The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 47

Chapter 35-1

Zara

We arrive at the clubhouse late.

Claims

Not dramatically late, not middle-of-the afternoon late, but close enough to noon that the second Locke pulls his bike into the lot and cuts the engine, I can already see the front windows of the clubhouse brimming with observers. They’ve clearly been waiting for us, with the kind of organized enthusiasm usually reserved for ambushes.

I remain pressed against Locke’s back for an extra few seconds, my arms still wrapped around his waist, my cheek almost resting between his shoulder blades. It occurs to me that I should probably move before the audience inside starts applauding.

Which, knowing my family, is absolutely possible.

“You see them?” I ask.

Locke glances toward the windows. “Yep.”

“You could sound more concerned.”

“I’m not concerned.”

“So brave,” I mutter. “So dead meat.”

He swings off the bike first, all broad shoulders and impossible swagger, then turns and offers me his hand like we aren’t about to walk into a building full of bikers who have known me since I was a child. And who now also know that I spent the night with my father’s very dangerous money man.

I take his hand anyway. Because apparently I’ve become that woman.

The happy one. The slightly reckless one. The one who climbs off Locke’s motorcycle with sore thighs from an orgasm that made my legs jelly, messy bedhead hair, and a mouth that still remembers his, then has the audacity to smile about it.

The front door opens before we reach it.

Jade appears first, naturally, because subtlety has never survived contact with her personality. She leans against the doorframe with one hand over her heart and a tragic expression on her face.

“Thank God,” she says. “We were worried that you’d been kidnapped, Zara.”

“What?” I say, startled. “By who?”

Her eyes slide to Locke. “Oh, wait. Good point. You went with the scary man willingly.”

Behind her, Mayhem groans. “Jesus, Jade.”

“What? She did.”

Heat climbs my face immediately, which is unfortunate because blushing only encourages people like my sister-in-law.

1/2

Chapter 35.

Claim

Locke, on the other hand, looks completely unbothered, his hand resting lightly at the small of my back as he guides me inside, like walking into my father’s clubhouse after very obviously spending the night with me is just another Thursday morning.

“Morning, princess. Brick lifts his coffee cup. “You look like you’ve just rolled out of bed.”

Tank grins down at me from his massive height. “Late night, Zara?”

Someone from the pool table mutters, “Real late, I bet.”

I glare at all of them. “I hate every single one of you.”

“No, you don’t, Zarabug,” Mayhem says, and there’s something warm under the words, something soft enough that it makes my throat tighten before I can stop it.

Because that’s the thing about this place. The noise is obnoxious, and the men are worse. But beneath all of it, there’s love, albeit messy, overprotective, leather-and-whiskey love that’s waited years for me to come back fully enough to be teased like this again.

Dad is sitting at the bar, coffee in hand, expression far too innocent to be believed. Right now, the club President is on break, and he’s just my father- and he’s enjoying himself. A lot.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he says mildly. “You look tired. Did you not get enough sleep?”

The room goes silent just long enough to hear Jade choke on a laugh.

I stare at him, remembering vividly Locke’s imitation the night before, what Dad would say. So far, Locke was bang on the money.

Speaking of Locke, he says nothing, absolutely nothing. Which somehow makes it all worse.

“Dad.”

“What?”

“Don’t.”

His eyes twinkle…. actually twinkle. The smug bastard.

Dad takes a thoughtful sip of coffee, then turns his gaze to Locke. “You sleep well, Tanner?”

Locke meets his stare without hesitation. “Yes.”

“You take good care of my daughter? Make her happy?”

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