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“I think you’re just hearing what you want to hear about this place.”
And about me.
She makes a noise low in her throat, a half choke, half gasp. “We’re only here right now because you think you know something and it’s not true.”
I’m a man who believes in the honey versus vinegar nonsense, but Lark acting like the brat she never was in the past gets my hackles up in a big way. The energy flowing through me isn’t all annoyance or anger, and that’s a problem. She clearly wants nothing to do with me and I want nothing more than to be buried with all of my nine inches, snug in her tight little pussy.
I bite down on any further words and turn to set a hand on Lark’s shoulder so I can guide her around back where the picnic tables are. Anyone sees me coming, they’ll know from the look on my face to fuck off out of there fast, but it’s the timeof night when most people are inside, drinking, playing pool or darts, and shooting the shit.
As soon as my hand makes contact with her leather jacket, she shrugs me off with force and sidesteps away, muttering under her breath about presumptuous assholes.
I mutter under my breath, just loud enough for her to hear, about how pretty her jacket would look with a patch that says ‘Property of Satan’s Angels MC’.She gives me a scathing sidelong glare, flips me off, and marches straight for the door.
I let her head on in while I round the back. I used to smile and laugh freely, but not so much anymore. I’m sitting on top of one of the new wooden picnic tables when Lark turns the corner, fuming about me letting her walk into the bar when I never intended on going in there, wearing one hell of a mantle of indignation. It’s such a shock for me seeing all that fury on such a soft face that I can’t help but throw back my head and let out a deep, full belly laugh.
She crosses her arms and widens her stance, a new thing that she continues to do to make herself look bigger. That’s hilarious too because she’s such a little slip of a thing, especially compared to me, that I laugh harder.
“You’ve turned into such a full-on prick,” she seethes, hands fisting at her sides like she wants to clock me right in the face. She’d probably break her own hand if she tried. “I don’t have to be here. I didn’t have to come on this ride at all. I don’t owe you a thing.”
“Yes, you do. An explanation, for one.”
“I gave you an explanation when I texted you. I told you that I’d changed my mind. The life, Raiden… all of it. It should bepretty obvious. If you want to lay all the blame on me, go ahead. I deserve it. We’ve already been through this. I’m not going over it again. If that’s all you wanted to discuss, then please, take me home.”
“If that’s all you thought I wanted to discuss, why even agree to the ride in the first place?”
She starts to pace, walking the same spot in those silly little fashion boots that should have liquified back there on my bike.
“I went because everything would have gone to shit if I’d stayed.”
“I don’t think so, Lark.”
“Can’t bullshit a bullshitter, huh?”
“I rarely bullshit. I rarely have to.” I know my lips are ugly now. That my smile is always going to be a sinister smirk, compliments of my own father, his parting gift from one prez to the next.
“You’ve been lying to your best friend and brother about taking his little sister’s virginity.”
“Careful darlin’.” I shoot up from the table, moderating my tone. I don’t want to scare her. I didn’t want this conversation to go this way. I’d planned an apology first about being a cunt the other day and now I’m acting like one all over again. The soft, comfortable easiness we knew around each other in the past is long gone. “I’d be very careful about what you say.”
“Why?” Her eyes dart around. “Do you think the whole place is listening? No one even knows we’re out here. There’s no one for miles, which is why you wanted to come here. Still casual, but private. Public, so you can resist the urge not tobe a giant asshole and put your hands on me like you’re owed something. Careful? Or what?” She steps towards me, chest puffed out like she can stand toe to toe, like she could be every inch the caveman I can. “Or what, Gray?”
She studies my face and starts to pant. Her cheeks are flushed. Theor whatis quite clear. I might not be into the kind of dark shit some men are, but the thought of punishing her sweetly, spanking the sass out of her—not to hurt, but to make a point—has me hard as steel and I’d bet my entire club that if I told her so, she’d soak through her jeans. I have no doubt she’s wet already.
“You have a smart answer for everything, don’t you, Gray?” She screws her face up in such anger that we’re no longer playing around. “What if I called my brother right now and asked him to come get me? What if I told him the real reason we’re talking? What if I told him that when I was eighteen years old, you broke your promise to him and fucked the virginity right out of his baby sister after you’d promised to keep me safe?”
I’ve pushed her too far. What am I even doing right now? I’m thirty fucking years old and I’m out here acting like a child, taking out my hurt on her because she’s the one person who deserves it. If she really stopped to analyze the situation, she’d see the heart she cut out, offered to her in my open palms. I’m so fucking pathetic. Time to reel this back in.
I hold up my hands, my palms to her, to let her see my surrender. “No matter how we do this, we take care of Raiden’s heart. You and I both know that’s the only way this goes down. I take a beating? He wants to smash my face in? Yeah. I deserve it. I won’t be his prez, this has nothing to do with club business. He can kick my ass until his raging brotherly heart is content and then we’ll move on.”
She lets her pacing take her away from me like she can’t stand to be near. She needs air. I need air. Would it have been like this if she’d stayed? Would we have ended up driving each other crazy? Possibly, but even if we had, the makeup sex would have been explosive. How could she stay mad at me when I’d feast on her sweet pussy morning and night? I’d beg her forgiveness with my cock, worship her body with my mouth, give her orgasms until she was senseless.
I thought that she should pay with her pain and anguish, her guilt and her honesty, but condemning her and hurting her, driving stakes and shooting bullets into her is killing me too. I’d destroy any asshole who dared. She deserves my penance now. She’ll never share her truth with me otherwise.
“I’m sorry.” She studies me with utter suspicion wreathed in anguish. “I wanted to tell you that as soon as you got on my bike tonight. I raged out and freaked out last time and I’m doing it tonight. I was out of line with your parents. Obviously, you wanted to come home before it was too late to reconcile with them. They need you and you need them. You’re a family.”
Her eyes glisten, tears glimmering on her lashes. She stubbornly won’t blink. She doesn’t want me to see them fall. “But?”
“Am I nothing more than a criminal to you? Not now, but then? I taught you how to ride a bicycle. Bandaged you up when you fell down. I taught you to fish. To hike. To play baseball and basketball and tennis. I helped you with your homework whenever you needed it. I was there to protect you, to make you feel like you mattered, because you always did. It was us against the world when Raiden went away. I wanted to be there for you, but I didn’t want to tear you away from your family. What did I ever do to deserve realizing I was half in love with you andthen having it torn away? We made a promise together, then you found me wanting. I wasn’t your idol anymore. I wasn’t your Gray. I was just… nothing. I want to know how it happened. I want to know why.”
