Gunner (Devil's Tears MC Book 1)
Page 24
Her body stiffens as I enclose her with my arms.
“Ruby, can you think about me sometimes?”
“Eat something. You said you were hungry.”
“I asked you a question.”
She moves on my lap, her prosthetic feet scratching against the floor. “I sometimes think about you.”
“Good. That’s really good.” I rest my forehead against hers. “I think about you very often. Sometimes a few times a day.”
She giggles and puts her palms on my face. “You need a shower. You’re sticky.”
“Yeah, I need a shower. I smell like a wild animal.”
“Worse.” She winks at me. “Are you going to stay for a while?”
“What a change of attitude. You’re not going to kick me out of the house just after the meal?”
“No. Changed my mind.”
“I’d love to stay. For a week or two if you don’t mind.”
“Stay forever.”
At first, the simplicity and honesty of her suggestion hit me hard, then the white clarity of my needs and desires fills me with calm. “This isn’t a bad idea, actually.”
I have the A4 envelope from Charlie in my bag. I think I could make use of the documents inside.
Ruby kisses the corner of my mouth, a delicate brush like a butterfly has touched me with its wings. “You really need a shower.”
“Yeah, I need a shower.” I press my lips against hers tenderly, because I don’t want to scare her away.
She shivers, jerks her body back as though she wants to escape from me but then her chest clings to mine, her arms encircle my neck and she deepens the kiss.
That’s all I need to know to make my choice.
Her tongue slips in, touching mine. I hook the back of her neck with my hand and crush her lips with mine, taste her greedily. Breathe her in.
“Go, have a shower,” she groans.
“Let’s have a shower together.”
“We will. One day.”
“When exactly?”
“In a week or two.”
“That’s a plan.” I huff.
The baby wakes up and Ruby rises from my lap to change the nappy expertly. I go to have a shower. As I step out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, Seafra and Eavan are standing in the middle of the kitchen, their faces sharp.
An icy silence hangs above us all.
“Well,” I start.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Seafra says through clenched teeth.
I bend and dig my hand into my bag, taking out the brown envelope from Charlie. “Here’s your answer.” I throw the envelope at him. “By the way, nice to see you alive. Man, this was really scary.”
Eavan is rocking her baby in her arms. Her cold glance sweeps over me.
I’ve always regarded her as a weird person. There is something tempting about her appearance, but I definitely prefer Ruby who seems to be more human and warmer.
Seafra takes the documents out of the envelope and flicks his furious eyes over them. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Man, I have a family. You’re putting our lives at risk.”
Eavan stands beside him and looks down at the documents too.
I clear my throat. “I followed Charlie’s every instruction. I was really careful.”
“It’s not the life for you,” Seafra says. “Coyote, do you even know what we’re dealing with? You can’t just come here and stay with us. What if you change your mind?”
Anger rushes through my veins. “I made my choice. I had a lot of time to think and I know what I want in life and what I don’t want. If this life is good for you, certainly it will be good for me too.”
“We’re dead, Coyote,” Seafra says. “Can’t you see?”
I roll my fingers into fists. “You look more alive than ever before, Seafra. You look tired but happy. Happy like never before. If this is death then I really like it.”
“So,” Eavan says and flashes me a half smile. “How did you die?”
“I haven’t died yet,” I say. “But, soon, I’ll deviate from the mountain road and crash. They’ll find a lot of bottles with vodka in the wreck of the car.” I chuckle. “If the car doesn’t explode, of course. There are wild animals in the area. They will be blamed for my death as well.”
“Very creative,” Eavan says.
“Charlie is a professional,” I say.
“You can sleep on the sofa,” Eavan says as Seafra shakes his head.
I salute her and Ruby shoves me towards the table. We gather around it.
“So,” Seafra says, slapping me on the back. “You’re part of the gang.”
“It’s fucking scary,” I say, making Ruby giggle. “Well, I decided that I preferred having a family to having money. It was pretty lonely. So I thought why not? And here I am.”
“There are rules,” Seafra says.
“I know,” I say. “I had to listen to Charlie’s monologues for a month.”
Eavan puts the baby to bed and we open a few cans of beer.
“It will be fun,” Seafra says and I notice a flicker of sheer joy in his eyes I’ve never seen before.
“It will be fun,” I say.
***
So here I am, stuck out in the middle of nowhere.
I’m living under one roof with my cousin, his wife and his son. Ruby loves me in her own unique way.
She’s hurt. She’s damaged.
She’s determined to squeeze her happiness out of the life we have here, but still it’s very difficult to be with her. She hides some part of her from me. It’s like I have her and I don’t which pisses me off, but I never give up easily and I’m determined to tear my way to the true Ruby whatever that takes.
I never ask about her past, but we have a lot of plans for our future together.
I love her more than anything else in my life.
I love her naked body shivering beneath mine at night, her ragged breath and sweet moans when I’m fucking her.
She likes it rough so I give it rough to her. She’ll be on her back, on her stomach, on her side.
She’s really mine at night. We’re connected, wild, impatient. She screams my name in ecstasy, but mumbles his name in her dream. Jack.
Seafra told me to never ask her about him so I don’t ask her even though his name evokes my urge to murder him.
Ruby’s started to smile brightly at me. That’s a fucking good sign. Like I said, I never give up easily. I’ll make her forget this guy, Jack, whoever he was for her.
What about Hale? Well, he’s leading his decadent life according to the news and we’re ghosts for the whole world.
Natalie, the cop, who’s helping us, decided to buy that small pub where Seafra and Eavan are working to earn money for us. A very generous woman, I can tell. And lonely as hell. Well, Charlie is lonely too.
I’m not lonely.
I’m happy. A bit scared, but very happy.