Page 27 of Ghost

After a few more exchanges, I put Luna on the back of my bike while Roscoe and a couple brothers followed us to help unload her bike and things.

It hadn’t escaped me that I’d probably smiled and laughed more today than I had in a very long time.

Chapter Thirteen

Luna

“Some cabin,” I said as I stood by the bike and looked around the area. “It’s beautiful here.” I turned in a circle and took in the entire area. I could see at least six other cabins, well, if you could call them that, randomly placed to give the residents some privacy.

“Flirt told me that after the club bought the property, they renovated the cabins and enlarged them. They didn’t want to lose the rustic look, so they stayed true to that and built onto the original places. It took Stroker and the others a couple years to get everything done, but they did. Then he and the other leadership lived in the houses on the other side. When Flirt and the guys started making their way back, they built themselves smaller places by the pond that sets toward the back of the property and turned the original houses over to their sons.”

“Well, they didan awesomejob because even though the cabins are more like houses, they still fit into the landscape. Are they all lived in?”

“Yeah, I think so. Most of the single guys live in town. The clubhouse has rooms upstairs, but those are used ifsomeonegets drunk at a party and can’t drive. Mostly the prospects use them when they’re on gate duty. They can switch out and catch a few hours of sleep, but still be close if needed. I stayed in one of the rooms until I found a place in town. I had a one bedroomapartment. Ididn’t need much space for just me. Why don’t you go inside, baby, and relax while I help the boys get your stuff carried inandyour bike unloaded off the trailer.” Brax led me up the couple steps to the porch, then opened the door.

“Why would Roscoe want to move from here?” The room we walked in to was large,andeverything was as rustic as the outside. Vaulted ceiling with the wooden rafters in view. A fireplace sat in the middle of the outer wall and was stone except for the mantle that matched the rest of the wood throughout the room.A few boxes were sittingagainst another wall,anda big ass TV was in the corner, sitting in what looked like a built-in bookcase slash entertainment stand. On one of the shelves sat two wooden boxes of similar size and color.

“Sue has a house in town, and Roscoe moved in with her. Most of the married members live in town, too.” Brax walked me to the couch. “Sit, baby. Put your feet up. It won’t take us long, then we can see what the ol’ ladies left in the fridge. While the food is heating,wecan look at the rest of the inside. I’ve only been here a couple times, and only downstairs when I was.”

“Okay, sounds good.” I sat on the plain brown couch that looked out of place in the room. Brax leaned down and kissed my forehead, then went back out the front door.

Besides the couch, there was an end table, lamp, and a chair, but not much else. Brax and I would definitely need more furniture if thiswaswhere we going to stay.

I pulled my boots off, then leaned my head back on the couch and curled my legs to one side. With my eyes closed, I listened as the guys came in and went back out, either after going up the steps or plopping what they carried on the floor in the room where I was. Their voices as they talked to one another must have lulled me to sleep because the next thing I knew, Brax sat beside me with my legs stretched across his lap as he rubbed my stocking covered feet.

“You’re good at that.” I raised my arms over my head, which was now resting on the arm of the couch and stretched. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. How long was I out?”

“‘Bout anhourand a half. You need the rest, baby. Come on, I put a taco casserole in the ovenandit should be done. Let’s get you fed.” Brax ran a hand up my leg and squeezed my thigh. “Your stomach was growling while you slept. I could hear it over your snoring.” He lifted my legs and stood, then dropped them back to the couch.

“I do not snore,” I sat up and glared at him, and he laughed.

“Baby, you do. And it’s cute.”

“There is nothing cute about snoring. And I don’t so stop saying I do.” I stood and started toward the kitchen with Brax laughing as he followed.

“Think I would know since I’m the one hearing itsinceyou’re asleep.”

“Whatever,” I said as I walked through the doorway to the kitchen and stopped.

Though the downstairs was open, the only view from the living room was the kitchen table. Which was square with only two chairs. Another thing that would have to be placed on my mental furnishings list.

“What’s wrong, Luna?”

“This kitchen makes me wish I was a cook. Not that I can’t whip up a meal, but this is meant for so much more.” The double oven, to the stove, to thethree-doorfridge, all of which were stainless steel, went perfectly with the brown granite countertops with matching backsplash.

“Well, sugar, you got all the time in the world to practice with new recipes.” Brax moved around me and pulled the pan out of the oven and set it on the island that separated the eating area from the cooking side of the kitchen.

“Brax, I can’t sit around every day with nothing to do. I’m going to need a job.” I pulled out one of the bar stools and sat.

“Luna, I know we haven’t talked about money. But I have plenty. Really more than enough. I invested what I inherited from my parents. I’ve got life insurance money from Stormy and BJ set back because I couldn’t bring myself to deal with it. Using it, didn’t seem right. That’s not including what was put into savings out of my military pay. And I make a decent living with what I earn as a stipend from the club, which will go up with me running the gym and the massage parlor.” I watched Brax as he moved around the kitchen locating dinnerware and utensils, then setting them on the island, too. “So no need for you to work. Think of my money as our money, baby.”

“Brax,” I saidwitha sigh. “It’s not about money, I need to work. I’m not the laying around type. I will go batty if I don’t have something to do. It can be part-time oranythingreally. Black Hawk has a strip club, right?”

Brax took the stool next to me, and I started serving the food. When he didn’t respond, I looked over at him,andhis jaw was clenched, and his nostrils were flared.

“What the hell has you mad? I didn’t go off on a tirade when you were telling me that you pretty much wanted me to stay home and cook.”

“You might’veworkedat the fucking strip club at Ops, but I’ll be goddamned if you work at Soft Tails. My ol’ lady ain’t taking her fucking clothes off for no one again, but me.”

---