Deviance (The Chicago Defiance MC Series Book 3) Read online

  Everyone’s in full Mexican party swing. Foxy has the night off, so Torque’s distracted. Sensei is too loved up with Sass. They’re all too caught up in themselves to worry about what I’m doing, so I sit and drink.

  One after the other, after the other.

  My eyes begin to blur. I stop eating the nachos when my stomach begins to hate on me. My mind’s churning. I haven’t seen Mylee and Ace all night. I have no idea where they are, or what they’re doing. But my mind can only think of one thing, and it’s making me feel fucking sick. The thought Mylee is with one of my brothers makes me want to punch something, but right now I don’t even know if I can walk let alone throw a decent punch.

  I glance up to look at Hayley, her beautiful face nothing but a blur. I can barely make out the concern in her features as she slides a glass of water my way. I groan pushing it aside making the glass fall over, water pooling over the bar as she quickly dabs at it with a towel.

  “Shit,” she murmurs.

  “I’m going to bed,” I grunt.

  She lets out a small exhale like she’s actually relieved. “Do you need a hand?”

  I chuckle as I stand from the stool, then proceed to slump over as the room spins. Hayley reaches out for me from behind the bar, but I right myself before I look like too much of a fucking idiot.

  “I’m cool. All good. Just gonna head off to bed like nothing happened. Like she didn’t rip my fucking heart out. It’s all fine.”

  Hayley winces as I spin heading for the hall. Everything’s blurry. There are people everywhere, all laughing, drinking, and having fun. The party’s in full swing while I’m trying to make my way through everyone to get to my room. I know I’m stumbling as I bump into Tremor, who grabs my shoulders and straightens me up.

  “Whoa there, VP. You good?” he asks.

  “Nope. But I’m going to bed anyway,” I slur.

  Tremor chuckles slapping my back. “Good idea, brother, your eyes are going in different directions.”

  I snort out some kind of laugh as I push off him then continue down the hall. There are so many rooms. The doors all look the same.

  Fuck.

  Which fucking door is mine? I don’t fucking know, I think it’s this one.

  After turning the knob, I walk in closing the door behind me. The room is dark as I stumble around, but suddenly a light flickers on. I jolt back slightly as I glance at the bed, and Ruby’s face gradually clears in my vision. She looks sleepy. I look around the room in shock, scratching the back of my head in confusion. “This isn’t my room?”

  Ruby lets out a small laugh. She sits up in her bed pulling her covers back then stands, walking over to me. She still looks tired, but she’s the Ruby we’ve all come to love and adore. She shakes her head with a giggle as she steps up to me, moving in to slide my cut from my shoulders. I raise my brow wondering what she’s doing when she places it on her bedside table then begins to push me toward the bed.

  I shrug, walking with her as she pushes me to sit down. So I do, just going along with whatever she’s doing as she bends down, starting to take off my boots. I flop back on her bed, letting out a long groan as she laughs grabbing my hands, yanking me, so I move into the right position on top of her bed.

  “Move over, you big lug,” she scolds.

  I chuckle shifting, so I’m on one side of her bed. She slides into the other beside me.

  “There, that’s better. Now close your eyes,” she demands.

  I shrug doing as she asks, my head hitting the pillow.

  Oh, fuck! Shit! Everything spins, but after a while it's starting to feel like heaven as I sink into her soft bed relaxing.

  Ruby leans over me turning off the light sending her room into darkness as she rolls onto the other side of the bed with a sigh. “Goodnight, Trax,” she whispers.

  Warmth floods over me, and I close my eyes.

  Mylee’s face is all I see, and contentment fills my drunken body. “Goodnight, Mylee,” I whisper before I take a deep breath and darkness overcomes me.

  The soft movement of fingers stroking my hair sends a soothing sensation through my body, even though the rest of me feels like I either want to throw up, or I’m spinning out of control. But that one simple touch makes everything calm down a notch. It’s the only thing making me keep my eyes shut and stay exactly where I am. Everything in me hopes it’s Mylee’s gentle touch, her fingers stroking my hair as I lay on a bed that I know isn’t mine. Memories of the night before wiped from my mind, and I have no idea what I’m about to wake up to. I don’t know what I did last night, or who. But all I know is when I open my eyes, shit’s about to get real, and if this isn’t Mylee, I could be in for a world of fucking hurt that I thoroughly deserve.

  Sighing, I man up opening my eyes to see Ruby smiling down at me. I weakly return her smile.

  She giggles. “Morning, sunshine. How’s the head?”

  I groan raising my brow as I subtly look her over to see if she’s clothed. She’s wearing a pair of very unsexy pajamas. Then I look to see I’m in my shirt and jeans lying on her comforter on top of Ruby’s bed. Inwardly, I take a deep breath relaxing knowing there’s no way we had sex. “I feel like shit… how are you?”

  “I’m actually feeling okay, but I’m guessing by the smell of whiskey radiating from every pore of your body, your head is pounding like a motherfucker. You were pretty wasted when you stumbled in here last night.”

  I glance up letting out a groan. “Shit! Did I make a dick of myself?”

  “No, actually you pretty much passed out mumbling all night about Mylee.”

  Groaning again, I throw my head back in annoyance at myself. “Great. The picture of fucking masculinity.”

  Ruby snorts as she continues to play with my tousled hair. It’s actually kind of soothing me. “Way I see it, you and her are going through something. You needed a moment. A night to gather yourself. Take some time out, Trax. Stay in here as long as you need. You know I’m good to talk to.”

  “I do, but I need a shower and some fucking grease to soak up this alcohol. Thank you for being there. Sorry, I crashed your first night home, I know you need rest.”

  “Actually, it was nice not to be alone. I wanted not to be by myself, then you walked in, well… stumbled. But in any case, I think we were here for each other last night.”

  I snort. “I don’t think I did anything but fall asleep on your bed.”

  Her head bobs up and down a couple of times. “Exactly. It was just what I needed. Someone to be here with me. Just knowing you were here was all I needed. I didn’t have the strength to help you back to your room, so I let you crash even if you did think it was your own room.” She giggles.

  Leaning up, I plant a chaste kiss on her cheek. Getting up from the bed, I move to grab my cut from the side table then pull on my boots. “Thanks, Rubes. And if you ever need me again, you know where I am.”

  Her face lights up in a genuine look of gratitude. “Same, Trax. Always here for you.” She stands up walking with me to her door. As I open it, she leans in pressing her lips to my cheek. I turn just in time to watch Mylee walking past. She looks at us, her face falling as she takes in the sight—me leaving Ruby’s room, and her kissing me on the cheek.

  I want to tell Mylee it’s not what it looks like. I want to tell her I didn’t sleep with Ruby. But we’re not a couple, so it’s none of her business, and it’s better this way. She should move on. I can’t help the slight pang of pain rippling through me at the look on Mylee’s face. I know how this looks. With how I was feeling last night at the thought of her being with Ace, she must now be feeling the same. Her bottom lip trembles as she looks at me. I stand stock still watching her watching me. Her eyes harden as she turns, scurrying away from Ruby and me. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

  Ruby sighs. “You gonna go after her?”

  “Nah, I need a shower and maybe some more sleep.”

  Ruby winces but says nothing. She leans in giving me a sup
portive side hug then I turn walking out of her bedroom. Feeling like complete shit, I head toward my room to have a shower and wash away the alcohol from last night’s bender.

  I know exactly how Mylee would be feeling right now.

  I know exactly how me walking out of Ruby’s room would have looked.

  But if Mylee is moving on, then so be it. It’s harsh, but I’m not a nice man, I’ve never claimed to be. Mylee hanging out with other men, it’s not something I’m okay with, especially when it’s one of my fucking brothers. Perhaps she’ll ease up on the friendship with Ace.

  Or maybe I’ve just made everything ten times worse?

  MYLEE

  Wrapping my arms around myself, I feel like a fool for ever thinking things could be different between Trax and me. I love him, there’s no doubt, but I guess a biker doesn’t change their spots. They love to get laid, and if I’m not the one giving it to him, then he’s going to be getting it from somewhere.

  Trax came out of a club girl’s bedroom.

  She was kissing his cheek.

  There was no mistaking what I saw. He looked all kinds of disheveled, and I can only draw one conclusion—Trax had one hell of a wild night with her.

  Trying not to let that fact get to me, I walk into the clubroom to see it brimming with activity. I notice Foxy sitting with some of the other girls, so I decide to sit with them. Time to make an effort. I walk over, they all look up at me smiling wide.

  “Mylee! Sit! You have to help us plot the demise of our men,” Foxy calls out.

  “Umm… is that wise talk from the queen of the old ladies?” I ask as I take a seat with a giggle.

  She nods while Sass and Neala’s heads bob along with hers.

  “Yes. We need to do something that’s going to make them all cringe,” Sass jests with excitement.

  “Yes! I’m loving this. Making my brothers get all antsy is what I live for,” Neala calls out, and I chuckle.

  “You girls are mad. The Knights would slaughter their old ladies for pulling pranks on their men,” I advise to which they all laugh.

  “Oh yeah, we’ll get in trouble, but it will be more than worth the punishment if you know what I mean.” Sass beams a crooked smile then winks, which lets me know the punishment won’t be with words, more with foreplay or some sort of bedroom kink. Foxy nods seeming to approve. Neala scrunches up her face appearing not to like the idea of her brother getting kinky with Foxy. I love the chemistry between these women.

  “So what do you have in mind?” I ask.

  Neala’s eyes light up. “Something to do with eggs? Leave them out in the sun so they turn, then we can throw them at them when they least expect it,” Lala coos.

  What the fuck! We all shake our heads dramatically.

  “No way. Can you imagine rotten eggs on their cuts? There’s no way I want a part of that drama, like ever.” Foxy giggles.

  Sass laughs. “Yeah, too far… too far. I’m all for shits and giggles, but even I know that’s pushing the boundaries.”

  Neala groans with a pout as I sit back watching the dynamics. “Fine, spoilsports. What about water balloons then?” Neala asks.

  We all burst out laughing as I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to see Ace smiling down at me. All the girls quickly stop laughing as he looks at us suspiciously.

  “You ladies causing trouble?” he asks.

  “Of course, it’s what biker women do, right?” I tease.

  Ace tilts his head like it’s the most truth ever spoken while the girls laugh behind me. As I look over his gorgeous face, he has his man bun pulled back but messily. He really is a sight to behold as he stands there looking down at me, all tall, muscles, and brawn. After seeing Trax coming out of Ruby’s room, I feel like I can allow myself a little extra time to appreciate looking at Ace. If Trax is going to play up, maybe I should too?

  “What are your plans for the day?” he asks out of nowhere.

  I shrug. “Not much. There’s hardly anything to do around here other than work.”

  He purses his lips tilting his head. “What do you do?”

  “I’m a website designer and tester. That’s why I have a bunch of computer gear in my room.”

  His smile beams wide like a child on Christmas morning. It’s like I’ve said something amazing to him. “I always wanted to look into website design. You think you can teach me some new techniques?”

  Excitement grows inside of me, so I stand from my seat only now noticing the girls have completely stopped their conversation and are watching the interaction between us. “Yeah for sure,” I reply as I look back to the girls who all raise their brows at me suggestively. In turn, I roll my eyes before I swivel and walk off with Ace with his hand on my back as he leads me toward the chapel. In all the times I’ve been here, I’ve never once stepped foot inside the Defiance chapel. I know it kind of goes against everything they stand for. It’s not like women aren’t allowed, it’s just only certain people are supposed to be in there. I have no real idea why Ace is leading me toward it right now, but I’m just going with the flow. I trust him, so I’ll take his lead.

  My footsteps are light as I approach, and he opens the door leading me in. I feel like I’m breaking some cardinal rule by stepping foot on their sacred ground. He closes the door behind us. Suddenly, I feel like a giddy school girl. I can’t contain my smile as I look around the room. The giant wooden table taking center stage in the middle of the chapel takes my breath away as he edges me further inside.

  “I feel like I shouldn’t be in here,” I murmur making him chuckle.

  “You really shouldn’t, but my desk is in here. You kinda can’t get to it otherwise,” he tells me as he leads me to the back where I see his computer workstation all set up. We walk past some black filing cabinets, past his desk to see his elaborate computer equipment. He really is a nerd.

  “Ohhh… you’re showing me your man cave,” I tease with a little sarcasm.

  He lets out a loud laugh as he sits in the computer chair. I stand by him as he clicks on some keys to bring up something on one of his many screens. It’s pretty much dark web shit from what I can make out, but he clicks out of it before I can see too much. I’m more about webpage design than the programming side anyway. Plus, I’m pretty sure what he does and what I do are two entirely different things.

  “So, tell me. Do you use script when building a page? I just want to know what’s the best way to go about it. We need some pages for our legitimate businesses. Torque wants me to build them, so I’m using those online web builders, but if I can do them properly, then I want to be able to. Think you can give me some pointers?”

  “Well, yeah, but those online page builders can only do so much. You need to use HTML and CSS. Once you master it, you can really get around building a page much cleaner, which results in quicker upload and download times.”

  He smirks like I’ve said something funny. “I know a little about HTML. Okay, pull up a seat. We’re gonna play around making a mock-up.”

  The tone in his voice makes me think he actually knows quite a lot about coding a website, and maybe this all might be a ploy to get me to spend some time with him. But I’ll take it, it’s nice to have a friend here.

  Bumping into his side again with my shoulder, I let out a loud laugh. “No, stop. You’re wasting time,” I blurt out as he makes the GIF of a duck waddle across the screen.

  He chuckles hitting the copy and paste key making another duck appear on the page.

  I groan shaking my head. “Oh my God!” I laugh as I reach over him hitting the delete key frantically. He grabs at my hands to make me stop, pulling me to the side as we both laugh uncontrollably almost making our chairs topple over in the playful movements. I have to grab at my stomach I’m laughing so hard as he reaches out patting my back. I look up at him, our eyes connecting for a brief moment. His expression is glowing as our laughter dies down while we continue to look at each other. He sighs, finally looking away from me, back to the computer
deleting the one remaining duck from the screen.

  I let out another small giggle. “Fucking ducks!”

  Ace reaches out pushing my shoulder playfully. He moves in grabbing the mouse absentmindedly about to save the file, but he’s clicking on the wrong thing. He’s about to upload the entire mess to the actual server. Our fake website has nonsense about ducks and biker terminology that’s completely incorrect, and it’s about to go live!

  “No! Not that,” I yell reaching out, my hand placing over his on the mouse to stop him. Then I lean him over to the right area to save the file instead of uploading the damn thing to the server. But in doing so, I’m leaning in really close, right by his side, so close I can smell his woodsy aftershave, and the stubble of his beard is tickling my cheek. I press my fingers against his on the mouse as closeness moves between us. He shifts his head slightly, so we’re a little too close while I redirect him.

  “There,” I murmur, his face right against mine. Right at that moment the door swings open. Torque and Trax walk in, in the midst of a discussion about something.

  I stand up abruptly even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong, but it makes it look like I was doing something completely wrong.

  Trax and Torque stare at me.

  My stomach sinks as I watch Trax’s face scrunch while he looks from me to Ace, shaking his head.

  “Mylee what are you doing in here?” Trax booms.

  Ace throws his hands in the air in surrender. “I brought her in here to show me some website tricks.”

  “You should’ve run that past me, brother,” Torque grunts out.

  Trax looks increasingly angry, the intensity of his stare grows by the second. My hands move in front of me, my thumbs rubbing together in nervousness as my body riddles in an uncomfortable tension. The air in the room frosts over as an arctic breeze shifts through the air.

  Ace shakes his head. “This is on me, Pres. I brought Mylee in here. Don’t lay her out for this. This is all me. We were doing tech shit, so I needed my computers.”