Chapter 15 Puck
FIFTEEN
PUCK
Just keep cool. Maybe it’s fate.
My eyes followed Brigid as she stepped out of the room, and the second she slipped out of sight, someone tugged my arm. I was dragged away from the throng of testosterone that had filled our temporary clubhouse as I made my way into the kitchen.
And it wasn’t until Stone turned to face me that I straightened my back.
“What’s up?” I asked.
His gaze slid down my form. “I don’t think I need to remind you how important this contact is.”
I shook my head. “Nope, you don’t.”
He took a step toward me. “Then I also don’t need to tell you that the I.I.A. isn’t an organization to fuck with.”
“Nope, that’s not needed, either.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Then I also don’t have to tell you that Brigid, in turn, is really not someone to fuck with. Figuratively or literally.”
I put on my best poker face. “I get it, Stone. Really. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m pretty sure Clancy said not to let her out of my sight, and she’s currently not in my sight.”
He thumbed over his shoulder. “Go.”
I slipped out of the kitchen and had to jog in order to catch up with her. I slammed out the front door and made my way toward the blacked-out SUV she was power-walking toward. I cupped my hands over my mouth and called out her name.
“Brigid! Wait up!”
She whipped around and crossed her arms over her chest like my disapproving mother used to do. She tapped her foot as I jogged up to her and the wrinkle of her brow told me we were about to have a very private conversation out in the open.
So, I reached out for her. “Let’s take this somewhere more—”
She jerked back. “Don’t you lay a damn hand on me.”
Okay, so she’s pissed. “We can take my bike. It’ll be less conspicuous.”
She scoffed. “You can hear it coming from a mile away, idiot.”
All right, so she’s really pissed. “You heard your father. Where I go, you go. If we get into a situation where we have to get away, I’d rather be the one driving. And if we take my motorcycle–”
She clicked her tongue. “Will it get you to shut up if I say yes?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
She clenched her jaw. “I’m not talking to you while we’re riding. When I work, I need silence. Got it?”
I nodded. “Got it.”
“Then lead the way, asshole.”
I bit down onto my tongue to keep from firing back as I led her toward my bike. I pulled out my spare helmet and handed it to her, flashes of last night bombarding my brain. I couldn’t fuck things up with the I.I.A. I mean, Brigid was the daughter of the man who ran the damned thing!
But as she slung her leg over the back of my bike like a pro, my mind ran away from me.
What I wouldn’t give to bend you over my fucking bike.
“You coming or what?” Brigid asked curtly.
I picked up my helmet. “Coming.”
After sliding on my helmet and situating myself in front of her, she instinctively wrapped her arms around my waist. The heat from her body stole my breath away and the feeling of her hands gripping my leather jacket tugged at my cock.
I cranked my engine and revved it a few times, feeling her body vibrate against my own.
And as her tits pressed against my back, I soared down the dirt and gravel road that took me back out to the highway.
Maybe I should pretend the other night didn’t happen.
On the one hand, it pained me to think about it.
The night we shared with one another was easily the most passionate night I’d shared with anyone in my entire life.
Did I tell her that I’d gotten her number from her phone?
Did I tell her that I had every single intent to call her this evening after this damned meeting ended in the first place?
“Take a left,” Brigid said.
The microphone came alive in my ear, and I smiled.
So much for not talking to one another. I relished her calm and soothing voice as she guided me toward Pathways, even though I knew exactly where it was.
Everything inside of me wanted to talk with her.
Wanted to clear things up and smooth things over.
Maybe we could salvage this. Maybe her father and Stone pushing the two of us together was fate working as hard as it could.
But the second we pulled into the parking lot, she jumped off as fast as possible.
“Hurry up, we’re wasting time,” Brigid said flatly.
I pulled off my helmet and whipped my leg around to get off. “We have plenty of time to do this. Just take a breath.”
Her angry glare slowly found my stare. “You boss me around like that one more time and I’ll leave you sprawled out on the ground for my father to find.”
I grinned. “You sure you could take me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Shut up and stay here. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
I reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could get away from me, though. “Oh, no you don’t.”
She ripped away. “The hell is wrong with you? If my father ever figures out you touched me, he’ll—”
I closed the distance between us. “You didn’t have any issues with me touching you last night, so don’t act like you’ve got issues now. I get it. You’re mad that I left. But for starters, I have your number.”
She blinked. “And how is that?”
I shrugged. “You should do a better job locking your phone.”
Her eyes bulged. “You dug through my fucking purse? What kind of maniac are you?”
My eyes danced between hers. “The kind of maniac who knew he couldn’t stay without risking your safety, but wanted to get back in contact with you.”
She swallowed hard. “Oh.”
I placed my hands on her shoulders. “I didn’t ditch you. You can be angry all you want; you have every right to be. But I didn’t duck out on you. I only did what I knew I could to keep you safe. That’s it.”
For a split second, I thought her face softened.
But as quickly as it happened, her face hardened again and she shrugged off my touch.
I wanted so badly to hear her side of things.
I wanted to yell, scream, and curse at each other until we were both so worn out that we had no other choice except to talk.
But as she pulled away from me and started toward the entrance of the rehab facility, I wondered if I’d ever be able to repair things.
I wondered if I’d ever get a chance to prove my intentions to the most beautiful woman to ever exist.