Page 29 of Bane's Beginning

“Which one?” he asked and quickly jogged over. A smile crept on his face. “That’s my sister Tellie and my best friend Cage.”

“Sister?” There was still so much I didn’t know about him, but I couldn’t be mad when I was also hiding so much. “I should’ve known, you two look just alike.”

“She’s my twin,” he said with pride in his voice.

“How come I haven’t met her?”

“It’s kind of a long story, but she left town when we were 18,” he sighed. “She hasn’t been back since. Or even called. Our family took it hard, so we try not to bring it up so much anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, wrapping my arms around his back. “It must be hard to have lost your twin like that.”

I felt for Maverick. While Dav and I didn’t talk every day, he was still such a huge part of my life. I couldn’t imagine never speaking to him again.

“I can’t wait to take you here and for you to meet my pops,” he said, obviously changing the conversation. “We have a family lake house and it’s the perfect fishing spot. My parents practically live there. Well, when my ma isn’t too busy in everyone’s business.”

We both laughed. Jane definitely loved sticking around the club when she could, so she could keep an eye on things.

“I can’t wait to meet your dad, but fishing?” I said with a scrunched-up nose. “That can wait.”

He turned around to face me and planted a kiss on my lips.

“You know,” he said, “this is the first time this place has ever felt like home.”

I smiled. “Why is that?”

“Just your presence is calming,” he said, nuzzling my neck. “I’ve never brought a woman here before, and I’m so glad I waited until I found you, Thea.”

Before I could respond, the smoke detector began to beep, and Maverick groaned as he pulled out of my embrace. I apologized for distracting him, but started to laugh as I watched him takethe pan off the burner, the smell of burnt eggs and bacon filling the house.

“How about we eat breakfast at the clubhouse?” I nodded, still laughing at the disaster of breakfast, and he wasted no time finishing what he started.

***

We pulled into the clubhouse around 2 p.m. He got off his bike and I followed. Walking in, there were people spread all around the common room, but I ignored them. I saw Serena and Anna sitting at the table in the corner. I looked up at Maverick and he gave me a knowing nod. Before I walked off, he said, “We’re leaving around 11 tonight. I got church and then I got to handle some business in town. You good?”

I nodded at his words. He caught me off guard when he grabbed me and planted a dramatic, passionate kiss on my lips and I heard some hollering and cheers around the clubhouse. I knew he did that on purpose, asshole. I shoved him off and gave him the finger and he laughed at me as he pretended to grab his chest in pain.

Turning away, I started making my way towards Serena and Anna and the looks on their faces said it all. “Don’t,” I bit out and pointed at both of them. “We can go upstairs and talk about it if you promise not to do that loud ass squealing shit.”

They both tried to contain their excitement and dragged me upstairs to my room.

“Okay, so you and Anna are going to Jynx tonight to see if anyone tries to sell you drugs?” Serena questioned me. I had spent the last hour or so giving them the lowdown of my date last night. I wasn’t going to lie, I thought things were going tobe awkward between me and Serena, but if she was mad at me, she didn’t give it away. Anna also told me that she didn’t think Maverick had ever brought a girl to his house before and that I was, in fact, the first girl to be on his bike. Not that I didn’t trust his words, but it was nice hearing someone else confirm them.

I was starting to like them both and that thought pained me because I had more people that I was going to miss when I inevitably had to leave.

“Yep,” I said. “I think you’d come with us if it weren’t for,” I let my words trail as my eyes made contact with her huge stomach. We all laughed. “Don’t worry, ladies. I’ll be fine as long as you give me all of the juicy details!”

“I can’t believe that Bane asked you to be his,” Anna said.

“Well, I’m not sure if that counts seeing as he was about to fuck me silly. I think that was the sex talking”

The girls both gave each other a knowing look and I cocked my brow at them. “Sweetheart, he just kissed you in front of the whole club after he dropped you off from a ride on the back of his bike. That’s the biker equivalent of him peeing on your leg.”

I laughed at Serena’s words, but I also let them soak in. Maybe last night was more than just us getting wrapped up in the throes of sex.

***

I looked in my bathroom mirror and I saw old Thea again. I was wearing a red sequined dress that hugged my curves while showing skin but covered it with sheer fabric, matched with my suede kitten heels. I decided to go with silver jewelry to tone down the red dress and my hair was in loose beach curls across my back.