"No?"

"No. Even once you finally let me publicly claim your ass. I think I'd rather stay downstairs with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"But-" She stops and looks around my room. "This is a nice room. You earned it, being one of the officers of the club-"

"Trin, look at me." I wait until she does what I ask. "Don't give a fuck about that. I like being away from all the stuff going on up here. Unless you don't want me"

"No." She glances around again and I can almost hear her thoughts. "I'd like that."

"We can talk about it later."

"Okay. What'd you want to show me?"

Picking up the silver frame, I glance at it one more time before handing it over.

"Oh." Watery honey eyes blink up at me. "She's so pretty, Wyatt."

A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. "Yeah."

"Look at you. All those blond curls." She chuckles while running her fingers over the glass.

"I look like a doof."

"Oh, no. You're both so sweet together. Can I bring it downstairs with us?"

"Yeah, of course." I shove over to make room for her and pat the bed. "Come here."

Slowly, she lies down next to me so we're both staring at the ceiling. "I used to hate coming in herebefore," she says quietly.

"Why?"

She turns her head, staring at me. Hurt crosses her face and I know what she's going to say. "I never knew who orwhat I'd find in your bed."

Shit. The idea of her cleaning up afterIt probably occurred to me once or twice over the years, but never like this. "I'm sorry."

She shrugs and turns away. "It was my own fault. I deserved it."

"Don't say that, Trinity."

"How many times did you run into me leaving-" She chokes on a sob and finishes her thought by flinging her hand in the direction of the hallway.

"Too many. And I hated it every time."

She laughs and sniffles at the same time. "I guess we're even?"

I catch her hand in mid-air and bring it to my mouth, kissing her fingertips. "We're done hurting each other."

She nods and swipes her cheeks.

"Let's go back downstairs, Angel Face."

We all knew it was coming. Rock was never going to be satisfied with just the property patch.

On a chilly winter day, he proposed to Hope. Wrath and I were at the clubhouse and celebrated with them.

Somehow I get dragged along to celebrate her engagement with her friends the following Friday.

I chose a simple outfit of jeans and a soft, sparkly sweater. Hope went all-out. She picked a blinding-pink dress, gray tights and shiny heels. Rock got one look at her and we almost didn't make it out of the house.

Wrath pulled me in for a hug right before we left. "Have fun, angel."

I don't know about that. Lilly and Sophie start teasing Hope about her dress almost immediately.

"What? I think it's cute," she says.

"I like it too," Mara says, reaching over to give Hope a quick hug. This is the first time I've met Mara. Supposedly she's married to a judge or something. She seems really sweet and shy though. I don't get to talk to her much because she's at the opposite end of the table.

"Her man almost didn't let her out of the house when he saw her tonight. You're lucky I got her down here," I explain to the girls.

"Seems like a good time to hand you this, then," Mara says, picking up a shiny pink gift bag from the floor.

"I'm scared to open it," Hope jokes.

She should be too. She pulls sex guides, sex toys, lube and finally, a paddle out of the bag. Hope's a good sport. "Really? Have I given any of you the impression we need help in that department?"

Imagining Rock's reaction when Hope tells him her friends think he needs the Guy's Guide to Going Down has me falling out of my chair with laughter.

They joke around a little longer. I guess Mara's not so shy after all.

Sophie kills the laughter. "Are you going to take your time planning this wedding?" She waves her hand in the air, almost smacking Lilly. "You and your mother threw the last one together so quick, we all thought you were pregnant."

Hope looks like she was punched in the gut and I have to stop myself from jumping over the table and smacking the shit out of Sophie. Hope just lost a baby. What the fuck is wrong with her friend?

"Fuck, honey. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean I forgot. Shit, it just happened, and wow, I'm sorry," Sophie mumbles.

Not ten seconds later, Sophie brings up Hope's first wedding again. What the hell is wrong with this chick?

I glance at Lilly. "So, Lilly, are those knockers real?"

Well, that's certainly one way to take the focus off Hope. But I swear to God, if Sophie says one more thing to upset Hope, I really am going to kick her ass.

Eventually, guys show up. More lawyer friends. Adam and Ross. They're nice enough. Then our guys show up. Well, Rock and Z do.

Z smirks while Rock gropes his woman in the middle of the bar. Then he pokes me. "Your roommate's waitin' outside."

What the fuck? Why can't he come inside like a normal person? We had this sweet and honest moment the other day. He's been after me to announce our relationship, but he can't even come inside and sit with me?

I'm so irritated, I barely listen to the conversation around me.

When we all get up to leave, I stick with Hope. Wrath's leaning on my Jeep facing the door when we step outside. He glances up and smiles when he sees me.

My heart skips.

"You could have joined us," Hope says.

"Nah, I'm good, Cinderella."

Mara giggles when she hears that, so Hope introduces them. He's actually being civil. So why couldn't he come inside and do that?

He raises an eyebrow at me and I ignore him.

When we're down to just Rock, Hope, Wrath and me, Wrath snags me around the waist and yanks me against him.

"Why you ignoring me, Angel Face?"

"Trin, you okay to drive?" Rock calls out.

"Yup, only had water," I shout back.

He waves and takes off.

"Let's go," I say, wriggling out of his hold and unlocking the car.

Once we get on the highway, Wrath sighs. "How was your night?"

"Fine."

"You mad at me?"

"Nope."

"Yeah, you are. Why?"

My hands tighten on the steering wheel. "Why couldn't you come in and sit with me? You keep saying you want to announce us to everyone, but then you don't want to be seen in public-"

"Trin, what are you, five-seven, a buck twenty-five?" I snort because he's being awfully generous there, but he ignores me. "I'm more than twice your size. You have any idea how uncomfortable those tiny fucking buildings down here are for a guy my size? Got nothing to do with how I feel about you. Fuck I didn't even think my shoulders would fit through the door. Then with the cast, I'm even more clumsy and awkward-"

"Oh." Wow. I feel like total shit. He's always so cocky, and sure of himself, it never occurred to me something like that might bother him.

"You got your issues. I got mine," he says, staring out the window.

He's right. He's so patient with me and all my emotional fuckery.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

He reaches out and squeezes my leg but doesn't say anything else.

We drive up the long road to the clubhouse behind Rock's vehicle. As I back into my spot, Wrath snorts.

"Looks like Rock has his hands full."

"Aw, he's so sweet."

Wrath glances over at me.

"What? He is."

Rock's trying to juggle carrying Hope and getting the front door unlocked. Wrath chuckles. "It's sad that you gotta keep druggin' your girl to get her up here."

Rock's laughing so hard, I barely make out the "Fuck you" he responds with.

He jerks his head at his car. "Grab her stuff for me?"

I open the front door and as I turn to get the stuff out of the car, I see Wrath already grabbed it. "Nice pink bag."

He grins and lifts it up and down. "What the hell's in it? It's heavy."

How to explain? "Books and sex toys," I answer through giggles.

He raises an eyebrow at Rock who shrugs. "Her friends' idea of an engagement present," he explains.

Of course Wrath takes that as an invitation to start pawing through Hope's stuff. He cracks up when he gets to the paddle.

"Give me that," I snap, snatching the bag out of his trouble-making hands. "I'll drop this in front of your door, prez," I say as I jog up the stairs.

On my way back, Wrath's laughter reaches me before I see him. "Sure, whatever you say, Cinderella."

I guess Hope's awake.

"There's a guy's guide for going down on his girl. You can have that since Rock doesn't need it."

Oh, boy.

Wrath laughs even harder. He gasps. "Trust me, neither do I." As soon as he spots me, I cringe, fearing what he'll say. "Right babe?"

"What am I agreeing to?" I ask when I reach the living room.

Rock's clearly ready for this conversation to be over. "All right, doll, time for bed," he says, slipping his arm around Hope and tugging her up the stairs.

"I offered him the guide to going down," she yells to me.

Oh, that's hilarious. "No. He doesn't need it."

Wrath's not finished making trouble tonight. "Leave it for Murphy. Brother needs all the help he can get," he calls out.