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Gauntlet swapped a surprised stare with me, and we both laughed.
“She definitely takes after her cousin. Abbi was mouthy,” I replied with a hint of sadness.
“Think her momma is, too,” Gauntlet replied with a wink.
The panic room door opened, and Drake looked at us with surprise. The moment was broken, although, as I exited, Drake wore a smug expression. I didn’t question what that was about.
Gauntlet
After getting Gran, Amberlea, and Faelea settled, I headed for my bedroom in the compound. Despite most of us having our own houses, we kept a bunk here.
I collapsed back on my bed and wondered what the fuck was happening. Somehow Drake had wrenched a confession from me I hadn’t been willing to admit. Yeah, I was interested in Amberlea, but I’d never risk a relationship with her. Amberlea was the type of woman, I was starting to realise, that would completely possess a man’s heart.
I didn’t have one to offer her. Amberlea deserved better than some bitter, worn-out biker who was tired of life. No, that was wrong. I was tired of backstabbing women and bitches, and I’d seen more than my fair share at Rage. Not the old ladies. But skanks and barflies who wished to hurt the old ladies. Mind you, Phoe and the others had gone after Linda with a hatchet before they knew the truth, and Lindsey and Casey had nearly come to blows.
Shit even happened with the old ladies, but mainly because they were trying to protect us. And after the attack at Reading Hall, fuck me, none of us wanted to go up against them. Rage women had shown their true colours and were as dark as us. I winced as I thought of Drake’s second oldest daughter, Serenity, and her murderous side.
With a shudder, I turned my thoughts away and towards the problem of Amberlea. Woman deserved her life back and her innocence to be known. I couldn’t imagine the sense of betrayal she had. Abandoned at sixteen by those who claimed to love her. I noticed she’d not mentioned her grandparents waiting for her and guessed they must have died while she was locked up. That was even harsher. Amberlea had been denied their twilight.
The prison contact of the Juno Group also crossed my mind. Why was she imprisoned, and who was she? It was unusual for the Juno Group members to be caught, so this woman had either turned herself in or slipped up. Or maybe not given a shit after getting her revenge. Whoever this mystery lady was, she’d done Amberlea a solid. I wondered if they’d be able to get that information and what they could tell them about Amberlea and her time in prison.
Why that bothered me, I wasn’t sure. But I wanted to learn everything about her despite my natural wariness. It was like I had two personalities, and they were at war. One demanded to know Amberlea, and the other screamed to not get involved. Except I was intrigued by what Amberlea had suffered. She was a loner, to be sure, but also loving and caring and clearly had sacrificed it all for her child. How strong did she have to be to give up everything to save her daughter?
And to keep marching on every single day, knowing she was innocent. Even worse, her boyfriend married the woman who set her up. That type of shit got me angry because of the similarity between my past and hers. Amberlea had faced multiple betrayals and had nobody to support her. Yet she stood on her own two feet and faced down my club. Amberlea was brave. I’d give her that.
She was also stubbornly independent, fierce, and blinkered to her future. I guessed she’d given no thought to anything other than proving her innocence. Once she got justice, I wondered what Amberlea would do. Would she stay in RC? Or would she take whatever compensation she got from the state and start anew elsewhere?
Wasn’t gonna lie; I was attracted to her. Amberlea was a dream in a tiny, mouthy little package. But long term was something I couldn’t give her. Wouldn’t even offer. I’d seen her glances. She was interested in me, but Amberlea wasn’t the type of woman you offered a couple of casual fucks to.
Didn’t matter how much I wanted her, I was damaged goods. Amberlea deserved a better, richer and happier life than what I could offer, and that was the damn truth.
Amberlea
I checked on Faelea and saw her curled into a ball in the room next to mine and sleeping heavily. Unlike me, my daughter slept like the dead. My child. A smile crossed my lips. Faelea, despite her upbringing, had turned into a well-balanced kid anyone would be proud to call their own.
During my time inside, I’d long ago come to terms with missing out on her life. But now we were reunited. I did not want to miss a single minute. Faelea had grown up without a father and a mother, and I wondered how she felt about her dad. I didn’t want Faelea to be in the position of hating Jax or taking sides. Some part of me was guilty of denying Jax his daughter, but thank God Cordelia had never got her claws into my precious baby.
I smiled again as I thought of how she’d spoken to Gauntlet today and his surprise. Faelea had her own mind and owned it. My baby wasn’t shy about speaking her thoughts or standing her ground. Gauntlet enjoyed interacting with her, which had been nice. I didn’t believe that Faelea had experienced a lot of positive male attention, as she had seemed to soak up her interactions with him.
I walked into the room that I’d been given and flopped on the bed. Gauntlet was arousing emotions in me that were brand new. Jax had made me feel desire but not the other feelings. The urge to touch him, to be around him, even to sniff him, was all alien to me. I thought I’d loved Jax, but these feelings were more intense than anything I’d felt for him. In Gauntlet, I sensed a natural protector, somebody who would go to the ends of the earth for people he cared about. I wanted to be part of that, have his protection, someone who’d hold me tight and not let go.
It was a nice dream, but after Jax’s betrayal, how did I try to trust a man again? Especially with Faelea. To be honest, Jax had more than betrayed me. He’d stabbed that knife in again and again. And the final instance was marrying Cordelia. We’d been happy, in love, so why would Jax just believe her? That had never made sense to me. Jax had been ambitious. Had her wealth finally coaxed him to her side? I remembered the disdain Jax once held her in.
Cordelia had locked me away, stolen my boyfriend, and taken my family from me. The time was coming when I would cheerfully tear her life apart. I owed Abbi the truth, and so did that bitch. Once it was done, I’d make plans, but I couldn’t do anything until Cordelia and her family paid. And all of those who’d betrayed and turned their backs. Revenge was foremost in my head, but I had to be certain I kept those feelings from Faelea. As much as I wanted her loyalty, I needed to be balanced and neutral where she was concerned.
Gauntlet crossed my mind again, and I shivered. There was pain in his eyes, and somehow I knew he’d experienced as dark a betrayal as me. Gauntlet was guarded and wary. That only came from experiencing a deep, painful deception. As she now insisted I call her, Agatha had alluded to her grandchild being a good man many times tonight as we ate our dinner. Her unspoken words were revealing.
Agatha skirted any information that I had tried to pry out about Gauntlet’s dating life. She wanted to protect her grandson, and I admired that, but it left me with a lot of questions. I also sensed that Agatha wished for Gauntlet and me to get together. Agatha clearly saw the attraction between us, despite Gauntlet and me constantly snarling at each other. Perhaps it was time to take a chance. It didn’t have to turn into anything serious. Still, a casual fling between two mutually agreeable parties wasn’t a bad thing.
Would Gauntlet accept a woman who had only one lover and lacked experience? I knew the man was sensual. The twist of his lips gave that away, and his eyes spoke of him being able to feel deep. Gauntlet would fuck me into oblivion, and I’d willingly let him. My pussy got wet at the thought of his strong body against mine. My legs rubbed together, and my gaze widened as pure desire swept over me.
Agitated, I sat up and paced back and forth. This was a whole new level. I felt almost mindless with desire for the man and decided something I hoped I wouldn’t regret. Luckily, I’d shaved in the shower this morning, so I was all smooth and buff. I looked at my clothing and wrinkled my nose. It wasn’t exactly screaming come and fuck me, but a quick glance at my bed made me smile.
Drake had told me he’d send someone to get some clothes and shit from my house tomorrow. And Gauntlet had given both me and Faelea a tee to wear tonight. From reading a lot of romance books in prison, I knew men loved the sight of a woman wearing their clothes. Quickly, I stripped and then shrugged his tee on. It even smelt like him. On Faelea, it came to her calves; on me, it hit just above mid-thigh.
I was going to seduce Gauntlet. I needed this urge purging, and Gauntlet was the only one who could aid me with that. A wicked little smile crossed my lips.
Get ready, dude, because I was coming.
