The Hookup and the Hedonist - Rebecca James Page 0,1

into the muggy summer air. My heart picked up as Tease handed me his extra helmet, and we mounted his iconic Road King.

At least riding bitch on Tease’s Harley, one hand gripping my duffel between us and the other firmly hooked around Tease’s waist, I could experience the wind in my face and the thrill of the ride for the short time it took to get to the little town of Henry.

I used to never worry. My life had been carefree, split between the club, my job, and a long line of kinky hookups. Now I was painfully aware I was no longer a functioning club member. Just a responsibility to my friends. More like the club pet everyone had to worry about when they went out.

Leaving the clubhouse scared the shit out of me. The protective, familiar warmth of the rooms and my club brothers coming in and out had become my fortress the past few years. The day I’d seen Tease flirting with Leeza and realized he was holding back because of me I’d made my decision. Finding out Flynn was moving his shop to Henry just after Mick had mentioned he was looking for a roommate seemed like fate, and I’d gotten my ass in gear.

The bike slowed as Tease maneuvered down the shaded streets of Henry. A quiet oasis away from the city, the place had brought me a sense of peace from the first time I’d visited after Isaac had moved there. I’d immediately been enchanted with the old-timey feel of the area with its parks, lines of individual stores, and ancient movie theater.

Married now, Dante and Isaac lived just a few miles down the county road while Flynn and Matteo had found a little house close to downtown Henry.

As Tease pulled to the curb and turned off the motor, I looked up at the hundred-year-old building that was my new home, a fresh wave of anxiety rolling through me as I realized I was on my own.

I pulled off the helmet and handed it to Tease before climbing off the bike. The street was lined with Bradford pear trees. In spring their white blossoms would fill the air with a sharp scent reminiscent of cat urine, but at the moment, their summer leaves gave them a full, rounded shape that added to the quaint feel of the town.

“Looks like someplace Colonel Sanders would live,” Tease said, eyeing the building.

I chuckled. “It used to be a house. Now it’s divided into apartments. Ours is on the top floor.” I looked at him. “You don’t have to go up with me. Aren’t you picking up Leeza?”

“I’ve got time.” Tease strode to the door, long legs eating up the sidewalk as I hurried after him. I keyed in the security code before opening the large, white door.

Inside, our boots echoed on the marble floors. To the right, what once had probably been a sitting room had been made into a lobby with offices behind the long front desk. To the left, a long, curving staircase led upstairs.

We began to climb with me in the lead until we stood in front of D-5 and I unlocked the door. As it swung open and Tease stepped in, a loud voice greeted us.

“Fuck me harder, babe!”

In front of me, Tease’s broad shoulders shook with laugher, and I pushed around him, staring in disbelief at the African Gray parrot perched inside a tall cage by a window.

“Oh, my God,” I said, dropping my duffel onto the floor.

“Looks like Happy found a good home.” Tease smirked.

“Shit.” Mick had evidently adopted the parrot from Isaac, who had been looking for a home for the bird for a while. The parrot’s nasty vocabulary had made him difficult to place. The intelligent bird had learned even more interesting lines during his time at Isaac and Dante’s.

“Shit,” Happy croaked. “Leather and lace, babe.”

“Great.” I sighed and looked around at my new home. The apartment was spacious with high ceilings and an open floor plan. Floor-to-ceiling windows faced the sprawling lawn of the ancient town library, the gnarled branches of an old oak tree at its boundary close enough to the window for me to startle a squirrel when I peered out.

“Which bedroom’s yours?” Tease called from down the hall.

“I told Mick to take the bigger room. His stuff should be in it.” With a final glance out the window, I joined Tease in the smaller room on the left, which had a much less pleasing view