13. Emery
Emery
The inside of my car is nearly unbearable with the stifling heat. The moment I climb inside, I roll down the windows, hoping the wind will blow away the choking hot air, but it’s no use. By the time I make it to the front gate of the compound, sweat drips down the back of my neck.
At least Charlie is with Reagan, so I’m the only one suffering.
I spent the morning cleaning bathrooms, but the heavy chemical scent made Charlie fussy. The moment I mentioned it in passing to Hayes on the phone, Reagan showed up, offering to watch Charlie for me while I finished cleaning.
It’s the first time I’ve left Charlie with anyone voluntarily, but Hayes trusts Reagan, and I trust him. Besides, with Charlie in safe hands, I can make a trip into town to get the few things we need to make it through the week.
I roll to a stop at the closed gate that marks the end of the Twisted Kings compound.
If Hayes knew I was taking this detour off the property, he might have something to say about it.
But Charlie is out of diapers, and while he’s been helpful, I can’t rely on him to do everything for me.
He’s given us a place to stay. He’s giving Charlie protection.
I appreciate all he does, but I’m capable of doing some things on my own.
Besides, Hayes has been busy these past two weeks, so I don’t want to put anything else on him. It’s clear whatever he does when he’s not at the house takes up all of his time.
He might be tracking my uncle or doing business with the club. Or maybe he’s having fun at the clubhouse, and he doesn’t want to tell me about it so I don’t get jealous. I’m too scared to find out the truth, so I don’t ask.
It’s not like we’re in a relationship. I don’t have rights to him.
I’m a one-night stand turned mother of his child. Nothing more.
He hasn’t so much as tried to kiss me since I arrived. And while I still look at him with the same unbound excitement that I did when I walked up to him in the casino, I’m willing to be only friends for Charlie’s sake. After all, his being here for her is all that matters.
He’s slowly learning her routine, trying to get to know her when he isn’t busy with the club.
He makes sure to show up to give her a final bottle before bed, and he’s figured out the car seat.
When it clicked into the base, there was a ridiculous amount of cheering, and I swore my heart was going to burst.
He’s loving.
Protective.
Sexy.
If I thought Hayes was attractive the night I met him, he’s even more so when he’s caring for our daughter.
I shake that thought from my head. It won’t do us any good. We aren’t even sharing a bedroom, so clearly, he’s drawing a line.
If only it were easier to accept that.
When I stop at the gate, I wait for a sensor to swing it open. A red light pulses on one of the posts, but the gate doesn’t budge. I'm about to get out of my car to see if I can open it manually when the sound of a motorcycle approaching comes from behind.
My heart jumps. I spin around looking for Hayes, but it’s Venom who pulls up beside me.
He peels off his helmet, climbing off his bike. “Can I help you with something?”
“I need to run a couple of errands, but the gate won’t open. Do you know how to open it manually?”
Venom's eyebrows pinch as his gaze moves from me to the clubhouse. “Does Soul know you're headed somewhere?”
“He's busy. He's always busy, actually.” I nervously bite my bottom lip. “I don’t want to interrupt him over diapers when I can grab them on my own.”
I shrug, trying to play it off, while failing miserably.
I know it's a risk to leave the compound, especially given my uncle probably has eyes surrounding this place as we speak.
But I'm already a burden without adding more demands to the list of things I need.
So if this is what I have to do to get groceries and diapers, then I'm not going to bother Hayes about it.
Venom pulls out his phone, not taking his eyes off me as he dials someone.
His black hair breezes as he brings it to his ear.
With his T-shirt sleeves rolled up, I get a glimpse of the snake tattooed up his arm, winding all the way down it, to the open mouth and fangs on the back of his hand. Maybe that’s why they call him Venom.
While he’s been nothing but a gentleman to me, I have no doubt he’s lethal.
A muffled voice comes from the other end of the line, and I know it’s Hayes by the grit in his tone.
“Yeah, she's here… She said she needed to grab a couple things from in town… Diapers…” Venom listens while Hayes says something.
There's something about the vibration of Hayes’s voice that has my belly tumbling. The skin on the back of my neck prickles. It’s like my body was designed to respond to him. A magnetic pulse I can’t escape.
I really wish he felt the same.
My only night of sex led to Charlie, and I’m beginning to wonder if that’s all I’m going to get.
For a while, that didn’t matter. Between my rough pregnancy and healing from birth, sex was the farthest thing from my mind.
But now, time has passed. And ever since a doctor came to the compound yesterday for my belated six-week-postpartum checkup and cleared me for sex, sex is all I can think about.
Especially when Hayes is the only person my body seems to want, and I can’t escape him in the tight quarters of his house.
“Got it.” Venom hangs up the phone, tucking it into his pocket. “Soul wants to see you at the clubhouse.”
“I’m fine—”
“Sorry.” Venom cuts me off, shrugging. "Boss’s orders."
I grumble, ignoring the amused smirk that tugs at the corner of his mouth at my irritation. I know leaving is a risk, but I’m not a child who needs a babysitter. This is overbearing. Irritating. And there’s nothing I can do about it.
Climbing into my car, I slam the door shut a little harder than necessary and start the engine. I could hit the gas and break through the gate, refusing to play into Hayes’s overprotective behavior, but then where would that leave Charlie?
Or my car for that matter?
My only choice is to turn the car around and head toward the clubhouse.
When I reach the lot, I park beside the long line of motorcycles. Between the rooms inside and the bunkhouse in the back, I have no idea how many members live on the property, but someone always seems to be roaming around.
The clubhouse is quieter today than the first time I was here, but there are still people lingering everywhere. A few guys sit at the bar up front, taking shots at midday. Others are playing darts. Some sit outside in the sun with girls on their laps.
I continue through the clubhouse, not finding Hayes as I enter the large bar at the back. Light streams in through glass doors, framing an endless desert.
A few girls in the corner don’t take their eyes off me.
They don’t smile like Tempe, Reagan, or the other girls who came to the house.
They scan me head to toe like they’re assessing a threat.
Miniskirts mold to their hips, and they’re dressed for a party in the middle of the afternoon.
Their curves make mine seem unimpressive in comparison.
If I had to guess, Hayes has history with at least one of the girls here, if not more. Our one night between the sheets made it clear he’s had plenty of experience. Maybe that should scare me, but Hayes’s wild side is what drew me to him. He was a breath of fresh air, and I was drowning.
He was freedom when my entire life I'd been locked in a cage.
As I pass by the girls, one of them whispers to another, “That’s her.”
“The girl Soul knocked up?” another girl asks.
“That's the one.”
“I guess it was bound to happen, right? What hasn't Soul done? Or better yet, who hasn't Soul done?” The girls laugh. “I'm surprised it didn’t happen sooner. I guess that explains why he's been so boring lately.”
I meet one of their gazes, and they immediately stop talking. I’m tempted to defend myself, but what’s the point? They’ll think what they want. They’ll judge. Only he and I know what happened.
A door at the other side of the room swings open, and Hayes steps through, finding me right away.
He holds it open, and I take that as my cue.
Only once I’m in the kitchen does he shut the door, then it’s just the two of us.
His earthy cedar scent is overwhelmed by his mint gum clouding my thoughts.
Hayes looks so good I can barely make eye contact. His dark-blond hair is swept back off his forehead. He’s wearing a sleeveless shirt under his cut, and it shows off every tattooed inch of his arms.
“Where’s Charlie?” he asks, his gaze sweeping over me.
“She’s still with Reagan. I called ten minutes ago, and she was napping, so I figured I’d check off a few more things before picking her up.”
“Like sneaking into town?” His eyebrow hitches.
“I wasn't sneaking anywhere. I drove straight up to the gate. It’s not like I was climbing over it.” I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. “I wasn’t aware I had to report my every movement to you. Am I your prisoner now?”
Hayes’s back stiffens. “This isn't a cage, Emery. You really want to go out there and grab something, then I'll drive you myself. But I will be by your side the entire time you’re gone, and my men will be watching as well. You’re not going alone when your uncle is probably waiting for the chance to find his way in. It’s too big a risk. You know I'm right.”
I swallow hard, wishing he weren’t. “Are his men still watching?”
“They haven’t stopped.”
His brows furrow, drawing out the circles under his eyes. He’s clearly not sleeping, and I wonder what’s keeping him up at night. He’s no longer the carefree man I met on the casino floor. There’s a weight on his shoulders, and it’s all my fault.
“My uncle isn’t going to give up, Hayes. Not until he has me back.”
“He wasn’t going to give up long before that.”
“Maybe I should—”
“Don’t finish that thought.” He shakes his head, cutting me off.
“I need to, and you need to hear me.” I take a step forward, placing my hand on his arm and wishing the warmth of his skin wasn’t so comforting. “He’ll ruin you and your club to get to me.”
“We can take care of ourselves.”
I’d like to believe him, but he has no idea how ruthless my uncle can be. If he wants them gone, he’ll make it happen. Just like if he wants me back, he’ll find a way to get me out of here. There is no stopping him.
“You’re safe, Emery.” He’s the one who steps forward now, and I have to crane my neck to look up at him. “But you’re only safe within these gates. Outside them… not so much. I don’t know what your uncle is planning yet, and until I do, I need you to trust me. Please don’t leave the compound.”
The fear in his eyes makes me pause. He’s not being overbearing or controlling. He’s genuinely worried about my safety.
“Okay.” I back down. “I’ll stay here. But I need some things from the store, so if there’s someone who can get them…”
“You can have anything you want.”
Anything I want.
If only he actually meant that, I might tell him that one of the things I want is him.
Hayes stands so close that my back is pressed against the counter. With every inhale, I breathe him in. His gaze falls to my mouth, and on instinct, I wet my lips. But the moment he shifts, the growl of an engine cuts through the moment.
“What was that?” My eyebrows pinch.
I’m used to the sound of motorcycles from my short time here, but the growl of this engine is slightly different.
“A dirt bike.” Hayes grins.
“A dirt bike?”
His smile grows. “Want to see?”
I almost open my mouth to turn him down. Charlie might wake up soon, and even if she doesn’t, I shouldn’t be curious about what’s happening around here. This is Hayes’s world. Not mine.
It’s not safe for my heart to get comfortable or attached.
But looking up into his green eyes, wicked and daring me to accept his offer, I can’t help myself.
His smile grows, like he senses my answer before the words leave my lips.
“Lead the way.”