Chapter 26
Skyla
S leep fades as I slowly come awake, feeling a wall of heat behind me. I am momentarily stunned, thinking what the hell is happening , then I take in the room and my body relaxes.
I am in Camo’s, no Reece’s, room.
Taking in what I can see from my position, you can tell this is a room of a single man that needs a woman’s touch to break up framed photos of bikes and other naked women posters that dot the walls, along with candles in mounted holders.
Being in his room and him taking care of me the way he is, is making it harder to fight the swirling emotions.
Shit, I had locked that emotion away, but it seems that Reece has found the key.
“I can hear you thinking, baby. What had you stiffening just then?”
Squeezing my eyes closed tightly, I take a deep breath, steadying myself before I speak. "Reece, it's hard for me to admit this, but thinking about you with other women hurts me more than I thought it would. I know we weren't together, but it doesn't change the way I feel."
I gingerly slide down the bed onto my back, turn my head to face him, looking into his eyes, searching for understanding, which I find.
It shocks me because Camo was always a hard man to read, but now, seeing him looking at me like he knows what I am feeling makes me see that he is trying. Only time will tell, but I know for sure that I can’t let my guard down around him just yet.
“I get that, baby. There is nothing I can do about my past, but we can only control the shit from now and going forward. You just have to trust me, and I know that is hard right now, but I am done hurting you, baby. Done pushing you away.”
He looks me dead in the eyes as he says this and hope blooms in my chest, so I nod, not wanting to taint the moment.
A smile graces his lips, and I fight to hold in a sigh. Did I ever say how freaking handsome and sexy Reece is?
“What is your surname?” I ask, making him blink, then smile.
“Copeland. Reece Copeland.”
“Reece Copeland,” I test his full name on my lips, which makes him smile.
“I love my name on your lips, baby, and soon I plan on making you scream it for the rest of our lives. But first.” He jumps off the bed, making me giggle.
“What are you doing?” I watch as he strips out of his boxer briefs.
My mouth waters seeing him naked; it has been so long since I have felt him inside of me, and I miss it. My core tightens at the sight of all that tanned skin, pulled tight over his muscles.
“We are showering, then I am going to make my woman some breakfast.”
“Your woman?” I cock a brow at him and holy shit, the way he moves toward me like a lion stalking his prey makes my pussy gush.
He leans down, dropping his fists onto the bed on either side of my head, making his biceps bulge in that delicious way. His intense eyes are locked on mine as he closes the gap between us.
Licking his lips, he butterfly touches his lips to mine.
“Yes, my woman.”
He pushes off the bed, pulling the bedding off my body, before gently helping me to my feet. With my hand in his, he leads me into the bathroom, then starts the shower. While we wait for the water to warm up, he turns to face me, keeping a smile on his face.
With deft fingers, he unbuttons my pajama top and drops it to the floor, leaving me completely topless.
His eyes track the small bandage that sits at my side where they had to put the drain in after my lung collapsed in the attack.
After spending a few days in the hospital, I found breathing became easier and easier every day.
I have always been a quick healer. Clark thinks that I have witch or pixie blood in my veins, as I heal so fast.
My eyes widen when Reece sinks to his knees, his big hands gripping the waistband of my sweats and pulling them down my legs. With the one side of his mouth tilted up, he leans in, keeping eye contact, and kisses my stomach, just below my belly button, and my stomach flips.
Like an animal stalking his prey, he climbs back to his feet, his fingertips gently brushing over the outside of my thighs, making me shiver.
“You do not play fair, Mr. Copeland,” I pant.
Damn traitorous body.
His grin widens, sending a new wave of lust through me. Damn it.
“I said that we would not have sex until you trusted me; I never said anything about me playing fair until you decide.” He winks.
Helping me into the shower, I stand in front of him, letting this beast of a man wash my body gently, and he never makes it sexual. Just a man taking care of his woman. I am grateful for that, because like I said, I am not sure that I can forgive him, yet.
In time, maybe, but right now the pain is still raw.
I have often thought that if I did not catch him fucking the club girl, I would not be feeling like this, that I would have bottled up what I was feeling and forced myself to move on, but seeing and hearing about something are two very different things.
Everyone handles every situation differently and no one will tell me otherwise.
Once we are done with the shower and I can breathe easier knowing that Reece is no longer naked and standing behind me, or in front of me giving me the perfect view of his chiseled body, I can calm my body down.
He smirks when he looks at me so he knows what he is doing but makes no move to stop the little touches.
Now we are in the club’s kitchen, and I am sitting at the table gawking at him like a fish out of water, as he makes me breakfast.
“Baby, close your mouth, you know I like it when it is open like that. It gives me ideas.”
“Pig.”
He places a plate in front of me, and I look down seeing scrambled eggs that look so freaking fluffy, crispy bacon, and some toast. It may not be much but coming from this man who not so long ago wanted nothing to do with me unless I was giving him free pussy, this is fucking huge. Like monumentally huge.
“Dig in. Delaney is on her way. She will keep you company while I go to church to find this cunt who hurt you.”
Suddenly my stomach tenses and I lose my appetite.
“Hey, you are safe. Clark is safe, we have prospects watching him, and I forgot to tell you this, but Tate and Eva have Aston.” I gasp, my eyes filling with tears.
Oh my God, he is safe. Finally.
It is like a huge weight has been lifted off my body.
My heart aches that I am not the one taking care of him but I know that Tate and Eva will do whatever they can to make him feel safe and supported.
“You will see him later, when they bring him here. Tate has filed an emergency order to have the boy removed due to the attack; plus, someone saw that fucker hit the boy. He added another mark to his ‘hit count’ also.”
Reece pulls me close to him, my head resting on his chest.
“He will pay for this, baby, and I will prove that I am fucking worthy of you.”
The door creaks open, and I know Delaney has arrived.
“Go on, the boys are wanting to start church. I will watch your girl, you know I will not let anything happen to her.” Her sweet voice fills the room.
Reece pulls back, kisses me on the lips softly, then steals a piece of bacon off my plate before I can say anything.
He winks, then leaves.
“Girl, that man is gone for you.” She smiles at me.
“I wish I could believe you,” I say, my voice shaky with emotion.
“Skyla, I think deep down he knows what he did was wrong, and I can say this heartfully to you that I have never, and I mean never, seen him like this for any woman.”
“How long have you known him, or anyone in the club?” I ask her.
Sitting across from me, she ponders for a few seconds, before bringing her gaze to meet mine, and I see pain and anguish there.
“I have known most of the brothers for years, as I am from Salem, but when I turned eighteen, I approached Winger and told him that I wanted to be a club girl. I needed out of my current situation, where I was being fed on unwillingly by my boyfriend’s vampire friends.
Joining the club would get me away from him and offer me protection. ”
“Oh shit, Delaney.”
She shrugs. “I have moved on, and I love my life now. Well, until recently.” Her voice takes on a grim tone, and I hate seeing my new friend hurting like this.
“Are you really going to leave the club?”
She nods. “I think it is time.” She sighs. “The club has been so good to me, but now I have to fight for me. A friend of mine is moving to the UK, so she is letting me rent her condo. It is a two bedroom, and she has also helped me get a job in a bakery over on Main Street.”
“Wow. That was fast.” I am shocked at how much she has done since last night when everything blew up.
She shrugs again.
“No point in staying somewhere where I am not wanted.”
“Oh, come on, that is not true.” She gives me that look. “Okay, but only him, the rest of the brothers want you here, Del.”
She says nothing, pushing to her feet, and I watch her as she makes herself a coffee, then refills mine. I give her a grateful smile. Then she sits back down at the table.
I can sense her unease at being here. Before, I got the feeling that she had always belonged here but after what Thorin did last night, it’s clear that she’s now feeling unsettled.
“What has happened between Thorin and you? Tell me to mind my own business if you do not want to talk about it, but know that I am here if you ever need to talk,” I offer, then sip my coffee.
Delaney shifts in her seat, and I hate that I have made her feel like this, but I think it would help if she talked about it.
“I am Thorin’s mate, but he refuses to acknowledge the connection, and I think it has something to do with my past, but a part of me thinks it is simply because he does not see me as an equal, as I am human.”
“Fucking men are so stubborn. I gave him a piece of my mind last night. Reece had to hold me back.” I wink at her.
“Reece?” She smiles at me.
“Yeah, he told me that I get to call him by his birth name, but only me. He also told me that I am his Ol’ Lady.”
“This is big, babe.” She covers my hand with hers, gripping softly.
“Maybe. It will be hard to get past the hurt, and I think the fear of him reverting back to his old ways when he gets bored or pissed at me will always hang in the back of my mind. Like I told him, even though we were never a couple when we were sleeping together, seeing him fuck that club girl in front of me, and keep going while I was standing there broke my heart. Being human sucks sometimes.”
“I saw him that day, Sky, and I swear he was not the usual broody Camo. Something was switched in his head, and I hated seeing it. After you left, something else broke in him and he went crazy. Smashed up a few tables and chairs, then got blackout drunk. The guys had to carry him to his room.”
I feel oddly satisfied that he got angry, and maybe even a little upset, at seeing me watch him fuck someone, then end things for good. If I was someone petty, I would have made sure that he saw me fuck someone, so he would know how it truly felt.
But that is not me.
“Why do our hearts want the most stubborn men we know?” I giggle, and Delaney joins in.
“The fated gods work in strange ways, my friend.”
I hold her hand in mine, offering her a smile.
“You are one of mine now, and I come with Eva, Clark, and Rocky. You need anything, you call on us and we will be there.”
Her eyes fill with tears, but she nods.
Having Delaney as a friend will be a good thing. Her troubles with Thorin are far from over, but she will have us to lean on, as there is no way I will turn my back on her after what I saw last night.
Having friends in your corner can do wonders for the soul; plus, it is always good to have people around you to drink wine, eat ice cream, and whine about love troubles.