Fuck. I really should have thought this through before bringing her here. Damn Anna and her lifelong grudge! What’s a little kidnapping among enemies turned friends?
“All right, I’ll call her now,” she says, sliding her phone from her jean pocket.
In the meantime, the game goes on until we have one cup left, while they have three.
So we need only one shot to win.
And it’s Jo’s turn.
Everyone is watching, and the pressure is on. If she gets this in, I’m going to go down on her for an hour tonight. Who am I kidding? I’m going to do that anyway.
She throws the ball and it seems to spin through the air in slow motion as it plops gracefully into their last cup.
When she gets it in, I’m so fuckin’ happy, I take her into my arms and kiss the shit out of her. Everyone cheers, except Tia and Shay I imagine, while I dip her backward and congratulate her with my lips, a promise of what’s to come later tonight when we’re alone.
Bailey comes to the clubhouse just for the rematch.
“Bailey, this is Jo,” I say, arm around my woman. “Jo, this is Bailey. Don’t be fooled by her sweet demeanor.”
Bailey rolls her eyes and hugs Jo. “Welcome to the family, Jo. We should get to know each other a little after I kick your man’s ass.”
“Told you,” I mouth to Jo, who starts laughing and takes a seat next to Shay to watch the game.
Talon looks at me, amusement dancing in his green eyes. “Brother, if we don’t win this we’ll never be able to show our face here again.”
Dramatic, but true.
“We’re just going to have to win it, then, won’t we?”
“Not all of us have been practicing,” he says so only I can hear.
“I can carry us,” I say, slapping him on the back. “I’ve got this.”
I play the first shot and miss on purpose. Let them think they’ve got this. We got hustled, and now it’s their turn.
Every shot after that, I get in.
And when I take the winning shot, I look Anna right in the eye, and I smile.
Lucky for me, she doesn’t use the kidnapping against me in front of Jo, for which I’m grateful. I even give her a kiss on the cheek. “Good game, Anna.”
She rolls her eyes, but I don’t miss the quirk of her lips.
What a damn good night.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Johanna
Two months later
“REMEMBER that time I proposed to you and you said no?” Ranger says when we walk through the door of my house.
I laugh, my body shaking. “You’re not going to let that go, are you? Where have you been?”
“I had to drop by a few of the businesses and do some accounting stuff,” he says, stepping behind me as I wash the dishes and kissing the side of my neck. “Then I came straight here. I’ve missed you today, and I was thinking about something.”
“What?” I ask, turning off the tap and spinning around.
“Do you like this house? As in do you want us to live here, or should I buy us a new house?”
My eyes widen. “How is this a casual conversation for you? And since when are we moving in together?”
We practically live together anyway, so I understand his train of thought, but his asking if he can buy us a house is not a normal conversation. It wasn’t even “Should we buy a house together,” he just asked if he can buy us a new house. Am I a kept woman now?
“We sleep together pretty much every night and I have a key to your house. How is that not already living together?” he asks, raising a brow. “I don’t have time for your commitment issues, Jo. If you want the milk, buy the cow.”
I burst out laughing at that, and glance around my house, considering. “I do love this house, but it’s not very big. What do you think, Ranger? I just want to be wherever you are.”
“And I just want to make you happy.”
“You do,” I whisper.
I don’t remember ever being this happy before. Everything in my life is going well, and I’m in a place I never thought I’d be. I’m in love. I have a man who will do anything to make me smile, and keeps me satisfied in every way. I have a house, a good job, friends, and family. I’m a lucky woman.
“Maybe we could get a new house and rent this one out,” I suggest, then add, “We’re going to need room for any possible children we have.”
His eyes dash to me, widening. “You think you’re having kids without us being fuckin’ married? What? You gonna give them hyphenated names and shit? I think not, Jo. Nice try, but my good genes come with a ball and chain.”
I smile, step forward, and rest my head on him. “You really want me to marry you that much, Ranger?” I ask him. “It’s that important to you?”
“Yeah,” he admits. “I don’t know why, but it is. And I’ve never even considered marriage before; I just want it with you. I want you to be mine in every way, even the traditional ones.”
I smile and peep up at him. “Okay, Ranger. I’ll marry you.”
He lifts me into the air, kisses my lips, then takes me to the bedroom and shows me just what I’m signing up for.
And trust me, I’m not complaining.
? ? ?
We’re still in our post-lovemaking daze when Ranger gets a call from Arrow.
“What?” he growls, sitting up. “What happened?”
I sit up, alert.
He glances at me as he continues to speak. “She’s with me. Okay, I’ll be there now.”
He hangs up, throws his phone on the side table, and jumps out of bed. I can’t help but stare at his naked body as he picks up his pants from the floor.
“What happened?” I ask, lifting the sheets up. “Is everything okay?”
“Cops raided the MC,” he says, getting dressed. “They didn’t find anything. Thank fuck they didn’t find any of the weapons.”
What the hell? I have to wonder why I wasn’t told about this, or at least had any idea it was taking place. Did Travis not tell me on purpose? Did they have a reason for the raid?
I cringe, ignoring his mention of weapons, and also start to get dressed. “Ranger, I had no idea they were going to do this.”
I know I don’t have to explain myself, but I don’t want him to think I knew and didn’t tell him. It’s a fine line, and if I did know I don’t know what I would do anyway.
“I know, Jo,” he says, softening his tone. “It’s okay. Arrow just wants me to go in because he’s calling a club meeting.”
“Do you want me to come?” I ask him, not sure what to do here.
“No, babe,” he says, walking over to me and kissing my forehead. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Right, it’s not like I’d be welcome to a club meeting, but I feel a little helpless right now and unsure what to do.
Did Arrow ask where I was to see if I knew about what was going down? Is the club meeting about me? What if they don’t want me to be with Ranger anymore?
Should I go to the station and ask what happened? Or will that make me look like I’m siding with the MC? I can’t win here. It’s a conflict of interest, and I can’t choose either side. I’m stuck in the middle. I want Ranger to be able to trust me, and I want to know what’s going on in his life, but at the same time I can’t know too much, because if I’m asked . . .