Page 61 of The Vow

Lena swallowed and bit her lip, feeling overwhelmed. “I… no, thank you.”

Sully nodded but looked up at three others approaching. “Speaking of wild animals…” he said, and threw a friendly wink in her direction.

Maybe she shouldn’t have declined another drink.

The woman was carrying a martini glass. Lena looked at it enviously.

“I thought you might want another, sweetie,” Rita said in an instantly warm tone, winking and sliding it across the coffee table to Lena.

“I… thank you,” Lena said, picking it up and taking a sip immediately.

The woman smiled and Lena couldn’t help but stare at Rita. She was beautiful. She had a compact, hour-glass figure covered in pretty tattoos of swirling flowers and motifs, piercings and long, black hair with pink tips.

“No problem, sweetie, I would join you but I’m working tonight, so, boys, I’ll have to love you and leave you…” Both men, much taller than her, stooped to give her pecks on the cheek, and she flounced off.

Lena bit her lips, was this another multiple lover situation or-

“She’s my sister,” Rafe said, clearly correctly interpreting the curiosity of her face.

“Oh!” Lena replied. “She seems really fun.”

The other bigger guy chuckled deeply. Lena clocked his cut. Jared, Secretary. “Fun? Ha, yeah, until you get on her bad side, then she is about as fun as taking a piss in the desert when the wind’s against you.”

“Twin sister,” The other guy clarified, ignoring Jared. She peered at his cut, too. Rafe. Road Captain. He was beautiful, too. Those two were gifted with good genetics; striking bone structure, clear, dark skin and a metabolism that kept them looking fit as social media influencers.

In fact, now that she thought about it… he looked familiar. She’d seen billboards advertising the MC’s strip club, The Glasshouse. And he was the coverboy. Hell, she’d been on the website when she realized she’d have to have a bachelorette party before she found out her mother had already organized it for next week. She instantly blushed and looked down at her drink.

Rafe and Jared sat on the sofa next to Sully. They bumped fists with him.

“Hey brother, you working today?”

“Nah, did yesterday.”

“And so, Lena, you help your father run the Syndicate, don’t you?” Sully leaned in, looking interested. Maybe too interested, she thought. But after a while her guard dropped, Rafe and Jared chatted and asked her questions too, which she answered and began to relax into her chair again.

April glided in, with her toddler son Chase in tow. Lena had met her at the tasting evening but they’d hardly had a chance to talk properly. She flumped down on the sofa next to Lena, and Chase clung to her legs while humming a little tune and swinging off her.

“So good to sit down! I’ve been on my feet all day, running around.”

“Looking after baby Zach?” Jared asked.

April shook her head, her blonde hair in loose, natural waves around her face. “No, the nannies had him today. I’m planning something special, you’ll love it!” April said mysteriously. “And of course you’re invited, Lena, and your family, if they want to come-”

“Like the farmer’s market?” Rafe asked. “That hog roast we get going for it, now that is something special. Roast pork in a roll, then finished with some of Sophie’s Biker Girl Ice Cream…” Rafe smacked his lips and held his hand up like his was an Italian chef.

April laughed. “A bit like that, but classier. You’ll have to dress up.”

Jared made a face. “Like fancy dress? For Halloween or something?”

April raised her eyebrows. “Not that, but actually that’s a fantastic idea, I’ll add that to the list. Black tie kind of dressing up.”

Jared clenched his jaw and replied flatly. “Oh yeah ‘cause that’s so much better.”

Rafe elbowed his in the ribs. “Come on you grumpy giant, get yourself scrubbed up, get that beard sorted out-”

“-not cutting it off if that’s what you mean-”

“-and get ready for a night of appreciating all the beautiful dresses that the ladies get dolled up in-”

---