felt heavy between us, like a physical weight. It wasn’t quite awkward—it was heated.
And that shocked me.
Priest was looking at me with interest. With desire.
The realization had me pinned to the spot. Frozen. How was I supposed to react to this? What was I supposed to do? Regardless of what strange feelings I was beginning to have for Priest, he was one of my closest friends, and we had to work together in order to keep this club moving forward. It’s not like we could act on this strange tension here. I didn’t even know if I should mention it. Plus, Priest was still grieving Ankh—what kind of asshole would I be if I tried to make a move when he was still hurting? I was used to one-night stands, blowing off steam. Priest wasn’t someone I could sleep with and never see again.
Luckily, I didn’t have to decide how to react. Before I could, Priest turned on his heel and hurried back upstairs to his bedroom.
“Sorry,” he called over his shoulder. “Must be one of Raven’s mixed up in my laundry.”
Moments later, he tossed an Ankhor Works shirt at me, and I caught it with my face then hurried back into the bathroom.
Before I pulled it on, though, I splashed my face with cold water and took a deep, steadying breath. Whatever had just happened between us, Priest obviously didn’t want to address it. And that was fine with me—it certainly made things simpler.
I pulled the shirt on over my head. It smelled homey and comforting, like laundry detergent and a hint of leather from being worn under a jacket for years and years. Then I squared my shoulders and nodded to myself in the mirror.
That odd little moment wasn’t going to change anything between us. I would follow Priest’s lead—and if I knew Priest, he’d put the club first.
I ignored the small pang of disappointment that thought inspired.
4
Priest
It was a damn good thing I wasn’t the one leading this meeting.
I was seated at the kitchen island with Blade, Dante, and Mal, and we all had our laptops opened to copies of Raven’s financial spreadsheet. It was an important meeting, if dull—making sure all the bills were paid, the coffers had enough padding, the leases renewed, and the goals for next year set. I was really trying to pay attention, but wrangling my attention right then felt like trying to catch a particularly feisty fish who kept breaking away from the hook.
It definitely didn’t help that Mal was seated next to me, his attention focused on his laptop, his biceps straining at the sleeves of one of my old t-shirts, his thighs strong under the fabric of my sweatpants.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d looked stepping out of my bathroom, with Raven’s shirt draped in his hands. My sweatpants had been low on his hips, and all that gorgeous dark skin had been on display, inked with faded designs winding across his shoulders and over his muscled chest. He had slight definition on his torso—broad, functional strength, not youthful gym rat strength. Seeing his muscles shift as he’d held up the shirt had made arousal burn in my gut. Shockingly sudden and hot.
The kind of desire I’d given up on feeling ever again.
It had to be the result of my new itching loneliness in the cabin—and it probably didn’t help that I hadn’t had any sex in over two years. I hadn’t been with anyone since Ankh. Hadn’t wanted to. I was beyond the stage in my life where I wanted hookups, and that kind of physical comfort was the last thing I wanted when I was grieving. I didn’t want anyone except Ankh—didn’t want anyone at all.
Ankh was the first serious relationship I’d ever had, and the only man I’d ever made love to. How was I supposed to even imagine wanting anyone else? Especially at my age?
In the past few months, though, my sex drive had started to return. Not anything crazy—I wasn’t running down to Stallions for hookups—but I’d started to feel some nebulous desire again. Like my body was thawing out from the icy throes of grief.
That felt like a betrayal. Not that I’d ever act on it. The thought of being with someone new wasn’t just strange, it was daunting. After only being with Ankh for so long, building something new felt so difficult, it might as well be impossible.
It still did, even more so now with Mal at my side, and my