Page 4 of Bones

I don’t want him in her house—that’s weird and inappropriate.

Only I am allowed inside her personal space.

But this is what I love about the Serpents of Chaos MC brotherhood. No questions asked, no judgment, and I know he’s not going to open his mouth and say shit to anyone, unless Prez asks, of course.

But this has nothing to do with the MC. This is just me seeing if I can trust Little Miss Perfect with my secrets. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

When I get back to the clubhouse, the old ladies are sitting around the dining table, all talking over each other.

“How could you not tell us this, Xanthe? This is huge!” Ora states, her palms on her cheeks. “Who even are you?”

“It’s always the quiet ones.” Lu smirks, shaking her head in amusement. “Who knew you had such a dirty little mind?”

“Ghost knew,” Atiana adds, laughing.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe. All their heads snap to me like a scene from The Exorcist.

“Did you know that Xanthe is a best-selling author? She’s been hiding it from us. I literally read her book, and she didn’t even say anything,” Ora says, crossing her arms over her ample chest.

My gaze moves to Xanthe, who is sitting there with a flushed face and a sheepish grin. “You write dirty books, sweetheart?”

“I write romance novels under a pen name. I didn’t tell anyone. I was pretty much living a double life until recently. I told Ghost about it, and now I’m letting everyone else know.”

“Can we get your autograph or what?” Isla asks, smiling widely.

“What else are you hiding, Xanthe?” Lu asks, narrowing her green eyes at her friend.

“Nothing.” Xanthe laughs, tucking her dark hair back behind her ear. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t want to make it a thing, you know?”

“No, we don’t. If I were a best-selling romance author, I’d be screaming it from the rooftops,” Isla says, and the rest of the women nod.

How the fuck did Blade not know this? There’s no way, unless the bastard found out and kept it to himself.

Isla comes over and wraps her arms around my waist. “Where have you been?”

“Out and about,” I reply, resting my hand on her back. “Where’s Skull and Natalia?”

“They’re in the living room,” she says, nodding to the women. “We’re having a kid-free cocktail evening.”

“Is that what this is?” I grin, glancing around the room. “I thought you were all just bullying Xanthe.”

“We were just very surprised,” Lu admits, twirling one of her blonde curls around her finger. “She looks so sweet. I read her books, and her mind is definitely not!”

“That’s why she’s perfect for Ghost,” I tease, and Xanthe blushes.

“Can we talk?” Isla asks, leading me out into the hallway. “Skull is worried about you. We’re both worried about you. Whenever you don’t have Natalia, you’re never around anymore.” She takes a deep breath. “Is it me? I don’t ever want to come between you two, Bones. Why don’t you both go and do something together? You can take a day off from Vipers, right? What did you do before I got here?”

When my eyebrows rise, she laughs. “Not that. Do something else together. Anything else?”

“What, you didn’t have fun with us both?” I tease, and she smirks, her hands going to her hips. It’s a running joke between us, and I already know what her reply is going to be.

“Of course, I did. You ready to be a one-woman man, Bones?”

“Never,” I respond like I usually do, except now I’m not so sure.

Hazel eyes flash through my mind.

Maybe I could be a one-woman man with the right woman.