7. Bones
BONES
My phone has been blowing up with texts and calls from Skull.
Prez has also been trying to get a hold of me, and while I can dodge my brother, Prez is a whole different situation.
We just did an hour hike, and I really enjoyed myself.
Doc was a little quiet, but I didn’t miss the looks she kept sending my way when she thought I wasn’t looking.
We both had showers and are now relaxing.
She’s been looking at me like she wants to eat me, and I’ve been hard since I woke up next to her.
But the truth is, I like her. I like talking to her, and I like the peace she brings me.
Fucking her will ruin all of that, won’t it?
I don’t know if I’m built for commitment.
I’m going to fuck everything up. But at the same time, the thought of another man touching her sends me into a rage.
When she mentioned primal play, I wanted to lift her on the counter and take her right there. Throughout the walk, I kept picturing myself chasing her and playing out the scene she had in her head.
We’re both sitting on the front porch, drink in hand. “You know, I’m actually friends with one of those romance authors.”
“Who?” she asks, perking up.
“X.M. Love.”
She stands up, her eyes widening. “No fucking way.”
“Yes, she’s the old lady of my brother, Ghost. She’s awesome, you’ll love her,” I say, smiling at the excitement on her face.
“I love her books!” she muses, jumping up and down and doing a little happy dance. “Who else do you know?”
“I know the owners of Lu’s Sweet Treats.”
“Oh, they have the best desserts there.” She sighs dreamily, and when she goes to sit, I pull her onto my lap. “Your phone keeps vibrating.”
“I know. My brother wants to know where I am.”
“What are you going to tell him?” she asks, smirking. “Is he going to kick your ass for doing something so reckless?”
Likely.
I’m about to respond when I see a car heading toward us. “Oh, fuck.”
“Who is that?” she asks, sounding concerned. “You don’t know anyone out here, right?”
“No, but someone might have figured out where I am.” I tried not to leave a paper trail, but Blade and Angel can usually find anything. “Go inside.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she replies casually, standing up.
I get up and push her behind me. “We don’t know who it is yet. It could be a serial killer, for all we know.”
“I knew some Wolf Creek shit was going to happen out here.”
“Meredith,” I growl, picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder. “Inside. Now.”
I close the door with her in the house and keep my eyes on the unfamiliar car.
“Fuck,” I mutter when I finally see who the driver is. Of all the people I thought would show up here, Pyro wasn’t one of them.
Storming down to meet him, I bark, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Prez wanted one of us to check on you, and I volunteered,” he replies, glancing back at the house. “And when Meredith didn’t show up at the shelter and wasn’t at her house, I put two and two together. I saw you watching her that day.”
“I wanted you to see me watching her. She’s mine,” I declare.
“Is she? Because when I asked her the other day, she said she’s single. I know we don’t know each other well, Bones, and I’ve heard you’re a good man, but something isn’t adding up here. She’s a nice girl, and I want to make sure she wants to be here with you.”
“You need to mind your own fucking bus—”
“Pyro?” I hear from behind me and mutter a curse. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to check on you,” Pyro replies, walking toward her. I realize she’s wearing nothing but my T-shirt, which is loose and covers her, but I still don’t like another man seeing her like that.
“Doc, go put on some pants,” I demand, and she turns to me and arches a who-the-fuck-do-you- think-you-are brow at me.
“You didn’t show up at the shelter, and I got worried,” Pyro says to her, gaining back her attention.
I don’t fucking like it.
Doc’s eyes come to me before they go back to him. “I’m okay, as you can see. Is everything okay at the shelter?”
The two of them start talking like I’m not even there, about dogs that I don’t know, and I fucking hate every second.
“I didn’t know you were seeing Bones here. You know I wanted to ask you out, right?” I hear Pyro say, the slick bastard, and I’m two seconds away from beating his ass, brother or not.
“Bones?” she asks, frowning.
“Yeah, that’s my road name,” I tell her, pulling her to my side.
“You told her your real name?” Pyro asks, eyes widening in surprise.
“It’s a long story.”
“Wait, so am I meant to be calling you Bones? Why do they call you that?” she asks me.
“Because he’s like a dog with a bone when he wants something,” Pyro mutters, and I grab him by his cut and push him back.
“As you can see, she’s fine. You can leave now. Tell Prez I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“You can tell him yourself. I think I’m going to stay and check out the place.” Pyro smirks, winking at Meredith.
“No, you can leave. There’s nowhere she’s safer than with me,” I grit out between clenched teeth.
“You claimed her at church yet?”
My jaw tenses. I haven’t, and he knows it.
He smirks, crossing his arms over his chest. “Then I guess she’s free game. And where the fuck is your cut? What game are you playing, Bones?”
Fuck.
I did take my cut off because I didn’t want her to know about the club just yet, but now that she does, I can stop hiding that shit.
“What are you two whispering about?” Meredith asks, scowling.
“Nothing,” we both reply at the same time.
“How did you find us?” I ask, really just wanting him to leave. If I wanted to hang out in a group, I would have taken her to the clubhouse.
“Prez asked Blade to work his magic,” Pyro explains, walking toward the cabin with Meredith.
“I paid the owners in cash,” I call out behind them. I didn’t want to leave a paper trail, but I guess they found me anyway.
Watching the two of them walking together, my stomach burns with jealousy. Pyro usually keeps to himself, so the fact that he’s here right now?
He wants her.
And he is making it known.
But what that fucker doesn’t know yet is that she is mine.
And he’s right.
When I want something, I am like a dog with a bone.