Chapter Twenty
The guy who claimed to be a doctor glowered at me, and that made him look even less like a caring doctor, since he clearly had zero bedside manner.
“Why does everyone always ask me that, dammit?”
“It’s your face, bruv,” one of those Bennett tossers said, grinning widely at their ‘doctor’.
“I assure you I’m medically trained, qualified, and recognised in this country as a doctor.”
“Jeffo’s the best, bruv. He even fixed up your Italian friend when he got shot.”
The fuck? Did he mean Grease? I didn’t have any other Italian friends, and I was only fifty percent sure he was even Italian at all.
“Grease?”
“Yeah, what’s with the weird names, bruv?”
“Speaking of names, Seb, call me Jeffo again, and I’ll forget to patch you up next time ‘shit goes wrong’.”
“Ooooh so pissy, bruv. It’s cute, really. So,” the humour suddenly dropped from his face, “you’ll all be leaving now?”
I nodded, because why the hell would we stay? If Glory had what she needed from this hellish place, I’d rather get gone.
“Promise me he’ll die,” Glory hissed, cupping her throbbing hand against her chest.
“Oh, he’ll die a lot, love. Nobody leaves here alive…
well, except our allies, who we kindly help out in a reciprocal kinda way.
” He eyed me pointedly, and I got the point loud and clear.
Fuck this dick. He was going to use this as another attempt to get the club to be his bitches, which I’d been warned was exactly how these assholes operated.
“We’re letting your people enjoy the kill. I think that makes us even,” Glory said imperiously, marching past the guy as we all gaped at her. Was it just me finding that hot? And if they were too, would I manage to kill them before their guys stopped me?
“I like her, bruv. She’s a keeper.” The bearded guy headed into the kill room, and just the ‘doctor’ remained.
“Make sure she rests that hand, and on that subject… did she come here on a motorbike? Because she’s not going to be able to ride back like that.”
“She was on the back of mine.”
“So how’s she going to hang on for the journey home?”
I fell silent as I pondered that. Could we tie her to me? That was stupid and reckless, what if we had an accident? Still, what if we moved really slowly? Jesus.
“Now we could offer assistance, but you get how Seb works. He’s keeping count of all these favours. You don’t want to be indebted to them any more than you already are.”
Then he grinned. “I will say this though. The Bennetts aren’t so bad if they’re on your side. Trust me on that.” It was the other side that worried me. The one where they become enemies instead.
“I’ll sort it.” I shook his hand, while wondering just how much metaphorical blood was on them, and stepped outside.
Glory was with Harley and Rocket, and I think it settled something inside me to see that.
Seeing her so comfy with them that she was gravitating to them, plus it gave me time to talk to Micro.
“Pres-”
“Already on it, brother. It’s like you think I don’t know how to look after my people.
Prospects can get a van here, but it’ll take a few hours, so we’ve reserved a room at the nearest hotel for you guys for the night.
You’ll coast gently to the farm road a mile down and we’ll get a taxi to meet you. ”
Fuck me. He did know how to look after his people. I’d never been so relieved to be counted as one of them, because right now I was still just a prospect, but I was starting to realise that was really more of a formality than anything else.
“And my ride?”
“Well, we can ask these nice gents to store it, or one of us can follow you on it.”
I eyed my precious beast, and turned to scrutinise the brothers amassing here. Who would I trust with her? My priority was Glory, but my ride was valuable to me too.
“Can I request my VP to do it? I know he’ll treat her with respect.”
“We all would, fuckstain, but fine. Your wish is our command. You wanna get your ass moving? I want us all away from here before these fuckers hit us with a bill or something.”
I clamped my lips shut before I warned him that was probably already coming, and headed over to claim Glory.
“Tell me I get to ride her,” Rocket demanded, practically salivating at the idea, and the fact that I knew he meant my wheels was the only reason he was still standing.
Harley was behind him, mouthing the word ‘NO’ at me, but I’d already come to the conclusion that the guy named after speeding wasn’t my choice.
“Pres nominated Harley,” I said, grinning as Rocket glared over my shoulder at Micro. Harley nodded and followed us to my ride. Glory fretted the whole way about not being able to hold on, and a shout made us pause as the doctor guy ran over to us.
“Word is you’re not going home yet.” How the fuck did he know that?
He handed us a paper bag, and when I opened it, there was an ice pack and strips of ibuprofen and paracetamol.
“You just had these hanging around?”
“I’m a doctor, not a psycho. It’s literally my job to be prepared on the road. Get gone.”
He turned and headed back toward the kill house from hell, and we did what he advised. Getting gone.
The hotel room was nice enough, but the one bed was a bit of an issue. It wasn’t like we had a fucking sofa for me to sleep on.
“Just sleep beside me, Henley. I know you’ll behave.” Yeah, I’d have the best of intentions, but I’d be so fucking close to her. She’ll feel differently when she’s getting poked by an inconvenient boner, because I’d be hard if I was in the damn bed with her.
“Let me just put the room service dishes outside so they don’t wake us.”
My ride was parked outside, and the rest of the club had headed home.
We’d had options, like waiting here long enough for a prospect and a van, but we were both exhausted, and I didn’t want Glory having an audience if she suffered emotionally after this, which she really should be.
She hadn’t though. No tears, no sorrow, just acceptance.
It’d probably hit her at some point, maybe even in her damn dreams. Maybe having me that close tonight would help if that happened.
“Stop dithering, Na… Henley. Oh my god, I was doing so well with that, but you’re acting like you used to.”
“Meaning?” I stared at her from the foot of the bed, where she was half laying, covered up except for her hand, which had the melting ice pack over it.
“You were always so edgy around me, like being too close was distasteful or something. I know I’m just a woman and your friend, but I could do with you being near me tonight.”
I felt like I didn’t just hear her right. Did she seriously think my fucking behaviour back then was because I didn’t want her? I spent those few years trying so hard not to hit on her, or breach any boundaries, because she deserved the friend she’d signed up for, not some predator.
“Glory, and I say this with the utmost respect, are you completely fucking clueless?”
I sat on the bed, my back to her, as I waited to get my head chewed off.
Instead she spoke quietly, almost nervously.
“What are you saying?”
I shot up again, pacing beside the bed.
“You always thought you knew me so well, I mean, I thought you knew me well. I was so sure I was obvious as fucking anything, and this whole time you were just oblivious? I mean, Jesus fuck, I practically drooled after you every time you passed me. Half the time I had a cushion hiding my hard dick, because just being near you was like an aphrodisiac. You seriously think my issue back then was NOT wanting you? Fuck me!”
I dragged both hands through my hair, fighting the urge to get louder, to show more frustration, when I knew both those things would scare her, and it was the last thing I wanted.
It was just really hard to hold back, because frustration was wound tightly around every moment of those years with her, every touch, every laugh, every look, every fucking meal or movie together.
This whole time I was in love with her, and she thought I was being ‘hands off’?
She’s lucky I had enough fucking control over myself to not keep humping her leg like a fucking dog!
Glory
He was pacing relentlessly, messing with his hair, and muttering to himself.
All things I’d seen many times in our years together.
Agitation. That was what it was, and I could see he was trying to rein it all in, but he was edgier than he’d ever been, at least as far as I’d seen.
Was it just who he’d always been? Was it some darker side of him that he’d hidden?
Was it something that had developed from hanging with other biker guys?
“Nate?” I groaned. “Henley? Will you just get in the damn bed?” I wanted him to, because even edgy and unnerving, he was still my safe place.
Still the person I’d always run to, even if right now I wasn’t sure exactly what his mood truly was.
Was he hiding rage? Was there a deeper dark side that he’d always held back?
Or was it literally what he was hinting at? He had feelings for me?
“Henley? You were into me back then?”
“YES!” He hissed the word so sharply that it struck like a weapon, a shock to my system.
Not the word as such, but the fact that he was admitting the one thing I probably wasn’t ready to hear, because it’d make what I said to Lissa a fact.
I went through hell for nothing. That’s what it boiled down to.
“Seriously?” I clenched both fists, yelping with pain as the bruised one screamed at me, and that brought him to my side instantly, gently laying my hand back down and replacing the ice pack.
“You can’t have more pills for an hour,” he said, his tone fully back to caring and concerned.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked him, and I know, I just know he considered playing dumb and pretending I was talking about the pills, but then his shoulders sagged a little. He did make eye contact at least, the warm browns brimming with sorrow.
“I was a coward. Haven’t you worked that out yet?
That’s my thing. I’m weak, and I’m a coward.
I don’t speak up about shit like being in love, I just keep telling myself my feelings aren’t your burden, and I hide.
I bury my head and pretend it’s not happening, because I’m cheating myself out of what I want, but I know it’s not just down to me, and that’s how I keep missing out on life, and it passes me by, and-”
“Shh!” I lifted my good hand and cut off the babbling or we’d be up all night, and not in the good way.
“You loved me back then?”
His lips relaxed into an easy smile, beautiful in its suddenness.
“I’ve always loved you.”
“No. I mean, ‘in love’ with me?”
He sighed. “Like I said. It’s been always. I can’t remember a time when I just saw you as a friend, but you didn’t want me, and I had to respect that. You chose-”
“A monster! I chose the one who I thought wanted me, when the one I wanted didn’t!”
His breath caught, and he grabbed my good hand, squeezing it a little too tightly for comfort, but my focus was on the torrent of emotions he seemed to visibly suffer through. Shock. Sadness. Panic. Frustration. Definitely anger. And then back to sadness, no, more like horror.
“It’s my fault.”
Ugh. Of course he went there. I tugged on his hand, and when he lifted his tormented eyes, I pointed at the bed.
“In. Now.”
He blinked rapidly, getting up and moving sluggishly around the bed, sliding under the covers in his jeans and t-shirt. Idiot.
“You’re a little overdressed for bed, Henley.”
He studied his fingers with a little more concentration than I think they needed, but I think it was more about dodging me, or seeing what I’m feeling. Suggesting he sat beside me was a mistake, because I couldn’t see him.
“Fuck this.” I threw the covers off, and scrambled over them, straddling his lap in my damn underwear, and the light top I’d worn beneath the jumper. I couldn’t have worn leather jeans to bed, so yeah… me in my undies.
“Look me in the eye, Henley. This isn’t a conversation to have with your damn hands.”
The hands were now up in the air, but floating at our sides, like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“My hands make better sense than my mouth,” he finally said, and I smiled in response to his cute grin.
“This isn’t a joke either,” I said gently, and he nodded.
“I just feel like I’ve loved you forever, and if I’d just fucking grown some balls and told you, none of it would have happened. Hell maybe we’d have been together all these years, happy and safe.”
Suddenly I felt the need to be cute, since he’d been the one having all the fun.
“Wait, you don’t have any balls? That’s a dealbreaker, Henley.”
He blinked, then came the beautiful laughter. God, I loved that laugh. So free and happy, a little chaotic, but filled with relief.
“Going to have to hug you, sweetheart, just go with it. We both need this.”
I eagerly leaned forward as he tugged me firmly against his chest, his arms tight around me, but guess what else was suddenly pressed incredibly close together? Oh yeah. Those parts. There may have been his jeans and our underwear between us, but we both instantly gasped, and our eyes met.
“Huh.”
“What?” I asked him, watching him wet his lips in what I hoped was anticipation.
“We’ve uh… never sat like this before, but I like it. It’ll make it hard to watch TV together, but maybe we can figure that one out, because if we-”
I pressed my lips against his, because of all the ways to stop him babbling, I was starting to think this would be the most successful and enjoyable way.
Henley’s arms tightened around me, and his lips moved, teasing mine and deepening the kiss, as we both gave ourselves to it, and took what should have been ours years ago.
This should always have been where our friendship led to, and it would have been if either of us had been brave enough to speak up. To risk everything.
Henley groaned, tugging me closer, his hands moving to my hips as he ground me against him, and then instantly froze, pulling back from our kiss.