Chapter Six #5
“She likes you, too. My dad would’ve liked you if you’d given him the chance to know you.
I spent every night in the MC with you. While you worked behind the bar,” I added with a note of annoyance.
“And you couldn’t spend a Saturday at the track with me.
You won’t come to my house. You want me, but you want me to fit into your life, but you’ve never wanted to be a part of mine. ”
I traced my fingertip over his name on the left breast of his cut.
“You’ve risked your life for them.” For Blue, Kiss and his Heller brothers.
He didn’t have to tell me the dangerous situations he faced, but Hellers carried guns, lived by their own code, and protected each other like family.
Cruz wanted their family, but he didn’t want anything to do with mine.
“I risked us for them.” He feathered his fingertips along my temple. “I’m sorry. So fucking sorry.”
I believed him, but he’d broken me, and Ryatt was making me feel things I’d forgotten I needed. He made me laugh. He made me feel beautiful. “I’m not going to stop seeing Ryatt.”
“It won’t last,” he said.
“It might.”
“You think? I’ve been here since you walked in the door with him. At first, I wanted to beat his ass for touching you.”
“At first? Now, you don’t want to fight him? What changed?”
“You.” He cocked his head, and his gaze slipped from my eyes to my mouth.
“I’m not going to fight with you either,” I said, knowing I was a liar.
He knew it, too. His lips twitched. “The only thing we do better than fight is fuck. But that’s not all we are.” He brushed my bangs from my eyes. “I promised not to lie to you. Never again.” He leaned in closer until his breath was warm against my ear.
“I know I fucked up,” he said. “You want to date Ryatt, fine, but I’m not backing off. I’ll stalk you, Micki. I’ll fucking watch him touch my girl to be close to you.”
I swallowed the extra spit in my mouth. “You’d watch me with him?” Because the thought of him touching another girl cut deep, so deep I couldn’t breathe.
“I’ve watched you all night. When you were dancing, Ryatt looked good on you.
I hate that he makes you smile, but I love to see you happy.
You can’t tell me you don’t miss what we have.
” His lips barely touched my flesh. “He had his hands on your ass, and his tongue was in your mouth. You were kissing him back, but were you all in?”
I pulled back. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“I want you to admit he’s not like me, and he won’t be enough.” He threaded his fingers into my hair. “I want you to admit that your panties are soaked, not because of him, but because of me. Because you know he won’t collar your throat and fuck you against this wall.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
“But I would. Punish me for as long as you need, but don’t tell me we’re over. You’ve never been a liar. Don’t lie to me now.”
I couldn’t answer him because he was right. I wasn’t going to lie to him. Heat from his stare seeped into my nipples. “It’s been five minutes,” was all I could say. Anything else would leave me vulnerable. And I wasn’t strong enough to expose my weaknesses.
“I’m not leaving,” Cruz said and took a step back.
“Are you going to say something to Ryatt?”
His low gravelly chuckle reminded me of more things I missed about him.
“I’ll talk to him,” he said. “I’m not going to talk to him about you.
Not when it comes to us.” He didn’t touch me as we walked toward the club.
“I’m not going to make the situation hard for you, but you have to understand, with his connection to Romeo, he’s eventually going to prospect for the club. ”
“I know.” I missed this, too. His presence next to me. I still loved him, this bad boy biker who ran just a bit hot and lived on a dangerous edge. Maybe I’d always miss being his. Maybe he did care about my feelings. “Thank you. For not starting anything.”
“You can’t keep us a secret,” he said, finally touching me by placing his hand on my lower back just above my ass. We traversed dancers, drinkers, and servers, making our way to the table. “Warn your new boyfriend. I’m not going away.”
I slid onto the stool next to Ryatt, just as Cruz took the spot next to Dozer directly across from me.
Ryatt’s gaze shifted between us. It wouldn’t be a leap for him to assume we’d been together.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Are you okay?”
“I’ll tell you later.” I picked up my drink glass and realized it was empty. The wait at the bar would be long judging by the crowd. I searched the area for a server.
“Levi ordered AMF’s,” Romeo said. “Here she comes.”
Blue cocktails were set on the table. “Hey, Blade,” the server said. “Hammer said Kings are in the club and to watch your back.” She smiled. “And he said no trouble.”
“I already told you,” a seriously buzzed Levi said to Cruz. “No trouble.”
“You are trouble.” Romeo pulled her onto his lap.
Ryatt’s knee began to bounce beneath the table. His shoulders stiffened, and he lowered his gaze.
“Are you okay?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he laced his fingers with mine. “I can’t be here.”
A knot formed low in my belly. “Because of Cruz?”
His gaze lifted to the man across from me. “I’ve got a little problem with the Kings. Actually, it’s a big fucking problem. It’s why I couldn’t meet you at Vintage Brew. Wrong neighborhood for me.” He scanned the crowd. “I need to go.”
Washington Street Kings. Gang bangers. I didn’t have details, but I’d heard enough at the MC to know that the Kings had filled the void in the Washington Street neighborhood when the Crawlers were taken out.
I grabbed my jacket.
He snapped his hand over mine. “Stay here.” He shook his head as if arguing with his thoughts. “Fuck,” he muttered, his gaze tracking over everyone at our table.
“You’re scaring me,” I whispered.
“You can’t be seen with me.” He lowered his voice. “I can’t be seen with them.” His eyes spoke what his words couldn’t. He needed to get out of the club, away from me, and away from the Hellers.
“Your probation?”
A nervous smile twisted his lips, and he squeezed my hand. “I’ll explain later. If I leave, can you get home?”
There was only one other biker I would ride with. Ryatt would hate me on the back of Cruz’s bike as much as Cruz hated me riding with Ryatt. “I can go with Cruz.”
“I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do. I can call Kiss and see if she can pick you up.”
“Is my going with Cruz going to piss you off?” Because I had to be honest with him.
Cruz was fighting to get back into my life.
And fighting with Cruz was what I did best. I wanted to assuage Ryatt’s concerns.
But I couldn’t tell him he had nothing to worry about, that it would only be a ride. Because I wouldn’t lie to him.
“I don’t like it, but I know he’ll keep you safe. McKelle, if anyone asks, anyone you don’t know. Anyone that could’ve seen us together dancing or sitting here. Tell them you don’t know me. You were looking for a hookup, and I bounced. You don’t even remember my name.”
I nodded, but fear scorched hot through my veins. Ryatt was scared, scared for me. Scared enough to send me home with Cruz. He squeezed my hand.
“Will you text me as soon as you’re safe?
” I asked. “Like the minute you know. Not when you get home because I’m seriously freaking out right now.
Tuck your plate. You can outrun most bikes.
” I tried to smile through my fear. “Just not mine.” If he had his plate tucked under his seat, cops wouldn’t be able to catch him or identify his bike.
“Are you going home or to the MC with him?” His gaze lifted to Cruz.
Cruz must’ve figured out there was an issue. His lips pulled into a hard line as he stared intently at Ryatt.
“I’m going home.” My brows pinched. “I’m not hooking up with Cruz when I’m out with you.”
“I’m sorry. My bad.” He tried to smile through his worry. “I need to go, but I don’t want to be seen. Look behind me. Do you see any bangers? Kings won’t stand out like Hellers.”
“It’s crowded, but no one seems to be looking at our table.”
“The longer I stay, the more chance I’ll be seen.
” He squeezed my thigh, slid off his stool, and spun away from me.
With his head bowed, and his shoulders slumped, he worked his way to the exit.
I lost sight of him for a moment, then I caught a glimpse as he nodded to Hammer and slipped out the door.
When I spun back around to the table, Cruz had moved to sit next to me.
“What the fuck is going on?”