19. Gigi
19
GIGI
I n my apartment, I wait for Mack and try to sort out everything that has happened over the last few hours.
My mind is a hot mess right now. I half expect my brother to come in and tell me he’s shot Mack, or at the very least beaten him unconscious. Connor has never been known for his easygoing temperament. There’s a reason his road name is Fury.
If it comes to that, Mack will probably just let Connor beat the shit out of him, without even defending himself. My heart wrenches at the thought. I’ve been trying to think of this thing with Mack as just an uncomplicated fling — a way to relieve the sexual tension between us. Even as I’ve been fighting my increasingly strong feelings for him.
But now that Con has found out about us, there’s no way to pretend it’s uncomplicated any longer. Him knowing about Mack and me makes it real in a way I can no longer deny.
I fall asleep waiting for either Connor or Mack to come talk to me, but it doesn’t happen. When I wake up later, I’m alone in bed except for Tedward, and it’s early morning. But it’s not long before a soft knock comes on the door. A second later, Mack enters.
“Hey,” he says. “You sleep okay?”
“Sure.” The word comes out clipped, and I blush. In spite of the situation, I’m feeling a little hurt that Mack didn’t come back to sleep here. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to notice. He sits down next to me and reaches over to pet Ted.
“Look,” he says. “We gotta talk about our fight. A lot of shit might be going down in the next few days, and I might not be around that much. I don’t want to leave on another run with something like that unresolved between us. So we better get it out in the open now. You good with that?”
I nod dumbly, not quite trusting my voice.
“So.” He reaches out and takes my hand. “Can you tell me what I did that set you off?”
Instantly, my anger rises back to the surface. “You don’t remember, do you? What you said to me?”
“Not really,” he says gently. “I’m sorry. Will you just tell me? I can’t do anything about it if I don’t know what the problem is.”
For a second, I am actually speechless. Not because he doesn’t know what he did (which is infuriating), but because Mack is displaying a level of emotional maturity right now that makes my lingering anger feel childish by comparison. He’s supposed to be King Asshole. I’m supposed to be able to rely on him being a detestable dick. Instead, he’s being so calm and reasonable that I want to wring his damn neck.
But if he’s going to be all adult and everything, I’m not about to let him win at that game. I can be mature, too. Taking a deep breath, I make myself think through the words I want to say.
“You remember what you said when you thought I was flirting with some of the other Bastards out there?” I ask.
“Yeah.” His eyes darken. “I said I don’t share. I didn’t know that was gonna be a problem for you.”
I shake my head. “That’s not it. It’s what you said after that.”
Mack gives me a blank look. God. This seems so juvenile all of a sudden. I feel my anger start to deflate like an old balloon. But at the same time, I know I can’t just let this go. Childish or not, I need to talk to him about the old wound he ripped open inside me.
I suck in a deep breath, and then let the words out. “You said you’d tell the other Bastards I was a lesbian to keep me away from them.”
One corner of his mouth quirks up. “G. Come on. I was joking.”
I swallow. “Were you though? Because that wouldn’t be the first time you did that.”
Mack looks frustrated. He reaches up to rub a hand over his face. “Look. Could we just cut to the chase and you tell me what you’re upset about, instead of making me guess?”
“Brock Tichenor.”
“Who?” He gives me a quizzical look. “Wait, what? From high school? He was on the football team with Fury and me.”
“Yeah. And you told him I was a lesbian so he wouldn’t go out with me.”
Mack cocks his head, then chuckles. He fucking chuckles ! “Yeah, I remember that. But fuck, you can’t still be mad that I got him away from you, Gigi. That guy was a fucking asshole.”
“What? He was not!”
His lip curls in disgust. “You were never in a locker room with him. He was a fuckin’ pig. I mean, most guys that age are. But he was worse than average. Much worse. And he hid it under this fucking All-American boy thing he did. The way he talked about girls was fucking disgusting. He wouldn’t have treated you right, Gigi. I didn’t want you getting tangled up with him. So yeah, I told him you weren’t into guys. It’s the only thing that would’ve worked with a dirtbag like him. And it did. It kept him away from you long enough for him to find some other chick to play with. So I’m not sorry for that.”
I scoff. “Yeah. And it kept every other guy away from me, too. I never had a single date in high school, Mack. Did you know that? Did you know that thanks to you, every popular guy in my class started calling me Gay-Gi?”
Mack suppresses a snort. “Shit, really? That’s a pretty fuckin’ stupid nickname.”
“Yeah, they did. Of course, you and Connor probably didn’t hear that, being seniors. So why should you care, right?”
The bitterness in my voice is tinged with embarrassment — both for my younger self, and for the fact that all of this still bothers me. “God, this is so stupid,” I mutter, staring at my hands in my lap. I get ready for him to mock me for still being so hung up on something that happened so long ago.
But to my surprise, Mack is gentle with me. “It’s not stupid if it hurt you. You had enough bad shit going on when you were a kid. I’m sorry I added to it.” He curls his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “I was trying to protect you. I swear to Christ, Gigi. I wouldn’t ever hurt you on purpose. Not now, and not back then, either.”
How is he doing this? How is he turning from King Asshole to Prince Hero Biker Guy? Damn him. I’m not exactly sorry I brought it up, because Mack seems so sincere about his explanation that I actually believe him. But I’m starting to feel stupid that I’ve held onto my anger at him about this for so long. I need to change the subject.
“Honestly? Just forget about it.” I lean into him, sighing. “It’s all water under the bridge. Or at least, it should be. Let’s just forget about it. How’s Connor? You don’t seem to have a black eye or broken limbs or anything.”
Mack chuckles again. “He’s pissed, for sure. But I think I managed to talk him out of bashing my skull in, at least until we get this situation with Blaze taken care of. He went back to his place to get some sleep.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I can’t really tell you much. All I can say is, if the Scorpions know what’s good for them, they’ll take care of Blaze themselves.”
Mack is telling me things that MC members don’t usually tell the women who hang around their club. I realize I’m being given a level of info that even old ladies don’t often get. I wonder if that’s only because I’m involved. “And if they don’t?”
Mack sets his jaw but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to. I’ve been around Connor enough to know that the two clubs are close to war.
“This is because of me.” My voice breaks as I say the words. “This isn’t right, Mack. Your clubs wouldn’t be on the verge of war if I wasn’t involved.”
Mack grasps me by the shoulders. His eyes lock onto mine, their expression fierce. “You listen to me, Gigi. This is not your fault. None of it is. You’re Fury’s sister. You’re…” He trails off. “The club protects family. Don’t you let this shit get into your head. You understand me?”
I swallow painfully. “Yes.”
He relaxes slightly. “Lots of shit going on right now,” he observes. “But we’ll get through it.”
We. I hate myself for wanting to read more into that word than he probably means.
Mack grazes his mouth along the skin of my neck. I shiver. “I need to make sure you’re safe. This isn’t just about me protecting Fury’s little sister because he asked me to. You’re special to me.” His hands move to my hair. My arms twine around his neck. He kisses me like I’m the only thing he needs in this world. And I kiss him back, because right now it feels like that’s what he is for me.
His hands leave my hair, gliding down to my back. I undo the buttons of his jeans. He slides my shirt over my head. Soon we’re naked. His erection is huge, pulsing. It thrills me to see such obvious evidence that he wants me. I slide my fingers around it, stroking him from root to tip. Mack lets out a loud groan, and the sound of it goes straight to my core, making me ache.
“Need this,” he grunts, and flips me backwards onto the bed. Tedward lets out a yowl and jumps off. Mack’s head dips to my breast, taking one sensitive nipple into his mouth. His tongue flicks at it. I thread my fingers through his hair.
“God, that’s good,” I gasp. “So good.”
Mack wraps his arm around my back and moves to the other nipple. My thighs fall apart. He angles himself between my legs, the tip of his shaft just grazing my wet heat. It’s so good but so maddening, having his velvety head so close. I whimper and start to wriggle, wanting him there. The rumble of Mack’s low laugh vibrates on my skin, sending a bolt of desire through me. He reaches down and uses his thumb to slide through my slickness and then up to my throbbing clit. Rhythmically, he starts to stroke, at the same time that he continues to lick and nip at my nipple. Electric shots of pleasure start to course through me, taking over all of my conscious thought. My back arches as I strain to get more of him, more of what I know will get me to the place where only Mack can take me.
“You’re so fucking perfect,” he murmurs against my skin. “God, Gigi, all my fantasies about you, and it’s so much fucking better. So much better than I could have imagined.”
“Mack, I need you inside me,” I beg. “I need you inside me when I come.”
I don’t have to ask twice. He shifts his weight and rises above me. I open my eyes and see him there, eyes hooded and dark. “Need to get a condom.”
I want him so much. I want him deep inside me. “Please,” I whisper. “I want you like this. I don’t want anything between us.”
“Fuck,” he hisses. Before he can refuse, I reach down and wrap my fingers around him, bringing the head of his cock to my slick entrance. It’s enough to break down any of his resolve. He rolls his hips and thrusts inside me with one long drive, filling me. I cry out, my head falling back. Mack keeps his thumb on my sensitive clit, slicking me with my juices as he begins to withdraw and then thrust again, over and over. I arch myself to take him deeper, as deep as possible. He’s so big, so much, that it hurts but at the same time the pleasure is unlike anything I’ve ever known.
My cries echo his groans. He plunges deeper, harder, savage in his need. I’m climbing higher, dizzyingly higher, knowing that what’s coming is no longer in either of our control. I feel him everywhere, all around me. He’s the only thing that matters. He’s the only thing that exists. The pressure coils in me, winding tight, until I think it’s not possible to wind any tighter. Then, as Mack lets out a roar and empties himself inside me, it releases, and I cry his name as I fall, deliciously, every cell in my body responding to him and him alone.
I’m his. I’ll always be his. I love him.
The words ring in my mind, and for a second, I’m afraid I’ve said them out loud. But Mack collapses next to me, panting, and gives no sign that he’s heard them.
“Come here, beautiful,” he rasps. I move into his embrace, our chests moving in unison as we struggle to regain our breath. “You’re gonna kill me, you know that, G? I’ll never get enough of you.”
As I close my eyes to savor this moment of perfection with him, my body feels like it’s singing. No one has ever made me feel like Mack makes me feel.
And I’m starting to worry that he’s ruined me for anyone else.