She doesn’t seem to notice me. Not that weird since I’m hidden in a corner of the garden where I’ve created shade along with the perfect lighting for me to work in. All while getting some fresh air.
“Well, I guess if you still want the added stimulation for the two of you, I guess you would have to find someone else from now on, Donald.” She releases a deep sigh and kicks out her high heels as she heads for the gazebo. “I’m sure, Donald. You can handle him just fine without me.”
I now notice the glass she’s holding as she swirls the liquid around before taking a sip. She looks tired, agitated, and completely done with the discussion. She rolls her eyes and takes a sip from her drink. It seems Donald keeps rattling on.
Leaving my sculpture, I stalk right up to her and snatch the phone from her hand. “Listen, Donald, she said no, and now I’m saying no. Even if she would want to, right fucking now I’m in charge, and it still won’t happen.”
I end the call to prevent Donald from quacking and gently lower the phone—because it’s better than shattering the thing—and place it on the table next to her.
“You need to take the rest of the day off, maybe tomorrow too, or go in later so you can sleep in. You’re tired as fuck and have been working too hard with the back to back meetings you had today.”
Her eyes are boring into mine until she takes another sip, emptying her glass, closes her eyes and says, “Why do you have that poor young man following me around all day?”
“Morgan is a prospect. He does what is expected of him and in this case, he’s keeping an eye on you as a favor to me.” Close enough. I can hardly tell her he’s there to make sure she’s safe because ever since I woke up, I have the undeniable need to protect her.
And I’m going stir crazy that I can’t be around her twenty-four seven because of all the other emotions roaring inside me. Like the need to bury my cock inside her tight pussy or the craving to smash my lips with hers to take her mouth in a hot as fuck kiss.
“I don’t need a guard or a snitch who tattles every move I make to you. And I’m just tired after a long day at work. It’s just one of those days where everything piles up. There are seven days in a week and I happen to work six of those. Some days four, some days seven. This week is just dragging. Maybe I should have remembered the party Donald called about. It totally slipped my mind. If I did go, at least I could whip away some of my frustrations and tight muscles.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I tell her between clenched teeth.
She slams her glass on a nearby table, dashes up and comes to stop in front of me. “Back. Off. I’m not in the mood for an overbearing biker to get in my business. I might have promised Quill to fight for whatever it is between us, but I don’t know if it will ever be enough. So, don’t fucking push me when I’m already balancing on the edge of my emotions.”
Her breath is a sweet caress and feels so fucking good flowing over my lips. Leaning in closer, I almost connect our lips. It’s only the heat of our skin colliding and the anticipation of a feather light brush, but the feeling it ignites is overwhelming. She sucks in a breath the same time my dick twitches and a jolt of electricity spikes my veins.
I quickly step back and tell her, “I’ll always have your back, Val. Fucking jump or fall, I’ll catch you any damn time, any damn moment.”
Her eyes narrow and anger overtakes her features. “You’re not invincible, Shaw. And there’s no damn reason you have to keep saving me. There’s no debt to pay, no guilt to live through, or justice to salvage. I killed them to save the both of us, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. If the opportunity was reversed, you would be the one who would have done it. And, yes, maybe things would have been different between us then. But it didn’t happen that way. I’m the one to blame for what happened between us since I couldn’t cope with what I did. But we were torn apart in a way life didn’t feel like living, but more like drowning in blood and every hand that reached for me seemed like it slipped right from mine due to the blood and guilt I was covered in. Our love became twisted, Shaw. I did that. I pushed you away. All me, I know. I regret…I don’t know how...I can’t...just leave me the hell alone.”
She turns on her heels and stalks off into the house.
Anger flares hot inside me but it’s not about her words, and yet it is. I should have been the one who killed them. Logan and Dana, the two who kidnapped us, who tortured us for their own pleasure. I should have been the one who sliced them open to make sure they were dead.
Instead I was too fucking weak from the daily torture sessions and I only managed to watch how Val was able to free herself, allowing her the opportunity to kill him. I blacked out when the woman launched herself at Val. I tried like hell to get to her, to help, but I lost consciousness a few times getting only glimpses here and there.
When I woke up Val had dragged me into the woods. And that was something that took immense strength because we were deep down in some shelter underground with a large stairway. But she did it. She saved us. Saved me.
Fucking snuff films. We were abducted to become entertainment for fucked-up people and barely managed to live to tell about it. Well, we didn’t tell about it, obviously. Val told me she smashed the equipment and set fire to the building.
We could have called the authorities but the way Val went nuts in slaughtering Logan and Dana, it wouldn’t be classified as self-defense; she completely butchered those two bodies.
Twisted, but I would have done the same damn thing if I wasn’t weak from the days of torture these two put us through. Not just our bodies, but our minds along with it. And that’s just it, they might have physically done the excessive damage to me—slicing up my lower belly and upper legs—it was Val’s mind that sustained the extreme chunk of it.
Stalking around the house, I head for my bike and fire it up. I need to clear my head and give her space. This confrontation has been a long time coming but if I head into the house right now and seek her out, we will go head to head and neither of us will benefit from throwing raw feelings at each other.
The ride over to the clubhouse hasn’t calmed my temper or drained my emotions. If anything, it only magnified it.
Stomping inside I roar, “Quill, where the fuck are you, asshole?”
Zerox and Corban get up from their seat but stay in place when Barlow steps forward. “What’s going on, Beecher?”
“Mind your own business, Barlow,” I snap and see Quill coming down the hall.
“What’s wrong?” Quill asks, confusion vivid on his face.
I know he can’t help it, but right now I need someone to take the blame; get all my anger out. I need to drain the fucking feeling of not being able to do shit about the one thing I want and need in my life; Valentina.
“Take it outside,” Zerox snaps and nods at my brothers.
We all head for the backyard and I take off my cut and throw it on the nearby table, my shirt follows right after.
“Not the face or my cock, man. I have date night with my old lady and for fucking sure you’re not going to take that away from me,” Quill says as he bounces on his feet and leans his head from left to right.
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I like,” I snap. “Why the hell did you make my woman promise to fight for me? You don’t fucking know what you’re asking of her, you asshole.”