Page 54 of Dancin' with Demons

She smiles brightly at me as she takes the stack of recipes and my cash out slip. “So, how’d you enjoy your first night?”

“Loved it,” I say with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As I turn away from the register, the front door opens, and James steps in carrying the Daily Specials board that they put out front every morning. “Ray, Catacomb’s truck is out front, so I’m assuming that’s your ride.”

“Uh, yeah,” I say quietly. I’m still not sure how I feel about the fact my bosses apparently know the entire club, but I know me working here, with people Renegade is familiar with makes him feel better. Stepping through the front door into the night, I shiver as a slight wind ruffles my hair. I forgot how cold Tennessee can get at night. Taking a deep breath, I jump as a truck horn pierces the silence. When I look across the parking lot, Catacomb is hanging out his truck window with a smile on his face.

“Let’s go, woman,” he shouts, “it’s fuckin’ cold!”

I chuckle as I jog to the passenger’s side and yank the door open. Catacomb’s truck is one of those monstrosities on extra-large tires that sits way higher in the air than necessary, so I have to grab the handle on the outside of the door with one hand and the actual door with the other and heave myself up and into the seat. As soon as I flop and let out a huff, Catacomb laughs. “Not funny.”

“I mean, it’s kinda funny, hon. Have you ever seen what you look like climbin’ in a truck this big?”

I press my lips together as I turn my head to face him and narrow my eyes. “Shut it. Not my fault I’m shorter than almost everyone else around here.” After I click my seatbelt on, he puts the truck in gear and pulls out of the parking lot. “Sorry for making you wait, by the way. And thanks for picking me up.”

“Not a problem on either front,” Catacomb says, his voice probably the calmest it’s ever been. “Rather wait for ya and know you’re safe.”

Sighing, I study his profile for a moment. “Can I ask you something?”

Catacomb glances between me and the road several times. “Of course, Raylynn. What’s up?”

“I get why Renegade is so protective of me, but why are you? And Reaper, Trickster. I’m not really anything to the rest of you.”

“But you’re everythin’ to Renegade,” he says seriously, “and that does make you somethin’ to the rest of us. Listen, I can’t speak for all my men because the truth is bein’ part of a club doesn’t always mean every single brother takes our vows as seriously as the next, but for most of us, this is family. Our brothers are just that, brothers in all but blood. So, when one loves a woman the way Renegade loves you, that means you’re family, too. And we protect our own, Raylynn. Hard and fierce, to our dyin’ breath is necessary.”

“That seems a bit . . . weird to me.”

“Well, that’s only because you’ve never had that, have you?” He glances at me, and I shake my head. “This is what a family is supposed to be, Raylynn. It’s gonna be weird to you for a while until you get used to it, but real family, we’re there for each other for good or bad. I’ll stick by Renegade whether he’s on Cloud Nine like he is since you came back to him, or if he’s at rock bottom, drinkin’ himself to death, in and out of jail like he was for the three years without you. He’s my brother. You’re his woman. That makes you just as much my family as he is, and your daughter, too.”

I’m surprised when Catacomb whips the truck around and throws it in park, looking forward and realizing we’re at Renegade’s already. Tapping the side of my phone, I glance at it and can’t believe we’ve driven for fifteen minutes, and it felt like less than five.

Sighing, I unbuckle my seatbelt and sit forward to slide my phone in my back pocket. “Thank you for everything, Catacomb. Seriously. For what you did three years ago, and for what you’re doing now for me and Savior. You’re right, I have no clue what real family looks like so if I ever come off as unappreciative, please know I don’t mean it that way.”

Catacomb reaches over and gently rests his hand on the side of my face, a small smile on his lips. “I’m glad you came back, Raylynn. Believe it or not, you belong here. You belong with him.”

Climbing out of the truck, I shut the door and job up the steps. The front door is unlocked so once I open it, I turn and wave to Catacomb before stepping inside and closing it. After taking off my jacket and hanging it up, I make sure to lock the bottom lock and the deadbolt. Toeing my shoes off next to the front door, I realize it’s weirdly quiet in the house. Making my way through the house, the faint sound ofMoanafinally makes its way to my ears, and I grin.

Creeping up to Savior’s door, I peek inside and cover my mouth with my hand as I suck in a breath. My daughter is curled up on an oversized silver bean bag chair in front of the television. Reaper is standing in front of the closet, both doors open, putting clothes from a pile on the chair next to him on hangers and putting them in the closet. Renegade is making the bed with plush white and silver bedding, a plush down comforter on the floor by the foot of the bed.

And the entire damn room looks completely different than it did this morning. The walls are decorated with elegant princess-themed stuff from canvas pictures to wall stickers. There are new shelves up with knick-knacks and collectibles on them. Her entire room looks like I’ve stepped into a royal ball.

“Renegade,” I whisper as I step into the room, him and Reaper both jumping a little and staring at me, “this is beautiful.” It’s at this moment I realize something I’d never considered before . . . Renegade being a good father is the single sexiest thing in the entire damn world.

He walks around the bed, stopping in front of me and opens his mouth, but I grab his shoulder and pull him down to kiss him. He stills for a moment and then takes control of the kiss, his hands sliding around my waist and pulling me tighter against him. When he pulls back to look at me again, he hums happily. “That was nice.”

“Is that Mommy,” a little voice says, causing Renegade to let me go and step back. “Mommy!”

Savior practically rolls over the back of the bean bag chair, scrambles to her feet, and hugs my legs. “Your room looks so pretty.”

She steps back and jumps in place. “I know! Look at all the stuff Ren-Ren and Reaper got me! It’s so pretty!”

Chuckling, I ruffle my daughter’s hair. “It sure is.”

Reaper comes up behind Savior and snatches her up in a fit of shrill giggles before holding her against his side. “We made dinner, Ray, but Savior wanted to wait for you to get home.”

Licking my lips, I know what I want more than food, and I don’t know where the confidence or urge is coming from, but dinner is gonna wait for a moment. “Can you take her out and start eating while I talk to Renegade for a few minutes in private?”

Reaper glances between me and Renegade, smirks, and agrees before heading out of the room with Savior chatting his ear off. As soon as he rounds the corner out of sight, Renegade gently grabs my upper arm and turns me to face him, his brows pulled together.

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