by Zara Teleg
“Wait.” He sat up, turning me to him. “You think this is about Daisy?”
“I’m not saying that, but you could be having feelings come up because of seeing her today.”
“Seeing her made me realize what was in front of me, what I know I don’t want to lose. You are nothing like her. I have been fighting my feelings for you since the day I picked you up off that sidewalk.” He rubbed his eyes. “I tried to just be your friend. I thought it would pass. You are so young, and I knew the brothers would think I was nuts.” He grabbed my hand, placing it flat over his heart. I could feel the thump of his heart beating. “Paige, don’t you get it? You are in here now. I swore I would never let myself care for someone again, but every day I spent with you made it harder.”
I don’t know how or when my lust turned to love, but seeing the vulnerable side of this man melted me to my core. I stopped him from talking and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him and sobbing.
“Kai, I’m yours. I have been since the day you rescued me.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kai
I left a note next to Paige, who was still asleep in my bed, saying I’d be going out. I needed to talk to Rage. I had to get this off my chest. My phone pinged with an incoming text.
Rage: I’m at The Pit getting an early start on paperwork. You’re up early. What’s up?
Me: I wanted to discuss a few things.
Rage: I could use a sparring partner in an hour. Leo can’t make it early today. I want to get it in before we open.
Me: See you then.
Sparring with Rage while admitting to him that I was falling in love with Paige, what a great plan. What the hell was I thinking?
I usually got my workouts in the quiet clubhouse gym instead of going to The Pit, where all the other brothers worked out. I didn’t like all the distractions. Rage and Leo were both underground MMA champions and were partners in The Pit. I walked through the back door Rage had left unlocked for me. The place was fantastic; they had a lot of new equipment.
I could see the lights on where the boxing rings were located. Rage was in the corner, warming up. I passed the supersized action photos adorning the walls. Rage looked like a beast in each one, his powerful blows taking down the fiercest of men, leaving them a bloody bag of bones at his feet. I swallowed hard, regretting my decision to do this now. The man looked like the freaking Hulk, and his attitude was quite similar. But I knew if anyone told him before I did, the consequences would be much worse. I could end up looking like one of the men in these photos.
“Morning,” Rage turned around, squirting water into his mouth.
“You already warmed up?” I placed my bag down, taking off my sweatpants that were over my shorts.
“Yup. I’ll give you a few minutes.” Rage spun around, kicking the heavy bag. His legs were like tree trunks. The bag’s chains screamed at the force, and the floor shook beneath me.
“What’s wrong with you?” Rage steadied the bag again, watching me before giving another kick.
“It’s just been a while since we did this.” I cleared my throat as he tossed me a set of gloves and turned on the music.
We hopped in the ring. He held up the paddles while I jabbed at them. We talked about random club things until it was his turn to jab at the paddles.
“So, I wanted to talk to you about something that has been on my mind.” The words came out as forced as the last drop of molasses in a bottle. As I said them, I opened a seal I wished I could close again.
The muscles in his jaw tightened. “I don’t know if I like where this is going.” Rage’s deep voice rasped as he hit the paddles harder, making me lose my footing and stumble back.
“It’s nothing bad,” I said. His eyebrows knitted together, sweat dripping down his face as the next punch was even harder.
“If you’re gonna be like that, how are we gonna have a conversation?” I asked, putting the targets down at my sides.
He waved his hand up for me to go back to position. I obliged, and he hit them again at a reasonable pace.
“Spit it out, Kai,” he growled.
“Well, you remember the night we rescued the girls?”
Rage paused, his eyes looking to the ceiling. “Yes.” He shook his head and began assaulting the paddles again.
“Well, since that night, I have been looking after Paige. I have done everything you’ve asked. I have kept her safe, comforted her, talked with her, shared meals, jokes, and tears with her.”
Rage stopped again, his brown eyes turning a stormy black as they narrowed in on me like I was a target. “Uh-huh.”
“Don’t be mad. We didn’t intend for it to happen but—”
Rage’s gloves were on the floor, and he was charging at me. He balled my tank top in his fists, then slammed me to the mat.
“Go on, Kai, you didn’t mean for what exactly to happen?” There was fire coming from his nostrils as his face inched to mine with each word. He held me down, waiting for me to answer.
“Dude, I didn’t judge you when you fell in love with Juliet. I was the one you confided in. You can’t tell me you didn’t see this coming.” I protected my face with my hand as he let out a growl and jumped off me.
“Get up, Kai.” He threw a set of gloves at me.
“Rage, calm down. I wanted you to hear this from me.”
“Put the fucking gloves on, Kai,” he commanded.
“Fine.” I put the gloves on, and we began circling each other.
“She’s a damn kid. You had no right.” He caught me with a jab in my shoulder, knocking off my balance.
“She’s not a kid, and she and I both want this.” I sent my own jab that whizzed past his head as he moved to the left.
“You can’t keep your dick in your pants for five fucking minutes. And she doesn’t know what she wants. Every chick wants you—she’s just caught up in your charms.” His punch came at my gut.
I doubled over. “Fuck,” I wheezed, holding my stomach for a second so I could catch my breath. I stood back up, angry now.
“You don’t understand.” I threw a hook that grazed his face.
“Oh, I understand. You have to have every woman in Sugar Maple, and probably Black Rock, and you just couldn’t stand that Paige was off-limits.” His left hook was powerful as it caught the left side of my jaw.
Motherfucker.
I took off my gloves and spat blood to the floor. “I’m trying to do the right thing here and tell you,” I said.
“That’s fucking hilarious, Kai. You? Doing the right thing?”
“Rage, I fucking think I’m in love with her.”
He began laughing, harder and harder. “You?” He pointed at me. “In love?” There were actual tears in the corners of his eyes as he laughed.
I couldn’t even reply. I was stunned by his response.
“You fuck women and break hearts. That’s what you’ve done your whole life,” he said.
“Paige is different. Man, I tried. I fucking tried my hardest to not go there. But then on New Year’s—”
“New Year’s?” Rage grabbed me again, spinning me into the heavy bag. “I saw you with that stripper on New Year’s.”
“If you remember, that night ended with us running to The Ridge. When I got back to Paige, I was panicked. It was something I’ve never felt before. I tried to stay away from her, but the pull between us was just too strong…”
Rage’s face was red, and his fists were balled at his side.
“I don’t even know why I’m bothering explaining all this to you. You can hit me all you want. It’s not going to change how I feel about her. She’s mine now. Mine to take care of and mine to love. I wanted you to know, but I can see you aren’t going to accept it.” I began gathering my things.
“There are things about Paige you don’t know. Things Juliet has told me,” Rage said as he unwrapped his hands. “You’re playing with fire. And honestly, the way you’re acting, I don’t know who will get burned.
She’s had issues in the past. Fuck, didn’t you notice how she just cut Juliet out of her life?”
He closed his eyes and huffed a breath as he rubbed his hand over his head. “Just wait until Juliet hears this.” He groaned.
“Look, I can’t stop you. But when all this blows up, and I know it will, it better not land at my feet because then you’ll get yourself a real problem.” Rage pointed his finger at me. “You better think long and hard about what you are doing. That girl doesn’t deserve to get hurt. She’s had it hard enough already.” He scooped up his bag and walked to the locker room.
“Fuck.” I spun around, punching the heavy bag with all I had.
What if he was right? What if I wasn’t worthy of her? What if I hurt her?
Paige
A chill woke me. I tightened the soft comforter that smelled of Kai’s body wash around my naked body. My hand felt around before I opened my eyes to see the spot next to me was empty. My hand landed on a piece of paper. I blinked a few times before I could focus on the words scribbled on the page.
Tink, I had to run out. I’ll be back soon. Hope to find you still in my bed.
—Kai
I smiled as I recounted last night’s events, including the rounds of sex that now had me sore. I found one of his massive black Stained Souls T-shirts. I inhaled his scent as I pulled it over my head.
I scrolled through my phone’s notifications. I had a few orders to fill and a message from Ivy. I was in too good a mood to listen to it.
I made a pot of coffee before settling back into Kai’s bed with a cup. Kai didn’t keep many personal mementos around, but motorcycle memorabilia and several encased knives hung on the wall.
I walked around, looking at a few pictures that were faded and tucked into the interior frame of his mirror. I picked up one of a little boy, about six years old, with a graduation cap over his long hair. He stood next to a beautiful woman with her hand on his shoulder and a certificate in her hand. I gently pulled it out, flipping it over: Mom and Kai, Kindergarten Graduation. There were several of Kai and his different motorcycles over the years. There was one of him and a really handsome older man wearing a Stained Souls cut. I knew from the knife at his side that this must have been Ripper. There was also a baby picture that was stuck in the bottom corner of the mirror. I flipped it over; it read on the back: Reid Malakai. Congrats, Uncle Kai. My stomach flipped as I thought about Ripper’s death.
I was getting my shoes from the floor when my eyes found the box sticking out from under the bed. I knew I shouldn’t look at it, but I couldn’t resist one peek. I slid the wooden box the rest of the way out under the bed. It looked as if it had been recently opened. Then I noticed the markings etched into it. It was a daisy carved into the wood, one just like on his knife sheath. A nauseous feeling set in as I lost the battle not to look inside. I unhooked the clasp and began opening the lid, but then heard a noise. I quickly closed it again, pushing it back under the bed just as Kai’s apartment door opened. I leaped off the floor and hopped into the bed.
The door to the bathroom squeaked, and the valve to the shower turned on. The bedroom door was open about three inches, and I could see Kai’s back before he turned and walked into the bedroom.
“I’m glad to see you’re still here and in my bed.”
“What the hell happened to your face?” I darted off the bed and to where he stood. I pushed back his hair, revealing the purpling area on his cheek and slightly swollen eye.
“Babe, it’s nothing.” He winced as he pulled my hand from where my fingers grazed his eyebrow. “I’m fine.”
“Kai, where were you? It’s like 7:30 am. How could you already have gotten yourself into trouble?”
He began taking off his clothes and grabbed his towel from behind the door. “You really want to know?”
“Yes, of course, I do. And don’t fucking say ‘club business’,” I mocked his voice.
“I went to see Rage. I had to. I had to tell him.”
“And he hit you?” I squeaked.
“We sparred. I hit him too. That’s how brothers deal with things. It’s our way.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Now, are you going to jump in the shower with me or what?”
I couldn’t say no to him.
After our shower and fun water activities, I returned to my place to change for work. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Amber or her visiting cousin. I stopped back at Kai’s before I left. The bruising to his face and ribs had gotten worse. Every time I looked at him, I became more pissed off. Where did Rage get off thinking he could have anything to do with what Kai or I did with our lives?
“You have to leave already?” Kai wound his fingers through mine and swung me around, pulling me back to the sofa where he was playing The Witcher video game. I was surprised he even noticed I was still here. He could get so caught up in that magical world. He leaned me back, kissing my lips and making me wish I didn’t have to leave.
“Yes.” I looked at my watch. “I have to hit the post office and drop off a few orders.”
“I have some things to do for the club tonight, but I will text you when I’m home,” he said, then kissed me again. Somehow, I managed to pull myself away.
“Oh, I forgot my flannel in your room. You mind if I get it?”
“Go ahead.” He was back to playing his video game.
The bed was still a mess from last night. I quickly made it while looking for my flannel. When I found it on the nightstand, something fell from the table. A stack of shiny black and gold tickets: Voodoo VIP. My eyes widened when I saw the skull and crown that matched the emblem on the medallion that my biological mother left me. They were tickets to the grand opening of Voodoo, the new club that Vice had mentioned.
“You find it?” Kai called from the other room, the sound of his game rumbling through the speakers.
“Yeah, just making the bed.”
I pulled out my phone and took a picture of the ticket, which had the date, time, and address.
“Kai, I’m going to be late.” I kissed his neck, the area exposed by the man bun he was rocking.
“I can walk you out if you wait a minute.”
“Please finish your game. I don’t want you to mess up and miss your chance to be with your video game girlfriend.”
“Yennefer is not Geralt’s girlfriend. She’s a witch and the love of his life.”
“Whatever,” I waved my hand. “I’ll see you tonight.”
It was just as I suspected. Amber was working, and Daisy was acting like the queen bee with her own VIP section. She waved down the waitstaff to serve her and the posse of men who hung on her every word.
Her long legs were kicked up on a stool. She laughed like everything the men said was funny.
I was clearing the table next to hers.
“Amber, you were right.” Daisy giggled as she placed her empty glass on Amber’s tray. “This was just what I needed to get over Mel.”
I rolled my eyes and continued setting up the table. That was when my already bad workday turned worse.
“Paige.” I heard my name from across the room. My shoulders went up, and I squeezed my eyes shut. God, Juliet sounded just like our mother.
“We need to talk now.” My sister stood in front of me, her arms on her hips and foot tapping.
“Jules, I’m working.” I waved my arm over the table. “And we have nothing to talk about.”
“Oh, so you and Kai are nothing?” The whole room stilled. I grabbed her hand and led her through the kitchen to the back door.
“Hey, Juliet,” Johnny shouted as we zoomed past him.
“What the hell? I don’t need everyone at work to know my business. You don’t see me running around yelling your history, do you?” I seethed.
Juliet rubbed her arms, the air changing as day turned to night. “No, I’m sorry. I was just upset. Ivy tried calling you a few times. I’ve done as you’ve asked, and as painful as it’s been, I’ve kept my distance and let yo
u live your life.” She grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at her. “But when Rage told me about you and Kai, and what Kai had told him, I just couldn’t stay away. I needed to talk to my baby sister before she gets hurt.”
“Yeah, I saw how they talked. Kai came home with a shiner and purple ribs to match. Must have been a great conversation.” I wiggled my body hard, releasing myself from her grip.
“I don’t care if you don’t like what I’m going to say, but I need to say it.” She placed her hands on her hips, and her face morphed into our mother’s.
“Kai is a playboy. He cannot be a faithful man. I have known him for years, and I love the damn asshole. I would not have let you stay there if I didn’t think he would keep his word and watch over you and make sure you were safe. But a relationship with Kai? You have got to be kidding me. Even if he really believes he and you have a future, he is fooling himself and you. He is not a relationship guy.”
“Wait, go back.” I shook my head. “What did you say about him watching over me? Like I need a babysitter?”
“Well, apparently you do, or you wouldn’t be hooking up with a man who clearly cannot be what you want him to be.”
“Who I hook up with is none of your business and especially not Rage’s.” I pointed my finger in her face. “I’m a big girl, and I will be with whomever I want, you got it? If I get hurt, that is on me. Not. Your. Business.”
“But Paige—”
I turned my back to her and began walking back to the door.
“Paige, don’t walk away from me,” she called.
The metal door closed as I approached it. Great, someone was eavesdropping.
I slammed it hard and saw Amber’s curls as she turned the corner. I looked at Johnny, who was flipping a burger on the grill. He just put his hands in the air.
Juliet wasn’t far behind. “Can I get you any grilled veggies?” Johnny asked Juliet.
“Not tonight. Thanks, Johnny. I lost my appetite.”