“We good?” Sin asks the table.
Everyone nods.
“Shay is staying here, and under our protection. Vinnie, let us know what you need us to do.”
I leave the room feeling like a weight has been lifted.
* * *
Shay is fast asleep in my bed, snuggled under the covers, when I return to my room. I decide to join her, undressing and sliding under the sheets, spooning her from behind. I release a deep breath, thinking about how nice it is to be able to relax, to hold her like this and know that for now, we’re safe. I close my eyes and soon fall asleep with her scent in my nose.
* * *
“This is the cutest shit I’ve ever seen,” I hear Faye’s voice whisper. “Seriously, Anna, how adorable are they?”
“Are you just going to stand here and watch them sleep? That’s pretty creepy,” Anna whispers, making me open my eyes and glare at the two of them. “And I think Vinnie’s naked. I don’t want to see his bits.”
“His bits? You’re best friends with a romance author and that’s what you come up with?” Faye snickers.
“It’s Vinnie,” Anna says matter-of-factly, “to me, he doesn’t have a cock, or a dick. He has bits.”
Faye starts laughing so hard Shay stirs, and the last thing she needs is to wake up with these two in her face.
“Can the both of you please get the fuck out?” I ask quietly, but loud enough so the two of them can hear.
Instead of listening, they both come closer, lean down, and kiss me on my cheek.
“Welcome home,” Faye says, while Anna just smiles down at me.
You can’t even be angry at the two of them.
“Good to be back.”
“There’s food for both of you in the kitchen,” Anna says, then grabs Faye’s arm and pulls her to the door.
“Food?” Shay says, lifting her head, her hair all messy and cute.
Faye and Anna stop.
“They were just about to leave,” I tell Shay, burrowing back under the sheets. I then lift my head, realizing I was being rude. “Shay, this is Faye and Anna.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Shay says, sitting up and smiling at the women.
“You too,” Faye says, beckoning. “Come and eat with us. There’s pizza in the kitchen, along with garlic bread and a whole lot of desserts. Oh, and there’s some katsu chicken sushi too.”
“A woman after my own heart,” Anna comments, opening the door. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Shay turns her head and looks at me. “You got me all that food?”
“I didn’t know what you felt like,” I say, nuzzling her thigh. “Plus nothing will go to waste here.”
Especially with Rake in the house.
“Are you going to come and eat?” she asks, lifting the sheets and getting out of bed, trying to tame her hair with her fingers.
“I’m not hungry, but I’ll come with you,” I say, not wanting her to be overwhelmed by everyone.
“Jesus, Vinnie, she’s fine,” Faye says, rolling her eyes. “I’ll even sit next to her and hold her hand. You rest, I’ll make sure she’s fed and well taken care of.”
“I’ll be fine,” Shay agrees, walking toward Faye, who loops her arm through Shay’s. The thing about Faye is, she doesn’t try to be intimidating. She doesn’t do the whole hard, cold, mean, president’s old-lady thing I’ve seen with some other clubs. She doesn’t have to—her reputation speaks for herself. All she does is be herself, someone who is funny and kind, but everyone knows that if you fuck with her or anyone she loves, you won’t even see her coming, she’ll just destroy you. Her baby bump isn’t very visible, especially with the loose dress she’s wearing. I don’t think anyone would guess that she’s pregnant with baby number two. This woman is the closest thing I have to a sister, and there really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
“You sure?” I ask, not knowing if I should stay with Shay until she gets used to everyone, or to let her find her own place here in the club, without my hovering over her.
Faye shoots me a look that clearly says she thinks I’m being ridiculous.
I smirk and snuggle back in bed as the two of them leave my room.
SEVENTEEN
Shayla
“HE called her a what?” I ask Bailey, who was introduced to me as Rake’s old lady.
“A mad bitch,” she says, eyes alight with humor.
I take a bite of the slice of pizza in my hand. “So she was going down on him and he called her a mad bitch?”
How much has changed in the dating world since I’ve been out of it? Apparently a lot.
“She must have mad skills,” Faye says from the other side of me, “for such an awesome compliment in the bedroom.”
We all laugh. I can’t believe how open the women are with one another, and no one makes any judgment. If anything, they laugh about it with the person, not at the person. I’ve never had friends like this in my life. I went to an all-girls private school, and most of the girls were bitchy, catty, and competitive. I wonder if they know how much their acceptance is worth, because some people look for it their whole lives and never get it.
“Any other fun Tia stories?” Faye asks her, closing the pizza box. “Tell me before Lana comes, unless you want it to end up in a book.”
Bailey was telling me all about her best friend, Tia, and how funny she is.