Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Royal
The air is thick with tension. Not a word is spoken between us, despite only the two of us being left in the room. His darkened eyes are piercing as he stares me down across the table. I turn in my seat so I get to eyeball him too.
I need to say something, start my confession, but I can’t find the right words to open with.
“You’re fucking her, aren’t ya?” he blurts, taking away my chance of broaching the subject first. “Gio. You and her. Don’t try to deny it, Royal. I might not want to believe it, but I’m also not stupid enough to ignore the signs either.”
“Yes,” I admit before closing my eyes, taking in a deep lungful of air. “But it’s much more than that, Grinder. She is so much more than that to me.”
“What the actual fuck.” He jumps to his feet at the same time as he smashes his clenched fist into the surface of the table.
“You were there, fucker. You were in the room when I made it clear that no one was to touch her. At what point did you think that you were excused from that? When you became my president? Excuse me, but you were my fucking friend before we joined this club. We grew up together; you’ve known her since she was a fucking kid.
Did you fucking perv on her back then too? ”
I’m up on my feet, reaching over the table, I grab him by the edge of his cut, bringing his face closer.
“Watch your fucking self, Grinder.” I snarl.
“Don’t forget who you’re talking to.” I forcefully pushed him away to the point where if the wall hadn’t been behind him, he’d have been on his ass. “I’m no fucking nonce.”
We both glare at each other, like two snarling wolves ready to fight to mark their territory.
“Look, it’s not that I purposely went after Gio.
In fact, I tried to keep a distance between us.
But it was fucking hard, Grinder. She’s a beautiful, vivacious and fun woman, and far from the little girl that used to want to tag along with us when we were kids.
Trying to keep her at arm’s length while making sure she was safe was a task. And I failed miserably.”
“If you were fucking horny, then why didn’t you just fuck one of the club girls?”
“Because… because…” I didn’t want to tell him why, at least not before I’d confessed it to the one who needed to hear it first. But my back was up against the wall, theoretically speaking, and Grinder was my brother, my VP and, more importantly, my best friend.
“Because touching another woman was not an option when I was falling in love with Giorgia.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” he laughs out loud, hands on his hips as he turns away from me, head back as if looking to the heavens for clarity. “Next you’ll be telling me that you want to make her your Old Lady one day,” he snickers.
“If she’ll have me, then yes.”
Grinder goes off like a firework. You can almost hear the crunch of his knuckles when they hit the drywall. Next go the chairs. The nearest one is kicked out of the way, while a second one is picked up and launched across the room.
I sit back in my seat, tapping my fingers against the wood, and watch the drama.
“Aarrghhhhhh.” His hands go into his hair, grasping clumps and pulling, leaving behind hairs stuck to his already bloodied knuckles.
“Motherfucker. You fucking motherfucker.” Another chair gets launched.
Another punch to the wall. He stills, the only movement is him trying to shake off the pain, that no doubt is throbbing from the tips of his fingers up to his shoulder from the powerful punches.
“Have you finished?” I ask him. A hint of boredom in my voice. In return, I’m met with a grunt.
One thing for sure is that I know Grinder, and yes, he has a temper, and he can blow at any time. I also know that the best way to handle him is not to. Step back and let him vent his wrath. Eventually, he’ll become calm enough to be reasoned with. Or so I thought.
“Right now, I want to cave your fucking head in.” He turns his head and glares at me. “But I can’t, because you’re my Prez. I’m your VP.”
“And my best friend, and I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose any of it. So, tell me, Grinder, where do you want to go from here?”
“I need to get the fuck out of here, away from this place, because I can’t even fucking look at you right now.”
He missed the nod of understanding that I gave him, as he’s out the door without glancing back.
Barely a minute later, I hear the roar of an engine as he takes off to God knows where.
But my head is full of someone else, and with her consuming my mind, I make my move, swiftly doing what I’ve been desperate to do since we got back. I go to her.
I find Gio laid on the couch, legs tucked up, arms wrapped around herself, head resting in Ria’s lap. Ria puts a finger across her lips for me to be quiet while gently stroking Gio’s hair. I shuck off my boots and cut before silently walking over to them.
I grab a scatter cushion that had been pushed to the floor, and between us both, we manage to switch out Ria for the cushion without disturbing Gio.
With a quick flick of my head, I gesture for Ria to follow me to the door before speaking to her.
“How is she?” I whisper.
“Tearful, shaky, but quiet,” she says softly back.
“I tried to get her to talk to me, but didn’t want to push it.
Not sure what has happened while she was missing, but whatever it was, it’s left her emotionally exhausted.
” Ria gives me a weak smile. “Is there any reason we girls should be worried? Could they come after one of us?”
“No, you’re all good.” I reassure her with a squeeze of her shoulder. “There’s no longer a threat. I appreciate you staying with her, Ria. Things have been tough for her, having her world turned upside down, and you’ve been a friend to her. I won’t forget that.”
“Hey, no problem, Prez.” She turns to open the door to leave but quickly turns back to me.
“I like her, and you would have my backing if it works out, and she ends up sticking around,” she gives me a cheeky wink.
“Just saying,” she adds over her shoulder before slipping out the door, closing it behind her.
Seems like I’ve failed miserably when it came to hiding my feelings for Gio. Or has Gio been confiding in Ria? Whatever, once I’ve had the chance to talk to her, I will be announcing it to the whole fucking world. Hopefully.
When I get to the couch, I slide my arms around Gio’s shoulders and legs and elevate her into my hold.
She stirs, but I shush her, talking softly to her, reassuring her, all while I carry her into the bedroom.
Using my foot, I flip back the covers before sitting her on the edge of the cool mattress.
“Noah.” Her eyes are still closed.
“Let me get you out of these clothes, then sleep.” I pull off the dress that she’d not been wearing when she left here.
It’s flowered, floaty and not really her style.
Growling under my breath, not knowing what the fucker has done to her, or had his hands on her, is infuriating, but my anger subsides somewhat when the underwear underneath is recognizable.
“Stay with me,” she mumbles sleepily as I help her lay back, her head sinking into the pillow.
“Sweetheart, I ain’t going anywhere.” Quickly, I rid myself of my t-shirt and jeans, leaving me in just my boxers, and slide in beside her.
With my front to her back, I curl my arm around her waist, bringing her in as close as physically possible, then I give in to the emotional exhaustion.
let the fear of losing her dissipated from my bones, letting sleep take me under too.