I laughed and wiggled as his hands palmed my ass cheeks, kneading them gently. “You’re supposed to be massaging, not copping a feel.” I giggled as I swatted at him. The flat tone of his laugh vibrated through my body.

“It’s mine. I’ll do what I like with it.” He squeezed and I just knew that was going to bruise.

“Well …” I started, but the objection ended quickly with a resonating slap. I screamed and my ass cheek burned. “Optimus!”

A wet tongue soon soothed the sting. It slipped suspiciously close to my center and I resisted the urge to push myself back into his face as his tongue attacked everywhere, but my pussy. I groaned, horny and needy.

“Need something, Blackbird?”

“Mmm … please.” His body came back over mine, his toned chest pressed me into the mattress and I could feel his hard length grind against my ass. “Op, please.”

“I want you to promise me something,” he murmured in my ear. At this point, I was desperate to have him. Everything about Optimus was a turn on for me, even his caveman ways at times.

“Okay,” I groaned, pushing back against him.

“Promise me you’ll always talk to me. Shit’s getting crazy, but I need you to always speak to me before you do anything stupid.” His voice was soft, desperate almost.

“Okay …?” I said, a little confused.

He attacked my body and worshiped it just like he said he would. The connection between us was undeniable, even though both of us as stubborn as we were, attempt to do just that occasionally.

I tucked the sheet around my body as I sat and watched him move around the room. My body was so deliciously sore. Optimus always pushed me to my limits and in turn I reached heights and pleasures that I’d never experienced with anyone else.

He smiled as he caught my eye in the mirror. That smile was everything. It was like a rare diamond. It was stunning and beautiful and real, and something I felt like he only ever saved for me. With the boys, you’d see the occasional cheeky smirk. But a genuine smile—never.

I opened my mouth to ask where he was going, but there was a banging at the door.

“Op?” Blizzard called through the door.

Optimus’ face sunk, even while he kept direct eye contact with me. “Yeah?”

“They’re here.”

His eyes darted away and suddenly all his concentration was on his shitkickers. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

I sat up, confused by the sudden change of demeanor. I listened for Blizzard’s boots disappearing down the hall. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he muttered as he tossed his cut on his back, slipping one arm through and then the other.

“Bullshit, you were fine. Who’s here?”

“I said it was nothing.” I flinched and pulled the sheet tighter around me. “Chel … I’m …”

He pulled at his short hair, the words stuck in his tongue. After a minute, all I got was a loud growl as he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. I was used to Optimus’ mood changes. When he was in the bedroom with me, he acted a lot differently than when he was with his brothers. He took his role within the club very seriously. Sometimes too seriously. I quickly threw on some clothes and headed toward the main room where all the brothers seemed to be congregating.

I propped myself up against the bar in the far corner by the hallway door, not knowing whether I was meant to be there or not and needing to be able to make a quick exit if necessary. A woman walked through the door. She was beautiful. Her hair was a gorgeous shade of orange that sparkled in the autumn sunlight. She wore a tight pair of dark wash denim jeans, a small ankle boot, and a simple white singlet. You could tell from her outfit that she was a no fuss girl. She didn’t care about impressing anyone and didn’t need to dress up to get attention. Her beauty was all natural. I could have seen us being friends.

That was until I watched a smile light up her face and I followed her eyes. They were directed straight at Optimus. My blood boiled as her pace quickened. She pulled up in front of him, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her tightly to his chest.

My heart raced. I didn’t know who this woman was, or what she was doing here, but it was quite obvious that she and Optimus had some type of bond, some type of history. Jealousy burned through me, consuming all other emotions. Technically, Optimus wasn’t mine, but watching him touch another woman so tenderly had my head reeling and my stomach turning.

I pushed myself further in the corner, whether he realised I was there or not I wasn’t sure, but as he gripped both sides of her face and touched his forehead to hers I began to feel tears well in my eyes. He whispered quietly to her and she nodded softly, her smile changing and becoming slightly downcast and sad.

I shook my head, figuring that Optimus had not invited me to this meeting for a reason and I began to step backward and head back to my room. The woman moved from Optimus and was taken into the arms of several brothers. I started to feel better, she was obviously someone who was important to the club.

Just as I turned to head back through the hallway door, I heard an excited squeal.

“Daddy!”

I frowned, I hadn’t seen any old ladies around with kids. “Daddy! Uncle Blizzard is trying to tickle me.” I followed the little girl with dark mahogany curls as she zipped through the patio doors. Blizzard was laughing right on her tail as she sped across the wooden floor. I knew all the club kids and I’d never seen this little girl before, but I also didn’t see any other visitors in the room apart from the woman with the orange hair, who I assumed to be her mother.

Who was she calling?

No.

As I watched the beautiful young girl leap into Optimus’ arms, it felt as though someone had kicked me in the stomach. The air rushed from my lungs and I struggled to breathe. Optimus swung her around, a broad smile stretched across his face. A smile that I now knew was not just for me.

“Daddy, save me,” she called, giggling as Blizzard tried to reach around his friend to grab at her feet and legs. Optimus laughed and tucked her into his side with a tender kiss on her cheek. I scanned the room. No one looked surprised; no one looked like this was out of the ordinary. They all smiled as they eyed the reunion.

Run, you need to run.

Tears clouded my vision as I tried to make my way backward, away from it all. My legs wobbled, obviously not getting the memo my brain was trying to send them, and I stumbled to the side, falling into a table and causing it to scrape loudly across the floor.

Several sets of eyes looked my way, but there was only one set that’s chocolate brown depths turned my insides to mush. They widened momentarily before he regained his composure and his usually stern face returned. The girl’s mom looked back and forth between us, clearly confused. I didn’t dare scan the other faces in the room. Knowing exactly what kind of reactions I would find—pity.

“Daddy, will you come play with me?” the little girl asked, oblivious to the tension that had filled the room. His eyes stayed focused on me as he adjusted her on his hip and took a slow step as if he was about to move toward me.

But I was already gone.

Run, keep running.

“Hey Chel,” Harmony chimed.

“Did you know?” I cried, attempting to hold my cell between my ear and my shoulder as I threw clothes into a bag.

There was silence for a minute. “Oh, Chelsea,” she whispered softly.

“You knew!” I gasped, feeling tears begin to burn once again.

Did everyone know but me?