I’ve slept with all three of the guys now. What does that make me?
Girlfriend? No, that’s not right.
Club slut? That isn’t right either. We’re just sharing.
Just.
What am I doing? I avoided even dating guys that liked motorcycles and now I’m involved with three bikers and sleeping in my father’s compound. The loss of my store is still an open wound, but it also feels like it happened in a parallel universe. Until I’m not running for my life, I can’t worry about insurance.
My stomach rumbles. God, I haven’t eaten since… Blade’s banana and energy bar.
I giggle at that, then unroll myself and find my glasses on the nightstand so I can get up and see if I can find some food. And new clothes. My jeans are nearly standing up on their own at this point. Thank goodness they bought me more than one pair of underwear, even if they are hot pink.
Of all the things I don’t expect to hear when I enter the common room, the sound of children playing is pretty much at the top of my list. I rub my eyes, trying to decide if I’m still asleep in Blade’s bed. At the Pit Vipers, I sure saw some things I probably shouldn’t, but inside the clubhouse, and especially the common room, was almost always off limits. And I certainly never played in there.
But here at the Screaming Eagles, there’s a woman running after a toddler while four bikers are holding up a couple of kids by the pool table and letting them bang the balls together to make them roll, while they’re all laughing. The braided-beard blond guy is one of them. They turn to look when I come out.
I freeze, but they seem friendly enough. “Uh, hi.” I wave kind of awkwardly and push my glasses up on my nose. “I’m Faith. I didn’t mean to barge in. I was just looking for something to eat.”
“You’re Eagle-eye’s daughter!” The woman scoops the toddler into her arms and smiles. She’s pretty, with Mediterranean features—sun-bronzed skin and long, straight, dark hair. “I’m Alessa. Welcome to the Screaming Eagles.”
The guys put the kids down so they can come say hi too. “I’m Bear,” says the biggest, then points to each in turn. “Viking, Snark, Hawk.” They all nod.”
“This is Dante, and those two are Liam and Isabella,” Alessa says with a friendly smile. She hands the toddler over to Hawk. “Here, watch your little devil for a second while I show her the kitchen.”
“Thanks,” I say while looking over my shoulder at the scene that still seems so unlikely to me.
“You’re the talk of the club. I heard about your place. That must really suck, but it’s a good thing you had the strike team with you. Everyone was ready to go to war yesterday and I have to be honest, it was a little scary.”
“For me, too,” I admit. “Do you mind if I ask… um… Are all those kids yours?”
Alessa laughs. “No, just Izzy and Dante. Liam is Emily’s. You’ll probably meet her later.”
“Whose old lady are you? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“It’s fine. It would be hard to keep it a secret even if I wanted to. We’re actually all together.”
“All FOUR of them?”
Her laughter is contagious and I can’t help smiling. She shows me into the kitchen and pops open the fridge. “If it’s not labeled, anything in here is fair game. Just watch out for the yogurt. Eagle-eye gets a little territorial about people taking it.”
I reach in and grab one. It’s fruit on the bottom, cherry. My favorite, but he always hated yogurt. “He can take it up with me if he’s got a problem.” I peel off the lid and give it a lick.
“I guess that’s one of the benefits of being his daughter. There’s probably enough stuff here to make some sandwiches if you want.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but this feels way too domestic for an MC. Is it always like this during the day?” I nod my head towards the common room.
“It didn’t use to be.” Alessa starts the coffee machine, one of those capsule things. It grinds before filling her cup with a shot of espresso. She takes it black, leaning back against the counter and looking over the rim at me. “But when Emily showed up, they made some changes, and now that I’m here and the kids are big enough to pick up on stuff, it’s a lot different.” She spots a pair of panties thrown over the back of a chair at the table like a naughty doily and tosses them in the trash with a roll of her eyes. “Most of the time.”
“And the bikers don’t mind?”
“I’m sure some do, but since I’m with four of the guys, and Emily is with three, they have a lot of say in keeping things a little more mellow than it used to be. During the mornings, anyway. It’s still pretty crazy at night.”
“Does everyone here share their women?”
“Oh no.” With a tinkling laugh, she puts her cup down and waves for me to follow. “At least not yet. Come on, I need to make sure nobody is setting anything on fire or Emily will kill me. We’re watching Liam so she and her guys can get some alone time.”
I know Dad wanted the Screaming Eagles to be different, but it’s obvious I didn’t realize by how much. “And here I thought my situation was weird.”