Page 40 of Hook

I'm the first one to open the door, and the second I do, I smell something absolutely out of this world.

Food. Someone is cooking.

"Bea?" I call out, and my voice carries around the open layout of the clubhouse. She pokes her head out of the kitchen, a bright smile that makes me want to grab hold of her and fuck her against the wall.

"Oh, you guys are back. I hope you're hungry." She ducks back into the kitchen, and when I turn around, I see the rest of the club all wearing the same expression I am: shock and awe.

So much for keeping her all to myself.

Sixteen

Bea

I wokeup about twenty minutes ago, only to find that I was in this huge clubhouse all on my own. At first, I was a bit peeved that Hook would leave me here by myself, but then I realized that just because my life was on its way to shit doesn't mean his life stopped. He had duties and other things to handle. If everyone was gone, at least it meant they were all together. He was safe, and that's all I can ask for.

Slipping on the sweats and shirt Hook gave me earlier, I make my way out of the bedroom and into the main area of the clubhouse. It's honestly like a big frat house, completely set up for men. Hell, there were even milk crates in the corner, I'm sure they used for chairs at some point.

I don't dare open any of the closed rooms, but I do see the kitchen. It's got a lot of cabinets, but there's no table. There's a stove and a fridge, but most of the stuff around is either ready to eat or needs to be microwaved. There are a few packs ofground beef in the freezer, a few fruits, and a few other staple ingredients. Besides that, this huge place is completely bare.

I'm glad to see there's some eggs and ready-to-make pancake mix. At first, I was just going to make something to eat for myself, but then I started to wonder if this is all they have in here. When was the last time someone made them a home-cooked meal? They all put their lives on the line to help me the other day; the least I can do is make them a meal to say thank you.

Quickly, I gather what I can from the fridge and get started making brunch. I make eggs and pancakes, fry up some hamburgers and bacon, and even find the ingredients needed for biscuits and gravy. Not necessarily things I'd put together, but I don't know what all of them like. My last dish is a fruit cobbler I made from some fruit that seems like it's just hours away from going bad.

My heart speeds up when I hear the bikes pull into the garage. I hear the men laughing and talking as they walk up to the door, and then it all stops when the door is opened.

"Bea!" Hook calls out for me, and I stick my head out of the kitchen so he sees that I'm here. No need to leave him in suspense.

"Hey, I hope you guys are hungry," I offer before I come back into the kitchen and start pulling out the paper plates and plastic cutlery that I've found. I don't know where the normal plates and cups are, so I'll have to make do with the disposable ones I've found.

"What are you doing?" Hook comes to the kitchen, bracing his arms on either side of the door frame, effectively taking up allthe space. I push the plates and forks into his chest, which forces him to drop his hands and take them from me.

"I'm saying thank you." I lean up and kiss his lips. It's quick and sweet.

"You know you don't have to do that, right?" Hook says.

"I know; I want to," I reply, pushing him back until he starts walking into the main area.

I look at the food that I made. I already know it all tastes good. If I'm anything, I'm a good cook, but I'm worried that I'm missing something or that I haven't made enough for everyone. I grab the big platter of eggs and walk out of the kitchen to see the men have all worked faster than I thought possible to break out a collapsible table. Some of them sit in chairs while the others use the milk crates, just as I suspected. I shake my head as I see Light's large frame trying to teeter on the edge of a milk crate that looks like it's about to break under him. I put the eggs down before I turn back and go for more food.

"Prospect, get off your ass and get the food," Hook barks, and the man at the end of the table jumps up and rushes to help me.

"Oh, fuck, that smells good," the one they call Semi says. I'm nearly back to the kitchen when I hear a heavy thump on the ground. I cringe, thinking the worst, and turn back to see Hook standing over him. "Don't touch until she gets back," he snaps, and I can't help but laugh. They're brutes. Funny, helpful brutes.

"What's your name?" I ask the kid next to me, who is picking up the biscuits and gravy once I get into the kitchen again.

"I don't have a name yet; you can just call me Prospect." He smiles, and I open my mouth to tell him that his mothercertainly didn't name him Prospect, but he walks out with the food before I have a chance to. What does it matter? If that's the culture here, I'm not going to go against it.

Finally, after several trips, I get back to the table and sit down next to Hook. The men stare at me, some of them openly drooling.

"Are you all waiting for me?" I ask, my voice quiet, and they boom in response, "Yes!"

I laugh again; I love the dynamic in here. "Go on, dig in." With that, I nearly jump away from the table as everyone reaches for what they want, sometimes two separate people tugging on the same plate before one of them concedes and lets the other have it first.

I'm glad I made so much. Hook makes sure I get some food on my plate as I'm not brave enough to stick my hand in the fray to grab the plate from someone else.

Just as I slide the first piece of pancake into my mouth, I hear Semi moan almost explicitly. "God damn, woman, this is so good. I think I'm going to have to get me an ol' lady for myself," he chuckles, and everyone joins him. Everyone besides Hook.

"Old lady?" I turn in Hook's direction. "What's 'ol' lady' mean?"