Page 341 of The Tempted

Jack shook his head.

“Put it on,” he said. “You’ve earned your right to those colors, wear them proud,” he added, tipping his chin toward the vest I was clutching in my hand.

I glanced over my shoulder at Bones, taking in his shit-eating grin, and the pride reflected in his eyes.

“You’re an asshole,” I clipped.

“Stop! You’re giving me goosebumps,” he teased, taking a step closer to pull my hat off and tousle my hair. “What the fuck are you waiting for? Put your goddamn cut on! Wanted to tell you yesterday but your ass was nowhere to be found.”

Pipe and Wolf started pounding their fists against the table as they chanted for me to put it on.

It was a surreal moment, a profound one, finding your place in the world. It was the first time in my life I felt like part of a real family. I slid the vest on, a perfect fit, and my brothers took a chance a piece congratulating me. Jack wrapped his arms around me and patted my back.

“Proud to call you a brother,” he said sincerely.

“Thanks, Prez,” I replied with a grin.

“You know what happens now don’t you?” Pipe said, eyes full of mischief.

I turned my attention toward him as he threw something at me. I caught it just in time, starring at the box of condoms before grinning widely at him.

“Fuck, yeah,” I agreed.

Blackie lined up shot glasses along the table, filling them with Patron before raising his own toward me.

“To brotherhood,” he saluted.

“To Riggs,” Bones added.

“Ay!” Pipe shouted.

“To being a Knight!” I chimed in, clinking my glass to theirs and shooting back the tequila.

“There’s plenty more where that came from,” Blackie promised, as my phone rang.

I pulled myself away from the high and lifted the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Hi. Is it a bad time?” Lauren’s voice filled my ear, reminding me of the text message I received before.

The guys started getting rowdy, re-filling their shot glasses and shouting their well wishes. I downed the shot Bones put in front of me, handing him back the empty glass and stepped out of the Chapel.

“Hey,” I said hoarsely, the burn of the tequila working its effect on my voice. “Sorry, I got side-tracked,” I explained, once I was in the common room. “I’ve got the best news.”

“Really? What happened?” she asked, and fuck me, her voice did things to me. She actually sounded sincere, like she wanted to know. What was even more bizarre was that I wanted to share it with her.

“I got patched in, Kitten. They voted and I’m officially one of the Satan’s Knights,” I said excitedly.

“That’s great, babe,” she boasted, falling silent after the endearment left her lips.

“Yeah, waited a long time for this. They’re having a party for me tonight at the clubhouse,” I said, glancing over my shoulder watching Bones and Blackie stepping into the common room.

“I’m happy for you, Riggs,” she whispered.

“Thanks,” I said, stepping away from my brothers. “Listen, the guys are busting my balls but…why don’t you come tonight?”

I’m an idiot.

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