. She has today off, and we decided yesterday that we'd go shopping."

The blonde who came around the corner was definitely not Matty's little sister.

I smiled at my new friend though and tried to keep the confusion out of my voice. "Good morning, Jessie."

Rocker had turned back to the table when I told him who I thought it was, and now he visibly stiffened. It was only for a second, and I wondered if I imagined it as he stood, walked to her, and kissed a cheek warmly. "Everything okay at the shop?"

She nodded, putting her hand on a strong forearm. Her perfect face scrunched in worry. "You didn't call me last night, and when Tank told me you were back..." Her voice was full of concern, and the look on her face made me feel as if I was intruding. "I wanted to check on you."

"I'm fine." Rocker stepped back, obviously putting distance between them before he gestured toward me. "Want coffee?"

Jessie hesitated, confusion clear on her face. Nodding, she turned to me and sat in the chair next to his, asking if I'd had a chance to see Matt. I couldn't keep the smile off my face, or the heat from my cheeks, as I explained that he'd come home last night. She smiled sweetly, obviously happy for me but with a sadness that told me she wished Rocker had gone to her. I wanted to hug her and slap him simultaneously.

Rocker called over, asking how she took her java, and no sooner had she answered than the elevator arrived again. I stood abruptly, hoping I could run into the entryway and cut off Cris before she came in, but she was too quick. Rock star sunglasses in place and her phone pressed to her ear, Cris strode into the kitchen as though she owned the place, throwing a giant smile at me.

I saw the exact moment she realized that Jessie was with me, her steps faltering for just a second. The smile never left her face though, and she threw herself into the chair next to me as she ended the call, laughing at whoever was on the other end. Pushing the glasses to the top of her head, bright blue eyes twinkled at me, and I sat back down, mentally preparing to be a buffer between the two.

"Good morning!" Her voice was sing-songy, immediately putting me on edge. She was too happy. She turned to Jessie, the smile widening. "Barbie! How are you?"

Jessie had straightened in her chair, obviously ready for battle. One eyebrow arched perfectly as she smiled. Leaning forward, she moved her head slightly. "Princess!" Her fake excitement made me even more nervous than Cris’s fake happy. "Now that the boys are back, I couldn't be better. How are you?"

"To be honest, I'm surprised to see you here. I forgot that little job of yours allows you to come and go whenever you want." Cris waved her hand dismissively.

Jessie laughed. "Oh, that's just one of the many perks of sleeping with my boss."

I had to keep my mouth from falling open.

"Are you still pretending to work hard at that gym teaching men how to do that thing? What’s it called again? Mai Tai?”

Cris tensed next to me, the smile never leaving her face as she opened her mouth. “It’s Muay Thai, Barbs. No need to pretend you don’t know the difference; we all know how much you like your booze. But don’t worry about it. All you need to remember is that you can’t handle either Mai Tais or Muay Thai; both will kick your scrawny ass.”

I knew we were in for more than an earful, because not only was her job as a personal trainer difficult, she co-owned the academy where she taught.

Rocker picked that moment to practically slam two cups onto the table though, and as he slid one toward Cris, he glowered at her. It wasn't lost on me that while he’d had to ask Jessie how she took her coffee, or even if she wanted one, he’d never asked Cris either question.

The uncomfortable silence that surrounded us made me realize why I didn't like being around women. It wasn't that I didn't like my gender. I had some of the best girl friends anyone could have. I loved my girl time with Teagan and her daughters, my lunch dates with Becky, my one-on-ones with Cris, and even looked forward to expanding my friendship with Jessie. In most situations though, I would take being stuck with a hundred men over being stuck with ten women any day of the week. We were such a catty species; everything was a frigging competition.

I inwardly rolled my eyes at the looks Jessie and Cris sent each other whenever Rob looked away. Did he not know that they hated each other and were acting this way because of him? If he did know, did he even care? I felt awful for all three of them; it was a messy situation. I could see how uncomfortable he was and wished I could read minds, because I wanted to know what he was thinking. Needing to free myself from this mess, I stood and grabbed my cup and the one Cris was using. I ignored her quiet "Hey!" and carried them to the sink, beckoning her to follow me.

"We'll catch you guys later, okay?" With that, I bounced down the stairs.

***

We'd not only gotten in some retail therapy but also some hot boy ogling. After spending the morning shopping for nothing in particular, we decided to go to the movies to see
Captain America, Winter Soldier
. How can any hot-blooded female be stressed after watching Chris Evans look adorable while saving the world?

Once back at the apartment, Cris sat at the table while I prepared dinner, and we gushed over the men in the movie and how kickass Scarlet Johansson was. That woman was more terrifying than half the men I knew. She didn’t have to depend on someone else to save her, and I was just a bit envious. I wanted to be that strong—emotionally and physically.

"It really wouldn't take that long, just some dedication." Cris shook her head when I opened my mouth to argue. "Seriously, you should know how to protect yourself!"

I smiled as I scraped the chopped onion into the salad bowl. "I do know how to protect myself, silly. It's called mace, and I carry it everywhere. But I’d love to be just as scary as the Black Widow."

It wasn't the first time I'd said it today, and ever since I mentioned it, Cris had been trying to get me to go to her gym. She claimed her type of kickboxing would be a good sport for me to pick up, and if I didn’t want to learn it, then I should at least take a martial art or two. I just wanted to know how to throw a punch and have it hurt my intended target without hurting me. Being able to defend myself wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

"Why don't you come with me tomorrow?" she asked.

"I will as long as you can promise me that there will be hot men I can stare at."

"There will be tons! Why do you think I love my job?" She shot me a look that said I was crazy. "Hot, sweaty, beautiful, and kicking the shit out of each other while I yell at them. What more could you want?"

The thought was so obnoxious that I couldn’t hold in my laugh, and she joined me, shaking her head.

Rob came into the room, stopping dead. "Yoah cookin' suppah, L.K.? No shit!" He smiled. "Thank god. I couldn’t handle takeout again." He grabbed a beer from the fridge then pulled a chair from the table, turned it, and straddled it as he sat. "What ahh you two hens cackling about?"

Cris rolled her eyes, trying to look annoyed, and smirked. "I want Jo to come down to the gym tomorrow. I started a new class last week and think she should join us.” She winked at me. “I think I’m wearing her down.”

"Not happening."

I looked up from the tomato I was slicing, sure I'd missed a step.

Cris jumped in before I could, the glare in her eyes matching her icy tone. "I'm not gonna put her in the ring against a pro on her first day out—just teach her the basics."

Rocker took a sip from his bottle and shook his head. "Ovah my dead body."

“Fuckin’ Christ, Robbie. The girl doesn’t even know a single defensive stance, let alone any of the aim points.” Her eyes narrowed farther. “You really don’t think it's a good idea for her learn what to do if someone attacks her?”

After taking another sip, he swirled his bottle as he listened to her. His eyes rolled as her arms flew through the air in her dramatic fashion, and he leaned forward as he answered. “I said no.”

I slammed the knife on the counter, and they both turned to look at me. "I don't remember anyone asking you."

He shrugged dismissively. "You think I'm gonna let ya go get yoah ass handed to ya and then explain to Mateo why his woman is covered in bruises? I don't fuckin' think so."

I picked the knife up and pointed at him. "Fine, then you can take me to your gym and teach me."

A look I didn't recognize crossed his features, and he swallowed hard as Cris broke into hysterics. Once she’d composed herself, she smiled at me. "That won't work, Jo. Rocker doesn't hit girls." Her voice took on an odd tone as she turned to look at him, eyes sparkling. "He refuses to hit anyone with a pussy, even if they are really, really naughty and begging for it."

Not backing down like I thought he would, Rob shrugged again. "You knew I wasn't into that shit, that it’s not my thing. I told you if you wanted someone to tie ya up and spank ya, you shoulda been with Hawk, not me."

Cris answered with a laugh that was sharp and didn’t hold a speck of humor. "And I told you I needed
you
to do it. I didn’t want Hawk, dammit, I wanted you. But no! You didn’t trust me enough to even try.” She slammed a small fist onto the table. “Besides, I’m pretty sure I lack what he requires in his partners. Do I look like one of his chubby subbies?"

Chubby subbies? Good Christ! I would never look at Hawk the same way again, and I let my thoughts wander to a place I didn’t want them to be. Was I Hawk’s kind of chubby? The thought turned my stomach.

“Oh, my god! How would you even know that?” I groaned, closing my eyes and trying to fight the embarrassment I felt flooding into my face. "Thank you both for that wonderful image! Unless I can figure out a way to boil my brain, I’m gonna be stuck with it for the rest of my life! Jesus, is nothing private anymore?"

Leaning my head onto the counter next to the cutting board, I let the coolness of the marble soothe my warm cheeks. Some things, you just can’t unhear. They were both looking at me when I stood and opened my eyes a few seconds later. Rob was trying to hide his amused smile behind his bottle, but Cris was gaping obnoxiously as if I had two heads.

“What?” I snapped, harsher than I meant to.

Cris shook her head and cleared her expression, making her face go almost blank, but I could see a smile threatening to break on her lips.

Rocker, on the other hand, gave me a shit-eating grin, his dimples deep. “Hate to break it to ya, kid, but I’ve lived with Mateo in one way or another for ovah half my life. Not all of those places had two bedrooms, and if they did, the walls were pretty fuckin’ thin.” He took a long swig while I scanned my mind, vaguely worried about what he might have heard. His eyes met mine. “I can promise you, L.K., I know moah about him”—he stole a glance at Cris—“and his…” He cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable in front of Matty’s sister. “Preferred activities than I evah wanted to.”

I felt the color drain from my face, embarrassment momentarily replaced with shock.

Surprisingly, Cris laughed, not looking uncomfortable in the least. “What he means, Joey, is that we all know just how kinky my brother likes to get. At least, we’ve all heard the stories.”