Lay It Down: Bastards MC Series Boxed Set (43 page)

He beamed, gave me a quick peck on the lips, then a longer kiss on my forehead. Backing up a step, he grabbed my chin. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. And tomorrow, we’ll talk. Yeah?”

I smiled and nodded as much as his hand would allow.

He nodded toward the bed. “Go warm my bed, woman!”

He was gone before I could come up with a witty reply. I didn’t know where the clubhouse was, so I wasn’t sure how far Matty had to go, but I wanted to be ready when he got back—for whatever our night had in store. After locking the door, I headed into the bathroom. I was almost through with my shower before I realized I was still smiling.

***

“Good morning, sunshine!”

I opened my eyes to find Cris sitting in the chair next to my bed. I moved an arm behind me, disappointed to feel only cold sheets. I’d waited up until I could no longer keep my eyes open, but apparently he’d never come back. Before I could greet her, she leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees, and pointed toward a Dunkin’ Donuts cup on my nightstand. God bless her!

I sat up, swept my hair out of my face, and reached for the Styrofoam cup. After a couple of sips, I smiled. “Morning.”

She shook her head. “When you’re finished with that, get dressed and I’ll take you out to breakfast. Last night was quite the rager, huh? I won’t even tell you how many people I had to climb over to find that.”

I followed her glance to my phone next to where the coffee cup had been. I’d completely forgotten it last night. I scrolled through my missed calls, relieved that the only ones were from Matty and Cris.

“He couldn’t reach you, so he called me,” Cris volunteered. “He’ll call you later to explain.”

“Is everything okay? He was supposed to come home and—”

“He’s fine. Whatever the club is doing took longer than he thought.” She arched an eyebrow. “It’s about freaking time you two ended your little spat. I was getting worried.” She laughed. “So tell me everything.”

I smiled. “There isn’t much to tell really.” My mind drifted back to seeing him yesterday, and within seconds, the tall blonde entered my thoughts. “Cris, who is Jessie?”

Irritation replaced her curious look, and she scowled. “Biker Barbie was here last night? That explains why I wasn't invited. I wondered why they weren’t havin’ it at the clubhouse, but I figured they were tryin’ to keep it small to not overwhelm Tank. Shit! I knew I shoulda blown off my date and come anyway!”

Biker Barbie? I only had a first impression to go on, but the name actually seemed perfect. I stifled my laugh as soon as I saw the disgusted look on her face.

“Was she glued to Rocker all night?”

I shook my head. “No, he barely spoke to her.”

She spiked her eyebrows, silently asking me to continue.

“He was with me.” I shrugged as if it was no big deal and sipped my coffee before I explained exactly what had happened the night before.

Her laughter took me by surprise. “I bet Matt loved that! Rocker should be grateful they aren’t kids anymore. A younger Matty wouldn’t have waited for an explanation; he’d have just kicked his ass!”

“It’s not like that!” I snapped. “Rob was just being nice.”

Cris shook her head, smirking. “You and Rocker know it’s not like that. I know it isn’t like that. But my brother?” She laughed. “Matty doesn’t play well with others, Joey. He never has. He only ever shared with me when he absolutely had to, and never, ever let me play with his favorite toys. In this case, you are his favorite toy, and if someone else tried to play with you…” She shrieked when I threw a pillow at her.

"Are you calling me his plaything?"

She giggled. "Yes." I turned to grab another pillow, and she rushed on. "When we were little, he had this stuffed dog that went everywhere with him. He loved that thing more than anything. Copper scared away the ghosts and rode in the basket on his bike. He'd play with other toys, but Copper was always his favorite. I got mad at him one day and hid Copper. Matt couldn't sleep, wouldn't eat. All he did was mope around until my parents panicked and bought a new one. But it wasn't the same, and he never got attached. He needed Copper to be happy."

The moment had turned serious very quickly, and I swallowed as her words sank in.

"You're more than his plaything, Joey. You're his Copper." She stood, looking uncomfortable as though she'd said too much. "Get dressed, and we'll go."

***

The restaurant was beautiful, with crystal on the tables and a breathtaking view of the Charles River. I scanned the menu, trying not to laugh at the way the waiter hovered over Cris. His face fell when she ordered and handed the folder back to him without a glance in his direction.

"So how was your date last night?" I asked as soon as we were alone.

She sipped her mimosa, shrugging. "It was okay." At my concerned look, she continued. "Caleb is great, really. He's very sweet, very proper. He's every girl’s dream—tall, dark, and handsome with the most adorable dimples. He works out constantly, he's never even lived with a woman, and he's a lawyer."

"So what's the problem?"

"I only went as a favor to a friend." She looked out the window, lost in her thoughts. "He's not my type."

"You mean he isn't moody, covered in tattoos, and often mistaken for the Hulk."

Blue eyes met mine, no acknowledgment showing on her face. I chuckled at her lack of a response; her face was only ever that blank when she was hiding something.

Speaking of… “So Rocker and Jessie, huh? I didn’t get that vibe at all when he introduced me.”

"Barbie's a Brat, a club whor—" She stopped mid-word, clearing her throat and glancing around the room full of people in their Sunday best. Sitting back, she put her hands on her lap and continued. "Barbie’s a club girl, working her way through the guys until someone claims her. She holds on to one until the next best thing is suddenly single. She's had her sights on Rocker for years; I just never thought he was dumb enough to go for it. Over the last few months, he’s proved me wrong."

"I'm sorry." It was hard thinking about Matty moving on; I couldn't imagine having to see it every day. Slowly, the rest of what she said sank in. "She and Matty weren’t a thing, right?”

Cris laughed. “That’s not even a no; it’s a hell, no!”

I let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.

“Naw,” she scoffed, “he wouldn’t look twice at her. Not knowing who's been there already."

I hoped she was right. I didn't want to have to face other women who knew him like I did. Something told me that as long as I lived down here though, I'd have to deal with a lot of them.

Matty called when we were halfway through our meal, and I hurried out into the hall, excited to talk to him.

"Hey, beautiful."

I smiled at his greeting.

"I'm sorry that I didn't get to come back last night."

"It's okay. Cris told me you couldn't get away." Someone spoke to him in the background, but I couldn't understand the words; the roar of motorcycles coming to life was almost deafening. "Is everything okay?"

"Fuck, I thought I had more time. I'm not gonna make it back today, Joes. I'll explain everything when I see you, okay? I'll call you tonight."

I didn't know what to say. Questions swirled through my mind. Where was he? What was he doing? When would I see him?

"Babe? I gotta go, but I'm not getting off this phone 'til you tell me we're okay."

"I miss you."

I heard him smile. "Not as much as I miss you."

I grinned at the wall. "We're fine. Ride safe, Matty."

Chapter 10

Jo

Disappointment settled in after the call, and even though I tried to force it away, I got cranky. Blaming it on lack of sleep, I convinced Cris to let me take a rain check on her plans today, and she dropped me off at the apartment before noon, giving me her key fob for the elevator until Rob could order one for me. I was relieved that everyone had cleared out and I had the place to myself. Sinking into the couch, I attempted to read the chapter I had due tomorrow. After a few hours, I gave up and settled on flipping through channels on the TV.

The quiet of the house was unnerving. When the elevator arrived, I was off the couch in an instant, excited to not be alone. A smiling Jessie was not at all what I'd expected. Jeans, a baggy T-shirt, and sneakers made her almost unrecognizable as the same woman from last night.

She held up a paper grocery bag. "I brought food."

"Oh." I hadn't even thought about the fact that we didn't have anything here. I could have just ordered delivery, but after eating in restaurants and having takeout for the last few days, a homemade meal sounded heavenly. "Thanks!"

She started pulling out ingredients, filling the counter.

"Anything I can do to help?"

She smiled as she set a pot of water on to boil then pulled out a skillet. "Nope. Cooking is how I unwind after a long day." She popped open a bottle of beer and took a long sip. "I'd love some company though."

I pulled out a stool and sat, watching her, not sure what to say. She moved around the kitchen with ease, proving that she'd been there many times and knew it a hell of a lot better than I did. I wondered if she was here to cook for me or my roommate.

"Rocker isn't here," I said.

She looked up, surprised. Her eyes moved over my face, then she smiled sweetly. "I know. He called and asked me to come by. He was worried about you being alone all day. I thought it'd be a good chance to get to know you."

I sat up a little straighter, suddenly worried. Was Matt the man she planned on going after next? My voice was cold when I asked, "Assessing the competition?"

She stared at me for a moment then burst out laughing. "If you had asked me that last night, I'd have said yes. I didn't know what to think about a woman I'd never heard of suddenly not only moving in but also disappearing from the party. But today Rob called me at the same time Mateo called his ol’ lady. I'm gonna wager that was you on the other end of the phone, L.K. Or should I call you Joey?"

I smiled. "Jo is fine."

She dumped a box of rigatoni into the water and stirred it. "You're different than I thought you'd be. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just surprised. I thought he'd end up someone like..." She chuckled. "Well, something different. He needs a woman who will keep him on his toes. I've heard the stories and have no doubt you can do it." She met my eyes. "You and me? We're gonna be great friends."

I paid close attention, trying to see any evidence that she wasn't being genuinely nice. There wasn't any. This woman was completely sincere. "Stories, huh? Should I be worried?"

She shook her head, obviously not willing to share what she had heard.

I picked at the counter in front of me. "I'm not his old lady. I'm not sure what we are, but we definitely aren't married."

Her mouth fell open as she stared at me, shock evident. I wasn't sure what I had said that was that surprising, and I shifted uncomfortably.

She recovered, offering me a small smile. "Dean told me how civilian you were, that you didn't know a thing about us, but I just assumed, since it was Dean, that it was a bit exaggerated." She took out a package of hamburger and broke it into the skillet. "It doesn't matter what you label it. No matter how you look at it, that man is head over heels in love with you."

I smiled. "I hope so, 'cause I'm crazy about him too." I sighed. "He and I seem to be worlds apart though. I can't guarantee what tomorrow will bring." She'd hit the nail right on the head when she said I didn't know a thing about them. Once again, I felt like an outsider looking in.

"Jo," she said sympathetically, as if she could read my thoughts, "do you know why they call him Mateo?"

I shook my head.

"It means 'God's gift'. As in God's gift to women. They've been calling him that for as long as I can remember—at least eighteen years. He used to be horrible—a different fuck every night."

I stiffened. If she was trying to help, she was failing.

"That all changed about ten years ago. He suddenly wasn't interested in the club girls. He'd talk to everyone, act like the Mateo we all knew, but it was obvious that he was taken. Everyone knew he was unobtainable, and it just turned 'em on even more. He became the ultimate challenge—who could get his attention away from this mystery girl he was wrapped up in?"

Seriously not helping. The burger sizzled as it fried, and she took turns scrambling it and swirling a spoon around the pasta.

"Then he came back one weekend with a wedding ring. There were plenty of broken hearts, a lot of shattered dreams. After a few months though, we realized he wasn't bringing the wife around. She was a separate life for him. That meant he was still fair game."

It was my turn to be shocked. "What? He was married. How does that make him an option?"

The look she gave me made me immediately want to eat my words. Of course she would know that I'd slept with Matty while I was still married.