by Simone Elise
“Nah, sweetheart you don’t have to leave.” Cyrus helped her up, acting like he would openly tell her everything. What were they? In love or something? Dad showed Mum that type of love and understanding.
“It’s fine. I want another beer anyway.” She stood to his side.
“Nah, sweetheart, you know the deal. You don’t leave my side at these things.” Cyrus went to get up but her hand fell on his shoulder.
“Dad, I can get a beer. I’ll be fine.” She shot us a smile. “I’ll let you talk business.”
Dad. Did she just say, “Dad”? My glare broke. She had said, “Dad”. As in, he was her father. I looked back at Cyrus, who was watching her.
“Good kid you’ve got there, Cyrus.” Dad said. “Knows a shitload about business.” He glanced at me. “You were rude.”
Like I didn’t know that! “So, Layla is what? Your daughter?” I looked at Cyrus who still had his eyes on her as she was at the bar.
“Sure is, Tyson. Good to meet you by the way. Heard a lot about you. Was around when you were born.” Cyrus extended a hand and I had to shake it.
So Layla was his daughter and I had just been a dick to her.
Why didn’t she tell me her old man was a member! Not just a member but a president. I guess I hadn’t told her who my father was.
I pulled my hand from Cyrus’s. “Anyone want another drink?” I was up.
“Since when did you become a waiter?” Brad laughed at me. I didn’t care, I just needed an excuse to get to the bar to talk to her.
Dad smirked at me and nodded his head for me to go. As if he would know the real reason I needed to get to the bar.
I watched her grip a beer, taking the cap off.
I had just been giving her the death glares. The last person she would want to see was me. Let alone be near me. Maybe she hadn’t noticed I was glaring at her?
I cleared my throat. “Layla?”
She turned around, looking stunned to see me. “Does Dad want me?” She said that as if there couldn’t be a different reason for me to go to her.
“Nah. They’re busy.” I glanced over my shoulder, seeing them talking.
“Then what are you doing speaking to me?” Her words were sharp.
I took a step closer to her and she automatically took one back into the bar. “Can’t I talk to you?”
She looked up at me. “Not without a reason.”
I needed a reason to speak to her. Fine. I’d make one up. “English on Monday, will you sit next to me?”
She frowned. “You are seriously asking me to sit with you?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“You still have my pen.” I took a step toward her, my hand going to her waist and my mouth going to her ear. “It’s been driving me crazy, knowing you have something of mine.”
And it had been. I watched her suck on the end, and every time I saw her doing it I wished it was me she had her lips around.
God, how many times had I been moving around uncomfortably in class after picturing her lips around my dick… what it would feel like. But then the pleasure I would also receive when I got to taste her. And not just her lips.
“Well, I’ll make sure to give it back to you.” She took a staggered breath in. “You should get back to your business.”
As if I was walking away from her now. Not when I had her trapped between a bar and me.
“Nah, darling. I’m not going anywhere.” My hand moved from her hip to around her body, resting on her lower back I pushed her into me. “Unless you want me to?”
I had been a dick before and if she didn’t want to talk to me, I’d accept that. But then, come Monday, when she’d have gotten over it, I’d be using all my charm to get on speaking terms with her again.
She didn’t push me away but she wasn’t telling me to stay either.
“You should go talk business. I’m fine here.” She placed a hand on my chest. “Seriously, Tyson. Club business comes first.”
“Dad can handle it.”
“Which one of them is your father?” She frowned up at me and here I was thinking all that time with Hannah meant she knew every details of my life. They were glued together at school.
“Kade, but you would know him as Reaper.”
“The Reaper is your father?” She looked at me, stunned.
I nodded my head and couldn’t stop my hand from wandering lower down her back. With her lips slightly parted like that and that cute frown on her face, she was lucky I wasn’t wiping the bar and taking her on it right there and then.
I groaned as soon as I felt how firm she was.
“This explains why Hannah was so calm meeting Cyrus,” she scoffed. “Her dad is the Reaper; doesn’t get much scarier than that.”
Dad and his reputation.
“Want to get out of here?” I said into her ear. Feeling how firm her ass was had me hard. I needed a relief. I needed to touch. Explore.
“I can’t. Dad won’t let me out of his sight.” If that was the only thing stopping us, I’d fix it.
“We can bullshit an excuse about studying?” I suggested, keeping my hand on her, squeezing her.
“I think that will be the last thing we’ll be doing if we’re alone.” She looked up at me, knowing very well where I wanted this heading. My bed.
“I’ll say it, you just nod?”
“Like your dad or mine will believe we’re going to study.” She pressed herself into me, her hand brushing my groin. “Because the last thing I’d be doing is studying if I was in a room with you.”
I had to get her in a room with me immediately. To find out what she wanted. I turned her around roughly, and pinned her back to my chest. I ran a hand up between her thighs, my lips kissing her bare shoulder.
God her skin was soft. Didn’t even come close to any other woman’s.
“If I get rid of the parents, will you come with me willingly?” I whispered in her ear. My hand was moving in between her legs, pushing her dress up. I was blocking her from view of anyone else. We might as well have been completely by ourselves.
I was so close to touching her when her hand wrapped around mine. And she forced my hand up, my fingers brushing her.
She turned her head, looking up at me. As I pushed her panties to the side and my fingers moved on her naked skin, I groaned. She was getting wet. I couldn’t leave her unfinished. I saw her eyes flicker with pleasure as I rubbed her.
My mouth was still at her ear. “My room. Now.” I growled in her ear, my need for her coming out in my voice. She was living up to all my fantasies.
I never expected her to be this bold or let me touch her.
How much had she had to drink? But as I stared in her eyes, she didn’t look drunk.
“Layla?”
I groaned. Fuck it. I pulled my hand away, as much as I didn’t want to. Fucking Cameron.
I turned around after she pulled her dress down.
“Hey Cameron.” Layla picked up her beer. “What’s up?”
“Do you want to go for that smoke?” Cameron looked around me, his eyes on Layla, whose cheeks were flushed.
Why wouldn’t they just smoke in here? My eyes narrowed at Cameron. He was interested in her. Couldn’t he have picked another woman here? There were plenty!
“Sure.” Layla picked up her beer and brushed past me. I didn’t think about it and I didn’t give a fuck who was watching before I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back. She looked up, confused.
Then my lips were on hers. God, how many times had I dreamt about kissing her? I swear it was my favorite daydream at school. Every time I saw her I pictured how she would taste. And she lived up to my dreams; tasting sweet and innocent, two things a guy like me didn’t deserve.
I didn’t care that her dad would be glaring at me right now. In fact, I could feel his eyes on me. Telling me to back the fuck away.
I ran my hand down her sides and the
n pulled away from her sweet lips.
“Monday English, you sit next to me?” I said loud enough for Cameron to hear.
I had basically laid claims on her. Don’t think she realized that though.
She looked like she was high as she slowly nodded her head.
I dipped my head, my mouth going to her ear. “Good girl. Now don’t let him touch you.”
She was mine.
I spun her around and gently pushed her forward. I think I had made my point. I looked at Cameron who was glaring at me. Yeah, I had made my point. He shouldn’t be going after her anyway.
Chapter Six
Hannah
It was Sunday. After a big party, no one was usually up, so Sunday mornings were the most peaceful times at home. The clubhouse still had people drinking in it, for those few that hadn’t got enough during the night.
I was becoming a hermit. Well, not a hermit that lived at home. A hermit that hid at her friend’s house. I didn’t have to put up a front at Layla’s. I didn’t have to pretend like everything was okay. I felt safe there. She didn’t question me. When the tears came when I thought about it, she was there for me.
I had never met anyone as loyal as her.
She held my hand the whole time through the biopsy. I was shaking with nerves when I laid down to have it done and it was her squeezing my hand that got me to stay still for it.
I knew she went to the party last night. It was the only reason I stayed home. I assumed she’d soon find out who my parents were and I hoped she wouldn’t cut me off, because her friendship was the only thing getting me out of bed for school at the moment.
I flipped over the page of my math book. I wanted to be by myself. I didn’t want to study at home. Not when Eve was annoying me about doing her assignments. I couldn’t study in the clubhouse because people were still partying. So, I’d hidden in the garage.
I cleared a small space on the workbench and pulled up a stool. I might have my book open and pen in hand but my mind was somewhere else. It was on the approaching Thursday when I would find out my results.
“Well, if it isn’t Hannah.”
That voice. I smiled immediately and turned around to see Brad standing there with a grin on his face like I had just made his day by being here.
It was unhealthy. I knew that. It was unhealthy how I felt about him. I knew the age difference and I knew he respected my dad way too much to even look at me in that way. The way I wanted him to look at me.
“Hey Brad,” I smiled.
“You’ve been keeping a low profile. Lower than normal.” He studied me. “I haven’t seen you around in weeks.” He said that like he’d noticed I had been missing and living somewhere else. Well, he would be the only one.
“I’m around.” I wasn’t really and if I could have it my way, I wouldn’t be here now. It was harder to put up a front here. I found myself being pulled back to it. What if it is cancer? What do I do?
Breast cancer. I could have breast cancer. I swallowed and fought back tears as that fact rolled through my mind again. I tore my eyes off Brad and looked back at my textbook. I didn’t want him to see I was upset.
For some reason, and I didn’t know why, Brad took notice of me. He knew when I was upset. He knew when I was lying. He and I shared the understanding that he never called me out on it either.
“So, studying in my garage, hey?”
I nodded my head.
“Not very talkative today.”
I shrugged.
“Want to tell me what’s wrong?”
I froze. Our normal understanding meant he never asked that question. I slowly turned around on my stool. He was standing there, his eyes locked on me and he was wearing a firm expression. He wasn’t going to back down unless I gave him something.
“Just stressed.” It was the truth. I was stressed.
Brad walked toward me till he was standing next to me. “Up.” His hands landed on my hips, and when I didn’t get up automatically he lifted me off the stool, putting me on my feet.
“You haven’t been eating, have you?” His hands clenched my hips, my bones digging into his skin. “Hannah. Why haven’t you been eating?”
I looked at the ground. Why did he even care? “I’ve been stressed.”
“Is that why I haven’t seen you?” His words were gentle, soft, and when I didn’t answer he took one hand off me and lifted my face up. “Come on sweetheart, tell me what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just school.” I lied and he knew it. I don’t know why I even bothered lying to him. He could always tell when I was speaking the truth or not.
His hand cupped my cheek. And he was holding me like he really cared about me. More than just out of respect for my father.
“I’m taking you to get breakfast.” He kept one hand on my hip and the other on my cheek. “Now.”
“I’m not hungry.” And I really wasn’t. I hadn’t been eating. Only when Layla forced me to. No one else was close enough to realize it. No one else was close enough to see how I was failing at life at the moment.
“I say you are eating.” His eyes ran over me. “I asked Reaper how you were and he said you were fucking fine. Clearly he hasn’t seen you.”
“I am fine.”
“Hannah you look exhausted and there is barely anything left of you.”
“I am fine.”
He scoffed. “Stop lying to me!”
I clamped my mouth shut. If he didn’t want to hear my lies then I really should stop talking.
His eyes softened as he stared into my eyes. “I’m sorry for snapping.” He took his hand off my hip and ran it through his short brown hair. “Do you have plans today?” he asked hesitantly.
I shook my head.
“No schoolwork that has to be finished?” he asked again. Why would he be hesitant about whether to ask if I had schoolwork or not?
I shook my head. “No. Why?”
His eyes flashed to my lips and then he looked me back in the eyes. “I’m heading out of town to pick up parts. Wanna come?”
Brad never sounded nervous. He was always confident and carefree. But nerves were the only thing I heard in his voice as he asked me if I wanted to come or not.
“I don’t want to get in your way.” Now I was the one who was hesitant. I didn’t want him having to put up with me all day just because he thought I wasn’t eating. “Dad doesn’t expect you to put up with me.”
Which was the only reason Brad did put up with me; it was because of Dad. I knew that.
“You wouldn’t be in my way and I’m not doing it for your old man.” The corner of his lips twitched up. “I’m doing it cause I’ve missed you and I don’t want to be by myself today.”
“You just lied.”
“No I didn’t.”
“You did.” I nodded my head. “You love being by yourself.” I knew that about Brad; he would spend hours and hours by himself under a car or next to a bike working on it.
“I’d rather be with you.” His eyes held mine. And it sounded like he was telling the truth. “So, come with me?” He arched an eyebrow, sounding hopeful. “Don’t make me spend the day by myself.”
I smiled. “You sure you want to put up with me? I’m not the best company at the moment.”
He nodded his head. “Trust me, Hannah, you are the best company whether you’re in a bad mood or not.”
“Okay, I’ll come.”
“Good. First stop, breakfast.”
I groaned. “Not hungry, Brad.”
“Like I said, you are eating.” He let go of me, looking annoyed for a second. As if he didn’t want to let go of me.
“Do you mind if I leave my stuff on your workbench?” Everyone knew when it came to the garage it was Brad’s. Sure, it was technically the club’s, but Brad ran it. And lived in it.
“No. You can leave whatever you want in my garage.”
“In that case, I’m good to go. B
ut I’m still not eating.” I was standing firm on that. He shook his head and I had a feeling he wasn’t going to let me off so easy.
***
“Seriously, did you not hear me when I said I wasn’t hungry?” I groaned, following him into the café. “As in no appetite, Brad.”
“Like I said, you are eating.” He came to a stop at a booth and he gestured for me to get in.
I dragged my feet but did as I was told. Sliding into the booth, I expected him to go to the other side; instead, he surprised me and slid in next to me.
“So, do I have to order everything, or are you going to pick something?” Brad picked up a menu. He would do that. Order everything on it.
“Like I’m letting you waste money on me.” I snatched the menu from his hand.
“Got nothing else to spend it on.”
“Buy another car to work on.” My eyes scanned the menu.
“Already got a project.”
“Is that what we are getting parts for?” I did not feel like eating one thing on this menu. Maybe Brad would let me off if I just had something to drink.
“Yeah it is.” His arm ran along the back of the bench seat behind me.
One glance at Brad and you knew he was trouble. His vest was worn with patches covering it and showing his years of service to something no one really understood unless they were in it or born into it. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days and I would always say I loved it when he didn’t. I loved his five o’clock shadow.
My eyes ran over his tight jaw, his tanned skin. He was forever working on a car in the sun. His brown hair was getting longer, which usually meant he would be running the clippers over it himself soon by shaving it off and then letting it grow again.
A bunch of boys walked in but they didn’t grab my attention. I was too busy staring at Brad. They went to the booth across from ours.
I saw Brad’s eyes narrow. I followed his eye line, and he was glaring at a boy who was looking at me. Why was he looking at me? I frowned. I had never seen him before. His smile grew when he realized he had my attention.
Then the boy caught Brad’s glare and he snapped his eyes off me completely and looked down at the table.