Feeling a little lightheaded, I pull out a seat and sit, my eyes on the floor. I'm too ashamed to look at Nikki.
There's a screech of wood on concrete as Nikki pulls out the chair next to me, taking a seat. "Next option is that you do what an old lady does: you understand that sometimes shit happens that you can't tell your guy, and you keep your pretty mouth shut. You need to protect him at times-same way he's sworn to keep you safe. Choice is yours, but if I were you . . . I'd be sucking this up and learning from it."
I nod as I take in what she's saying. She's right; Cutter would go after him. I don't want to be the reason he gets in trouble with the club. "What do I do when he asks about my lip?"
"You tell him you were still half drunk when you woke up and took a nose dive." Her arm goes around me. "And you never come down here without your patch on a party night."
I walk back upstairs, Nikki following me all the way up. She goes into one of the other rooms, but offers me a quick smile before the door closes. I take a deep breath before easing the door open, trying to be as quiet as possible. The door clicks shut and Cutter doesn't move so I tiptoe over to the bed, slipping back under the covers.
Within seconds a strong arm wraps around me. "Where did you go? I was about to come looking for you."
"I just needed a glass of water. Thanks for taking care of me last night."
"Anytime, babe."
I close my eyes knowing that this is best.
***
A knock sounds on the door and I sit up in bed. Lucy pops her head in and flicks on the light, damn near blinding me. "Get dressed. We're going shopping."
Cutter sits up, his hair sticking out in all different directions, his hand covering his eyes. "Jesus, Luce."
"Before you even start getting all huffy, we're taking two prospects with us. One outside the store, one with us inside." She winks before closing the door.
I stretch, looking over at him and his brow furrows as he looks at my face. "What happened to you?"
The lie burned like acid as it moved through my body before spewing from my lips. It hurt to do it, but Nikki was right. He could never know what happened.
"I was still a little loopy when I woke up last night and took a nosedive." I shrug my shoulders, hoping he buys the story. He should. I can be pretty convincing when I have to be. After years with Dylan, lying about injuries isn't foreign to me.
"Maybe I should have gotten us a room on the first floor." He laughs, kissing the other side of my mouth.
A pang of regret hits me in the chest.
I hate lying to him.
I stand up and start getting dressed, making sure to slip my property jacket on over my clothes. Cutter watches me from the bed, propped up on one elbow. As soon as I'm dressed, I give him a twirl. "How's this?"
He stands up and the sheet falls away. Clad in only his boxers, his body is almost completely on display and my insides heat at the sight of him. "Good enough that I want to drag you back to bed and keep you there all day."
A bang on the door makes me jump.
"Officers' meeting, lover boy!" I hear Whip and Lucy laughing outside the door.
Cutter groans, pulling me against him, his chin resting on my head. He's the perfect height for me. I slide my arms around his waist and lock my hands behind him, holding tight. "Goddamn conspiracy."
He kisses my head and slips on a pair of jeans. He digs into his back pocket and hands me a card. It's a bank card, but not one I've seen before.
And it has my name on it.
"What's this?" I turn the plastic over in my hand. Surely this can't be what I think it is?
"I know Dylan didn't leave you with shit, so I put you onto my account. Normally you'd have to be there, but I know someone. Don't worry about money today. I want you to have fun." He gestures at the bland walls. "Fill this room with all the girly shit that you might need. Don't overthink it and don't feel like you owe me anything. You don't."
I don't even know where to start. I try and fail many times to verbalize how I'm feeling, opening and closing my mouth like a goldfish. Cutter lifts my chin so my eyes meet his. "You're mine now, and that means what's mine is yours. I'm gonna text Nikki and get her to watch you. She thinks you're holding back, she'll start buying stuff for you and I'll give her the money." His lips lower to mine and he steals the very breath from me. "Have fun."
"This is too much."
"No, it isn't. Understand that being with me means that I will provide you with everything and anything you need. It makes me happy to take care of you. None of that 'you owe me' shit. I want to do things like this for you." He turns me toward the door and smacks my ass. "Now get out of here before I lock the door and decide to blow everyone off."