Romeo (Dark Knights MC/Blood Fury MC: Crossover)

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

“She why you’re here, Rome?” Coop asked.

Fuck. “I say that?”

“Makin’ it pretty obvious since you’re talkin’ to me while starin’ at her.”

“You ain’t as hot as her, Coop. If your ass and tits looked that fuckin’ good, I might stare at you, too.”

“With the lights off and your eyes closed, it wouldn’t be any different,” Coop joked. “And rumor has it that you ain’t picky, anyway. Any hole will do.”

“Got me fuckin’ confused with Nash since he swings both ways, so any hole will do.”

“ Nah . Nash ain’t doin’ anyone but Cross. He ain’t fuckin’ up that marriage.”

Romeo sucked on his teeth. “Not sure why anyone would wanna tie themselves down to one person for the rest of their fuckin’ life. Everyone knows variety is the spice of life.”

“You and I might agree with that, brother, but not everyone else does. You do know who she is, right? ”

“Of fuckin’ course I know who she is.”

“She know you? Or you just bein’ a creepy motherfucker?”

Since she saw him naked one night in an RV, he’d say she knew him. “Knows who I am.”

“That means you know who her stepdaddy is, right?”

“Coop,” Romeo growled, “mind your own fuckin’ biz. Also, don’t need a goddamn quiz.”

“Just tryin’ to make sure you don’t fuck up and end up dead.”

“Ain’t gonna end up dead. Now, can you fuckin’ stop jawin’ in my ear? Will let you know when I need another fuckin’ beer.”

What the fuck was with him rhyming? Coop must’ve caught it too because he chuckled before rapping his knuckles on the bar and sauntering away.

About fucking time. Now he could focus, without distractions, on the reason he was at The Iron Horse. He certainly wasn’t there for the beer since he could drink himself under the table for free in his own bar.

His jaw tightened when he saw how LZ and Maddie interacted with each other. Like they knew each other pretty damn well. Laughing, grinning, smiling. They stood close a few times and talked quietly. Zeke would lean in even closer to give her pointers on her next shot… By putting a hand on her back, hip or arm, or whispering shit in her ear…

Romeo pulled a breath in through his flared nostrils.

Zeke was definitely working her by flirting, joking, touching…

Was she falling for his play?

Either way, Maddie must not have a problem with smoking since LZ had a lit cigarette dangling from between his lips. Seeing that surprised Romeo since he assumed Zeke’s generation all vaped instead of smoked.

Guess not.

But then, he wasn’t up with the newest shit. If he was going to smoke—weed or otherwise—he would do it like a real man, not some punk sucking on some bullshit battery-operated pen. Or whatever the fuck it was. He didn’t give a shit because he was never using one. He’d be laughed right out of the president’s spot.

If he saw one of their prospects or younger members using one, he would rip it right out of their fucking mouth and smash it under his boot heel. They should put it in the bylaws outlawing that bullshit.

He sighed. He just distracted his own damn self over something stupid.

Back to the subject at hand…

And that hand was LZ’s touching Maddie when it should be Romeo’s, instead.

Time to make himself known. Otherwise, if LZ was successful in luring Maddie upstairs to his room in the Angels’ church—conveniently attached to the back of The Iron Horse—Romeo might lose his shit.

If he even saw the two of them heading that way, he’d step in. Of course, that could cause an issue between the two clubs. So, to keep the peace, he needed to be on the offensive, not defensive.

“Coop!” he called down the bar, still keeping his eyes glued to Maddie’s ass as she bent over and lined up her next shot. He wasn’t the only one staring at it. Only LZ could get a much better look from where he leaned nearby on his cue stick.

For fuck’s sake .

Do not fuckin’ introduce your fist to the DAMC president’s kid’s face.

“Don’t gotta fuckin’ shout. Only two fuckin’ feet away. Guess you’re distracted.”

Romeo ignored the amusement in the Angel’s tone. “Get me whatever she’s drinkin’. Get me a fresh one, too.”

Coop’s lips twitched. “You payin’?”

Romeo sighed, jerked his chain wallet back out and pulled out a twenty. When he tossed it at the other biker, it fluttered to the bar.

Coop snatched it up, “That should cover both beers and my tip,” and headed down the bar.

Romeo turned back around to make sure Maddie hadn’t left with LZ when he hadn’t been paying attention.

Not even two minutes later, Coop dropped off two fresh beers.

“Change?”

Coop laughed and walked away.

“Asshole.”

“I’m in good company,” Coop threw over his shoulder.

After grabbing the two bottles, Romeo hauled his ass off the stool and across the bar toward the pool tables.

He couldn’t believe Maddie hadn’t noticed him yet. The bar wasn’t that damn busy. He had no fucking clue how she didn’t notice a six-foot-one, handsome-as-fuck Black man wearing a Knights cut in a sea of white folk.

Maybe LZ’s flirting was working, and she didn’t have eyes for anyone else.

Romeo was about to change that.

“I’m up next,” he announced as he reached the table, then greeted his competition, ignoring Maddie for the moment. He’d get to her in a minute. “LZ.”

“Rome. ”

They clasped hands and bumped shoulders.

“What are you doin’ here?” LZ asked. “Dad know you’re here?”

Romeo pulled his chin into his neck. “I need to clear it with him first?”

LZ took a long drag on his cigarette. “No, just figured you two mighta had a meetin’ or somethin’.” He tipped his head back and blew the smoke up toward the ceiling.

“Nope. Here for pure pleasure.” Romeo made sure to look at Maddie when he said that.

LZ’s eyes narrowed on him, as did Maddie’s. “What kinda pleasure you findin’ at The Iron Horse that you can’t find at Dick’s?”

“Ain’t I allowed to enjoy a beer?”

“Sure. Dick’s got beer, too.”

What the fuck. Between Zeke and Coop, he wasn’t feeling very welcomed.

“You’re double-fistin’ beers, brother. Must be really fuckin’ thirsty.” LZ once again tucked his cigarette between his lips, moved down the table and took his next shot, cleanly sinking the pool ball into a side pocket.

“Both ain’t for me.” Romeo placed the second bottle on the table’s rail in front of Maddie and tipped his head toward it. “That’s for you.”

“You didn’t have to do that?—”

“Wanted to.”

“Since I don’t pay for my drinks here,” she finished.

What the fuck?

LZ chuckled around his cigarette and moved to take his next shot.

Romeo shook his head when he glanced over to the bar to catch Coop wearing a cocky grin.

Asshole .

Maddie rolled her lips inward and the corners of her eyes crinkled. “But thank you for bringing it over to me. That’s very kind of you, Rome.”

“He ain’t bein’ kind, Maddie. Don’t fall for his bullshit.” LZ completed his next shot successfully and when he straightened, he gave Romeo a cheesy grin. “You know he sniffs after anyone with tits.”

The fucker was trying to be a cock-block. He would make sure LZ failed.

Romeo tipped his beer to his lips and downed about a third of it before setting it on a nearby high-top table. “How ‘bout you finish your fuckin’ game so I can rack next?”

“You wanna play the winner, put your quarter up on the rail,” Zeke instructed him like Romeo never played a game of fucking pool in his life.

He managed to bite back his typical clap-back and instead said, “Ain’t playin’ the winner. Playin’ her.”

“Hear that, Maddie? Told you. He wants to play you.” LZ wiggled his dark eyebrows.

Romeo’s fingers automatically curled into fists. Dig deep and find that fuckin’ patience, brother, before you do somethin’ stupid. “You no longer a prospect, LZ?”

Zeke took another long drag on his cigarette. “My man, you see ‘prospect’ anywhere on my fuckin’ cut?” He blew a stream of smoke out of the side of his mouth.

“Wasn’t lookin’ that closely at you.”

He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing it at the back of his cut. “Got my full set of patches a year ago.” He dropped another ball into the corner pocket with ease.

The kid probably played pool ever since he was big enough to hold a cue stick. He was probably an expert at darts, too .

But, guaran-fucking-teed , Romeo had him beat in the bedroom.

What would impress Maddie more? An expert at playing pool and darts, or at eating pussy?

His guess would be the second one. And that was only where Romeo’s skills began.

He was goddamn well-rounded.

He also appreciated well-rounded women. Tits. Ass. Hips. Lips.

They watched and waited as LZ cleaned up the rest of the table. He didn’t even give Maddie another chance to make a shot. “Ain’t much of a gentleman if he can’t even let you win,” he told her out of LZ’s hearing.

“What do you know about being a gentleman? Would you let me win?”

Romeo wasn’t as good as LZ because he hardly played pool. But, hell , he’d love to go head-to-head with Z’s oldest son in a game of dice. He’d clean out that kid’s wallet and maybe bruise that ego a bit.

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Takes for what?”

He glanced down at Maddie to see her staring at the table and not him.

“I’ve never seen you here before,” she murmured. “Not until I mentioned the other night that I come here.”

She turned in place until she was staring up at him. He knew exactly why. She wanted to watch his face.

He schooled his expression carefully. “Been busy, that’s all.”

“You mean with your own bar? You know, the bar where you can drink for free?”

Maddie was fucking smart. She knew what was what .

A rough clearing of a throat had them both turning toward the person who did it.

LZ smirked. “Good game, girl.”

“I wasn’t even close to winning,” she admitted with a shrug.

“Gettin’ much better with my help.” When LZ said that he met Romeo’s eyes.

“No one in the Fury taught you pool?” Romeo asked her, surprised.

“I only knew the basics of Eight Ball. I wasn’t any good at it.”

“Gonna teach her to be a pool shark, so when she goes home, she can clean up and rake in all their scratch. She’ll be laughin’ all the way to the fuckin’ bank.”

“Whatya mean, ‘go home?’” Was she moving home soon? It didn’t sound like that the other night when they were at Bangin’ Burgers.

“For a visit,” Maddie clarified.

Romeo waited for LZ to head to the bar to grab another beer before telling her, “He’s not the only one who can teach you pool.”

“I really wasn’t looking for lessons. Zeke volunteered.”

“But you didn’t say no.”

“Because I’m enjoying the game. However, I don’t care about being any shark. It’s fun. So, how about racking those balls?”

“How ‘bout you rack my balls?” almost spewed from his mouth without thinking. Thank fuck he caught it in time.

Maddie wasn’t a sweet butt. She wasn’t a hang-around trying to sink her claws into a Knight in hopes to become an ol’ lady. She also wouldn’t put up with any bullshit with the goal to become one. Or at least become a regular piece.

He had no doubt that was the last thing she wanted .

Bottom line was, she was Fury property. So, if he wanted her to land in his bed again, he needed to be careful. He needed to do it right.

Only, he had no fucking idea just how to pull that off without pissing off a fuck-load of people.

Including his sergeant at arms.