The vehemence in his voice should scare me. I know Daimon isn’t a Boy Scout. I know he’s done unspeakable things for his club, just as Levi has, but I don’t feel afraid. I feel cherished. Loved. Safe.
It’s a heady feeling.
One I never expected to feel.
After Sin’s assault, I felt nothing. I thought he had stripped away my ability to love and be loved, but I’m seeing that’s not the case because even though all I have done with Daimon is kiss him, I suspect I’m falling in love with him. My heart rate accelerates when he’s near, he makes me feel whole and unbroken, and I feel lost when he’s not around.
Is that love?
He moves away from my postcard shrine and nods to the bed. “In you get.”
Nervous energy tingles through me as I move over to bed and pull back the covers. I slip underneath them, getting comfortable.
Daimon watches me for a moment, then slips out of his kutte. He hangs it on the hook on the back of my door before he moves to the edge of the bed. I watch the strong muscles in his back bunch beneath his tee as he bends over to toe off his boots. I shouldn’t be watching him so intently, but I can’t turn away.
When he’s finished, he climbs under the covers, still fully dressed. Part of me wants to tell him to get comfy, to take it off, but something makes the words clog in my throat and I keep quiet.
He settles against the pillow, then tugs me against him. I go willingly, my arm snaking around his middle.
“Goodnight, Daimon.”
“Night, baby.”
I sleep like the fucking dead that night, wrapped in the only arms that make me feel safe.
21
Daimon
For a week, I stay holed up with Briella, every night chasing her demons away, stopping her nightmares. Levi gets her a counsellor through a rape crisis centre, and her family doctor refers her to a rehab programme to tackle her drinking addiction. I know it’s going to take a long time for her to heal, but I feel like we’re finally on the road to recovery.
Ravage gives me a shit ton of leeway, letting me take some time away from the club to be with her, but eventually, I have to get back to work. The money won’t dole itself out. I need to balance the books and hide the illegal shit, so we don’t all end up in jail.
As I step into the common room, the afternoon sun streaking through the windows, I see Levi sitting at the bar with Whizz, our resident doctor. The pair of them look deep in conversation and when I move over to them, slipping onto an empty stool, neither of them glances at me. I catch the tail end of their conversation, which is about Briella.
“…long time to put addiction behind you. It’s a fight she’ll have to make every day for the rest of her life,” Whizz tells him.
Levi sighs. “I never wanted this shit for her.”
“All you can do is be there for her.”
“She’s doing better,” I interject, and both of their eyes swing towards me. Levi is still wearing a smattering of fading bruises to his face from when I punched him. Mine are gone already. He bristles slightly at my words.
“You need to take a step back from this shit,” Levi tells me.
I shake my head. That ain’t happening. “I’m staying put, unless Brie tells me to leave her the fuck alone.”
“She doesn’t need you fucking with her head.”
“Ain’t doing that,” I grind out between my teeth. “Keeping her happy is all I give a fuck about, Levi. Since I’ve been staying, she ain’t had a single fucking nightmare. I call that an achievement considering she was having them all the time before that.”
He can’t argue with that, but his jaw clenches anyway.
“Don’t fuck with her head.”
“You pissed off at me for being there for her?” I demand.
“Ain’t pissed off at you for shit, but she ain’t in a good place right now. She doesn’t need you taking advantage of that.”
My spine snaps straight and anger buzzes through my head. “You think that’s what I’m doing, you’re fucking nuts. I fucking love her, man.”
I jolt at my admission. I love her? Where the fuck had that come from? But as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I know they’re true. I do fucking love her. Fuck.
I should feel terror at the word. I’m not the kind of man to settle down, to have an old lady, but fuck, if I don’t want that with her. She makes me feel alive, she brings out all my protective urges. She makes me want to be a better man and the best version of myself. I do love her. I think I’ve always loved her on some level.
Levi glares at me. “You love her?”
“Yeah, brother, I do.”
“You claiming her?”
“Yeah,” I say without hesitation. This feels right, like it’s supposed to be.
He stares at me for a beat, his eyes hard. “You do right by her and we won’t have a fucking problem, you feel me?”
“I’ll take care of her,” I promise. “If I bring it to the table you going to support me?”
He doesn’t answer immediately, which puts my whole body on edge. Eventually, he lets out a long huffy breath.
“Yeah, Day, I’ll support you, but you hurt my sister, I’ll cut your balls off and feed them to you.”
My lip quirks at the corner. It’s as good as an approval as I’m going to get from him. It’ll do for now. I glance past him to Whizz who is watching the events unfold with a great big grin on his face.
“What?” I demand.
“Just never thought I’d see the day you fell to a woman.”
I snort. “It’ll get you one day, brother. When you least fucking expect it.”
He shakes his head, lifting his pint. “Ain’t got a single interest in a woman. They’re too complicated, brother. I’ll stick to medicine. It’s what I know.”
Before I can answer, Nox sticks his head around the door.
“Church, now,” the brother says.
Instantly, the three of us push up from our chairs and head towards the meeting room.
I drop my phone, keys and wallet in the box outside chapel and step inside behind Whizz. Rav, Nox and Fury are already seated. Titch follows in behind us. I take my chair at the table and fix my kutte as I sit. Rav waits for us all to settle before he speaks.
“Let’s get the admin out the way first,” he says.
I dig in the inside pocket of my kutte and pull out six envelopes filled with cash. I slide them across the table to each brother. Titch weighs his in his hands.
“This feels heavy this month, brother.”
It’s because our newly acquired telemarketing business is bringing in a shit ton of revenue. Who knew legal dealings could be as lucrative as the illegal shit we do?
“Enjoy it.”
He snorts. “My ex-wife takes most of my fucking money in alimony and child support.”
This is probably true, but I know he wouldn’t deny those boys a thing. He loves those kids to death. I’m pretty sure he still loves Rachel too. I know her filing for divorce shredded him.
Rav leans forwards on the table. “Howler is still having issues in Manchester. The clubhouse was attacked last night.”