Page 13 of Burn Me Down

Derek

Fuck I hated that guy. I rubbed at my pounding head as I got out of the car and stumbled toward the house. It was probably a terrible idea to drive home this intoxicated, but I refused to sleep in the clubhouse.

I stared at the lock, my hand fumbling as I tried to get the key into the small hole. Four attempts later, I swore and thought seriously about kicking it down.

“Key in the hole,” I said. Gripping my wrist with my other hand, I finally got it to slip into the little slot. I couldn’t help wondering if sex was this difficult—trying to find the right hole, but maybe there wasn’t a right hole. I could use either. Why the fuck did that pop into my head? Now all I could think about was fucking Beck.

Pushing open the door, I took a deep breath, thankful to finally be in my home. Well, it was the closest thing I’d ever had to a real home. Locking the door, I touched Dora’s photo in greeting before stumbling to the couch to flop down.

“No, water first.”

I looked at the kitchen, which seemed miles away, and held onto chairs and walls—really whatever I could get my hands on—until I reached the fridge and snagged a bottle of water. After quickly smearing a piece of bread with peanut butter, I sat down on the couch before slipping my new accessory off.

Holding up the cut, I smirked at the name Dragon on the back. A piece of denim and leather shouldn’t feel so important, yet it meant I was a part of something. Regardless of how it happened, I had a brotherhood at my back—each of them with as many demons as I had. But I was never letting Chase talk me into drinking again. It seemed like he just really wanted to see what crazy shit I would do.

Laying the cut out on the table, I took a bite of the bread and a sip of water, but my stomach rolled, and I had to put them down. Grabbing the remote, I turned on the television and shot off the couch when I heard the hysterical screaming. It was like an ice pick stabbing my temple. I couldn’t see Beck, which meant she was tucked into the corner near the camera, but she was screaming like someone was trying to kill her.

Heart hammering, I tried to run for the back door, but my leg caught the end table, and I fell with a hard thump. Fuck. I shook my head and pulled myself up, grabbing my leather mask on the way out the door. As I limped across the backyard, I could barely hear Beck’s screaming, which meant all the extra work I put into soundproofing the place paid off. I pulled the leather mask on and then remembered I needed keys.

“Never fucking drinking again,” I growled as I jogged back to the house, ordering myself not to throw up.

Luckily, my fear had overridden some of the lightheadedness, and I got the outside door unlocked before dashing to Beck’s room. My hand clenched into a fist as the door swung open.

“Oh my god, oh my god, thank God you’re here,” Beck said as I poked my head in and looked at her. Those were words I never thought I would hear. Beck’s eyes were wide with terror, and she was pressed up against the wall, but I couldn’t tell what she was freaking out about. “Get rid of it,” she shrieked, pointing at the bed.

I couldn’t find what was scaring her. Did she see the same crazy shit I did? Beck screamed again and looked like she would claw through the wall. I grabbed at my head, the splitting headache flaring to all new heights with the high-pitched wail.

“There, right there. On the bed!”

My vision was a little fuzzy, but as I looked closer at the soft purple comforter there, sitting in the middle of the bed, was a red knee tarantula.

“They’re not aggressive,” I said as I walked further into the room.

“Just get rid of it.” Beck was shaking, and I smirked at her. She looked unbelievably sexy, with her hair wild and her nipples standing out under the white t-shirt. Forcing myself to look away, I wandered over to the bed.

I held my hand out, and the spider stepped into my palm one little leg at a time. It was a good bet that this was someone’s pet that got loose or was set free for whatever reason. Lousy pet owners infuriated me.

Turning around, I showed the spider to Beck so she could see it wasn’t some mean nasty beast. I didn’t think she could scream any louder, but I was wrong.

“Keep it away, keep it away from me.” She held out her arms like she was warding me off even though I hadn’t moved in her direction.

“You do realize you didn’t scream this much about being kidnapped and held prisoner? I’m standing here with a mask on, and you’re terrified of a friendly spider?”

“Friendly, my ass! Just get it out and make sure it doesn’t come back.” I couldn’t help laughing, and her eyes narrowed at me. “Don’t make fun of me. So, help me, God.” She balled her hands and stomped her foot, but the moment I stepped toward the door, she squealed and tried to keep her distance by moving as I moved.

“You sure you don’t want to name him?” I teased. The pain in my head was throbbing like a heartbeat, but I would stand here all night just to see that adorable, fearful look on her face. “I can get him a collar and a tank for you to put him in.”

“Get it out. Now!”

Smiling, I walked out the door and closed it behind me, locking it in place. I could just let the little guy go free, but I had a feeling he would end up back inside with Beck. As amusing as that was, my head was pounding too fucking hard to deal with another round of shrieking.

Heading into the house, I walked over to the old fish tank that Dora used to have a goldfish in and lifted the lid. I’d drained it for her after the fish died, but she refused to get rid of it. Placing my hand down into the tank, I waited until my new pet walked off and took up residence in the large coral with a hole through the center.

“I’m gonna call you Shriek, and I will find you something to eat, but not until tomorrow. Great, now I’m talking to a spider.” Placing the lid back on, I used a bronze figurine to hold it down. “Okay, round two.”

I flopped down on the couch and rubbed at my sore leg, not bothering to take off the mask. The TV was still on, and I watched as Beck slowly tiptoed in socked feet across the floor to the bed. She yanked the cover off and shook it out, and I realized I was smiling at her antics. There was something about her that made me feel a measure of normal. I would never be the man she deserved, but if I closed my eyes, I could picture her humming while I helped her change our sheets and smiling at me as I pulled her down on the bed.

My eyes opened, and a longing I hadn’t felt since I was a boy gripped me by the throat and made it hard to swallow.