Page 36 of Dancin' with Demons

He glances at me and chuckles. “Sweetheart, your facial expressions hide nothin’.”

“Oh,” I say with a frown, my eyes falling to his leg instead of his face.

A full second doesn’t pass, I don’t think, before his hand slides over and grabs mine, pulling it toward him, my eyes following. He lifts it to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “Let’s try the honesty, okay? Whatever it is, I ain’t gonna get mad at you, little love. If anythin’, I’m gonna try to find a way to make it so it ain’t buggin’ you no more.”

“Just wondering if I’m completely insane for moving Savior and I to an entirely different state,” I say quietly, my eyes zoning in on our hands together, resting on his jean-clad thigh, his thumb gently swiping back and forth across my knuckles.

“Probably,” he says, and my eyes snap up to his to find a huge smile on his face. “But regardless, I’m gonna make sure you don’t regret it.” I can’t stop the small grin that finds my lips at those words. “When we get to the clubhouse, Catacomb is callin’ Church. You remember what that is?” He glances at me and I nod. “We’re gonna explain your situation, past and present, to everyone, and let them know my intention to claim you accordin’ to the bylaws when you’re ready.”

I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Might as well just get it over with, Renegade. Not like I have any other choice.”

“No,” he says sternly. “Catacomb agrees that bylaws or not, we won’t force you to do anythin’ you ain’t ready for. Those bylaws don’t control how I feel about you, little love, and they sure as hell wouldn’t ever stop me from marryin’ you and spendin’ my life with you.”

“Renegade,” I sigh, my heart swelling for this man.

“I’m serious, Raylynn. If the day comes that you’re ready and want me to claim you in front of the club, all you have to do is ask, and I will. But if you don’t, if you never get there, I won’t care.”

Taking a deep breath, I squeeze his hand and sit back in my seat, feeling a little better about this decision. I know Renegade means everything he says. I know what it looks like when someone lies, and he’s never given even a hint that his words are the complete and honest truth.

# # #

It’s damn near two in the afternoon by the time Renegade pulls into the clubhouse parking lot. The little cottage the club got Miss Irene is adorable, and she was so happy by the time we left after the men got all her stuff out of the U-haul and inside. I’m glad we’re here, though, because my ass hurts from the long drive, and Savior has gotten a little testy a few times since we hit the Tennessee line. She’s never been in a car this long before.

“I’m sleepy,” she says as Renegade gets her out of her booster seat and holds her while I grab our duffel bag and her iPad out of the back seat.

“Once we get inside, you can take a nap in your new bed, little one,” Renegade says, and I look up just in time to watch him kiss the side of her head.

I stay close behind him as we head across the parking lot, the other men joining us as Renegade pulls the door open. Stepping inside, a small wave of panic hits me with the memories from the last time I was here, and I instinctively grab the back of Renegade’s cut. Without a word, he heads across the vast common room toward a hallway at the back of the right-hand side. Just before the doorway, I woman wearing a fake leather miniskirt and rhinestone bra steps into his path.

She slides her hand up Renegade’s chest on the side Savior isn’t covering. “Mmm, good to see you back, Renegade. How about you drop off the baggage and we go have an hour in the playroom?” The woman, who looks extremely young given her voice and features, bites her bottom lip.

Glancing at Renegade, his facial expression is stone as he turns his face toward Savior a little. “Little one, do me a favor. Close your eyes, lay your head on my shoulder, and keep ‘em closed for a moment until I tell you to open ‘em, okay?”

“Okay, Ren-Ren,” Savior whispers, and surprisingly, she does exactly what he says.

I’m the one that jumps and lets out a suppressed kind of yelp when Renegade’s free hand darts out and grabs the woman by the throat, squeezing hard enough that both her hands fly up to encircle is wrist, her eyes damn near bugging out of her head as her face turns red. “Don’t ever put your fuckin’ hands on me again, Kitty. And don’t ever disrespect my woman and kid again, or I’ll make sure you’re out on your little whore ass.” He lets go of her neck, shoving her backward before turning his lips toward Savior again. “You can open your eyes now, little one.”

Savior does and lifts her head, tightening her arms around Renegade’s neck as she sits up and looks down at him. “You said bad words, Ren-Ren.” Her voice is hardly above a whisper.

Renegade brings the same hand he just choked a woman with up to gently tap my daughter on the nose, making her giggle a little. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but here, I’m gonna sometimes use bad words. I promise, I’ll put money in a swear jar for you when I do, though.”

“Listen up,” Catacomb’s voice echoes through the clubhouse, silencing everyone, and making us turn to face him at the other end of the common room. “This is Raylynn and Savior. Brothers will get more information in Church, but everyone needs to know that Renegade has claimed her. That means her and that kid get the same respect you give Sandra, and if you don’t, you answer to me first and Renegade second, so I’d tread carefully. Now, Church in ten, don’t fuck around. Whores, spend the afternoon in your rooms. Except Pint and Velvet. You two handle the bar for the afternoon.”

Not a soul argues or so much as coughs while Catacomb leans over and kisses Sandra before heading toward the bar, while she heads toward us. Renegade nudges me and gestures for us to continue down the hallway. I don’t miss the glare coming off that clubwhore as we pass, though, and I force myself not to say anything. This isn’t a part of the club I experienced last time, but I knew these women were here. Pint is one of the ones that helped me the first night I was here. She wasn’t anything like the woman that came up to Renegade tonight, though, at least, not that I remember.

Renegade stops in front of his bedroom door and fishes his keys out of his pocket. When he opens the door, my jaw drops. This is nothing like I remember. To the right is the bathroom door, but the room we step into is more like an open floor plan apartment. There is a small hallway about three-quarters of the way from the left. On the wall to the right is a large couch with end tables and lamps with a coffee table. There’s a kids play table on the right wall where Renegade’s bed used to be. Turning, I realize the closet that was to the right of the bathroom door is completely gone, now just an alcove that has a big screen TVmounted on the wall, and underneath is an entertainment center with game systems, DvDs, and a speaker set up.

Turning around more, the wall where I remember the television being originally now has a long countertop equipped with a small sink, range stove, and at the end between the counter and wall, is a fridge.

“You had them do all this for us?” I startle some when I turn again and find Renegade right behind me, Savior still in his arms, his eyes on my face.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s wonderful, Ren, but you didn’t have to change your whole life. We’d have figured out how to fit.”

Renegade cups the side of my face and leans down to kiss me. “You are my whole life.”

“What about me?” Savior says in childish indignation as he stands back from me.

---