Braxton #3
I mount my bike, and Vanessa gets on behind me.
Having her arms wrapped around my waist with her pressed against my back feels so fucking right.
I knew I wanted her on my bike, but I was far from prepared for the swell of emotion I feel now that she is.
Fuck, if she decides to bail, it’s going to hurt a lot more than I bargained for.
I take us on a slow, lazy ride out to some waterfalls.
Vanessa is a natural behind me, leaning with every turn, trusting me to get us there safely.
She’s more relaxed behind me than anyone else I’ve ever ridden with.
There’s a small dirt road that leads to the falls.
It’s rocky, but she doesn’t flinch once or get tense behind me.
When we park next to the small lake with the falls on the other side, she gets off, and I immediately miss the warmth of her body.
She takes off her helmet and hands it to me. “This is beautiful.”
“Yeah, I was planning on taking you here when we got back. It’s one of my favorite places to go and be alone with my thoughts, or to just sit in silence and relax.”
I throw my leg over, place both our helmets on the handlebars, and come to stand next to her.
“You don’t get a lot of quiet at the clubhouse,” she says, staring at the water rushing over the side of the ravine.
“I need to apologize to you,” I say, and she turns to me with surprise written across her face.
“What on earth for?”
“I should have heard you out yesterday. I hate how I found out about what was going on. I really fucking hate that it was that asshole who told me, and the way he got some sick pleasure in it. But I should have stayed a hell of a lot calmer than I did.”
Vanessa shakes her head. “You don’t need to apologize, Braxton. I hurt your club. Hurt you.”
“I do, though. That is not how I was raised. Of course, I was fucking pissed and hurt that you didn’t come to me. But I believe you when you say you were planning on coming clean. You tried to tell me about Russ threatening you, and instead of hearing you out, I acted out. That’s not who I am.”
“I understand,” she says.
“And it fucking kills me that you do. You shouldn’t understand anger being directed at you like that.
You shouldn’t have had to start dancing at your stepbrother’s club when you should have been worried about graduating high school, not how to keep a roof over your family’s heads.
You shouldn’t have been so scared that he was going to hurt your mom or your sister—that he’d beat you up to make it look like you were on the run from your ex and needed protection.
None of that should have ever been something you understand, because it should never have happened. ”
“But it did. That’s the hand I was dealt.
” She shrugs like it’s a simple fact of her life, and fuck, that kills me.
“My dad died, and everything fell apart. I lost the only man I’ve ever been able to depend on.
The only one who knew what it meant to be a good man, a good father.
Then, when Lev died, it got even worse. I had to suck it up and deal with the shit as it came.
I knew I would get out one day; I just didn’t think it would take me coming to Shine and hurting the only other good man I’ve ever known. ”
Tears well in her eyes again, and dammit if mine don’t get misty too.
I shake my head. “That’s not fair for you.”
Vanessa shoots me a sad smile. “Life isn’t fair for everyone. You know that as well as I do.”
“That’s not good enough for me. Not anymore.
If you decide to leave, I’ll understand.
I’ll hate it, but I’ll help you. Money, IDs, anything you need—I’ll take care of it.
But I hope you’ll stay, Vanessa. I hope you let me give you something better than fair.
I hope you’ll let me show you how good men treat their women, how we protect what’s ours.
” She stares at the waterfall and doesn’t respond, so I keep going.
“Regardless of what you decide about staying, I’ll make sure to take care of your stepbrother.
There won’t be anywhere he can hide. When we find him, and we will find him, he’s going to ground, and you’ll never have to worry about him or the Russians again. ”
She still doesn’t say anything, just stares at the water. Finally, she turns to me and grabs my hand, leading me back to the bike.
“Where are we going, sweetheart?” I ask.
“Back to the hotel so I can get my stuff and my car. Then we’re going to New York so I can get my mom and sister out of that damn apartment.
If Russ suspects I’m helping you, or at the very least, not helping him, he’ll make good on his threat, Braxton.
I know he will.” She stops next to the bike and grabs her helmet.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you anything I think of. But I need my mom and sister with me.”
“Consider it done,” I tell her. “You aren’t alone anymore, Vanessa. I’ve got you now. The whole club does. You can trust me on that.”
“I know, and I do.”
And hell if those five words don’t make me want to fall at her feet and kiss the ground she walks on.