Page 9 of Jag

Sami snorted. “Kane’s checking to make sure Sue doesn’t mind watching Ally a little longer while we all go out to lunch,” Sami said and rolled her eyes before she looked at me. “River, this is Lance “Devil” Cummings, and the sweetheart in his arms is Neely. Dev, this is River Ramey.”

“Hey, River, nice to finally meet you. I’ve seen you around town and leaving the yoga place a couple times, but never got the chance to introduce myself,” he said, looked me over, and then when his eyes met mine, a slow smile spread across his face.

“Nice to meet you, too. And you, Neely,” I added, and the little girl smiled and laid her head on Devil’s shoulder. For some reason his perusal made me feel as if he knew something I didn’t.

“I would love to stand outside and talk to two beautiful women, but this one is ready for a nap,” he said and ran his hand over Neely’s hair. “Ready to go see Sue and Ally, squirt?” Once Neely nodded, Devil turned to Sami. “Luna and Ghost going to join us or are they heading back to Black Hawk?”

“They’ll meet us there. They were swinging by the Harley store first. Luna was complaining she needed a few things because some of her clothes were getting a little snug,” Sami said, then turned to me. “I forgot you already know Luna and Ghost. You’ve met Jag, too, right? Plus, you know Carly and me, and now Dev. So you’ve got a good start on meeting some of the club. Why don’t you join us for lunch and you’ll get a chance to officially meet Kane and a few others from the club? And there are always quite a few locals who come through for lunch.”

“While you ladies work on a plan, I’m going to take Neely in the house before she goes completely out. See you soon, River,” Devil said, winked, then turned toward Sue’s before I could answer.

“Hold up, Dev, I’ll walk with you,” Sami said, and Devil stopped. “What do you say, River, join us for lunch? Perry, the cook at Soft Tails, makes the best fried chicken in town and you can’t beat his burger and fries either. Unless you don’t like fresh and prefer the processed stuff the clown tries to push off as beef.”

“You’re having lunch at a strip club?” I flinched as the question came out of my mouth before I could pull it back. And I was appalled more than surprised that my tone of voice sounded like my mother’s.

As I worked on an apology, Devil’s laughter stopped me and when Sami spoke her lips twitched, “Yes, Soft Tails is a strip club and now a bar. Recently the club renovated the front to just a bar with food. The strip club will be in the back once they get the addition finished. Since the girls are waiting for the new place to open, a few are filling in as waitresses in the bar. And the others took time off to go on vacation or visit family and friends.”

“Sorry, it caught me off guard, and I really didn’t mean to sound like a prude.”

“Never been in a strip club, huh?” Devil asked with humor in his voice. It was hard not to feel relaxed around him between how he treated his sister and his easygoing, flirty personality. Enough so, I dropped some of the protective shield I had built over the years.

“Not since I stopped dancing to become a kindergarten teacher,” I said, and there was a moment of silence while Devil blankly looked at me until Sami started to chuckle.

“I wish I had gotten a pic of your face, Dev. Thank you, River, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him speechless.”

“Well, shit,” Devil said and grinned.

“Well shits,” Neely repeated, and both Sami and I cocked a brow at Devil.

“Shush, don’t repeat that, okay?” Devil’s reprimand had Neely snuggling her face more into his neck. With his free hand, he rubbed over her hair and down until it rested on her back and he patted. “You want us to get in trouble if Bailey hears you say that?” Neely shook her head, then Devil said, “That’s right, little sis, we got each other’s back.”

I wondered if there was anyone who dared to tell the big bikers that they evidently turned into softies with the little girls in their lives.

“No,” Sami said and laughed.

“Oh damn...um, did I say that out loud?” It seemed I was more relaxed around these people than I first thought.

“Oh damns.” When the words left Neely mouth, I palmed my face.

Devil chuckled. “Uh yeah, now you have to come to lunch. You’ll need to explain to Bailey that you’re to blame when that gets repeated in the house.”

“What? Neely agreed not to repeat what you said. You won’t say that naughty word, will you, sweetie?” Neely’s face turned to me, and she blinked sleepily, then her lips curved up. In that second, there was the resemblance to her brother that I hadn’t noticed before.

“Hey, you can’t horn in on my deal. Besides, you need to meet Bailey anyway. Not to mention, I could use the entertainment.” Sami smacked Devil’s arm, and he grinned down at her. “What?”

“Behave,” was Sami’s reply to Devil. And once again, I felt as if I missed something between the two.

“Geez, pregnancy is making you a little mean, Sami. Hope that isn’t what I’ve got to look forward to with Bay.” Dev cringed, and I laughed when Sami rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“I was on my way out to run a couple errands, so I guess I could meet you there. Is that alright?” If I was going to live here and be a part of the community, I needed to make an effort.

“That’s great. You know where the club is, right?” I nodded, and then Sami said, “Will twelve work for you?”

I looked at my watch. “Yes, that will be perfect.”

“Okay, see you then,” Sami said and linked her arm with Devil’s, and they headed toward Sue’s house while I got in my car, backed out of my driveway, and drove down the street.

I knew the men and women were part of Black Hawk MC. My dad had told me about the local motorcycle club when I had decided to make the move. He’d even mentioned the house Sami had for sale when I told him I had no plans to live with him. Thankfully, he hadn’t argued with me because I would have given in to keep the peace just like I’d done my whole life with my mother. Instead, my dad had done what he always had over the years; listened without judgment and supported my decisions even if he hadn’t agreed with them. He had been and continued to be the one person in my life to love me unconditionally.

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