Page 17 of Hellfire

“Mama! I made dinner with Molly,” she said proudly, taking a seat next to Scar.

“That’s awesome, baby. What did you make?”

“Chicken pot pie.”

She rubbed her stomach dramatically, making everyone around the table laugh. Her energy was infectious.

“Sounds delicious, baby.”.

When Scar’s piercing gaze caught mine again, I gave him a small smile. Something was bothering him, and I wished I could make it better. Show him just how much I appreciated everything he and his club were doing for us.

Molly walked in, pushing a food cart with Tank on her heels. He began laying out platters of food on the table. Once he was done, Molly pulled Tank down to her level and kissed his forehead affectionately. The sentiment was sweet, and I yearned for love like that.

Molly stopped at the head of the table and had a hushed conversation with Scar. His eyes melted around the older woman, showing just how close they were, too. I felt like I was intruding on a private moment between them. I’d only ever dreamed of the affection she showed her family. I admit I was jealous.

The club was a family; that same foreign feeling fluttered in my belly. Hope. It was a dangerous feeling to hope for something like this club had but I couldn’t stomp out the feeling.

Snake nudged my shoulder with his and reached for a bread roll while Molly wasn’t looking. But the woman was perceptive and slapped his hand, knocking the roll back to the table. Steele snickered from beside me, and I found myself smiling along with him. Snake gave me a playful wink, and it was then I realized he was trying to make me comfortable, and my heart soared.

“Where are your manners, son? Ever heard the saying, ‘ladies first’?” she scolded him, but her words had no heat.

“I always let my lady come first,” Steele whispered, his breath tickling my neck. I sucked in a sharp breath at his dirty words. A blush crept up my cheeks.

Are all of them this bold?

Steele’s chuckle was criminal, and I knew I gave him the reaction he wanted. I trained my eyes on my empty plate, trying to get my racing heart under control. I was hyper-aware of Steele’s every movement. My heart launched into my throat every time his leg brushed mine under the table. At this rate, I was bound to die of a heart attack.

Molly turned her bright smile on me. “Better serve yourself, quick love. These boys sure know how to eat. If you’re not careful, they won’t leave you any.”

“Thanks, Molly. Everything looks delicious. I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.”

“Hey! I helped too.” Leona pouted.

“Thank you, little bird. You did a great job, I’m sure,” Scar said, and Leona preened under his praise.

Tank sat down across from me, his eyes darkening when our eyes locked. A hand rubbed up my thigh under the table. My eyes darted to Steele’s in surprise.

“What are you doing?” I hissed, but still I didn’t push his hand away.

“Helping you relax, Katrina,” Steele said.

How the hell did he expect me to relax with his hand inching higher and higher on my thigh? Tank was watching me intently, his now full plate of food ignored. His nostrils flared, and I knew he was smelling me.

Fuck. Get it together, Katrina. Think of anything else.

A small whimper escaped my lips when his fingertips ran along the small section of skin between my shirt and jeans.

“Steele,” Tank growled in warning.

“What?” he asked innocently, but he removed his hand from under the table. Steele murmured something to his crow, who flew over to a perch at the end of the table.

I gave Tank a grateful smile. I wasn’t sure how to handle any of this. It seemed each one of these bikers affected me. My gaze snapped over to the prospect. Even the quiet one had something about him that drew me in. Snake scooped a few spoonfuls of chicken pot pie onto my plate and two rolls.

“Eat. Steele’s just teasing you. Want me to tell him to back off?” Snake asked, all traces of humor gone. This reminded me that he knew about the bruises I had hidden and he still hadn’t said anything.

“No, it’s fine, thanks though,” I murmured, taking a small bite.

The flaky crust melted on my tongue. The chicken cooked to perfection and the white sauce was creamy. Delicious. I groaned in appreciation. It was better than I expected. The chatter around the table silenced, and I felt everyone’s eyes on me.

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