Faith (The Fast Love Collection Book 1)

by Watkins, TM

  My life wasn't complicated, it was monumentally messed up.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Archer rubbed the cream onto my tattoo, amused eyes looked up from my wrist. Amused because the so called buttoned down Faith was becoming a little wilder, carefree Roxy. He washed his hands and wrapped my wrist up again, all the while eying off the cake that was cooling on the bench.

  The man didn't understand patience. He wanted it cut now, he wanted to eat it now. There was no waiting for it to cool or maybe eating lunch first. It was his birthday and he wanted it when he deemed the time was right. To hell with lunch.

  He relented when I said that it had to be iced and I couldn't do that until it had cooled off a little more. So lunch was back on and almost ready. If I could distract him with tending to the lunch, I'd be set. No distracting pest who was always sneaking sly kisses, wrapping his arms around me and rubbing his arousal on my backside.

  But actually getting him to step away from me was difficult, more so when I started to prepare the chocolate icing. Fingers were smacked, pouts were given. His birthday had started so well, waking to him entwined and hard pressed against me. Morning sex was slow and incredible, I always found the missionary position to be rather intimate, making a closer bond between two lovers. His body barely left mine, the close contact was perfect.

  My body quivered at the thought of it, remembering his eyes staring into mine as he gently kissed me. Gently rocking into me until we were ready to come, the pace quickened but his body was still pressed to me. I knew what it was, I wasn't blind. It was proper making love, not hard core fucking, not even hot and heavy sex. As much as it freaked me out just a fraction, I was okay with it.

  Dumping the utensils into the sink, I looked across to Eddie's kitchen. He was at work as he should be and I missed him. I hadn't seen him since a quick conversation last night, James had made dinner and it was on the table, the man was eager to get going on what he said was looking like a delicious meal. I could feel us drifting apart and the thought was killing me inside.

  Turning back to the cake I saw the birthday boy feigning nonchalance as he looked to the ceiling. Casually I walked over and tugged his shirt, sniffed his chocolate breath and tried to stifle the smirk. I couldn't be angry with him, not when he loved my cooking and it was his birthday.

  Archer didn't want some big fanfare for his birthday, just a day lounging around with me was good enough for him. He was shocked when he learned that I didn't know how to play poker and suggested that it was ideal to learn as strip poker was lots of fun. It was fun until he was down to his shorts and I still had my clothes on. I was now being accused of pretending that I wasn't really good at the card game. Pure luck was all that this was. I placated the sullen man by sitting on his lap, planting lots of kisses on him.

  Rumbling of motorcycle engines filled the quiet afternoon air, Archer and I looked at each other and realized that play time was over.

  “I could pretend I'm not here.”

  “It's okay, they're probably just stopping by to say happy birthday. Go and see them, I've got cleaning up to do anyway.”

  Darkness shrouded his face as he nodded, looking like he wanted to say something about whoever it was out there.

  “Won't be long.” He offered with a peck on my lips, fleeing quickly.

  I looked out the glass doors to the balcony to the two fellows that were waiting at Archer's front door. Cleaning up distracted me for a few brief moments, the sounds of motorcycles starting up made me smile. Seconds later my phone vibrated across the kitchen bench, chiming as it received a message. I opened the message from Archer, reading that he had stuff to do and would it would be a while before he was back. The sounds of another motorcycle starting made me gasp, I ran to the balcony and watched as Archer rode up the street. Gone without a goodbye.

  Huffing with frustration I returned the message, telling him to be safe and to return to me alive and well. It's all I could hope for when he was off doing club business.

  “So much for not being in a club.” I muttered.

  It was time to face the facts, he might say he's out but he isn't. Not really. Not when they can turn up without notice and he goes running, following them to wherever it is that he's gone to.

  Focusing on cleaning up after lunch rather than the fact that things were getting worse by the day, I continued without stopping until the place was back to my preferred state, spotless.

  The cake had cooled sufficiently so I iced it so that it was ready for eating after dinner tonight, letting it rest on the bench. When it was done I put one little candle in the center of the cake, smiling to myself at how cute it was.

  Keeping my mind going rather than becoming stagnate, I checked my emails and found the offending time bomb that was waiting for me. The dates began at the beginning of January until the end of the month, with a few days off for Saffron's birthday. I guess that means she's coming home sooner than she anticipated.

  I sat back and rubbed my belly, lifting the shirt and looking at it. Trying to make it protrude out was something that I'd never done, not even as a kid. I was never the kind of girl that played families, preferring to sit in the corner and read a book.

  Curious to how I might look, I went to the bedroom and pushed my stomach out as far as I could. I sighed sadly as I looked at the roundness, unsure if I was or wasn't. There was still a few days yet before I could take the test.

  Returning to the computer, I continued to look over the dates and wondered when it had gone to an entire month. Previous releases had always been a few days here and there, was this a sign of my rising popularity? If it was then it was a really good idea not to be so dismissive with the tour. But that meant being away from here for an entire month. Archer, Eddie and James, my parents, could I leave for that length of time?

  Anxiety gripped me, fearing that the time away from Archer was too long. Was it a risk to part company for so long? Would he still be waiting for me at the end of it or would boredom have gotten the better of him? I didn't want to return to face another woman strutting around his house, replacing me.

  Feeling weak like this was horrible, I wanted to be stronger but the thought of him finding someone else was crushing. With a huff I turned off the computer, unable to write when I had such a clouded mind. If I did go on the tour and came back to learn I was a single woman again, then so be it. I did not need him, end of subject.

  By four pm I was beginning to wonder if I should start the preparations for dinner or not. I sent Archer a message, asking that he give me some kind of indication as to whether he'd be home in time.

  I got nothing in return.

  So with the belief that he was busy or maybe his battery had died, I began dinner. Archer wanted another roast, one with all of the vegetables that I'd done on Sunday. After an hour of preparations, the roast was in the oven and slowly filling the apartment with wonderful smells. Checking my phone for what must have been the tenth time in as many minutes, I grumbled and went to have a shower.

  By seven pm I was sitting at the dining table and mindlessly flicking my phone in a circle on the table. I had dressed in a pretty dress and sexy underwear underneath. Dinner was probably stone cold now, hopefully the oven will keep it warm and not dry it out.

  My mind had checked out, I sat and stared across the lounge room to the darkened night sky, not thinking about anything in particular as I waited. The soft patter of rain snapped my mind out of the dull, thoughtless land I was in. It increased in tempo, soon becoming a hard spatter to the balcony floor.

  The heavy rain was loud but not so loud to drown out the sound of a motorcycle coming down the road. Glancing at the clock, I realized another hour had passed while I sat and waited. Angrily I got up from my seat, grabbed my keys and stalked out of the apartment.

  Archer was at his back door by the time I found him, giving me a cold and distant hello as I drew closer.

  “Where have you been?”

  “Out.” He murmured.


  “You said you wouldn't be long.”

  He shrugged and walked into the house. I followed after him, looking like a drowned rat. All the efforts I had gone to, to look nice for his birthday dinner was washing away in a sea of mascara, wet hair and sodden clothes.

  I was about to say something as he removed his leather jacket but stopped when I saw the crimson color on his shirt.

  “Are you hurt?”

  He huffed with a slight laugh, shaking his head. The reality of it sunk in, it wasn't his blood. There was a lot of it too.

  “Did you hurt someone?”

  “You're asking too many questions Roxy.”

  Yeah, I get it. Club business and all. I nodded and walked out of the house, letting the rain hide my tears. Rather than going home to face the cake on the bench and the dried out husk that was once meat that was in my oven, I wandered down to the park.

  I sat on the swing and rocked back and forth slowly, letting the rain wash away the pain. Did I stupidly believe that he would change? I did. He said that he was out of the club life, he wanted a fresh start that was a reasonably honest one yet in the few days that I've known him, his life hasn't exactly been an honest one.

  Could I blame him for his inability to change? I had no straight forward answer, nothing that could give me hope for a sinking situation.

  Pulling back the cloth that covered the new tattoo, I realized that someone had changed, it was just the wrong person. It wasn't a bad thing, I hadn't changed that much. I was still the same neat freak with writer's block only now I had a tattoo and maybe.

  My hand rubbed over my stomach, wondering if maybe was in there or not. I sobbed just a little as my head hung lower, feeling a mighty weight push down on my life.

  Looking up to Eddie's apartment block, I watched the shadows that passed the window. He was so lucky to have an easy going relationship, no screw ups, no running off for hours at a time only to return with another person's blood on his shirt.

  What had he done? Had he killed someone? Was I lying in bed with a murderer? A chill went up my spine as I thought about the red on his shirt. At the very least, someone was hurt. Why couldn't Archer tell me?

  The lights went off in Eddie's apartment and I wished I could walk up the stairs and see him and James. But I couldn't do that. Not now, not today.

  I needed time alone and I knew that he'd offer me hugs and consoling words but it wouldn't help, not when I was dealing with a man that was from the wrong side of life and always would be.

  There was no changing him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Warmth roused me from a blissful slumber, that was until I felt my head throb. I groaned with the pain, feeling what could only be described as a thousand razors cutting at my throat.

  “Good morning sunshine.” Eddie crooned.

  Blearily I looked at the end of my bed, Eddie was sitting at the edge. Behind him was James, both of them looking rather concerned. I could understand why, the last thing I remembered from last night was being in the park. How I ended up in my bed was a mystery.

  “Hey.” I croaked.

  Eddie handed two tablets and a glass of water to me, I looked at them with a frown.

  “I checked with the chicky, it's safe.”

  Safe because I might be pregnant. Crushing reality hit me, remembering the fight with Archer, how horrid it had felt to realize that he might have killed someone last night. I had no clue because he was keeping it from me, something he knew irritated me. Did he do it to protect me?

  After seeing him cross the road from his house to my apartment, I had stupidly decided that I wasn't in the mood for speaking with him and remained at the park. Now I was paying the price.

  My fight with Archer? Maybe it was petty, maybe it wasn't. What mattered was he'd ditched me on his birthday in favor of doing something for the motorcycle club that was supposedly out of. He'd returned after hours of no communication, covered in someones blood. He knew I would have spent hours in the kitchen making our dinner yet I got a distant man that I didn't recognize, cold and indifferent to me.

  I'd known him for only a few days, the conception of our child had been a heat filled mistake but it was one that I was slowly becoming accustomed to. Now I wasn't so sure.

  “So Faith, uh why were you in the park in the middle of a storm?”

  “Had a fight with Archer.” I said as a whisper, not daring to strain my throat too much.

  Eddie and James exchanged glances, Eddie turned back to me.

  “He came looking for you, said you weren't answering the door. Climbing the brickwork again didn't appeal to him when it was raining so he asked me to check on you.”

  “Great.” I croaked. “Not interested. Going back to sleep now.”

  I heard the sigh from Eddie and a few odd noises as I rolled onto my side.

  “Faith hun.” Eddie cooed. “Something has happened.”

  “Yeah, I saw the blood.” I muttered. “Still not interested.”

  “Faith.” He whispered, leaning over my body. “Someone gratified the graves.”

  Now that caught my attention. Eddie looked really sad, even though we'd never met Jacqueline or Kellen, we knew and loved Archer and that was enough to evoke strong feelings.

  “It's really bad Faith, they wrote slut on his mother's headstone and broke his brother's one in half.”

  “Was it kids?”

  He gave me a derisive look, almost telling me to not be so stupid. It was stupid to think this was the handiwork of louts, this was intentional.

  “Two graves in the middle of a cemetery, nothing else touched. You tell me what this is about.”

  Feeling a little light headed I sat back against the headboard and pulled my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.

  “So did he tell you what he did?”

  Eddie winced with a slight nod, shrugging as well.

  “Found out who it was and did as expected.”

  As expected. Sad but true, it was what we expected. Archer had moments of complete irrationality so it wasn't exactly wrong to think that he might have gone out and done something incredibly rash.

  “Where is he now?”

  Both of them gestured to the doorway.

  “Kitchen.” Eddie whispered. “Found you asleep in the park. Honestly Faith, are you mad?”

  “Just pissed off.”

  I wriggled down the bed and pulled the sheet over me.

  “And tired. I think I need some cold and flu tablets.”

  “I gave you as much as the chemist was willing to allow you until you confirm it.”

  Yawning I nodded, closing my eyes and hoping that the pain would subside soon.

  What time it was when I woke, I wouldn't know. I'd lost all sense of time with the blur in my mind and the fire in my throat. My whole body ached, my nose was leaking and even though it hurt like hell, I had to cough constantly.

  “Turning on the light.”

  His voice was soft, as dark as the night and filled me with more pain than what I was suffering physically. Once the light was on I looked at one really sad man. Offering more pain relief I took them greedily, eager to get them working. Archer sat on the mattress beside my legs as I gulped the water down.

  Scratching at the back of his head, he seemed to be trying to find the right words. We were in a precarious position in our relationship before last night, now it was worse.

  “Rox.”

  Honestly, the man couldn't change his ways no matter what the shit situation he was in.

  “Voodoo and Wolf turned up, said that someone had trashed the headstones. That my old man was going to find the punks and deal with it himself. Said that I needed to stand by him, for the sake of my family. Not the club family but my real family. I couldn't let it slide you know?”

  I nodded without thinking about it. In reality they should have reported it to the cops. Not that they'd do anything worthwhile. The cops in this town were rather lax, preferring to turn a blind eye to the antics
of motorcycle clubs.

  “The old man pulled me off them before it escalated.”

  His voice was gruff and cold, like he wasn't impressed at not being allowed to finish.

  “Message was clear enough, don't disturb the dead or they'd be joining them.”

  Cautiously his fingers traced at the tips of mine, waiting for me to rebuke him. Instead I laced our fingers together.

  “I made chicken soup for you.”

  A slight smirk crossed his face as he sniggered.

  “And I made a mess.”

  I was a clean freak and he's made a mess of my scrupulously clean kitchen. I'd spent hours yesterday making sure it was perfect for dinner. The dinner that was probably still sitting in the oven attracting all manner of vermin. Blech.

  “Time to be getting out of bed, stretch those legs.”

  Archer pulled the sheet back and lifted me to my feet.

  “Bathroom time while I get dinner ready.”

  Unsteady on my feet, he guided me to the bathroom. On the vanity was the tormentor, the pregnancy tests.

  “When is six days?”

  “Today.” I croaked out.

  “Feel up to taking it?”

  I shrugged, my head was swimming far too much to comprehend a pregnancy test.

  “I feel like shit Archer, can't it wait until tomorrow?”

  Disappointment crossed his face as he nodded.

  “I'll go and start dinner. Yell if you need me.”

  He turned to walk away, I held onto his hand and made him stop, turning back to me.

  “Always.” I said in spite of the pain. “I'll always need you.”

  Archer walked back, wrapping his arms around me, kissing me with tender care. Offering a smile, he turned back and left the room. Carefully I walked into the bathroom and looked at the packet as I shut the door. Caving, I pulled a test out of the packet and shoved the last one into the draw.

  When I was done I took it to the kitchen without looking at the result, placing it onto the bench while covering the result windows. Archer stopped stirring the soup and raised an eyebrow at the white plastic point protruding out from under my hand.