Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Reid lived in an old factory building that had been converted into lofts. It was also down the street from the Haven’s Rebels’ private compound where they held gatherings and events. Wyatt had pointed it out as we’d driven by it.
By the time we were walking up the metal stairs that led to Reid’s loft, I was drunk. I almost lost my footing halfway.
Wyatt had to put an arm around me. “Whoa, there.”
Because I was a few steps up from him, it was easy to put my arms around his neck. “Carry me?”
Without strain, he scooped me up bridal-style and carried me the rest of the way.
The inside of Reid’s loft was one giant room.
Just as we walked in, we were in the kitchen.
To the left was a small living space with a black leather sofa, a matching armchair, and a TV on a console table.
Straight past the kitchen was a king platform bed with charcoal bedding.
The head of the bed sat right beneath a giant frosted-glass window.
To the left of the bedroom area was a door that I assumed led to a bathroom.
Reid set his keys and wallet on the portable island in the kitchen. “You try to reach Roe?”
Wyatt carried me over to the couch and laid me down.
I stretched my arms above my head, resting them on the armrest, and stared up at him.
He didn’t take his eyes off me or my body as he answered, “His phone is off. After he’s cooled his head, he’ll turn it on and see a message saying we rescued a sexy princess and are hiding her here. ”
“You think I’m sexy?” I asked with a smile.
Wyatt grinned back at me. “Again, have you seen you?”
Reid came over and sat in the armchair. He had a joint in his hand that he had grabbed from somewhere I didn’t see. “She’s loaded.”
“I could be way worse,” I said as I put my boot on Wyatt’s hip, undoubtedly giving them both a view up my dress. Their eyes zeroed in on that location, making me smirk. “Will you take this off for me?” I was referring to my boot.
“Your use of ‘princess’ was accurate,” Reid said as he lit his joint with a lighter.
Wyatt’s fingers slipped into the top of my boot and pulled it down. “I should have added ‘tease’ as well.” He took off my boot and helped me out of my other one. I handed him my wristlet, too, and he set that and my boots off to the side on the floor.
“You think I’m teasing you?” I chuckled. “Imagine if I put any effort into it.”
The delight that showed on Wyatt’s face made Reid grumble, “Don’t encourage her, please.”
Wyatt smirked at him as he took a seat on the couch where my feet had been before he lifted them and placed them in his lap. “Can’t handle it?”
Reid exhaled a cloud of smoke slowly as he stared at his best friend. “You’ll cave and I’ll have to watch you fuck her. Not how I pictured the rest of my night going.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t cave?” Wyatt asked as he began rubbing my feet. “You couldn’t keep your hands off her in your sleep.”
No one had ever rubbed my feet before. I never knew how good it could feel and when he started, my eyes pretty much rolled into the back of my head. I’d been wearing heels since elementary school. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how accustomed to the pain of wearing them I had become.
“I won’t cave,” I barely heard Reid say. I was too distracted by Wyatt’s hands. When he used his thumb to knead the arch, I moaned like I was coming. I didn’t care. It was that good.
Wyatt’s hands froze.
“Don’t stop, Wyatt,” I whined.
It sounded like Wyatt exhaled through pursed lips. “You’re right. I’ll cave.” He took my feet off his lap.
I opened my eyes just in time to see him stand. “Where are you going?”
“Home,” he said as he walked by the couch. “Before I take off that little strip of lace you call panties and start fucking you.”
I flipped onto my stomach and bent my legs up. Moving them back and forth, I rested my chin on my fist and smiled. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”
Wyatt made a pained noise as he stopped in his tracks. He glanced back at me, looking torn.
“I wore this dress with the intention of getting fucked in it,” I said. “It would be such a shame for it to go to waste.”
Wyatt’s jaw dropped slightly and it was clear he’d almost given in.
“She wore it for that rich prick,” Reid said, making me frown.
That seemed to snap the hold I had on Wyatt. “I’ll see you tomorrow, gorgeous.” He spun around and headed for the door. “Good luck, Reid.”
As soon as the door shut behind Wyatt, I looked over my shoulder at Reid. “You’re a cockblock.”
That made the corner of his mouth twitch as he brought the joint up to his lips for another puff. Seeing him get high made me want to be as well. So I got up. He held the smoke in as he watched me come to him.
With my feet planted between his, I bent over slightly, placing my hands on the armrests and meeting his whiskey eyes. “Are you going to share?”
His hand came up under my chin. His thumb and fingers firmly pressed into my cheeks, making my lips part.
Although he’d startled me a little, he wasn’t hurting me.
He leaned forward and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me.
I was a tiny bit disappointed when he stopped less than an inch from my mouth.
He slowly blew out the smoke he had been holding.
As I inhaled, I realized shotgunning with him was as much of a turn-on as it was with Roe.
He released my face when I was ready to exhale, and I said, “You’re a confusing ass.”
His eyes dropped to my lips. “You’re a pain in one.”
“Why do you not like me?” I asked.
That made him blink and look away. “I told you I’d tell you tomorrow.”
He moved to get up and I backed away. I watched as he went to the kitchen to dispose of the joint.
“Do you want the bed or the couch?” he asked.
I smirked. “Afraid to sleep next to me again?”
He sighed. “Then let’s go to bed.”
He began going around his home, making sure the front door was locked and turning off lights.
The last light on was the one on his nightstand.
He went over to his dresser and took off his watch.
He didn’t seem to care that I was there when he pulled off his long-sleeved shirt and tossed it in the laundry basket next to the dresser.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. Or should I say his back.
I’d known he had full-sleeve tattoos, but I hadn’t known that nearly his entire back was tattooed as well.
My feet took me over to him without thought.
I was just drawn and had to see him up close.
He stiffened when my fingers touched the detailed wings of the hooded guardian angel on his back.
The angel was dressed like a knight with blood-covered armor, a sword, and a shield.
It was breathtaking, but as I looked closely, I could see what the beautiful tattoo covered up.
Scars. Some were round. Others were long.
I ran the tip of my finger over one and that made him turn.
He had a schooled look on his face, like he always did, as he stared down at me.
“The way you hide what you’re thinking and feeling makes me feel like I’m staring at myself sometimes,” I said.
He didn’t respond to that, but his schooled look eased a little.
“Why a guardian angel?” I asked him.
His jaw ticked, like he didn’t want to answer. But he did anyway. “Because I should have died and I take comfort in believing that someone or something was looking out for me. Kept me alive, so I could get us out.”
“I think my guardian angel abandoned me the day my father was killed,” I said as I looked down.
“Why that day?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I have scars I wish I could cover up, too.”
His brows lifted. “You look pretty flawless.”
I grabbed the bottom of my dress and pulled it up and off.
He fought hard to keep his eyes glued to mine as I stood in front of him in my black lacy bra and matching thong.
He fought and lost. I tried not to smirk as his eyes dropped.
I didn’t torture him for long and turned around.
I pulled my hair forward over one shoulder.
I moved my hand to my lower back and pushed down the waistband of my thong a little to show him the half-moon and full-circle scars that spotted my skin there.
The scars spanned at least five inches from the very bottom of my lower back over the top of my left buttcheek.
“She hit me over and over again with her high heel.”
I went as still as he had when his fingers rested on my hip and he ran his thumb over the scars.
Then his hand moved up to where Clay had punched me and he lightly touched the large bruise there.
I reached behind my back and undid my bra, but I didn’t let the cups fall from my breasts.
I held them there with one arm and lifted my other in the air to show him the three-inch jagged scar going downward at an angle just below my armpit.
“She caught me by the elbow as I tried to get away. She hit me with a champagne flute. It broke against my shoulder blade, and the stem of the flute cut me.”
He was quiet standing behind me, and I started to feel silly for showing him. “They’re not as bad as yours,” I said.
“Don’t compare,” he said. “Isn’t that what you told me?”
I turned to face him. I could only hold his unreadable whiskey eyes for a short time before I had to look away, and I nodded.
“Acting docile now.” He grabbed my chin and made me meet his eyes again. “The alcohol must be wearing off.”
He turned toward his dresser and pulled out a shirt from one of the drawers.
I was surprised when he held it out to me.
I took it, turned to let my bra fall from my breasts, and put it on.
It was the T-shirt he’d been wearing the first time I’d seen him at Tristen’s party.
The one with a faded whiskey company’s logo on the front of it.
The soft black fabric fell just above my knees.
While my back was turned, I could hear him taking off his pants.
As I turned to face him, I pulled my long hair out of the top of the shirt and let it fall back down. He looked angry as he took me in.
“Why do you look so mad?” I asked him.
“Fucking joint didn’t work,” I thought I heard him grumble. He pulled back his charcoal bedding and gestured to it. “Get in.”
It was an order.
“Is that how you lure ladies to your bed?” I grumbled as I climbed in and scooted to the other side.
“I don’t bring women to my bed,” he said as he slid under the covers next to me.
“The couch, then?”
He laced his fingers behind his head. “I don’t bring women to my place. I go to theirs.”
“Because it’s easier to leave after?” I asked.
“Partly.”
I kind of understood wanting to be alone after without being in the awkward situation of having to kick someone out. After my one and only time, I’d been so happy to be able to just book it out of there. Then again, I hadn’t been on the other side of things. No one had booked it on me.
I didn’t push him to explain the rest of the reason why he didn’t bring women home. Instead, I yawned and snuggled into the pillow. The more the alcohol wore off, the more the repercussions of my actions weighed on me. “I’m scared.”
He turned his head to see me. “I know.”
“Not going to lie to me and tell me it’ll be all right?”
He looked back up at the ceiling. “Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
I didn’t know what he meant by that, but I didn’t question him. I yawned again and my eyes grew heavy.