Now, lounging in Deacon’s lap, I stifled a yawn and fought the exhaustion that filled me. It hadn’t exactly been a restful day so far. I’d risen almost at dawn to help Beth with Sunday lunch. Today had been groundbreaking in the fact that not only did I accompany Beth to church, but Deacon did as well. I’d done a double take when I stepped out of the bedroom to find him out of his cut and in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Sure, he still had on his jeans and boots, but it was quite the transformation. He looked almost respectable. When he’d caught me staring, he’d given me his usual smirk.
After church, we’d come back to Beth’s for the second momentous event of the day. My uncle Jimmy and aunt Joy arrived just after one for lunch, and after an enjoyable meal together, they had taken an overjoyed Willow with them for the trip to the cabin. Despite her obvious excitement, I still couldn’t help feeling a little apprehensive. I would have preferred to accompany her, but I couldn’t miss any more days away from school. As always, Deacon was one step ahead of me to put my fears to rest. When Willow left the compound with Jimmy, Beth pulled out behind them, going in the opposite direction. Should Sigel have someone watching, they would have followed Beth, who had a prospect following behind her. Just two hours had passed since she left, but it felt like she had been gone much longer.
“What are you thinking about?” Deacon asked, his voice humming against my ear.
“Nothing,” I lied.
“Bullshit,” he countered. When I glanced at him over my shoulder, he shook his head. “You’re a terrible liar, Alex. Your body betrays you every time. You’ve been tense the last few minutes.”
“Sorry. I was just thinking about Willow.”
Deacon chuckled. “You missing the rug rat already?”
“Maybe a little. I’m not used to being here at the compound without her.”
Nuzzling my neck, he flicked his tongue against my skin. “I’m sure I can think of something to get your mind off of her.”
I giggled. “I’m sure you could.”
Case poked his head out of the clubhouse meeting-room door. “You guys seen the latest invoices?”
Rolling her eyes at her husband, Kim groaned. “Babe, would you get your ass over here and relax, for once?”
“I would love to, but at the moment, I got shit to take care of before I can do that. That’s the reason I got fucking ‘president’ on my rocker.”
“You know it isn’t good for your blood pressure,” she countered.
“Hell, Case. It can wait till tomorrow, can’t it?” Deacon asked before taking a long swig of his beer.
With a grunt, Case replied, “The rest of the shit can wait, but I gotta double-check these cargo invoices. It ain’t adding up at the moment, and unless I can find an error on my part, our asses are gonna be between a rock and a hard place.”
Kim popped the top on another beer. “If you promise to be done in ten minutes, I’ll blow you out back.”
Case’s brows shot up. “You serious?”
Licking her tongue suggestively down the rim of the bottle, she replied, “Dead serious.”
“Fuck,” he grunted, as he stepped out of the meeting-room doorway. “Give me five minutes to go down to the house and check. As long as I know they’re there, I’ll let it go for the rest of the afternoon. Okay?”
Kim grinned. “Okay, baby.” Glancing over her shoulder at me, she winked. “Amazing what a man will do for head, eh?”
I laughed. “Doesn’t surprise me one bit.”
“Is that a fact?” Deacon questioned, his hand sliding up my stomach to graze the underside of my breast.
“Yeah, it is,” I replied breathlessly.
“You women think you have us pussy whipped,” Deacon mused.
Cocking her head, Kim said, “It ain’t all pussy whipping. We got your cocks whipped, too.” As Case walked passed her, he sent a stinging smack across her ass.
Deacon eased me out of his lap and onto my feet. “I’ll go with you, Prez. Once you have them, I’ll lock them up in the safe for the rest of night. Make sure you keep your word to unwind.”
“Thank you, D. I’m glad someone cares about my husband’s well-being.”
Winking at her, he replied, “I’m always going to go above and beyond to ensure one of my brothers gets some head.”
It was Kim’s turn to do the ass smacking as she popped Deacon. “Go on and get out of here before I change my mind and he has even more issues with blue balls.”
Deacon chuckled as he hustled to catch up with Case. Just as I was about to sit down, the jukebox changed over to some old-school tunes with Heart’s “What About Love?” Kim’s eyes rolled back in pleasure. “Oh my God, I love this song.”
“Me too.”
Crooking her finger at me, she began to sing along with the song. Never able to resist a chance at karaoke, I rose out of my chair and went over to her. Bishop groaned. “If I find out who paid for this one, I’ll kick his ass.”
“They’re not that bad,” Rev said over us.
“They’re not good, either,” Bishop replied, which earned him the bird from Kim.
In the middle of our belting out the big finish, a loud roar ripped through the room. Windows rattled as the ground and walls vibrated. Bottles fell off the bar and crashed to the floor. It seemed to go on forever, but in truth, it probably lasted only a few seconds. When it was over, we all stared at one another, our faces a mixture of confusion and fear.