by Hart, Eve R.
Iron’s hand came up and he started toying with his beard. He knew where this was going but I still had to say it. I guess in a way, I needed to get it out and be done with it.
“So they put me and my aunt in witness security. New names, new place to live, the whole package,” I went on. “I snitched. Called those fuckers out not even feeling bad about it. Only I left out one because I wanted to be the one to take care of him myself. The one that had cut up my dad so bad that he bled out right in front of me. The same fucker that put a gun to my mother’s head and delivered the shot that killed her.”
“Is that how you got to Blade?” he asked, putting the pieces together for himself.
“Yeah. Nine-year-old me was either dumb as a brick or cool as shit. Still can’t decide which. Because when I made the deal, I told them I wanted my new name to be Blade. If not, then no deal.”
Iron chuckled and I smirked. At the time, all I had was revenge in my head. And all I could remember was that big fuckin’ knife they used to torture and carve up my dad. Back then, all I had in my head was how I would use a bigger one to take them out.
I was a kid, what did you expect?
“You get your revenge?” he asked knowing where the fuck this whole thing was going.
“Yeah,” I said with a hint of pride in my tone. “Took me years and a lot of planning, but I did. You need to know more about it?”
It wasn’t something I was all that proud of. I might have had to do things I didn’t agree with to get close enough to the man I wanted dead. I might have spent a couple of years infiltrating the very gang that killed my family. And the thing was, when I went back at fifteen, he didn’t even remember what he’d done to my family, not until I vividly reminded him. You see, I spent the time up until then readying myself for that moment. I knew what I had to do and by the time I set out to work myself into North Corner Crew, I looked nothing like that boy he’d last seen.
It had been easy. Too easy. If I believed in that shit, I might have said it was fuckin’ meant to be.
“No,” Iron said. “You good now?”
“Yeah,” I grunted because I was all talked out. “We good?”
He had the nerve to chuckle at me.
“You’re one of us Blade, shit in your past don’t change that.”
“Yeah?” I asked a little surprised he was letting me off so easily.
“One day you’ll get it,” he said getting to his feet. “Been waiting for that day for a while now.”
He left without another word and I sagged back against the headboard.
It wasn’t long before the door was opening again.
I cracked an eye open to see Harley walking my way with a plate of food in her hand.
“Abigail thought you might want something to eat,” she said and there was something in her tone that had my hairs standing on end.
“Thanks,” I said sitting up. I wasn’t sure if I should ignore it or not. But when she nearly tossed the plate in my lap, I knew I had to say something. “What’s the problem?”
“Really?” Her hip cocked out, her hand planting itself heavily on that hip. “I get that you have a past and that it more than likely includes a lot of women that aren’t me. I don’t feel like I can hold that against you. But I am not a fan of having those women around me or thrown in my face. Is that normal here?” Her hands flew up in the air in frustration as her head shook violently. “I don’t think I can deal with that.”
I looked down at the plate in my lap, then back up at her.
How the hell did this go from food to my previous sexual encounters?
I was a little lost here.
“Woman, I got a thick skull, gonna have to fill in the dots for me because I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
She huffed and rolled her eyes.
“Abigail,” she said pointedly like that should have explained everything.
“Abigail?” I asked still clearly confused.
“That woman obviously thinks you hung the moon or some shit. I don’t know what is between you two, but I am not that kind of girl. And I will not be around someone that is trying to get my man.”
I busted out laughing.
To warn you, it was the wrong reaction for this moment.
Harley looked as if that hair on her head was about to turn into true flames.
Might have even seen a little steam coming out of her ears too.
I cleared my throat and tried to reel it in.
She had a little bit of a point but it wasn’t like that.
And yeah, I noticed what she said at the end there. That was what I was going to focus on.
“You called me your man,” I said shocking her into a blank stare.
“No… I said—”
“That you won’t be around someone that is trying to get your man. Hear you. Loud and clear, Sweet Cheeks. Know what you mean and I’m not letting you take it back.”
She huffed again before saying my name like it would get me to focus.
“Fine,” I said, setting the plate to the side though I was dying to dive into it. “You want to hear it, here goes. There’s history there, yeah. But it isn’t like what you got going on in that head of yours. Abigail is Charming’s woman. Charm, for lack of a better term, is my best friend. Abigail… well, she’s special to me. Don’t ever ask me to change that because that is something I will never do.”
“What does that even mean?” she asked, still frustrated.
It looked like I had no other choice but to go back to the beginning and fill her in.
I was going to make this quick because I’d done enough of this today. But I owed it to her and more importantly, I wanted to share shit with her.
“Few years ago, buncha brothers went into a house and it was rigged with explosives. I was there and got caught under some rubble. Nearly died. Dade was there too and he ended up losing his leg. We became close— well, as close as I could get to anyone back then. Dade’s sister came here to help him get back on his feet. That’s Abigail, by the way. She ended up staying here because her family is shit.”
I took a deep breath.
It was still hard to say this next part out loud.
“Dade’s gone,” I told her. “It’s still fresh for us all. But I vowed to take care of her and so did Charming. The whole club, really, because that’s how shit works around here. Something I’m just now starting to see. Anyway, I care about her like she’s family because she is. That won’t change. But she’s Charm’s and always has been in my mind.”
“Why do I get the feeling like you’re leaving something out?” she asked, her tone a little calmer now.
“Because I’m not real sure how to explain it without you getting mad.”
“Just tell me.”
“Yeah, I’ve been with her. Never alone, always with Charming. Not gonna lie, I love sex. Love it in more than one way too. Don’t mind pleasing a woman with another brother.” I watched her closely and I could see she was getting it. “Abigail was a little green in the sex department but turns out she was very curious. So yeah, I stepped in a couple of times with them. But that’s been over a while and there’s nothing there.”
“So you don’t want her?” she asked sounding a little like she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“No, I don’t. I told you who I wanted and there isn’t anyone else.”
She flopped down on the edge of the bed, her shoulders sagging.
“I like you jealous,” I said with a small smirk and a short laugh. “But you don’t need to be.”
“You expect me to just believe that because you say it?”
“Yeah, I do,” I told her knowing she wouldn’t like it. I went on, hoping to ease the tension pinching her brows together. “Things you never have to worry about with me, and I promise you that. I’ll never cheat on you. I’ll never ask you to do something you’re uncomfortable with. Never lie to you if I can help it. Some stuff I won’t be able to talk about be
cause there’s a part of me that will always belong to my club first. I won’t hurt you, ever. Might get a little rough during sex but I’ll never hurt you.”
To that, she peeked up at me from under her lashes and blushed.
Good. She liked that.
“Anything else we need to clear up or can I eat?” I asked her hoping that I’d gotten it right.
“Yes, I’m sorry,” she said.
“Get that you feel threatened and scared. You’ve been through more shit than anyone should have to go through. But one thing you don’t have to be around me is sorry.”
I picked up the plate and started shoveling Abigail’s amazing tuna noodle casserole into my mouth.
Damn, I was hungry and this shit was good. She even topped it with cheddar cheese the way I loved.
“You eat?” I asked around a mouthful of food.
“I had a little, yeah.”
“No,” I said shaking my head. “Little ain’t enough. Come here.”
“Abigail was really nice. I feel bad now.” I could hear how down about it that she was.
“What did you do?” I asked with a raised brow wishing that I’d been there to see it. While I might have been a little upset if she’d treated Abigail meanly, the thought of her getting pissed turned me the hell on. And I didn’t see Harley as being a bitch despite how she might feel.
“I just didn’t say much to her,” she told me and though it wasn’t that bad, I could tell she didn’t like the feeling eating at her.
“You’ll fix it,” I said to her with a shrug.
“Okay,” she said agreeing with me.
Then we ate.
When we were done, I told her it was time to fucking sleep because I was worn out and I couldn’t hide it any longer.
She wouldn’t let me use her ass as a pillow, so I settled on her boobs. And damn, best fuckin’ pillow ever.
And then I slept like a baby.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Harley
I didn’t sleep easy. The combination of everything had my head spinning. Being in a strange place. All the shit that had happened. And, well, Blade. Yeah, it all made for a mess of thoughts zipping around.
None of it seemed to affect him, though, his head like dead weight on my chest.
I couldn’t say I hated it, but he better understand there would be a few days out of the month where this wouldn’t fly. Wearing a bra when I was PMSing was the worst, and Blade’s head was like a bag of bricks sitting on my chest. No thank you, the boobies would not be down for that.
So now that I had a moment to stop and let it all sink in, I had no clue where to go from here.
The biggest thing was that Jeffery Tompson was dead.
Like real dead, not just me wishing he was.
Blade made that wish come true for me.
And while I was relieved, I was also terrified.
What would happen to Blade now?
I wanted to live in a world where there was no chance he’d get caught, but the truth of it was, the law was too close to this.
My ex’s dad was a judge and I’d met numerous people that were his so-called friends. The kind that you kept in your back pocket for rainy days. If Jeffery up and disappeared then people would go looking. And I was the first thing they would look at.
It didn’t matter if there was a body or not, they would come after me.
Then there was my uncle. My uncle who was a detective.
Oh, this was such a disaster.
My hand came up, my fingers toying with the close-cropped strip of hair on the top of Blade’s head.
I didn’t know why I was surprised to find it soft. Or that I liked the way it felt and found myself dragging my fingertips over it. I liked it so much that I did it again and again.
He grunted in his sleep but didn’t move.
I had figured out by now that he had different grunts. This one was more of a satisfied noise, letting me know that even though he wasn’t consciously aware of me running my fingers through his hair, he liked it.
I found it comforting and there was something about it that made me smile. Maybe I didn’t mind his caveman-speak so much.
The way he communicated wasn’t something I was used to. I tended to talk and usually never lacked for words. I was surrounded by women that liked to chat constantly. I loved that about them and I really enjoyed being a part of it.
But Blade wasn’t a talker.
Clearly.
He was a grunter.
And he saved his words for when they mattered the most.
I was finally starting to understand him.
And as I thought back to every encounter we’d had, I realized things I hadn’t seen at the time.
Good things.
Things that made me smile and feel a little dense.
But the question was, could I be with a man that didn’t so easily express himself?
I knew me. I knew how my mind worked. I knew the things I needed in a partner. Most of those I had already told him back at the hospital, and while his response wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, it was in a very Blade way.
Did I mind sifting through all of it to find the root of what he was telling me?
Well, as he sighed in his sleep and pulled me in tighter to his body, I thought it might be worth it.
Still, there was something in my brain blocking me from giving in.
That thought hooked into my head and I started to feel caged in by it. I couldn’t pinpoint why there was a part of me holding back.
Then all I could think about was leaving.
As much as I wanted to stay, I had to go.
This was not the place to get my head together.
That said, I knew better than to sneak out. I could just see the monster that would bring out in him and right now he needed to be taking it easy, not getting riled up because I did something foolish.
“Blade,” I said, my hand gently shaking his shoulder. “Blade.”
“No, woman. Just a little longer,” he mumbled unhappily.
I smiled. I couldn’t help it.
“Blade, I need to get back.”
“The fuck,” he mumbled but I could still hear the aggravation in those words. “Get back where? The only place you need to be is right the fuck here with me.”
I said his name again in a soft sigh.
Okay, now that I’d taken a step back and started to really see him, I realized how fucking cute he was being right now. He wasn’t an overbearing asshole. He was someone who said things exactly the way it was in his mind. It came out rough and raw, but there was some kind of meaning behind it. There was heart at the bottom of it.
“How am I going to explain this to the girls?” I asked.
“You tell them you got with me,” he answered, shifting so he could lean over me and look me in the eyes. “Simple as that.”
“But if they come home and I’m not there, they will panic.”
“Why the fuck were you there anyway? Thought you were with them at the convention.”
I raised a brow wondering how he knew about that. He had been here, so I could only assume his crew hadn’t gone down there. I kicked myself for not looking up the list to see if they were on it. I guess it was too late now.
“Brand and Cami went down there. And I know how to read.” His brows pulled together and I tried to understand what he meant by that last part. I was sure my face mirrored his. “The sign on the door.”
Oh! Right. I had forgotten about that.
“So, why are you here? And why the fuck didn’t you let me know?” He seemed very upset about that.
“Well, if you must know, I was having stomach issues. I think it was all getting to me. And why would I come to you? It’s not like you’ve been very inviting.” I cocked a brow and waited for his comeback. I bet he didn’t have one for that.
The look on his face went hard and I took it as if to say I was right.
“Next time, you let me know.”
&n
bsp; “It shouldn’t matter next time, the threat is gone,” I reminded him, a little surprised at how calm I sounded.
He huffed and rested his head back on my chest.
“That’s not the point and you damn well know it,” he mumbled out sounding half-asleep again.
The room went silent. I wondered if he’d fallen asleep again.
“Blade?” I whispered.
“Yeah, babe?”
“Thank you,” I told him, a sting hitting the back of my eyes but I refused to let the tears come forth. “I don’t think I can ever repay you for what you did tonight.”
“Don’t want you to feel like you owe me.”
A short, sarcastic laugh escaped my throat. Did he not realize how big of a deal it was to me? How much of a weight he’d just taken off of my shoulders?
“Woman,” he said gruffly. “Go the fuck to sleep. I’m tired and though I don’t want to admit it, my fucking body is sore. Now, I want you to turn that brain off and rest.”
I smiled even though he couldn’t see it.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Good,” he mumbled and then there was nothing.
Turning my brain off was easier said than done. I mean, I had been trying since the moment he put his head on my chest. The harder I tried, the more thoughts popped into my brain.
I kept still, thinking that it would be enough for him. I thought he was out again but some time later, he jerked up and towered over me.
“What?” I asked, eyes wide and body tense.
“Only one way to get you to relax.”
“Huh?” I blinked at him not understanding what the fuck he was talking about. I shouldn’t have been surprised because I felt clueless most of the time when it came to him.
The blanket was thrown off, and before I could register what was going on, he had my nightie pushed up around my hips.
“Blade,” I started but the rest of whatever I’d meant to say died in my throat as he pushed my legs apart and his tongue made a heavy sweep of my sex over my panties.
I got what he meant now.
Maybe even started to get him.
I should have stopped him, but when I felt his fingers curl into the edge of my panties and begin to drag them down, I couldn’t register words, let alone say them.