This was met with silence until Chap grunted.

Scott’s eyes never left mine and he finished, “Kirk dies, you come into that windfall, you know how to find me. But listen to your girl.” Now his head tilted to Minnie. “And don’t do anything until you take care of you.”

After delivering that message, his eyes swept Minnie and Chap, he turned on his boot and walked out the door.

The second it closed, Chap turned to Minnie and pointed at her. “I’m leavin’ and, ’cause she makes good cookies and cupcakes, I’m keepin’ my mouth shut ’bout this shit. You,” he jabbed his finger at Minnie, “get her shit sharp. This kinda shit happens again, I ain’t keepin’ my mouth shut. You hear me?”

“I hear you,” Minnie said softly.

Chap nodded, and without looking at me, he followed Scott out the door.

I turned to Minnie in time to see her hands go to her hips.

“Sit your ass down, babe, the rain in Spain is right now fallin’ on the fuckin’ plain, get me?”

I pressed my lips together.

I got her.

So I sat down.

Two hours later, I was in search of Buck because we had to go get Mrs. Jimenez and meet his kids at the house.

As I searched, my latest Professor Higgins session was rumbling through my brain.

Apparently, biker babes deferred to their biker boys in everything, which meant everything.

The man made the decisions, the woman lived with them.

And also, if the man told the woman to do something, she did it. No matter what it was.

Or, if he told her not to do something, she didn’t do it, no matter how much she may want to.

I had to admit, I was uncertain about this.

I also had to admit, the word “uncertain” was a massive understatement.

I further had to admit that I was uncertain Buck actually lived by this philosophy.

I was certain he was domineering, but he was also sweet and gentle, in a rough and tumble way.

Still, he was.

I couldn’t imagine if I wanted something badly enough, we couldn’t discuss it and he wouldn’t see my way of thinking.

I also couldn’t imagine he wouldn’t want me to be free and clear to make decisions about my life.

We were living together, but only out of necessity. Buck wasn’t sure I was safe yet (no word about Esposito, except from Buck, “He’s got his hands full dealing with his own people,” which I took as something that would have Esposito’s total focus), and therefore, I was never alone. Unless I was in the office. But with the place crawling with people, that wasn’t really alone.

I had also only earned one paycheck and my fat, as Minnie put it, was by no means out of the fryer.

In other words, I wasn’t (yet) in a position to find my own space and live my own life beholden only to me.

That didn’t change the fact that Buck and I were still new. He acted like I was his woman and his people acted like I was his woman, but I wasn’t sure yet that I actually was.

So I figured I was still my own woman.

What I didn’t know was how I felt about losing my freewill if I officially became Buck’s.

This was what was on my mind as I searched through the shop, then the warehouse, and finally headed to the Dive.

It wasn’t unusual for Buck to disappear and not tell me where he was going. But his SUV was out in the lot, he had to be somewhere.

The common area of the Dive was deserted, but I heard noises coming through the door that led to the hall where the bedrooms were.

I headed that way.

My mind was still whirling with my Biker Babe Lesson, I didn’t even think as I moved.

I should have thought, and I should have processed the sounds I was hearing and stayed far, far away.

The minute I turned the final corner and hit the hall, I stopped and stared.

Nails, her upper body nude, her skirt bunched at her waist, was against the wall astride a biker.

She was riding him, her breasts bouncing, and he was thrusting, his face shoved in her neck.

My heart stopped beating, my stomach clutched, and I stared, immobilized, even though my brain was screaming, Run!

“Jesus,” I heard growled from behind me.

I jumped and an arm clamped around my belly, locking me to a tall, solid body.

Nails’ eyes shot open, her head jerked our way, and she arrested mid-bounce. The face shoved into her neck came out.

And I saw it was Gash.

Minnie’s man.

Gash.

Oh God!

My body moved forward, toward the action, obviously not of its own volition.

It locked in protest but this didn’t stop it from moving.

“Not smart.” Buck was still growling, but now he was growling at Gash. “Minnie was in Toots’s office not fuckin’ fifteen minutes ago, brother.”

“Fuck,” Gash muttered, his eyes on me.

Nails’ eyes were on Buck.

“Get this, Gash, they’re tight. Minnie’s gonna be hangin’ here a lot. You take that shit somewhere else or at least get behind a fuckin’ door,” Buck ordered as he pulled us deeper into the hall.

He let go of my belly, grabbed my hand and dragged me toward them, also toward where Buck’s room was, the opposite way from the exit, where I really, really wanted to be heading.

We then moved past them in a way I could not avoid seeing Gash pull Nails off his member and set her to her feet.

We got to Buck’s room. He pulled me in and shut the door.

Then he stared at me, one hand at his hip, the other lifting so he could run it through his perfect greasy-wet-looking, thick awesome hair.

“Jesus, fuck, I don’t even know where to begin,” he muttered, dropping his hand and putting it to his other hip.

I knew where to begin.

“Who was that woman?” I asked, even though I knew.

I knew and I couldn’t believe I saw what I saw. I also couldn’t believe he saw it. I further couldn’t believe he didn’t seem angry Gash was having sex with his other woman.

Did Buck share?

Would he eventually share me?

Oh God.

I knew how that went.

“Gash,” he stated.

“No,” I whispered. “I know Gash. The woman.”

“She’s gash, Toots,” he replied.

“Sorry?”

“Cunt,” he went on, and that awful word hit me like a punch to the stomach and the blow was more powerful because it came through Buck’s lips.

“Sorry?” I whispered.

“She’s gash, pussy. She’s fucked practically everyone in the Club, in other clubs, men who aren’t in clubs. You ride a bike, she’s down to open her legs.”

Oh God.

Minnie, Pinky, and Lorie didn’t tell me that.

But maybe they didn’t know.

“Ink?” I asked.

Buck didn’t answer.

This meant yes.

I couldn’t believe this.

Ink seemed utterly devoted to Lorie.

God.

“Cruise?” I continued.

Buck’s jaw got tight.

Another yes.

God!

“You?” I whispered, even though I knew the answer to that one.

“She’s nothin’, babe. Like I said. Pussy. That’s it.”

“She’s a woman, Buck,” I told him.