Page 30 of The Originals

He broke away and tapped her ass to get on the bike.

Once she was settled, he turned his head. “Meeting up on the highway. It’s gonna be a long ride, so if you need a break, tell me.”

Meg was determined not to be the reason they all had to stop. That was one thing she found fascinating. Whenever one member stopped, the whole club did.

“I won’t.”

Mick grabbed her thigh in a tight squeeze and glanced over his shoulder. “You tell me.”

“I’ll tell you, I promise.”

Then he took off, meeting up about thirty minutes later at a designated rest stop with the remainder of the club. They’d be staying at a motel close to the musical festival. Maureen, who Meg had gotten closer to, mentioned she was lucky they were actually staying indoors. It seemed popping a tent in fields was common for a lot of runs. Jack was a fan of camping out, as was Mick and a few others.

And I’m a fan of indoor plumbing.

The ride was long and more painful than she’d expected. Mick had periodically asked if she’d wanted to stop. She’d declined every time, though during the past hour, she was internally struggling. By the time they reached the motel, her ass ached so much it hurt to stand. While the men gathered near the open lawn in front of the motel, the women stayed near the bikes. It was a clear divide, reminding her once again of Mick’s words.

You get all of me. You just don’t get all of the club.

Meg was discreetly trying to massage her butt when she heard a soft giggle and turned to her right. Maureen was walking over, covering her mouth.

“Everything about me screams amateur, doesn’t it?”

“You’ll get used to it,” Maureen said.

I hope so.

“If it makes you feel better, I looked just like you do now on my first couple of long rides. Think of it as an initiation into the old lady sisterhood.”

Meg snorted. “I thought this was only a brotherhood of bikers.”

Maureen shrugged, pulled out a pack of gum, and offered her a piece. “They have their brotherhood, and we have our sisterhood.”

I like that.

Along with the divide of men and women, there was another noticeable separation. Not all the brothers had a passenger, but a few others did. The four women stood hovered around one bike, laughing. The club girls. Meg recognized a couple of them.

Meg gestured to the girls. “Are we staying away from them, or are they keeping their distance from us?”

“Probably both. But mainly, they keep their distance. A lot of them look at you as the enemy, as competition.”

“’Cause they want to sleep with Mick?”

Maureen smirked. “Yeah.”

“How do you put up with it?”

Maureen was staring at the girls. “I don’t. And neither does Tully. They know better than to give me shit or come on to my husband. We set that boundary a long time ago.”

Meg subtly eyed Maureen. She was tiny in stature, at least two inches shorter and ten pounds lighter than Meg. And a bit dainty. It was hard to envision Maureen in a brawl.

“Did you beat one of them up?”

Maureen snickered. “No. I’m not a fighter. And even if I was, my fight wouldn’t be over a man. This is Tully’s club. He makes the decisions. I may not have a say in the club, but I do in my marriage. All it took was one girl telling me my man would be in her bed by the end of the night.” Maureen smirked. “I told Tully, and her ass was kicked out so quick, she didn’t even know what was happening. But my husband made sure everyone else knew.”

Meg was impressed. “That’s some power you got.”

Maureen shrugged. “I think of it more as a strong relationship with Tully. Have to be with a man who values you asmuch as you value him. And by the looks of it, you got that with Mick.”