“Told Jim. All he had to say was he thought that was a good move,” Wyatt says.
“He’s slipping,” Duke says loud and clear. All eyes swing to where Duke must be. Jeremy’s are wide and fearful, while Dad’s are solemn. Wyatt’s head is turned in Duke’s direction, but other than that, he hasn’t moved. I don’t know the exact details of what happens when a member challenges the presidency, but it’s a big freaking deal. It’s not just a big deal, but it can completely destroy a man or an entire charter, depending on how it’s handled.
“And who’s going to tell him that?” Dad asks of Duke with a prodding gaze.
“Fuck you, dude. I ain’t telling him shit. Pop’s the only father I got. I say we just ride it out and try to reason with Trigger and Sin.”
“Sin?” Jeremy asks. He unfolds his hands from his lap as he repositions himself on the couch, much more relaxed. A smile plays at his lips, all signs of tension now gone. Dumbass has been around the club his entire life, and he’s never learned Ian’s nickname—as stupid as it may be.
“Ian,” Duke says. Jeremy’s head tips to the side like a confused puppy, and it’s so freaking cute I can’t help the blush that rises on my cheeks and makes me hot under the collar. Seeing him sitting among my dad and Uncle Wyatt in his prospect cut looking so confused and young and like he’s trying so hard to fit in is freaking adorable and sexy in ways I don’t know if I can verbalize. Duke was just as cute once, but then he got a little too old for me, and now that he’s with Nic, I force myself to quash every thought that he’s attractive. Besides, once I nail Jeremy down, Duke’s going to be like my brother-in-law—which brings me to another thought. Duke and Nic’s baby is going to be like my niece.
Well, first things first. I need to get Jeremy to ask me out, and then I can figure the details out later.
Cheyenne Whelan.
“Stop it,” I tell myself quietly. Sometimes I hate myself for being that girl who gets so into a guy that she imagines his last name with her first and strategizes ways to wiggle into his life in a way he’ll never want to let her go. But then I look at Jeremy, and a happy sigh escapes me and I forget what I was thinking about.
“How the hell did he get a nickname like that?” Jeremy asks, but Dad shakes his head.
“You have to ask, you don’t deserve the answer,” Dad says. “And I don’t know if you realize this, but prospects aren’t supposed to ask questions.” His tone is light and he’s almost… smiling? But the message is clear—shut the fuck up.
“But Duke told me—” Jeremy starts up, and Wyatt swings around from his position at the mantle, and his bulking frame strides toward Jeremy on the couch. He shuts up immediately—something he should have done before he opened his mouth that one last time. He’s cute and got a great smile, and I’ll bet a solid heart, but he’s got some learning to do if he doesn’t want to be Ryan’s butt-buddy.
“Shut your fucking mouth, prospect,” Wyatt snaps. His deep baritone strikes me in my soul. I’ve never heard him sound so angry or so serious. His arms shake with fury as he places his hands against the back of the couch on either side of Jeremy’s head and closes in until they’re nose to nose. Jeremy’s perfectly still under Wyatt’s thundering voice and intense physical presence. “My patch reads Vice President. I don’t give a fuck who tells you what unless their patch reads President. Got that? Don’t fucking look at me, don’t fucking breathe on me. Do not talk back to me, and don’t ever let me catch you forgetting your place.”
“Wy,” Dad says in warning. I can barely see him beyond Wyatt’s bull-like frame, but I catch the telltale clink of his now-empty beer bottle on the end table as he stands from his place on the arm of the couch. He doesn’t approach and makes no move to break it up, but he’s at the ready if he needs to be. The brothers don’t usually stop a patched member from banging up a prospect, but this is Butch’s son. Dad won’t ever admit it, but I think he likes Jeremy, which bodes well for our future relationship.
Wyatt huffs heavily into Jeremy’s face before he pushes back and walks back to his place at the mantle.
It’s a long moment before Dad speaks. “First up, we need to find that prick Scavo. Had the balls to approach me on Forsaken land and take my woman. Asshole needs to pay for that shit.”
“Agreed, but finding the Italian is kind of hard when our intel guy is tied up babysitting his half-brother and keeping Trigger from fucking killing him, all the while avoiding Princess,” Duke says with slight humor in his tone. “This is so fucked up.”