She was mine.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I WALKED INTOthe common room, it was buzzing with energy, musicblasting from the speakers, the sound of laughter and conversation loud enough to bleed into my ears. I stuck to the corner, trying to stay out of sight and out of mind.
It didn’t work.
The stares hit me the moment I strolled in. The club women didn’t even bother to hide it, their eyes sliced through me like a pack of mean girls auditioning for queen bitch.
Spinner had told me to “play nice,” but that wasn’t really my style. I’d dealt with too much shit over the years. Still, I wasn’t looking for a fight—I never was. They just seemed to find me.
I kept my head down, eyes locked on the pool table where Gatsby and Thunder were deep into their game. Zeynep was resting, with Mystic hovering over her like a damn sentry. His constant watch cut into my time with her, but it also meant she was safe, so I wasn’t about to bitch about it.
Another giggle drifted from the corner, and I was starting to think holing up in Spinner’s room, or hell, even stepping outside, might’ve been the safer move. But when have I ever done the safer option?
“Look at her,” a female voice sneered, cutting through my thoughts. The bitches had moved behind me. “Actin’ like she belongs here.”
I turned my head just enough to catch the source: the woman from the kitchen—Ashlynn, if I remembered right. Her lips curled into a smirk when she caught me looking.
One thing I learned when I was inside the Dragon Fire MC was that the women who hung around motorcycle clubs were bitches. They weren’t the women I set out to help, like Zeynep. Not by a long shot. These women loved what they did, hoping for that property patch, and they saw every other woman as competition. I learned real quick not to take any shit from them.
And Ashlynn had already pissed me off.
“Got something to say, or are you just gonna stand there gossiping like a high school cheer squad and slip a note into my locker?" I asked, keeping my tone even.
Her smirk faltered, but only for a second. “You don’t belong here, sweetheart. I can’t figure out why Spinner dragged you in.”
I laughed and said, “You keep telling yourself that while I spend my nights with him.”
The other women quieted, their eyes shifting toward me. A few exchanged glances, leaning closer like this was the best entertainment they’d had all week. The others turned and walked away, clearly not wanting to get caught in whatever was about to go down.
Ashlynn stepped forward, her heels clicking against the floor. “At least I’ve earned my place here. You? You’re just a stray. Don’t think for a second you’re stayin’.”
I felt the fire ignite in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm. It was stupid as hell to brag about sleeping your way through a club of men and call it “earning your place.” These women had no clue how counterproductive their behavior was, how it would never actually benefit them.
“You don’t know shit about me. And last I checked, you don’t make decisions around here. While I’m here, you don’t get to tell me what to do, or, for that matter, talk to me.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms, clearly not about to back down—they never did. “You think Spinner’s gonna keep you around? He’s not that interested, honey. Whatever fantasy you’ve got in your head about him, let it go.”
My jaw tightened, but I refused to rise to the bait and get angry. “Trust me, Spinner’s the one with the fantasy,honey. My life doesn’t revolve around being a cock rest.”
Her laugh was brittle, forced. She stepped closer, but my words had hit their mark. I could see it in her eyes. “The men here love me, includin’ Spinner. He don’t belong to you. He doesn’t belong to anyone. But if he did, it’d be me, not some outsider who thinks she can waltz in and—”
“Enough!”
The word sliced through our little conversation like a blade. Spinner’s voice was quiet but hard. He walked up beside me, arms crossed, his eyes locked on Ashlynn.
Ashlynn turned, her expression softening instantly. “Spinner, I was just—”
“You were just runnin’ your mouth,” he said, stepping closer and glaring at her. “Shut it down.”
Her lips parted in protest, but she quickly shut them, her face flushing. “I was just tryin’ to—”
“I don’t care,” he interrupted, his tone final. “Get gone.”
Ashlynn clenched her fists, her glare cutting back to me. “Fine,” she spat. “But I was only watchin’ out for you.”
She stormed out, her heels clicking angrily against the floor. The other women quickly turned back to their drinks like nothing had happened.