Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 131(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
“Welcome,” Bridget said warmly. “Don’t worry, there is no test. You can ask us our names as many times as you need to.” She winked, and Tessa giggled. The sound made warmth flood my chest, and I decided I wanted to hear that sweet laugh every day for the rest of my life.
“Grey able to do it?” I asked Mac.
He nodded. “He’s got all the account info for you.” Then he looked down at Tessa. “Welcome to the Silver Saints, Tessa. You need anything at all, you can come to me or Bridget. Especially if you need someone to kick Phantom’s ass for any reason.”
She giggled again, and I huffed. “Good luck with that, old man.”
Mac stared at me stonily, and I finally shrugged, making a corner of his mouth twitch. Mac was in his mid-fifties, but he was still a tough, strong, deadly motherfucker. Even with all my training, and being over sixteen years his junior, if we went head-to-head, I honestly couldn’t have told you who would win.
“Party out back,” he grunted, then he smirked. “Molly is watching the kids.” Molly was their fifteen-year-old daughter and the oldest of their four kids. Grabbing his wife’s hand, he yanked her to him and tossed her over his shoulder before heading toward the stairs that went up to the rooms. “See you…later.”
“Mac!” Bridget gasped, her face turning bright red, but then she laughed the rest of the way up the stairs.
“It can get a little crazy here,” I mumbled as I peeked down to see how Tessa was handling all of this.
She smiled brightly, soothing my worry. “It’s always so quiet at home, and I tend to spend most of my time at school in my single dorm room, so this is…awesome.”
“Come on out to the barbecue,” Cat invited us, gesturing to the kitchen door since we had to go through it to get to the back door.
Tessa nodded when I gave her a questioning look, and I kissed her forehead before guiding her toward the party. As we walked past Cat, she winked at me and whispered, “I like her.”
Tessa was easy to like, and the SS old ladies were all friendly and accepting, but I was still relieved that she had Bridget and Cat in her corner. Especially because those two were scary as fuck when they went into mama bear mode, and I knew they’d already taken Tessa under their wings.
Behind the clubhouse kitchen was about an acre of cleared land with all kinds of outdoor activities for the kids, rows of picnic tables, half a dozen grills, and a couple of areas with firepits and lounging furniture surrounding them.
The party was in full swing, filling the air with delicious smells, music, adult laughter, and children screaming in delight.
“This is amazing,” Tessa breathed.
My heart thumped hard, and I fell for her just a little bit more.
My woman was perfect. Perfect for me.
7
TESSA
When Kian had told me that he was taking me home with him, I’d been an odd combination of relieved, excited, and more than a little nervous. The thought of going home and facing my dad was daunting, especially when one of the neighbors was bound to tell him that I’d gone roaring off on a motorcycle with a man. The opportunity to spend more time with Kian was thrilling because it gave me the chance to get to know the intriguing, sexy man better. But hanging out at an MC clubhouse was far outside my comfort zone since my only experience before now was our short stop at the Iron Rogues when Blade checked my ribs. And although the members I had met during our visit to their clubhouse were kind to me, I hadn’t felt as though I belonged there.
I was surprised to find the same couldn’t be said for what I experienced when we arrived at Kian’s clubhouse. The atmosphere at the Silver Saints compound was so different from the Iron Rogues. There were wives and children running around, and everyone smiled and greeted me as though I was family. I experienced a sense of belonging that was unexpected but very welcome.
“Having a good time, sweet girl?”
I tilted my head back to smile up at Kian. “I really am.”
“I’m glad.” He jerked his chin toward the food-covered tables to our right. “Did you get enough to eat?”
“More than enough.” I patted my belly with a laugh. “I don’t think I could handle one more bite.”
“I hope you’re wrong because dessert is not to be missed at our barbecues.” Placing his palm on my lower back, he guided me over to a table loaded down with cookies, pies, and cake. “I could happily devour one of Cat’s pies all by myself, but I’d have a battle on my hands with my club brothers if I took more than one slice.”