Page 21 of Xactly What She Needs

I scowl at Jax who raises his hands. “You know I don’t say shit.” Damn.

“Oh, please,” she scoffs while pointing to the end of the bar, telling my father where to place the shit in his hands, “You act like all of the men around her aren’t the world’s biggestgossip.” She walks over to the bar and rearranges things to her liking. “Hell, I didn’t even have to ask. You are the newest form of gossip around here.” She gives me an evil grin. “Mainly about how you’ve been acting like a bear with a porcupine shoved up his ass.” She taps her index finger on her lips. “Well, that and how you’re acting love a love-sick puppy, following her around with your eyes.”

“The fuck?” I growl out. “I have not!” I say with more force than I meant to. I cough into my hand. “I’ve just had some trouble tryin’ to get used to having someone new around the shop, that’s all.”

“So, I guess you won’t be bothered at all to learn that I invited her here today?” Her eyes are filled with glee while she wears a self-satisfied smirk. “I figured it would do the poor girl some good to get to know more people around here.” Dee’s voice is so sweet that it could give you a toothache. Ya know, the rotten kind.

“Nope, I don’t care at all. She deserves to have fun,” I grumble ignoring the smirks of my family.Althoughwith family like these three, I should look into finding a new one.

Dee claps her hands together like a demented seal. “Wonderful! And who knows,” she eyes me with a malicious gleam, “She might just meet a nice young man to spend some time with.”

“That’s great,” I growl. Just fucking great.

6

I’m not really sure what I expected a party at a motorcycle club to be like, but this definitely wasn’t it. Okay, I truthfully expected raunchy debauchery in the form of scantily clad women and excessively drunk men. This was anything but that. Well, maybe not the drunk part, everyone here seems to be feeling really good right now. But it’s an extremely friendly atmosphere, with everyone laughing and joking with each other.

Honestly, I only agreed to come because I heard rumors about not denying a request from Dee. And I canwholeheartedlysay that after meeting and spending time with her, I am glad that I had that warning. That woman is a force of nature for sure.

I was expecting to make an appearance and then sneak out pretty quickly. I know that the guys at work are nice, but you can never really be sure about what someone is truly like when not in a professional setting. A lesson that I learned the hard way.

But four hours later and I’m still sitting here, my face hurting from laughing so much. I never expected a bunch of rough looking guys to be so damn goofy. Half of them have been sitting in front of videogamesarguing with each other. Xander and Kealy have been bickering like siblings the entire day, especially when it comes to Xander’s love of video games that are for children. I’m not really sure what that’s all about but it’s funny watching him get so red while glaring at her.

Not that I’ve been watching him or anything, just an observation.

“How ya doin’ Darlin’?” Mac questions as he takes a seat beside me. For the president of a motorcycle club, he seems to be the world’s biggest teddy bear.

I give him a smile while my eyes flicker between him and the ruckus Xander and Kealy are making. “I’m good. This has been a very entertaining day.”

He turns his head and chuckles deeply when he sees Kealy steal Xanders controller. He looks like he’s about two seconds away from picking her up and throwing her out the door. “Those two are always the best entertainment around here,”hesays with a warm smile on his face. “It’s funny to watch the two of them together. That girl always gives my boy a run for his money, much to everyone’s delight.”

I watch as Xander tosses Kea over his shoulder, walks over to Edge and unceremoniously dumps her onto his lap, before turning right around and walking away. Edge just smirks and shakes his head at Kealy as she yells at Xander for being a butt head. Xander walks to the bar and grabs a beer, then turns to Kea and gives her the finger before taking a sip. Even I start to laugh when she tries to slip out of Edge’s arms to go after Xander.

“Just wait, you, gigantic jerkoff!” Kealy growls. “Payback is a bitch.”

Xander tilts his head and shakes it sadly. “You really leave yourself open for shit number one.” He gives her an evil grin. “It would be too easy to say that only a bitch would know what payback is like.”

Edge wraps his arms around Kealy while trying not to laugh. “I am going to smash all of your game consoles for that one.”

That remark gets a bunch of growls from all of the other guys who are currently playing on said gaming consoles. Kealy narrows her eyes at all of them. “You guys really want to start with me too?”

They all give her a dirty look but mumble no.

Never in a million years would I have imagined a bunch of huge men wilting under the glare of a small woman. But here we are.

“Can you believe that she was a shy little thing when we first met her?” Mac chuckles. “Barely moved from her spot on the couch for an entire day and now look at her.” He has a fatherly warmth in his voice and eyes. He looks like a proud poppa who just sent his kid off to school for the first time.

Man, these guys are nothing like I thought they’d be. I guess looks truly are deceiving.

I take a sip of my wine, that never seems to go down thanks to Dee, and give him a small smile. “You guys do look pretty intimidating. I can understand why she would do that.” Among other reasons, I add silently.

He gives me a thoughtful look before nodding his head. “I suppose we do Darlin’.” He looks around the jam pack area and smiles. “But I can guarantee ya, these are some of the best guys you’ll ever meet.”

I’m about to reply until Dee swoops in out of nowhere and refills my glass, that wasn’t even half empty. “There you go Sugar, nice and topped off.” She beams at me before taking a seat on Mac’s lap. I get an odd pang of longing as I witness the looks of pure adoration they give one another.

I take a sip of my never-ending wine to distract myself. “Haveyou twobeen together a long time?” I ask,seeing howcomfortable they are with each other.

“Oh, a few years now, but not very long,” Dee states. “I was married for a very long time before my husband passed away.”

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