Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
NATE
"Better?" Ellis asks, licking his lips and leaning back with his hands on my knees.
"Fuck," I groan, rubbing my face. After such a powerful orgasm down Ellis' throat, I should be feeling relaxed. But I'm not. "No. Shit, I'm sorry, darling."
Ellis rubs my legs a little. "Hey, it's okay. Nothing can compete with the feeling of urgency. Let's go."
When I pull my hands from my face, Ellis steals a kiss and pulls me to stand up. "What?"
He's already dragging me to the front door after pulling my jeans back up.
"We're gonna go check on Violet. You really want to see her, make sure she's okay, so that's what we'll do.
Plus, it's their birthday, so we should go.
Maybe this time we'll get her phone number," he grumbles and steps into his boots.
Not one to deny the opportunity to see Violet again, I shove my feet into my shoes, grab my jacket, and rush out the door after Ellis.
The usual twenty-minute drive it takes us to get to Jamie's apartment is closer to a half hour as we're getting close to dinnertime and the snow is tripping people up.
I'm itching to get there, and the whole time Ellis drives, he peeks over at me with worry. "Nate, what's going on? You're restless."
I sigh so big it borders on rude. "We don't have birthday gifts and haven't seen them for a few days. We need to be around them more if we're going to solidify our place in their lives."
Ellis glances at me again. "So then why the hell have you locked yourself in your garage? And their gift will deliver next week, so it's fine."
"I have a lot of orders from Christmas, you know that." It's bullshit but also true.
"Bullshit. Why have you been avoiding everything? You've even pulled away from me, which we agreed years ago was never allowed."
Fuck fuck fuck. The guilt that has been eating me alive doubles because not only are we lying to Jamie and Violet, but I've also hurt Ellis.
Steeling myself, I turn in my seat to watch him as he navigates downtown Detroit. "I'm sorry. I just—there's so much I'm worried about. Like what if they find out what we did that set this all in motion? I'm battling that and being angry at both of us for doing something so immature."
Ellis swallows. "I know. Me too. But I need you, Nate. We need each other to get through this and move on from it. The more you pull away, the longer it's going to linger."
Nerves have me reaching up and putting my shoulder-length blond hair into a bun. The last thing I need is to feel overstimulated with hair on my neck. "You're right," I acknowledge. "I'm sorry. I'll keep this in mind, darling."
Nodding, Ellis pulls into Jamie's parking garage. Once in a guest parking spot, I grab the front of his jacket and yank him toward me. "Forgive me?" I whisper, needing someone to.
"Always," he murmurs.
Ellis melts into my hold, allowing me to give him a possessive kiss that tells him we'll always be a team, even when one of us is being a dumbass.
It's time to figure out how not to be an idiot.
Walking into the fancy lobby of the apartment complex, I never thought I'd see Violet backing away from Jamie. In my mind, I figured that man could do no wrong when it came to her, but I guess I was wrong.
Ellis growls low in his throat when we get close enough to see the tears rolling down her cheeks. I have to grab the back of his jacket to keep him from attacking Jamie.
"El, wait. Let them work it out," I murmur in his ear and shuffle us forward so they both know we're here.
When Jamie glances over at us, his eyes show so much feeling my breath catches in my throat. Worry and desperation widen his gaze and turn his lips down.
"Violet, it's not a big deal, my love," he tries to reason once he turns back to her.
Cringing, Ellis and I both know that was the wrong thing to say.
Violet takes a shuddering breath and raises her chin. "It's a big deal to me!"
"What's going on?" I ask, stepping in because Violet's close to yelling in a public space. And honestly, I don't like that Jamie's hurting her. Someone needs to be there for her to lean on, and I intend to be that person. But to be here for her, I need some information.
Jamie looks at me, slight annoyance now playing in the crinkle of his nose, but he still answers my question. "I told her about my MC friends keeping an eye on her for me to keep her safe."
"Oh, like Bash?" Ellis blurts, and I have half a mind to fucking spank him when Violet looks at us with hurt.
"You knew?" she accuses.
Ellis pales, realizing his mistake. "Bubbles, we thought you knew."
Violet steps away from Ellis now and places a hand on her chest like he struck her. "Don't call me that," she says, pointing at my partner.
"And you," her voice trembles when she turns to Jamie again. "You should have told me a long time ago you were having me followed!"
"It was just for your safety, Violet. You would have told me to stop, but you fucking walked home from my place every weekend in the dark.
No, I didn't tell you. But that was a safety choice I made for you.
" Jamie isn't budging, and while I don't blame him, I think he's coming at this from the wrong angle.
"That's not the point." Violet confirms my suspicion. "I'm mad you kept it a secret. Secrets get people hurt, Jamie."
Fuck. My heart clenches and my brain tumbles through all the hurt Ellis and I could cause if our secret ever came to light.
"You did get hurt. It's a good thing Bash was trailing you." Jamie reiterates the wrong statement.
"Hey," I interject, stepping forward only to be ignored as Violet snaps.
"That's not the fucking point, Jamie!"
"Then what is the point?!" Jamie does well keeping his voice low, but the exasperation in his tone makes it feel like he's yelling.
I'm about to suggest we go upstairs to talk this out when Violet deflates with tears running down her face. "The point is this is just another thing thrown at me that I don't know how to cope with immediately."
Jamie frowns, but it soon morphs from confusion to realization. I feel for the man, I really do, but this was his fault. He sounds pained as he reaches for her.
"Violet—"
Unfortunately for him, his movement triggers Violet to turn to me with big pleading eyes. "Can you take me home, please?"
"Violet," Jamie gasps, like he can't believe what he's hearing.
My heart is in my throat. She's asking me to be her safe space right now, and, fucking hell, it feels so good. I clear my throat and hold my hand out to Ellis for the keys. "Of course, baby. I'll drive you home."
"Come get me when you're ready," Ellis murmurs to me with a nod of acceptance. He can hang out with Jamie for a while, maybe help him figure out how to fix this.
"Thank you," she whispers, fidgeting with her hands. "I just need time to think," she says to Jamie and gives him a little smile.
Poor fucker looks ready to cry or tie her to his bed, whichever it is, I feel bad for him. This time his loss is my gain.
Jamie seems to gather all of his courage, because he nods. "I understand. I'm very sorry for throwing this at you right now."
"Thank you," Violet offers like the sweetheart she has always been. "Good night. Happy birthday."
"Good night, my love," Jamie responds, sounding so pained I don't want to take her from him at all. Violet shuffles toward me and tugs on the arm of my jacket to get my attention, but Jamie tells me, "Text me when she's safe."
I nod. "Of course." To Violet, I smile and grab her hand to lead the way. "Come on, baby. Let’s get you on Ellis' heated seats. They can fix anything."
She nods sadly, seemingly lost in her head already now that I've walked her away from the reason for her pain. That's okay, I'm just happy she feels safe with me for a while.
"You can be as quiet as you'd like, but I'll need your address somehow," I tease and tickle her cheek to get her attention.
My God, the way she looks up at me as if I'm her hero steals the breath from my lungs. I'll drive her anywhere in complete silence as long as she wants to be with me.
Stay with me forever, baby.