Chapter 8 Rage Has Demons Too #3
I chuckle. “You were at the time. My life was a mess and I was surprised at my actions, but I must say I was quite happy I could pick you up to be honest. It was the confidence I needed.”
He laughs out loud. “Glad I could be of service. I was stoked I pulled a sexy cougar.”
I cringe. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to being called a cougar.” It’s almost like I’m defiling the poor man. Like I’m doing something naughty.
“Has your ex tried to call?” he asks, his tone shifting to something more serious.
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes. I’m not ready to talk to him yet. I wouldn’t even know what to say. I do want to get my business machinery and other business items back sooner rather than later and have a look at a place to rent. Rent both here and in my town is so high.”
He’s frowning again. “You can stay with me at the clubhouse. You don’t have to worry about paying rent. Just help with cleaning and cooking and any basic chores, and no one is going to ask you for money. Everyone there helps, and everything gets done.”
I smile. “Thanks, I’m enjoying it there.
Everyone is nice. I’ve got a bit of savings, but a lot of my money went toward the wedding, so it’ll help me if I stay at the clubhouse until I get myself sorted out.
” I peer out the window, wondering if that is a good idea.
Should I just look for a place to rent now?
I shouldn’t rely on anyone but myself, but it would help me save and get set up for the future, and helping out around the clubhouse will be easy.
I was doing all the household chores for Tyler anyway.
Rage pulls into a parking spot outside a clothing store. We meet at the front of the truck, and he takes my hand in his. My face flushes at the public display of affection, but it feels right.
“There are shops all along this strip. You lead the way,” he says.
And I do. The first shop is a sportswear store.
The mannequins in the window are dressed in brightly colored leggings and tank tops.
We go inside, the bell above the door jingling.
The smell of new fabric greets me. It seems to have the same clothes in every color.
We go to the women’s clothing aisle first and I flick through the T-shirts.
There are so many to choose from. I grab a few basic shirts, black leggings, and a matching tank top and say, “Let’s go find the changing room. ”
Afterward, I drag the poor man along to every clothing store. Not all stores have my size. I’m used to it, but I see some nice clothes in smaller sizes and wish they were made for bigger girls too because they’d look really nice on. I grab everything from pajamas to dresses to casual house clothes.
There’s one shop left—a lingerie store. I tug on Rage’s hand, trying to steer him back the way we came, but his grip is stronger and I end up following him inside.
My heart beats faster and my anxiety intensifies.
I bow my head, feeling like I don’t belong here because all around are petite mannequins wearing flimsy fabrics.
They’re beautiful pieces, but for a woman my size .
. . I’ve always been too self-conscious.
A beautiful woman with immaculate makeup and hair walks over to us.
She gives Rage a flirty look, but his eyes are only on me.
The woman glances at our joined hands and pauses, looking between us.
Her brows pull in as if she’s confused, but she shakes her head and puts on a friendly customer-service smile.
“Hello,” she says in an over-the-top voice. She casts a glance my way. “How can I help you?” But her eyes immediately shift to Rage, and she looks hungry. I suppose I can’t blame her.
I force a smile. Not that I wanted to come here in the first place, but Rage wanted to, and he isn’t interested in wearing anything here. The thought makes me giggle internally. “I’m just looking at the moment. Do you have bigger sizes?”
She nods her head. “Yes, we do. Take a look around, and if there’s anything you’d like to try on, let me know.”
“Thank you.”
Rage frowns and looks deep in thought. I hold his hand a little tighter to get his attention. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
If anything, I should be the one frowning. I look over at the mannequin. How is that little material going to cover me? Where do the woman’s flaps go? The material is so thin. Not all of us have petite kitty cats.
He stares at the floor for a moment before making eye contact. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you come in here. I was just thinking of myself because you’d look amazing in a set, but yeah . . . I should be thinking about you, and I feel like crap after seeing you uncomfortable just then.”
My heart clenches. He’s so sweet. I wrap my arms around him and give him a tight hug.
He’s stiff at first, but then his body softens.
He gives himself a hard time when he’s the nicest and most respectable man I’ve ever met.
“Don’t stress about it. Since we’re here, I’ll try it on, but just so you know, it’s not going to look on me the way it did on the others you’ve been with. ”
He folds his arms across his vest, his biceps straining against the fabric. “You’ll look better—because you’re the one I actually care about.”
This man is going to break my heart tenfold more than Tyler ever did.
I slowly walk around. There’s a black lacy bra that looks nice.
I touch it. The low-cut push-up bra is silky soft.
I go through the rack and find my size and then look at the matching panties—a G-string and a bikini bottom option.
Now, I’m sorry, but I’m not having dental floss up my butt all day, so the bikini one it is. The edging is the same lace as the bra.
If this gorgeous man is excited to see me in something like this, then hell, I’m going to give it a try.
My weight shouldn’t hold me back, and he seemed to love my body the night we slept together.
Surely he wouldn’t be spending time with me and like me if he didn’t find me attractive.
I straighten my back; I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and get my confidence back.
“This is for you, Rage,” I tease. I smile as I walk to the sales assistant. She ushers me to the change room and passes me the set through the door.
As I take it, I see her striding straight to Rage, probably to flirt with him, but hey, he’s with me. I need to calm down. We aren’t a couple, but being with him makes me feel so damn good, and as much as I shouldn’t want it and I hardly know him, I want to be with him.
I close the door and get changed. I take a moment to look at myself.
My boobs look amazing. The underwear is comfortable and looks classy with the lace.
I’m used to wearing just basic and boring underwear and bras because I’ve always felt self-conscious and didn’t want anyone to see so much of my skin.
A thrill of excitement races through me at the thought of seeing Rage’s face when I’m in this.
I get changed again and go to the counter. The sales assistant is talking to Rage, but he looks uninterested in their conversation. When our eyes meet, his light up and he asks, “How’d it go?”
“Good, actually.” I blink a few times, still pleasantly surprised. “They’re comfortable.”
He graces me with a wolfish grin. “I can’t wait to see it on you.”
I smile at his enthusiasm and place the items on the counter. “I’ll take them.”
“Oh no,” Rage says, and steps ahead of me, pulling out his wallet. “I wanted them, I’ll pay for them.”
I let him go, and once they’re paid for, I stand on my toes and kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
He reaches for my hand again, and we walk back over to the truck.
“Rage from the War Brothers MC, is that you?” a deep voice asks.
I glance over to see two tall, rough-looking men. One is broader and more muscular than the other, his tight T-shirt straining against bulging muscles. Instinctively, I step closer to Rage, and he immediately moves in front of me, shielding me completely.
Rage stands at his full height, and his voice deepens. “Yes, it is. Why? Do I know you?”
“This is Ivan,” one of them says, his thick Russian accent unmistakable. “He’ll be fighting you soon.”
My whole body freezes. I don’t like that Rage fights. It’s not like it’s legitimate; it’s illegal and he’s fighting against rough people. A crowd I thought he wouldn’t usually hang around.
“Okay,” Rage answers nonchalantly.
“I’ve seen you fight,” the man continues, “but I think Ivan will finally beat you and you’ll lose your undefeated title.”
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Rage says confidently.
The two men are huge, but Rage can clearly hold his own. He has balls of steel, that’s for sure.
The other man laughs. “We will. And who’s the lovely lady you’re hiding from us?”
I flinch, and dread assaults me.
“None of your business.” Rage’s voice is firm, but it’s layered with a warning.
“Okay, okay. Well, we’ll see you in the ring soon.”
Rage turns, still shielding me so they can’t see my face. We walk to the truck with quick strides and put the bags in the back. He’s quiet, so I let him calm down on the way back to the clubhouse. There’s anger rolling off of him. He’s tense, which makes me feel uneasy.
Once he parks the truck, I’m burning to ask what’s wrong with him, but with everything that happened with my exes, I’m more cautious now. I’m unwilling to upset him. I don’t know how he’ll react when he’s emotional and angry, so I quietly grab the bags and follow him upstairs and into his room.
“I need to talk to Reaper and Twitch,” he says firmly, and walks out.
I take all the price tags off the clothes and take them downstairs to wash. I’m glad to see Ava’s and Elena’s faces in the kitchen.
“Can you please show me where the washing machine is?”
“Of course,” Ava replies. She takes me over and shows me how to use their washing machine. I load my clothes and then take a seat at the kitchen counter next to Elena while Ava peels potatoes.
“How was your shopping trip?” Elena asks. “I saw you come in with some bags.”
“Great, I got almost everything I needed,” I say, but then I think of the two men we had an encounter with and my body shakes. They were scary.
“What’s wrong?” Ava asks, concerned.
I wonder whether I should tell them or not, but maybe they can help with how to approach the situation.
“Two scary-looking men noticed Rage and mentioned how one of them was going to beat him in the fights. They were huge and not the type of people you mess with.” Reaper-style tall and bulky.
Worry builds inside me when I think of Rage having to fight him.
Both women are frowning. Ava reaches over and places a comforting hand on my arm.
“I’m sorry you had to see them. I guess the men don’t go out a great deal, so they would’ve been surprised to see Rage.
The fight is in two days, so they’re probably in town for that.
The winner can earn a lot from the fight too, so it ups the stakes. ”
“Rage wouldn’t let them look at me. They were curious, but after their brief chat, we left and Rage is . . .” I trail off, nausea churning in my stomach as tears threaten to spill.
“Aww,” Elena says, pulling me into a hug.
I’m grateful for her friendly gesture. I need a friend right now.
“Rage is angry. His vibe completely changed from being this happy, great guy to being cold, and I can see the anger he’s holding in.
After everything that happened with my ex, I feel like I’m walking on eggshells, unsure if he’ll snap.
I don’t think he will, but I didn’t think my ex would either, so I’m just on edge, and I hate it. ”
Elena pats my back. “We’re here for you, and so you know, he’d never hurt a woman, and he obviously likes you. I think boxing is his way to let off steam, and he was probably just angry with himself that they could have seen what you look like.”
I lean back and wipe my eyes. That makes sense.
“I one hundred percent agree with that,” Ava adds.
“Rage is sweet, but he’s young and, like the rest of us, stumbling through life.
I don’t think he considered how him being angry would make you feel.
He’s never had to worry about a woman before.
He cares about you and he’s a quick learner, so just talk to him about it. ”
I hear heavy footsteps and see Rage. He speaks to Reaper but stiffens when he sees me and quickly walks over and takes my hands in his. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice gentle. Immediately he softens, and my sweet man is back.