Chapter TwoAinsleyReese
Amid my choking at hearing Trinity’s name, Mira arrived with the bread. I checked for phlegm or anything disgusting and would continue to do so every time she set food on the table.
Once my coughing subsided, I decided to push aside Roman’s fuckery and enjoy myself. I could pretend I wasn’t about to throw my life away in hopes that my brother would take an ol’ lady. The times he tried never worked out. He moved the first one in with us a year after our parents’ deaths. That girl hated me. Later I discovered he suspected as much, set up cameras, and saw her punching me in the stomach.
Her body was never found.
Then, there was Trinity, who was apparently very popular. My brother thought he’d found ‘the one’. Until someone tipped him off that she was a Royal Bastards’ club rat and in love with one of the brothers who snubbed her each time she pressed for more. The day she came to the house, I tried to warn her away. We got into a huge argument. Unfortunately, Roman walked in.
He ignored my pleas for her life and dragged her away. Nova told me he’d sent pieces of her back. It fucked with my head so much, I’d taken a leave of absence from school.
I pushed that horror aside, too. My brother was my protector, but a brutal motherfucker to everyone else. Cognizant dissonance and pretense were my best friends until reality smacked me in the fucking face.
I leaned back and allowed Mira to set a steaming cup of gumbo in front of me. The French bread and butter had been perfect, the fried alligator bites and crawfish tails ordered as appetizers were crispy and spicy.
Just as I finished my gumbo, Reese pushed his aside.
I swiped my napkin across my lips. “I cannot tell you how happy I am you didn’t ask for potato salad in your gumbo.”
Reese snorted. “Louisiana swears that’s how it’s done in those parts.”
“Louisiana is a liar. The only person I’ve ever met who did that is him. Usually, you get a dollop on the side to counteract the gumbo’s spice.”
He leaned back and clasped his massive hands, resting them on the table. “So does the food pass muster?”
I tilted my hand from side to side. “Eh. I’ve had worse.”
“But you’ve had better.”
“Yep. From my own kitchen.” I would’ve loved to cook a meal for Reese. An impossible dream that filled me with sadness. I’d soon be all married up. Stiffening my spine, I pasted a smile on my face. “What do you think of the food?”
“So far, so good,” he answered. “Left up to me, I would’ve blown this joint for barbeque.”
“You should’ve told me. I like barbeque.”
His smile lit up his face. “Now she tells me.”
“You didn’t choose this place?”
“Louisiana picked.”
An agitated breath escaped me and I shifted in my seat, resting my elbows on the table and leaning forward. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I hope that you do.” I’d try a different question, since he’d evaded the first one. Pursing my lips, I met his gaze. “ Is Lou Lou married?”
“What gave you that idea?”
That was a yes. First, he’d punted the response back to me. Now this. Answering a question with a question was classic diversionary tactics in my eyes. I’d play his game.
“He disappears for days at a time. He prefers to call Nova, instead of the other way around. When she does call him, it’s always at very specific times. They rarely go on real dates. If they do, I’m usually involved as if I’m running interference. If he doesn’t live at the clubhouse, Nova doesn’t have any other address for him. We have to call him Lou Lou. Every time she mentions commitment, he storms away, then breaks up with her, then lures her back with promises and pretty words. It sends my bullshit meter into overdrive. Nova falls for it every fucking time. Is he married or not? I say yes.”
“What do you intend to do with any information I give to you? Take it to your friend? Messengers are usually fucked up.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve known Nova since we were kids. She’s two years older than me, but she’s a romantic.”
“And you aren’t?”
“Nope. I have no place for romance. My brother has a revolving door. His two attempts at relationships didn’t work. I’ve witnessed my fair share of shit that I’d love to erase. If I see his hairy ass as he fucks a random woman on the sofa once more, I’m going to fucking scream.”
“Don’t scream, sweetheart. Get a fucking bat and whack his ass literally. ”
I giggled and Reese smiled. His wink made my heart flutter.
“He gave you the bedroom?” he asked when the moment passed.
“Our family home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. According to him, privacy is only for a special woman. Before I moved to my own place, I made sure to stay awake when he was out and look at the camera when I heard him to make sure he was alone. If he has a girl with him, I stay in my room until she leaves.”
“Good idea.” He cocked his head to the side. “My turn to ask you a question.”
“Fuck off,” I said with a laugh. “You never answered my question.”
“I did. In so many words. A direct answer might give you information that makes you culpable if this ends badly. Say he is married. You don’t tell your friend, shit goes sideways, and she discovers you knew the score. What then? She’d blame you for withholding the information.”
“I think he’s married and I’ve told her so.”
“That’s your gut feeling?”
“It is, but Nova doesn’t believe me.”
“Always follow your instincts, Ainsley.”
“Fuck, I knew it!”
“So now what?”
I didn’t know that . Nova adored Louisiana. They’d been in their cycle of misery for two years. “What’s your question?” I asked irritably.
“You said you want a night of fun with me, but I doubt it’s the usual. So what did you have in mind?”
“Conversation for starters.”
“Yeah, I noticed you like to talk as much as you like to eat.” He lifted slightly and pretended to check me out. “For such an itty-bitty thing, you sure the fuck can scarf food.”
“Oh, hush,” I teased, waving my hand between us to dismiss his words.
“You want dinner as well.” Reese nodded to the empty gumbo bowls. “What else?”
“Dancing and dick.”
It escaped me how Ainsley continued shocking me. She intrigued me, though I knew it was temporary. When I took an ol’ lady, I didn’t want someone so young and bubbly. I wouldn’t be responsible for extinguishing her light. Nor would I put her at risk. As long as a Bloody Scorpion walked the fucking earth, my brothers and I and anyone associated with us was in danger. I had a personal vendetta against Roman Mac.
I wanted that motherfucker’s head hung as a trophy for what he did to Trinity. It was senseless, and I wouldn’t rest until I’d spilled all his blood.
Ainsley and her desire for one night of fun would’ve been perfect for me. If she wasn’t a fucking virgin. From what I heard, virgins grew attached, and that was a complication I neither needed nor wanted.
“Let me get this straight, Ainsley. You asked your friend to set you up for a night of fun and fucking? A no-strings attached v-card punching?”
She considered my words, then nodded. “That’s about the size of it.”
“She said I have the perfect motherfucker in mind?”
“Not immediately. She called me two or three days ago and gave me the details. She said I have the entire weekend, so if I wasn’t comfortable giving it up on our first night, we could meet again tomorrow night.”
“I could’ve looked like Venom and you would want to fuck me?”
The idea annoyed the fuck out of me.
“Bomb ass movie. Wrong idea. Nova knew I wanted a handsome guy of my choosing as my first.”
Quite the roundabout way of complimenting me. “Of your choosing? What the fuck does that mean? You didn’t choose me. She did.”
“I disagree. She connected us. The decision is mine.”
She was hiding something. Secrets shadowed the depths of her eyes. I wanted to uncover every mystery she kept from me. Bare her beautiful skin slowly and trail my tongue over every inch.
My nostrils flared.
“I like you more than I should, Reese,” she said softly. “I’ve never participated in the actual act, but I’ve seen more than my share of fucking.” Leaning back, she jutted her chin out. “I want…I want a man like you. Everyone I know fears my brother and my life is about to drastically change. This is my last chance at a semblance of control.”
That sounded ominous. “What does that mean?”
“I owe my brother my life, but I’ll never have the freedom to choose my own boyfriend, so I will agree to marry the man he picked out for me.”
“ What ?” My one word snarl drew the attention of nearby patrons. “You can’t piss away your fucking life out of guilt. Absolutely not.”
“My brother deserves to live his life without me under foot.” She wagged a finger at me. “We just met, so chill.”
Chill my ass! “He did what he was supposed to do. More than that, that motherfucker chose to do it.” I drew in a deep breath to calm myself. Ainsley Valois was a fucking handful. “What about school?”
“Something happened a few months ago and I took a break. I want to be a preschool teacher. I have a job at a nursery.”
“Ainsley—”
“If this is too much, I understand, Reese. If you feel as if I’m just using you for dick, I understand that as well. I like you a lot,” she repeated as if I’d already forgotten her confession from two minutes ago. “Too much.” Vulnerability crept into her face and she swallowed. “But it’s so complicated. More than I can explain.”
“Try me. I’m a good listener.”
“If I wanted you to hear,” she retorted.
“Your prerogative, princess. Here’s mine. I’m not fucking you unless you swear to me you won’t throw away your fucking life.”
“I can always lie.”
“You could, but I’d be madder than a motherfucker, and you don’t want me to lose my fucking temper.”
“What? You’d punch me? Kill me?”
“I don’t hurt women,” I snarled, “but I have no problem fucking up a motherfucker who wouldn’t deserve you.”
Her eyes rounded. Now, she was getting the fucking picture. “You couldn’t kill Dayton Morgan. Do you know the hell that would bring to you?”
She was planning to marry that pompous fuckhead? Fuck, I’d want someone else to fuck me too if I was set to become the bride of fucking Frankenstein. She sounded so alarmed, I decided not to tell her I meted out justice and retribution to whoever deserved it. Their status in society didn’t matter. If they fucked up or crossed a line, they died.
I swallowed my chuckle. The enforcer mentality survived and thrived. That had been my position for years until the Trinity situation and my brothers decided they wanted me close so I wouldn’t go off the deep end.
“How many times have you been kissed?” I asked crossly.
“A few.”
That knowledge worsened my mood. “Ever sucked dick? Had your pussy licked? Anything?”
Clamping her mouth shut, she glared at me.
Sonofabitch .
“With Dayton,” she finally pushed out.
My eyes almost popped from my fucking head. “You kissed Dayton,” I decided, because she sure as shit couldn’t be telling me she’d allowed him to touch her any other way.
A blush stole into her cheeks. “He asked me to go down on him to make sure he could properly teach me. But he said he doesn’t eat pussy, so he didn’t return the favor.” She looked at me warily. “He gave me very high marks in my oral skills.”
Color me stupid, I didn’t think I could get anymore fucking appalled. How wrong I was. I searched my brain trying to remember which clubs dealt with any of our local politicians. We didn’t fuck with council members. We aimed higher. But I needed someone to help me fuck up Dayton Morgan. If I paid an ally of ours with ties to local leaders enough money, I’d take care of her problem.
“I’m going to call an Uber, Reese,” Ainsley said.
“I’ll give you a ride,” I said harshly, then regretted the words at the filthy images of her riding my cock rising in my head. “Just say the words.”
“You’re not compromising on this, are you?”
“Give me your phone,” I ordered.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
She sniffed but did as I instructed. Once I had her phone, I saved my contact information, then called my number, so I’d get her shit. I held the phone out to her.
“I don’t fuck around with another man’s woman,” I barked. “Wouldn’t want it done to me, so I won’t do it to another motherfucker. But it’s my way or no way, Ainsley.”
She snatched the phone from me. “I haven’t accepted his proposal yet.” She drew in another breath, opened her mouth, then snapped it shut.
“And you won’t,” I decreed.
She glowered at me. When I lifted my brow, she gave me a sullen look but shook her head.
I wasn’t sure what the fuck came over me or where the fuck I intended this to go, but for now, Ainsley belonged to me and that was all that mattered.