Page 3 of Messy Match

“You’ll get there, if you it’s what you want,” he assures me.

I chuckle and nod as I start to make the cookie dough, knowing the recipe from heart. Billy looks on with awe written across his face.

“Maybe, but I’m also good where I’m at. The bakery is my dream, but I’m not looking to be bigger than I need to be. I want to make sure I produce a good product and have happy customers. It’s not really about growth.”

“It’s amazing that you’ve been able to open your bakery,” Billy whispers.

Something in his voice tugs at me and I study him from the corner of my eye. “What’s your dream, Billy?”

He startles with my question before looking away, his ears turning pink. “I’m good with engines. I’ve always wanted to be a mechanic.”

I make a humming sound and nod. “I’m kind of surprised the club doesn’t have a garage or something. Seems like it would be a natural kind of thing.”

“The Seattle chapter has a garage,” he muses.

“If it’s going to bring money into the club, I bet one could open here. If you can do custom, high-end work, even better,” I point out.

His eyes take on a far-away look and then he’s nodding. But then his shoulders slump, his voice dejected, “I’m not even sure if I’ll earn my patch.”

“Everyone makes mistakes, even the patched brothers here. You haven’t been stripped of your cut yet,” I point out, trying to make him feel better and hoping what I’m saying is true.

“What do you even know? You’re not part of this club,” a woman’s voice sneers.

I look toward the kitchen doorway and frown at the woman standing there. I’ve never seen her before, but that’s not too surprising. What is kind of shocking is the way she’s dressed. Actually, saying he’s dressed is generous.

The skirt she’s wearing is more like a band and she’s wearing a lacy bra, not even a top. My mouth drops open, but if it’s because of her attire or her attitude, I’m not sure.

“Kiki,” there’s a warning in Billy’s tone while his eyes dart to me.

I focus on the woman and know that she’s one of the club angels. Yeah, Dean explained all about them as well. Am I thrilled that women who have probably slept with my man hang out at the clubhouse? No, but at the same time, I can’t erase my past any more than he can erase his.

What I don’t question is how dedicated he is to me. And no, the amount of time we’ve known each other doesn’t matter. I can see it when he looks at me and I can feel it when he’s around me. Hell, I can feel it even when he’s not around me.

There’s not a doubt in my mind that I’ve fallen in love with him, and I don’t really doubt that he’s fallen in love with me.

Should that have me running scared? Maybe, but it’s far too tempting to stay.

Sometimes Cupid gets it right and who am I to upset that little diaper wearing flying angel?

“I might not know everything there is to know about the club,” I address Kiki directly, “but I know the impression the brothers have left on me. And the proof that Billy hasn’t been stripped of his cut is, literally, standing right in front of me.”

I point to Billy like he’s proof enough. And he is. At least in this case.

Kiki sneers while I ignore her and start rolling cookie dough and placing it on some baking sheets. “You’re just some patch chaser. Frenzy will see through you soon enough,” her voice is dripping with disdain.

I look at her and smirk. Hearing her call my man Frenzy tells me everything I need to know. I’m aware of how special it is that I call him Dean, and he prefers it.

While I’m not entirely sure where this confidence is coming from, I’m not going to second guess it.

“You think so?” I taunt her. “And when that happens, you’ll, let me guess,” I tap my chin, “you’ll be there to show him how you’re so much better than me?”

Her eyes light up, but she doesn’t realize that I’m making fun of her. “Well, I’m already at his house twice a week,” she throws out there and flips her hair over her shoulder.

My heart stutters in my chest. His house? She’s there? Somehow, I’m able to keep my face neutral though.

When she doesn’t get the reaction from me that she expected, she takes a step closer to me, her lip curled up in a snarl that is very unattractive. Billy moves as well, as if he’s getting ready to throw himself between us.

“Oh, you don’t know about his house, huh? It’s here on the compound.” She looks me up and down, her nose scrunching up as if she’s smelling something foul. Her voice drips with condescension, “I wonder why he didn’t take you there?”