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He tries for a smile, but even my unflappable, eternally charming best friend can’t find it. “Always. Suddenly, you don’t like what you see?”
“You,” I jam a finger in his direction. “Your beautiful body is covered in scrapes, scratches and bruises, Stone. Don’t play that shit with me!”
His gaze darts away for a long moment before a sigh escapes, and he turns back to me. “You know the deal, Ivy. This is the life.”
I shake my head. “Don’t do that. Don’t try to make this like I’m being some unreasonable fucking girlfriend. I know what this life is. Hell, I’ve known it practically my whole damn life. The difference is that you’re going out alone every fucking night, and you come back looking as if you’re part of some redneck fight club.”
“This is my fight, Ivy.”
Ah, fuck. How can I be mad at him when he’s trying to right a wrong that isn’t his? Or, at least, it’s not just his. “You are not alone, Stone. This fight, if it is yours, it isn’t yours alone.”
“It is,” he insists, arms folded defensively.
“No, goddammit. It’s not. If this fight is anyone’s, it’s mine.” My gaze darts around the room, and I’m feeling crazy and out of control like maybe I wanna be as reckless as the silly naked man before me. “You know what? You’re right. This is actually my fight, and it shouldn’t be you out there in the middle of the night fighting my battles.”
“Ivy,” he groans, reaching for me, but I skirt just out of his reach.
I grab the jeans I wore earlier and step one leg into them with no fucking clue what I’m doing. I only know that I have to do something.
“Ivy.” Stone growls my name again, but I ignore him as I struggle to step into my jeans, wishing I hadn’t just yanked them off because the other leg is inside out. “Dammit, woman!”
Stone snatches the jeans from my hand, yanking the other off my leg. “Stop!”
“No, you stop!” I shove his chest. “This is somehow your fight but not mine? I’m the reason all of this happened, the reason this asshole is now fucking with us.”
His scowl darkens.
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s not just you they’re coming after. It’s me and Sage. It’s Gray and who the fuck can say who’s next?”
He shouts, “I have to do this!” It’s so loud those five syllables bounce off the bunkhouse walls. “I have to.”
“You don’t.” I shake my head, tears swimming in my eyes. “You don’t have to do this alone, Stone. There are so many fucking people here who have your back.”
“And risk them getting hurt the way Gray got hurt?”
“That’s your fucking job!” I ball my hands up and slam my fists against his chest. “All of you! You ride together, and you fight together. You live and die together. That’s the life, right?”
His nostrils flare, and his jaws clench.
“Right?” I ask even louder and more forcefully.
“Yeah,” he shoots back. “That’s the life. That’s the job.”
“Damn right, it fucking is. You have to stop going out like this, Stone. You’re gonna get yourself killed, and that’s not going to work for me. I just got you back, and I won’t lose you again.” My chest heaves as the truth rushes out of me.
“You’re not going to lose me, Ivy.”
I shrug. “With how you’re going, you might not make it to next week.”
“Don’t fucking say that,” he growls, reaching for my shoulders.
“Don’t make me have to say it.”
”Ivy.”
“Stone, I’m serious. If you have a death wish, tell me right now because I’ll pack my shit and go.”
It’s the absolute last thing I want, but if he’d rather die than be with me, it’s an easy fucking choice.
