“I would, too.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Carbon
“Excuse us, please,” I blurted, interrupting Shaker’s loose lips and yanked him away by his arm. “You haven’t told her about the club, have you?”
“No. I’m just fucking her. I didn’t see the need to tell her my life story,” he replied.
Well, that was good. Before I pulled him away, he was about to say, “...until he claimed her as his Old Lady.” Harper had managed to keep her affiliation with the Blackwings hidden from her friends and coworkers in Sugar Falls, and for right now, I was okay with that. “How were you going to explain Harper being my Old Lady if I hadn’t stopped you?” I growled.
Realization washed over his face. “Sorry, brother. It didn’t even occur to me what I was about to say. I don’t usually have to watch what I say on my own turf, you know?”
“Yes, I know. So I have to ask, what possessed you to invite a civilian piece of pussy to a club wedding?” I asked, genuinely curious.
He shrugged. “I knew no one would be wearing their cuts and she lets me fuck her however I want to. Saved me the trouble of having to go out and find a piece when the festivities were over.”
“And the fake name?” I asked. His real name was Jacob Marks, not Jay Markus.
He laughed. “That’s nothing new, brother. I’ve been using that name since I rolled into town. I thought you knew.”
I shook my head, not believing this shit. I didn’t care for Hilarie, and I had no interest in having to deal with her for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, Shaker was also in the wedding party, which meant he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon either. Sighing, I clapped his shoulder. “Just try to watch what you say. No one outside of the club knows the truth about my relationship with Harper, including Hilarie, and I would like to keep it that way for the time being.”
“Is there a reason behind that?” he asked.
“Yes, but I’m not going to share it with you right now. Just know it wasn’t ordered, but heavily suggested by Badger when he was standing in for Phoenix.”
“Understood, brother.” He turned and headed toward Hilarie and Harper, who were now standing to the side of the dance floor talking.
I stood there for a bit longer, just taking her in from afar. She was like a multifaceted jewel, beautiful and captivating from every angle, inside and out. Staring at her from across the dance floor, I decided I was going to ask her to marry me in the very near future.
Startling me, Duke asked, “Who’s that with my sister and Shaker?”
“You don’t know who that is?” Surely, he’d met Harper’s best friend.
“No, should I?”
“Yes, you should. That’s her best friend, Hilarie. They went to college together, and they work at the counseling center together. Hell, they even worked at The Booby Trap together.”
I still hadn’t taken my eyes off of Harper, so I missed Duke’s jaw clenching and his fists balling. “The Booby Trap?” he asked.
“Yeah, the strip club she used to work at. It’s where I met her,” I replied offhandedly.
A flash of shimmery gold whizzed by me and slammed into Duke’s chest. “Dance with me, handsome,” my sister said and began pulling him to the dance floor.
She was still facing me as she pulled him with her. She glared at me over his shoulder and mouthed, “You owe me.” Moving my gaze to Duke, I could practically see the fury rolling off of him. Oh shit. He must not have known Harper worked at The Booby Trap. And he didn’t know about Hilarie. What the fuck else had she hidden from him?
I would have to tell her about my slip up eventually. For the time being, I pushed it to the back of my mind, tried my best to ignore Hilarie’s presence, and spent the rest of the evening with my arms wrapped around my girl.
***
“Chase! Wake up!” I felt Harper’s little hands trying to shake me while she called my name.
“What is it, baby?”
She pointed to the nightstand. “Your phone keeps ringing.”
I snorted. “You could’ve answered it.”