“I have no idea how to explain this without sounding like a crazy person.” She sighs.
“Try me.” I sit us both up and wait for her to continue.
“When I refused to be the victim again, I had to change my view on it all, I had to just accept it and move on. If I didn’t then I would be a broken mess. I wouldn’t say that I’ve come out of it unscathed, I’m terrified of people taking advantage of me, I have trust issues, I have no friends or family, I have no on-”
“What about me?” I ask. If I’m being honest her words cut deep and I’m a little hurt.
“It’s not the same.”
“How is it not the same? I’m your friend, I was your boyfriend once. I’ll always be here for you. The MC welcomed you with open arms and the girls probably adore you already, so tell me how you have no one?” I say matter of factly.
“I…I don’t know, I mean before running into you I had no plan other than escaping or die trying. I have no idea what to do with myself, I’m a huge fucked up mess of emotions.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course I do, Bennett.”
“Then let me take care of the bastards who took you. Let me help you feel safe, protected and loved. Tell me what you need and I’ll do it.” I stumble over my words slightly in my rush to get her to stay which earns me the sound of her beautiful laugh.
“Stop getting so excited. I’m not going anywhere, it’s not like I have anywhere to go.” She shrugs.
“You know what to say to hurt me, don’t you?” I sigh and rub my face.
“What do you mean?” she asks whilst resembling a deer caught in headlights.
“First by saying that you have no family and no friends, and now by telling me that you have nowhere to go.”
“Don’t be like that.”
“Don’t be like what? I’m offering you everything you’re asking for but it doesn’t seem good enough.”
“Oh my God, I forgot how stubborn and annoying you can be.” She huffs.
“You’re the only annoyingly hot person here, not me.” I chuckle messing with her, wanting the old times back. I missed our banter.
“Well that’s debatable.” She smirks.
“Fuck off.” I joke whilst shaking my head at her. “I just want to help and protect you, is that too much to ask?”
“I guess not? I’m not used to this anymore, Bennett.”
“I can understand that, but it’s not a good enough reason to be stubborn and say that you have no one in the world.” I squeeze her thigh and hope that she’ll get my point.
“I know, it’s just hard to go from having no one for five years and then suddenly have a large group of people all wanting to help. My trust issues are going crazy at the minute.”
“I know, but we’re the good guys. You don’t have to worry about anything, we’ll take care of it, including finding the person responsible and making them pay. You won’t be used anymore, my Gorgeous Girl, I’ll make sure of that.”
“What are you going to do?” she asks and I can hear the worry in her voice.
“Find those fuckers and kill them all with my bare hands,” I tell her. I try to calm the rage and hatred I can hear in my tone but fail miserably.
“You can’t do that.”
“Why the fuck not?” I look at her feeling shocked by her lack of faith in me.
“They are dangerous people, Bennett, you can’t fight them. Please.” She begs me and I hate saying no to her but this is too important.
“Nancy, we’re equally dangerous. I won’t go into details of what I or the guys have done these past five years but I’m not the same kid you fell in love with back then. I’ve killed and hurt peopl-.” I’m not sure what I’m trying to achieve with this speech and it doesn’t look like it’s working when she interrupts me.
“Deep down I know you’re still the same boy who jumped into my room from his bedroom because I had stubbed my toe, you would never hurt me. I’ve seen the biker lifestyle, probably the worst example of it, and I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. I won’t be able to cope if anything happens to you,” she says as she holds my face between her tiny hands.
“I’m always careful.” I kiss the palm of her hand, holding it to my face.
“That’s why you walk with a limp and don’t try to tell me that it’s because you’re so cool and it’s your natural swagger because I swear I’ll bitch slap the shit out of you.”
“I like it rough, so I wouldn’t mind seeing what you’d do to me. I might lie just to see what you’ve got.” I smirk playfully.
“What am I going to do with you?” She groans in exasperation.
“Love me, marry me, have my babies and maybe a puppy, I’d love a puppy or a kitten. Either which I don’t mind,” I say smiling like a lunatic.
“Oh God.” She shakes her head in desperation which makes me laugh.
“I was shot trying to stop bad guys from hurting Viv, Nicole and Jase’s ex-wife. There was some long term damage to the muscle hence why I have a cool as fuck limp.”
“Is it still painful?” She asks as she tries to climb off of my lap but I keep her still.
“Only when I’m riding for a long time. The vibrations make the muscle tense and ache but other than that I’m good. It’s been a while now anyway.”
“You’re a good man, Bennett.” She smiles at me sweetly.
“Why is that?”
“Because you’re loyal to your friends and protect them even if it means putting yourself in danger.” She chokes on the last part and it tugs at my heart.
“I’ll always do what I can to protect the people I love.”
“Good man.”
“Crazy woman.”
“I thought we’d already established that?” She deadpans.
“We did, I just thought I’d remind you.” I wink at her.
“Trust me, there’s no need,” she mumbles and cuddles into me. “When do we have to go back?”
“Where?” I ask, confused as to where we could possibly have to be.
“The compound.”
“You’re not going back there, you’re coming to stay with me.”
“Bennett…”
“Nancy…”
“As much as I’d love to spend time with you, I need some time to adapt.”
“I’ll give you space, I promise.” I plead.
“Bennett, I know you mean well, but after two seconds of seeing each other properly we practically ran into each other’s arms. The only time we haven’t been holding on to each other was when you got angry after I told you what happened. It’s not going to do us any good if we start living together.”
“Why the fuck not?” I look at her, getting pissed off now.
“Because I need some time on my own and some privacy. I know that if we’re under the same roof then you’ll want to spend as much time together as possible.” She tilts her head and looks at me pointedly
“Touché.” I sigh.
“I promise we’ll live together as soon as I’m able, I just need some time to adapt to my freedom and surroundings.”
“A week.”
“Huh?” she asks in an uncertain tone and looks at me as if I’m crazy.
“You get a week on your own then you’re all mine.” I grin evilly.
“Fuck off.” She giggles.
“I missed us.” I sigh sadly.
“I missed us too,” she whispers before kissing my chest.
Right in this moment, I really couldn’t care less if she’s hiding something from me.
CHAPTER 14
Nancy
I wake with a start thanks to a loud banging noise coming from somewhere behind me. I look around me and for the second time in two days, I don’t recognize where I am. I sit up quickly, looking around as I do and sigh in relief when I spot Bennett in the small kitchen area at the far end of the cabin. He swears at God knows what, which makes me smile. I sneak up behind him on the tips of my toes.
“Yeah,
because you’re not obvious at all, Gorgeous Girl,” he declares as he busies himself with something that smells lovely.
“How do you do that?” I groan as I jump up onto the counter next to where he’s working.
“Sixth sense,” he whispers loudly and touches his nose like it’s a secret. “How’d you sleep?”
“Not so bad. What time is it?” I yawn and stretch, catching him staring at me with a grin on his face. Men.
“The time, Bennett?” I giggle.
“Right, time, sorry.” He looks at his watch. “Five in the afternoon.”
“Already?”
“Yeah, you slept like a baby all day. You probably needed it.”
“Or you were so boring that you put me to sleep.” I try to keep a straight face but fail miserably and laugh at my own funniness.
“You done picking on me now?” He brings his hand to his heart and fakes being hurt.
“I’m just getting started.” I reply and kiss his cheek.
“Fuck me.” He shakes his head and goes back to his pans.
“I’m too hungry for that, what are you making?”
“The only thing Callum has in the cupboards: pasta and tomato sauce.” He turns to me and gives me an apologetic smile.
“That’s fine.” I smile and hop off the counter to look for the plates.
“See, we’d work well in a house together.” He claims with a smug grin as he brings the pasta and sauce to the counter.
“Stop right there with that talk.” I warn him, narrowing my eyes in his direction to stop him going any further.
“I’m just saying!”
“Yeah, yeah.” I shake my head at him and spoon the pasta onto our plates.
“You have no faith in me.” He stands behind me and kisses the nape of my neck. “I still want you, more than anything,” he whispers in my ear which causes a shiver to travel down my spine.
“Fuck, Bennett.”
“Soon.” He threatens and smacks my ass, making me wince as his hand connects with my wounds.
“Fuck!” I yelp.
“Oh shit, sorry, I forgot.” He wraps his arms around me from behind and squeezes me. “Forgive me?”
“I will when you stop smacking my ass!”
“I will, for now. Let me know when it feels better.” He snickers and straight away looks horrified and genuinely sorry. He kisses my cheek before placing the pans to the sink as I bring the plates to the couch.
After dinner we relax and listen to some music whilst we catch up. We talk about normal stuff like his day to day life with the MC, how his parents are and things like that, keeping things light and talking about him whilst keeping away from any touchy subjects. I can’t face talking about me right now and risk letting it slip, now is not the time for that talk.
“Are you sure you want to stay here?” Bennett frowns as he looks around the room I slept in the night before at the compound.
“Yes, Bennett, I’m sure.” I cross my arms over my chest and try not to laugh at his pouting face. He’s worse than a kid sometimes.
“I know! I’ll stay here with you. Problem solved.” He declares and jumps onto the bed, looking very proud of himself.
“Oh God Bennett would you stop it! I’m not going to run away and no one is going to steal me whilst I’m here, so stop thinking that I’m just going to disappear the second you turn around.”
“Need I remind you of what happened five years ago? I’m not letting that happen again.” He gets off of the bed and walks over to me. When he reaches me he lifts my chin until I’m looking directly in to his hazel eyes. “I’m never letting anyone else touch or hurt you ever again.” He looks at me with such conviction in his eyes that I genuinely believe him. It’s so fucking hot when he gets all protective and if I could, I’d jump him right here, right now. Not that he would mind, but I’m not ready just yet. I want it, badly, but I feel like we both need more time to get to know each other again, five years is a long time to be apart.
“I know,” I whisper.
“Glad you do.” He goes to smack my ass but I move out of the way just in time.
“Try that again and I’ll knee you in the balls.” I warn him.
“Sorry, sorry, I just love your ass, it’s a magnificent ass and really a spanking is just a one handed round of applause.” He shrugs casually and flops down onto the bed again. “Care to join me?” He asks with a creepy smirk as he rubs the spot next to him.
“Bennett Sawyer, you are one of a kind.” I laugh and lie down on my side next to him.
“I know. So, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m really horny and you’re really hot, can we fuck? Like now? Or is it too soon?” A smug grin appears on his beautiful face.
“Really?” I raise my eyebrow at him, half shocked that he would suggest it so soon after learning what I’ve been through.
“Yeah, I mean I know it’s soon considering what you told me but I know you’re all hot and bothered after seeing my sexy body.” He licks his lips as he starts to caress his chest before lifting the hem of his shirt up.
“Oh. My. God. Stop it you pervert!” I hit him with a pillow whilst trying not to laugh, God forbid I encourage him. But I’ve missed our joking around so much.
“Are you really mad at me?” he asks, suddenly looking worried and ashamed. At least he has the decency to look ashamed of himself. He looks at the ceiling and I’m trying hard not to laugh at him. He looks like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“What do you think?” I try to keep my composure but it’s getting harder the more ashamed he looks.
“I knew you were faking it.” He gaps and manages to roll me underneath him with him resting his weight on his elbows. “I’m not moving,” he tells me before letting his arms fall and flops down on top of me. He gets himself comfortable and I immediately wrap my arms around him and stroke his back, remembering the first night we spent together. I had to be crafty and lie to my parents and ask a friend to cover for me, but it was worth it. That was the night he insisted to bring me to their next MC party. Being introduced to the MC world is something I’ll always remember and cherish. It brought Bennett and I closer together.
“Are you sure they’re going to be okay with this?” I ask Bennett nervously as I’m about to be introduced to his friends from the MC. The MC he and his family are a part of is a chapter of a larger club called The Last Hangman MC, I can’t say I’ve ever heard of them but I hope they are welcoming of outsiders.
“I’m sure, Gorgeous Girl. They’ll love you.” He smiles proudly and wraps an arm around my shoulders as he leads me towards a massive house. It’s not what I had imagined an MC compound to look like. I was expecting the place to look old, ran down, filthy and tiny.
“This place is huge.” I look around in awe.
“This is our compound, where we spend time all together and where club business is discussed,” he says matter of factly.
“What type of business?” I ask, curious to know more about his world.
“Now that’d be telling.” He winks at me, tapping my nose once before brushing his lips over mine.
“Ah is it a case of ‘if I tell you I’ll have to kill you’?” I look at him and raise my eyebrow.
“Something like that and you’re far too pretty to be killed. So basically, I can’t tell you,” he says sadly, humor lacing his voice.
“You’re too sweet.” I kiss his cheek but back away quickly.
“What’s wrong? Your parents don’t know we’re here.” He looks at me with a confused and hurt expression on his face.
“I know, it’s just, what are your friends going to think?”
“That it’s about time I have a steady girlfriend, or that I’m pussy whipped, they’d be right either way.” He shrugs.
“So you’re pussy whipped?” I tease.
“Yep, one hundred percent. You’re my weakness, I’d do anything for you.”
“Well that is a very important piece of information ri
ght there,” I say with a smug expression on my face and place my hand in the back pocket of his jeans before stepping into a world I thought I’d only see on a TV screen.
The reality of things and how they are portrayed in media couldn’t be more different. On TV it’s all about sex, drugs, violence and blood and from what I can see in front of me, none of that is happening. I wonder what’s happening behind closed doors because the rumors had to have come from somewhere. What I can see however makes me smile so widely that my cheeks hurt. There’s a group of older bikers playing with some kids and telling them stories, a few other men are playing cards and there are a few girls walking around barely clothed, either bringing the men drinks or just sitting back and watching. I honestly thought I’d walk in and see an orgy taking place in the middle of the room, certainly didn’t expect to see a big, bad biker play horsey with a toddler.
“What do you think?” Bennett asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“I was not expecting this.”
“What were you expecting?”
“Orgies, drugs, alcohol. I guess the cliché things you see on TV.” I shrug.
“Fair enough, well you do have some beer being passed around and as for the rest, it doesn’t happen in front of the kids and I certainly don’t partake in any orgies or do drugs.” He smiles at me.
“That’s reassuring.”
“Would it have changed the way you feel about me?”
“Maybe a little,” I admit, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I’m all yours, my Gorgeous Girl.”
“And I’m yours.” I smile and stand on the tips of my toes to kiss him. It doesn’t take long for his friends to start whistling and cheering us on.
That was my first experience with an MC and I must admit that I had enjoyed myself, TV does not do them justice. After I was taken, I swore to myself that I’d never let myself get close to another MC if I ever got free of that life, but here I am, willingly spending time with bikers.
Things are different now and shit is about to get serious. This time I know the bad guys are after me and I can only hope that they don’t find me. I’m more scared for Bennett than myself because knowing who’s behind it all, I know it won’t end well. I should tell Bennett, but I’m selfish. I’m too selfish to stay away from him or warn him of the danger that’s heading our way.
Forgiving Nancy (Last Hangman MC Series Book 5) Page 10