I raise a brow at him. “Cassidy? I don’t think so. But I guess I should pay her a visit. Motor, the Mustang?”

“Boys are working on it as we speak.”

“Good.”

“What exactly happened?” E asks.

“They were tailing me. I tried to lose ‘em and they started firing. Couldn’t shake ‘em, so I decided to take ‘em out.”

“Where was Raven in all of this?”

“Dude,” I say proudly. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

“She helped.”

Everyone’s eyes widen in surprise. I lean back in the chair, my chest swelling with admiration for her. I notice Chopper watching me keenly. He doesn’t say a word, though.

“What?” E furrows his brows in confusion.

“Yeah. Grabbed the extra gun and basically said she wasn’t having that shit. Took out one of the fuckers almost on her own. The only bullet I put in him was the one in his neck.”

“Damn, Prez! Impressive bitch you got there.”

“Watch your fucking mouth, Crow,” I growl. She’s not some regular bitch, and they all better get that through their thick skulls.

He raises his hands in surrender and shakes his head. “Sorry, boss.”

I turn back to Tek. “Find out everything you can about the fuckers. I don’t know if it’s just me they’re after, so no one rides alone. Razor, you and me got a date with Miss Martin tomorrow.”

“Got it, Prez.”

“I don’t want anyone hanging around here for the next few days, either. That includes Hounds.” That doesn’t go over too well. They all start grumbling, and I raise my hand to stop any forthcoming arguments. “I’m serious. You want some pussy, you go out and get it like every other motherfucker on the planet. I’m not trusting anyone at this point.” There are still a few grumbles, but no one opposes me.

“And the girl?” Motor asks.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, is she gonna keep quiet?”

“Of course she will.”

“You sure?”

I lean forward with clenched teeth and a murderous glare. E kicks me under the table because he knows I’m about to go the fuck off, so I take a deep breath and bring it down a few notches. I can’t get into it with any of my brothers right now.

“I said she will. Anything else?”

After a chorus of “no”, I dismiss them all and push my chair back. I have something important to tend to in my room. E grabs my hand before I can leave, and I drop back in my chair with a groan. “Let me guess…you wanna talk?”

“I do.”

“When did we become bitches? You wanna have a sleepover and braid each other’s hair?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

He waits until everyone else is out of the room then looks me right in the eyes.

“What are you doing?” He asks, concern in his voice.

“What do you mean?”

“With Raven.”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

“It looks like we might be getting a First Lady.”

First Lady? He must be out of his fucking mind. The whole world knows I don’t do old ladies. “What? Fuck off, E.”

“No? Then what? I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

“I’m not going to hurt her, and she’s not your concern.”

He leans back with a cocky grin and a glint in his eye. If he wasn’t my best friend, he’d be on the receiving end of a throat punch right now.

“Like I said…First. Lady.”

“And like I said…fuck. Off.”

I walk away to the sound of his laughter. Dickhead. First Lady, my ass. I’m seriously in to her, but I’m still not looking for an old lady. On the way to my room, Ron stops me and hands me Raven’s phone and jacket. “You took care of her friend?”

“Yeah, boss.”

“Good.”

I bump into Chopper coming out of my room and raise a brow at him. What the fuck was he doing in there? “Pop?”

He closes the door quietly and narrows his eyes at me. Yeah, he’s about to drop some “fatherly advice” on me.

“That girl in there? She’s not the type you play with, son.”

“I know.”

“So, you plan on keeping her around then?”

“Maybe.”

He places a firm hand on my shoulder and holds my stare. I haven’t seen Chopper this intense in a long time. Since he stepped down as president, he’s been doing the whole retiree and grandpa thing. Even though he still attends church, he rarely speaks and only gives advice when I ask for it. For him to offer it up on his own is serious business, so I listen carefully.

“Consider this. She just shot a man, almost took a bullet for you and she’s in your bed right now. She didn’t run for the hills, or worse, to the cops.”

He gives my shoulder a squeeze and leaves me in the corridor. He’s right. She didn’t have to do what she did. Afterwards, she could have told me to take her home and fuck off, but she didn’t.

I open the door and the sight before me stops me in my tracks. This is definitely some shit I never expected to see – a woman asleep in my bed. I close the door and approach her quietly. She’s curled up under the blanket, her face peaceful and absolutely beautiful. I contemplate going to sleep in E’s room but I don’t want to leave her alone, so I undress and slide under the covers. I lie there for about two minutes before I give in to the call of her warm body. I need to feel her. I curl my arm around her waist and pull her against me, her back to my front. She sighs in her sleep and settles into my arms. Jesus, she feels amazing. I close my eyes and drift off to E’s words swirling in my mind. First Lady.

CHAPTER 2

***Raven***

I wake up tangled with someone else’s body and something hard poking my stomach. A solid wall of man slowly comes into focus when I open my eyes. My forehead rests on Gage’s hard, tattooed chest and his scent fills my nostrils. I savor the sight, smell, and feel of him until the gravity of the situation hits me. I slept in his bed. All. Night. Shit. I carefully detach myself and slide off the bed. Baby Jesus. Even this early in the morning, he looks utterly fuckable. I shake it off and head to the bathroom. I seriously need to pee.

I wash my hands and face and eye his toothbrush longingly. Why the hell not? We’ve already swapped spit. I walk back into the room with minty-fresh breath. He’s still asleep, so I climb back into bed. The moment I do, his eyes snap open. Surprise. That’s what I see. I guess he’s not used to waking up next to anyone. But then he relaxes and pulls me toward him with a smile.

“Good morning, doll.”

“Good morning. Sleep well?”

“I did.”

“You sound surprised,” I mock him, remembering our little phone sexcapade.

“I am.”

He rolls onto his back, taking me with him. I lay my head on his chest and throw my leg over his. It connects with his morning wood.

“Shit. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

He returns from the bathroom a few minutes later with a smile and a noticeably absent bulge. After sliding under the covers, he pulls me back into his arms.

“You used my toothbrush.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Of course not. Use anything you like. Including me.”

“That last part sounds good.”

“Yeah?” He smirks. “Come here. I need a proper good morning.”

Excitement courses through my veins as I lean in and press my lips to his. He sucks on them, biting into the bottom one and pulling on it before sliding his tongue between them. Fuck, this man can kiss. I moan as he pulls my head back by my hair and sucks on my neck.

“My T-shirt looks good on you,” he mumbles, his breath causing goosebumps to pepper my skin.

I was so sleepy after he left me last night, I knew I wasn’t going to get farther than his bed. I don’t know why I did it but I searched his drawers, changed into his shirt, and climbed right back under the covers.

“Mmhmm…wanna wear mine?” I all but swallow a giggle when his palm connects with my ass. “Ow!”

“Fuck, babe! You’re not wearing any clothes?”