said. Back to reality. Now was not the time to get distracted by Priest. “It’s just been texts and calls, mostly—whenever I block his number, he gets a new one. And he’s left some things at the motel. Gifts.” I cringed at the memory of coming home to find the packages on the porch, addressed to me with no return address. “Flowers, chocolates… some more suggestive things.”
“That’s what all those packages were? I thought you were just getting addicted to online shopping,” Tru said.
“Well,” Star said, “it’s clear he’s been following you if he knows where you live.”
“I know,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Priest asked.
“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” I admitted. “You saw the guy, he’s like a hundred pounds soaking wet. I figured if he showed up, I’d handle it.”
“Well, he’s obviously escalating things,” Rebel said. “I’ve seen this pattern before. It’s textbook stalker behavior.”
“I believe this calls for a church meeting tomorrow,” Blade said.
Priest nodded and Dante nodded in agreement, and with a sigh, I did too.
“What’s the verdict?” Gunnar asked as he shouldered the front door open. “Guy’s confirmed off the premises.”
“I’ll catch you up later,” Blade said. “Church tomorrow. For now, though”—he grinned around the room—“let’s get back to the fun stuff, shall we?” He swung an arm over Mark’s and Paul’s shoulders. “So, there’s a little taste of how the club works. Never a dull moment…”
As the club members turned back to conversations, drinks, and laughter, I sighed and pressed my fingertips to my temples. This was not how I’d expected my evening to go. And this was a serious escalation of Stefan’s—Xavier’s—behavior. Blade was right—we were going to have to take some sort of action. Irritation and embarrassment roiled in my gut. I hated the thought that I, as co-president, had caused such a ruckus during an event for prospects. Revealing my hookup habits was not a great first impression on them, but hell, I was glad I wouldn’t have to explain what had happened over and over, at least.
The way Priest had smirked at me still lingered in my mind. And then—
“Hey,” Priest said warmly, as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
I blinked and dropped my hands to my sides again. The rest of the members had resumed the festivities, so it was just Priest and me lingering near the front door. Despite my embarrassment, his presence—as it always did—settled some of my anxieties.
“Hey,” I said. “Sorry about all of… that.”
Priest shrugged. “Nothing to be sorry for. Xavier’s the crazy one.” He sighed. “Listen, I don’t think you should be riding back to Junee tonight.”
“What?” I asked with a start. “You think it’s that bad? Gunnar said he was off the premises.”
“Yeah,” Priest said, “but considering how far he went to get close to you, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was lingering somewhere waiting to follow you back. It’s not safe.”
I wanted to push back, to tell Priest I could handle myself, especially considering that Xavier was just one guy, and we’d have a bunch of us at the Junee clubhouse. I’d caused enough problems tonight, though, all of them leading back to my insistence on handling things on my own. If Priest thought it was best that I stay in Elkin Lake, I was willing to acquiesce to that.
“You can stay at my place,” Priest said. “God knows I have the space.” He paused. “If that’s all right with you.”
His hand was still on my shoulder, and he squeezed slightly, sending a small thrill rushing through me, which I quickly shoved aside.
Staying with Priest sounded like a very unique form of torture, but I couldn’t deny that the thought of spending more time alone with Priest was appealing, too. Even though nothing would come of it, I always looked forward to having his attention all to myself.
Which was a new sensation for me. Typically, I balked at the idea of staying the night with anyone—especially someone I had some sort of real attraction toward, even if I wasn’t going to do anything about that attraction. Spending the night with someone was a kind of intimacy I tried to avoid. And yet, with Priest, it didn’t feel as… pressured. It didn’t feel like such a risk to the stability I’d so carefully crafted over the years. He cared about my safety, because at the end of the day, we were friends first, and the nature of the club