Page 33 of Ranch's Resolve

“I’m not lying to you. I promise to never lie to you. The Demon Daws haven’t always been the good guys. Dante’s father ran the club for years before Dante took over. During those days, the club made money illegally. They took pride in it. They even took part in human trafficking.” Athena tries to pull her hand free, but I hold firm. “That was well before my time, and honestly, if they were still into that shit, I wouldn’t be a member. Fuck, none of the guys would be. I can promise you that. Dante cleaned up the club. He made it clear to everyone wearing the kutte that there is no hurting the innocent. We never hurt women, children, or animals.”

“Human trafficking?” Athena asks with a shudder.

“Yeah. Those were dark times, at least from what I’ve heard. If you think Dante might change his mind about delving into it, I can promise you he won’t. His high school girlfriend and her friend were both victims of human trafficking, and what’s worse, it was Dante’s father who handed them over.”

Athena gasps and stares at me. The tears were welling up again. My woman has a genuinely kind heart. She wouldn’t have become a psychologist focused on helping those who lived through trauma if she didn’t care. I wipe away the tears.

“Did he ever find them, or are they still trapped in that world?”

“He found them. He wasn’t the one who rescued them, but he has reconnected with both women. They’ve survived their ordeal and lead happy, productive lives. Dante will never forgetwhat they went through. However, their trauma is not the only reason why Dante demands that the club operate more within the law than outside it. He wants the club members to prosper and live their best lives. He knows they can’t do that if they’re behind bars. Dante is smarter than his father. He helped the club develop successful businesses. We earn more money than his father did, and we don’t break the law to do it.”

“Like the Spades did?” Athena asks.

“Exactly. Almost all our businesses are legal.”

“Almost?” Athena asks.

“Almost. I can’t tell you everything, but I can promise you that what we do never hurts innocent people. Is that enough?”

I watch Athena chew on the information with my heart in my throat. I want this woman in my life, but I can’t force her into it. It has to be her decision. She has to accept me and my club for who we are and what we stand for. I open my mouth to enforce my argument, but I stop myself. I need to wait to see if she has more questions.

“I don’t know,” Athena starts. I feel a pain in my chest at her words. “I can’t say that you’ve overcome all my concerns. To be honest, I’m scared. What kind of life will I have if I involve myself with you and the club?”

“I think you know where to find the answer to that question. Several Old Ladies can tell you exactly what life with the club is like. Do you think Tally, Evie, or Caitlin would choose this life if they thought it was too dangerous? Tally and Evie are both pregnant and are excited about bringing their children into the club. Dante is doing everything possible to make this clubhouse a family-friendly space. He and my brothers would risk their lives for the women. I’d risk my life for you. Do you think I’d put your life in danger?”

Athena, who has been staring at our joined hands while I talk, looks up at me. She gives me a soft smile and nods. “You’reright. I know you’d never put me in danger. You and the others would never put any of the women in danger. I guess I knew that, but I didn’t understand it until now. I’d like us to try, especially after what we just did. If sex with you is always that stupendous, I can’t walk away.”

I laugh and kiss her. My phone rings, and I see it's Simon. Shit. I’d forgotten about them. I’d left Simon to handle Carlos and disappeared. The woman next to me is going to cause trouble. I can’t fucking wait.

CHAPTER TWENTY: ATHENA

Ranch answers his phone and has a brief conversation with the person on the other end, telling them that he’ll be leaving shortly.

“Where are you going?” I ask once he ends the call.

“The ranch. Simon and Axel picked up Carlos’s son and moved them onto the ranch. I need to explain the situation to my foreman and put Carlos to work.” He paused for a long moment before continuing. “Do you want to go with me?”

I can tell by his hesitation that he’s worried I’ll say no. Either that, or he’s only asking because he wants to prove to me that he isn’t mistreating Carlos and his son. There is only one answer to his question, and it isn’t because I want to check on Carlos. I’m not ready to say goodbye to Ranch yet. We’d moved forward in our relationship, and I wanted to see how much further we could move it.

“Are we taking your bike?” I ask with a grin.

Ranch doesn’t respond. Instead, he opens his closet and reaches inside. He pulls out a helmet and hands it to me. “You can use this until I can get you your own.”

“Thanks,” I say, taking it.

When we get downstairs, I see that the clubhouse is mostly empty. I spot Tamara behind the bar with Laser. They are both talking to Feral, who sits at the bar drinking a beer. I blush as I remember the last time I was in this room. I’m grateful my current audience is small. Ranch takes my hand and leads me outside to his bike. He raises the helmet above my head, but I stop him. When he frowns at me, I gesture toward my skirt and heels.

“I don’t feel like flashing the residents of San Diego,” I explain.

He smirks at my predicament. “How about I follow you to your house so you can change?”

“That is an excellent idea,” I agree, taking the helmet from him and moving to my car. When I slide behind the wheel, I wince when my still sore ass hits the seat. I’d forgotten about the spanking until that moment. I glance in the rearview mirror at Ranch, who pulls in behind me. The memory of being over his knee sends a flood of arousal through me. I never thought of pain being an aphrodisiac, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that having Ranch take charge wasn’t incredibly sexy.

I pull into the garage, leaving the door open so Ranch can follow me inside. I continue through the living area and into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I swing around when Ranch opens the door to follow me into my room.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“I’ve seen you naked today, and it was fabulous. I don’t plan on missing out on another opportunity,” he smirks as he hops on the bed to put his arms behind his head as if ready for a show.

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