Chapter 50: Wolf.e: Chapter 49

I’ve never been the jealous type. Evan worked with tons of women. I was always pleasant when I saw them, baked them cookies at Christmas and remembered their birthdays. I never once worried that he thought about women other than me.

Gabriel has been in my life for less than two months and watching Chelsea make her way around the small group of us sitting at the fire pit, passing shots out one by one, flirting with the men, and kissing the women on the cheek, makes me want to smack that showy little smirk right off her face.

Chelsea is the type of woman you just know is the life of the party all the time. She’s obnoxious and wants every ounce of attention on her. She’s the type of woman I would’ve expected someone like Gabriel to be with—unafraid and confident. Her wild brunette hair falls over her shoulders and her tits are so perfect in her cherry red tank that they’d make the Playmate of the Year drool. She instantly commands the attention of every man here and seeing her this time feels different.

Last time I had to face her, I hadn’t had Gabriel inside me. I didn’t know him. Our connection, although strong, was nowhere near what it is now. I didn’t have a real claim on him.

Now? I hate that he slept with this woman.

“Breathe, babe.” Layla grins beside me. “Don’t ever let them see you sweat. They circle in like vultures over a corpse. Trust me.”

I nod and vow to hold my tongue.

Chelsea stops dead in front of us. “Wow… Sandra Dee. Hot makeover. Definitely an improvement.” She winks with a coy little grin that I want to wipe off of her perfectly made-up face.

She puts a hand on her hip and thrusts the shots forward. I shake my head no with a fake smile. I want one but I wouldn’t take it from her. Chelsea laughs, takes two of her own and sets the tray down on the table behind us. I silently hope that’s the end of her but of course, she goes ahead and plops herself down between Layla and Chantel. I look around to see where Amber went and why she had to leave that damn seat open.

“God, there are not enough available men here. Since when do all these rough and tumble bikers bring their ol’ ladies to these things?” she asks Chantel.

Chantel laughs. “Gotta start going for the younger ones, I guess. All the older ones decide it’s time to settle down or something once they hit their mid-thirties,” Chantel says, sipping her own shot.

Chelsea pulls a pencil case type bag out of her purse and opens it, removing rolling papers and a little baggy of what I assume is weed. I have no real idea because I’ve never smoked it. Chelsea is clearly an expert. She flattens her rolling paper out and adds the perfect amount of weed, rolling it and licking the side to seal it. She makes short work of firing it up and inhaling deeply. She holds her inhale for a few moments, letting the smoke settle in her lungs before she turns to me, exhaling it in my direction, then passing it to Chantel who happily takes it.

I wrinkle my nose. I smell it on Gabriel sometimes when he comes home from being in the clubhouse.

Layla chatters away to me as Chantel takes a few puffs and passes it back to Chelsea, who offers it to me. I shake my head no.

She laughs. “It’s easy to dress the part isn’t it, Sandra?”

My nails bite into my palm.

“Don’t,” Layla says in my ear.

I clench tight. I have no idea what it is about this woman that gets under my skin so much.

“I just prefer to keep my teeth white and my skin looking young is all.” I smile sweetly.

“For a newbie sweetbutt, you sure are a mouthy one, darlin’, it’s kind of refreshing.” She laughs like I’m the butt of her joke.

“So glad I can refresh you,” I say as I pick up one of Chris’s shots from the table between us.

Chris chuckles. “Calm down, tiger,” he whispers to his side.

I nod.

Chelsea distracts herself when she sees another woman she knows and gets up to hug her.

I take the moment of peace to force myself to turn back and engage in conversation with Layla. I will not let this woman ruin my mini vacation.

I will not.

“Hold up, settle this,” Chelsea calls to our group not five minutes later, rearing her ugly head. “When was the first year we rallied in Harmony?” she asks.

“Three years ago?” Chantel offers. I pretend I don’t hear them.

Chelsea knocks back another shot. I watch a beautiful smile take over her face in my periphery. “That’s right. The night we had the party at St. Henry’s old resort… I missed half of it because that’s the night Wolfe took me into the shed and we… well, you know. I think we’re due for another rally out there, aren’t we?” She smirks right at me.

“Chels,” Chantel warns.

I know she’s trying to goad me. I know all about girls like her, I was bullied when I was younger by girls like her. My mother always told me they were jealous and maybe she was right because there should be no other reason for her to goad me. Chelsea knew the first day I met her that there was something between Gabriel and me, and she’s trying to show me who the true veteran is here and who doesn’t belong.

“What?” Chelsea is a little more loose now after a few shots. “Fucking Sandra Dee comes in and we can’t reminisce?” She turns to me and guffaws a real hearty sound. “I have news for you, sweetheart. If you’re going to flinch because Wolfe and I hooked up, you might as well not even look around because”—she leans in—“I’m pretty sure he’s hit every chick here.”

That’s it. I go to move but Chris sticks his arm out in front of me and stops me dead. I look at him and he just shakes his head no.

“You’re gonna get my ass kicked if you get in a fight. She’s not worth it.” He looks right up at Chelsea. “You have him. You win,” he says loud enough for her to hear.

Bless him for defending me.

“She has him?” She laughs. “Tonight maybe, tomorrow he’s a free agent again.”

“She’s with him,” Chris says, trying to take the heat off me.

She shakes her head “Uh-uh. Y’all are fucking with me, right? Wolfe doesn’t have an ol’ lady. Especially not her. He’d fall asleep before his jizz hit the condom.”

I look up at her and something in me snaps. Suddenly, she is every single person who has ever tried to knock me down, told me to take a seat, act like a lady, fold my hands, or keep my mouth shut. She’s the epitome of them, right here in front of me.

“I’m not an old anything but you will respect me, and my name is Brinley, you bitch,” I seethe as I stand.

Layla rises too, and I swear I hear Chris mutter “fuck me” under his breath.

“You can’t be twenty-years-old, and I know that pussy would bore him to fucking tears. What are you, someone’s kid he’s trying to do a deal with?”

“Chelsea, if this is true, Wolfe will have your head for talking to her like this,” her friend warns her.

“She’s right, he will,” Layla chimes in.

I look at her friend but speak directly to Chelsea. “Your friend is smart enough to keep her mouth shut, but you don’t seem to be. So, I’ll tell you this only once.” I close the distance between us in two steps with Chris on my heels. “Gabriel is mine, if you want to keep that face pretty, I suggest you keep those eyes focused on the grass and your well-used mouth shut when he’s around.”

“Or what?” she spits out, pushing me backward. “You won’t invite me to your next slumber party, Sandra?”

I see red. I lunge at her. Maybe it’s because Gabriel’s been training me so frequently that hitting her just seems like second nature, or maybe it’s because she’s been grating on my nerves since the moment we met. Or maybe, I don’t even care what the reason is. I instinctively bring my hands up and throw a right hook, making sure I follow through with my entire body. I hit her square in the face and it’s a good one. Chelsea falls backward, landing right on her ass in the muddy grass. Blood starts pouring from her nose. Before I can hit her again, or even get near her, Chris has my body in his arms, pulling me back.

“Bitch!” Chelsea yells, clutching her nose.

Someone grabs a hold of her and presses a bandana or a rag against her face to help stop the bleeding.

“Hang around for a hot minute and you’re a bad bitch, are you?” she yells as I struggle from Chris’s hold.

“That’s right, and don’t fucking forget it!” I call out, doing my best to angle my chin the way Gabriel showed me to break free of Chris’s hold.

There’s no need because Chris spins me around and lets go of me. I stop dead in my tracks when I come face to face with Gabriel and Sean. My chest is heaving and I’m sure my eyes are wild.

Gabriel keeps his eyes on me, I can’t tell if he’s angry as he walks right past me. Chelsea’s friend holds onto her arm as he approaches her. He towers over her and I see the fear in her eyes as he contemplates his words.

She looks from him to me as he finally speaks. I flex my aching hand.

“I don’t even remember your fucking name,” he spits out at her. “But if you even look in Brinley’s direction again”—he smirks—“I’ll really let her at you, and I won’t stop her until your face is as battered as your used up cunt.”

Chelsea’s mouth falls open as he spits at her feet.

He turns and motions to Sean. “Get her outta here.”

“On it.” Sean grins.

I expect Gabriel to be pissed off but instead I swear I see a hint of a smirk as he scoops me up and tosses me over his shoulder.

“Christ, Brinley. I’ve been gone thirty fucking minutes.”