Page 109 of The Fire We Crave

I turn my head and look up at Smoke. “He was. I accepted.”

He kisses my neck, and I find myself smiling as I tilt my head to give him more room. I’m not sure if he’s trying to make a point or just wants to, but I don’t care.

“Good,” Smoke says, finally. “That’s big of you, man.”

Taco nods and then walks away.

“That’s it?” I ask. “You’re not going to apologize to him?”

“Already did. The next day. For the sake of the club, we can’t remain mad at each other. If we do shit we shouldn’t, we apologize and move on. Bearing a grudge won’t help.”

I reach behind me and squeeze his thigh. “Does that apply to you and me?”

He comes to stand in front of me. “You mean, if we argue?”

I can’t help but smile at him. He’s so goddamn handsome. “Yes. Will we talk about it, or do we have to fist-fight, first?”

Smoke takes a swallow of his beer, and I realize he seems completely at ease. “Or maybe I just throw you over my knee and spank you.”

“I might just capitulate if you do.”

He winks at me. “That’s the idea.”

We stand at the bar for a little while, chatting with Catfish. But it becomes harder not to stare. There’s a heady undertone of sex and violence that sets me, not on edge, but…something.

It seems cheap to reduce it to arousal, but at its heart, I guess that’s what it is. I go to Smoke’s room to use his bathroom, and when I come out, I find Grudge inhaling on a cigarette while a woman is on her knees sucking his cock.

There is nothing worshipful about it. It’s seedy, quick, and yet, still delicious.

Grudge glances up and sees me. He winks, then gestures for me to move along without missing a beat.

Raven and Ember arrive with Wraith and Atom, and soon, we’re drinking champagne that Ember brought with her. She doesn’t trust the alcohol behind the bar. So, we sip and chat and laugh and dance.

Dancing is fun. And it doesn’t even matter that there are only the three of us dancing. I’ve long since stopped worrying about what the club girls think of me, since Smoke set me straight. All that matters is that I’m with friends, and I can see Smoke watching me from across the room.

His eyes on me make me feel all kinds of things. Certainly, my panties are damp with arousal. But there is a lifting of inhibitions. It’s like knowing I can’t do anything wrong in his eyes, which only serves to make me braver.

Bolder.

As the singer shouts about being shook all night long, I throw myself into enjoying this moment.

Maybe this is the life I’ve been waiting for.

A found family made of old school friends and newcomers to town. Of finding a home of my own in Smoke’s house and within his club.

I haven’t called Melody back, but I got a message from my father saying she called him.

It speaks volumes about how much I mean to him. That the return of my long-lost sister isn’t something worthy of a call.

I guess that’s the sum of who we are. Strangers linked by blood and circumstance.

I don’t want to help Melody any more than I want to help a stranger on the street. But the person who gets hurt if I refuse is my niece. She’s innocent in all this.

I’m so torn.

I never thought I wanted to belong so badly. I thought belonging was what kept me trapped. Being a part of my family meant being the one who took one for the team. Who stayed behind. Who gave up their dreams.

But I see Raven, a woman who was hurt by the Bratva in their quest to find her husband, and she’s thriving with Wraith’s loving care.

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