His eyes spring open. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I say, half lying on top of him and kissing his lips. “I love you.”
“Finally,” he growls, kissing me deeply.
When he pulls away, I say to him, “But no more secrets.”
“Do I get make-up sex now?” he asks, making me grin.
“This was our first fight, wasn’t it?”
“There’ll be lots more where that came from,” he says, sucking on my bottom lip. “But if we keep our fights clean and our sex dirty, I think we’ll make it through each one.”
I think he’s right.
TWELVE
THE next night at dinner, I meet the rest of his brothers, including Vinnie, the club’s youngest member, and the club president, Sin. I remember Vinnie from seeing him briefly with Rake, but don’t mention that to either of them. I also meet all their old ladies and like them right away. They’re all beautiful, smart, witty women, and I can see why any man would be drawn to them. Faye is hilarious, and I can tell she cares for everyone under this roof, taking the time to talk with each member of the family. When Jess comes and sits next to me where we’re hanging outside, I don’t really know what to say to her, instantly feeling a little awkward.
“I wasn’t allowed to say anything to you about Irish or the club,” she says, wincing. “I’m sorry. I like you, Tina, and you’re an amazing hairdresser, so I hope our friendship doesn’t change because of this. I’m glad Irish told me to hire you, because you’re the perfect fit. For him and for the salon.”
“I guess I felt stupid that everyone knew except me,” I try to explain. “But I know it wasn’t your fault; it was his. Of course we’re still friends.”
She hugs me. “Good. I meant what I said—I’m happy Irish brought you into our lives.”
“Me too,” I admit, smiling at her.
“The men will do what they want to get what they want,” she says, shaking her head. “But they’re good men. Worth the alpha bullshit we have to put up with.”
“It’s pretty hot,” I admit, the feminist in me screaming.
“I know.” She laughs. “Trust me, I know.”
“So you forgive Jess straightaway but you’re still giving me shit?” Ardan jokes as he joins us.
“It wasn’t her diabolical plan,” I tell him with a raised brow. “What are you eating?”
“There’s some chicken wings and ribs up there. Do you want me to bring you some?”
“Yes, please,” I say, and my stomach growls in agreement.
He disappears into the kitchen, and I see Jess staring at me with an odd expression.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she says, shrugging. “Just never seen him wait on a woman before. In my years and years of knowing him.”
I don’t know how to react to that, so I just shrug and stay quiet.
She continues, “I’ve never seen him go out of his way to do something for one either, unless one of his brothers asked it of him, of course.”
Ardan returns with a plate of food, which he hands to me. I thank him and offer some to Jess, who politely declines. He sits next to me as I eat, and Lana and Tracker join us.
“Your hair is so beautiful,” Lana says to me, her brown eyes focused on me. “I don’t think I’ve seen hair like that before.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, touching the ends. “Ardan tells me you write books?”
She looks confused for a moment, but then her eyes widen. “Oh, Irish, right. Yes, I do. Romance novels. Are you a reader?”
I nod. “I am, but mainly nonfiction, especially biographies. I’d love to give your books a try, though—I’m sure I’ll love them.”
“Maybe my next heroine will have hair like yours.”
“Maybe I’d like that,” I reply, smiling at her.
She returns it and says, “We’re going out to Rift this weekend. Do you want to come with us?”
“Rift?” I ask, never having heard of the place.
“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Ardan says, shooting Lana a look of disapproval. “Valentina is busy this weekend.”
“I am?” I ask, feeling amused.
“You are,” he says, not offering any kind of explanation.
“Let the woman breathe, Irish,” Lana says, not put out one bit by his words. “You have to let her bond with us. We’ll look after her, you know we will.”
“Fuck, I know you will; it’s not that. I’m not being a possessive asshole,” he explains to her. “She’s got some shit going on right now, and until it’s taken care of, she needs to be careful—and getting drunk and dancing on tables with you lot is pretty much the opposite of careful.”
“That only happened twice.” Lana pouts, then says, “If there’s anything we can do to help, let us know.”
“We’ve got this,” Tracker says to his woman, wrapping his arm around her. “We just need everyone to stay out of trouble for a little while. We don’t need any fuckin’ cops on our asses for any reason.”