Page 19 of Devil to Pay: Cutter

“Have fun,” I say, meaning that to be it, but somehow, I end up having this out-of-body experience where I see my arm loop around her waist to draw her in close and then I bend in to kiss her. She’s not my woman. She’s my… my…Aja with benefits—and kissing her in front of the old ladies doesn’t help my case in proving that to these bitches.

Does that stop me? Nope. I keep kissing her, and even worse than that, she starts to kiss me back until the both of us need to come up for air.

I drew these lines and now I’m crossing them. She definitely needs to go for a while. Being around her clouds my judgement, clearly.

7

AJA

The four of us walk across the forecourt to the mouth of a paved drive that splits off into three separate driveways attached to three gorgeous houses.

“You all live here?” I ask.

Nic nods, lifting her hand to point out each one. “This one is Vlad’s and mine. That’s Sarge and Greer’s and the one over there”—she points to the opposite side of hers—“is Dark and Rae’s place.”

I stop walking, shaking my head because I can’t wrap my head around these classy women living in gorgeous houses on club property.

“Something wrong?” Rae asks.

“The Horde are still a real MC, right?”

Greer laughs. “As real as they get.”

“None of this makes sense. Everyone has been nice—even Cutter, and Istolefrom him. Your homes are beautiful.”

“You’ve been around clubs before,” Nic says. It’s not a question.

My stomach drops as I reflexively trace my fingers over my now fading bruise. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

Her face pinches in one of those concerned looks, but it’s quick and she makes the easy transition back to Horde Old Lady Welcome Committee. “Then come on. Margs and munchies await.”

The inside of her home is gorgeous. Tall ceilings with a ton of natural light flowing in. I’m thrown when I see a basket of baby toys resting on the carpet by the sofa and I point to them. “Toys?”

Nic smiles big and, I don’t know, motherly? “Tripp is next door at Rae’s place with Mable.”

“Mable?”

“She’s our adopted grandmother,” Rae says. “She was my neighbor before I moved in with Dark. She doesn’t have family close and we love her. She’s all about taking care of her grandbabies.”

An “adopted” grandmother in a motorcycle club?

“We asked her if she wanted to join us today, but she’d always rather take the kids.”

“How many kids?” I ask.

“I have Ty and Lacy,” Rae explains. “Nic’s son, Tripp, is a baby and is as cute as a button. He’s giving me baby fever.”

“And how does your biker feel about that?”

“Dark? He’s a gruff, burly family man. Don’t let him fool you. He’ll give me as many kids as I want.”

“It’s a trip,” Greer says. “He was the Horde’s resident man whore until he met Rae.”

“Now he’s only a man whore with me,” Rae replies and the three women descend into giggles. Biker bitches giggling. I don’t get this place.

“Sarge and I have our little girl, Tasha,” Greer adds, “and I also have a newborn, Ace.”

“Ace? Is that a nickname?” I ask while following the women up to Nic’s bedroom.

---