“You couldn’t just talk to me in the shop?”
I grin but don’t reply. I unlock the door to the apartment and swing it wide. I wait for her to pass me before locking the door. She turns at the sound of the lock clicking into place and takes a step back.
“Is that really necessary?”
“I’m not gonna hurt you, Legs.”
I take a step toward her as she takes another one backward.
“But you have hurt me, Midas, repeatedly. So excuse me if I don’t believe you.”
“I know, and I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Stop it. Just tell me what you want.”
“Same thing I always want. You.”
She backs up until the sofa is behind her, and she has nowhere else to go. “You had me, and you threw me away. You’re the great and powerful Midas. Everything you touch turns to gold. Except for me. You turned me into trash and discarded me like I was beneath you.”
I wince at her caustic words, her pain evident in her voice. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care.”
“Liar.”
I’m so close now I could reach out and touch her, but something tells me she might rip my finger from my body if I did.
“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, and honestly, I don’t care. I don’t want this anymore. I don’t want you.”
Her words slice me open. I have to look down to make sure I’m not bleeding all over the place. “I earned that. But that’s okay, I’m willing to put in the work to make you love me again.”
She starts crying, and it takes everything I have not to snatch her up and pull her into my arms.
“No. You don’t get it. Not everything is about you. I’m past caring what you want or wondering what I can do to make your life better. I’m tired, Midas. Tired of you, the club, this life. I’ve spent months crawling on my knees toward a future I can be proud of, and you want to drag me back because it’s better for you? Not just no, but fuck no. And fuck you.”
This time I do move. I was prepared for her tears, not so much her anger, but I can’t say I don’t welcome it. She’s like afucking goddess when she’s spitting fire at me. I slide my hand into her hair and anchor her in place. “I love you.”
“No you don’t,” she chokes out, her tears flowing freely down her face. “You love you. You’re only here with me now because it’s what you decided you want. It has nothing to do with what I want. It never did.”
I lean my forehead against hers, trying to absorb all her pain. “I love you. I love you. I love you,” I repeat over and over until she starts shaking with fury.
Eventually, she starts thumping my chest with her fists, arguing with me through her sobs. “No. You don’t love me, and even if you did, you don’t get to come into my life now and expect me to bow down to you just because you’ve had a revelation.”
“I don’t need you to bow down, Legs. I just need you to let me in,” I shout. She hits me harder and harder until I grip both of her wrists as she crumples and gives in to her sobs.
I catch her before she hits the floor and pull her into my lap on the sofa like I’ve wanted to do from the second we got here. I feel her heartbreak in every broken sob and hitched breath that catches painfully in her chest. I don’t know how long I hold her for before she falls asleep against me. For the first time in months, I feel at peace. I’m loathed to move her, but she needs some rest. She’s lost weight she didn’t have to lose, and I saw the dark circles under her eyes that she’s tried to hide with makeup.
I move her until she’s firmly in my arms, then get to my feet and carry her into the bedroom. I pull the covers down with one hand before laying her gently on the clean sheets. I slip her sneakers off and put them in the closet before I slip my fingers into the waistband of her sweatpants and ease them down her hips, tossing them on the chair in the corner. I take in the legs I’ve missed so much and picture them wrapped around my waist as I plow into her.
I adjust my cock and stare down at the woman I love, knowing I have to make her mine. Nothing else will do.
I strip out of my cut and hang it on the hook behind the door before kicking off my boots. The T-shirt and jeans come next. It isn’t until Legs’s phone drops on the floor that I remember I have it. I light up the screen and see she has a few missed calls. Wondering who the heck is calling her at this hour, I type in her code, knowing she wouldn’t have bothered changing it. The number is simply listed under Boss. The guy is clearly worried about her, but what really pisses me off is finding out that Legs is staying with this guy. I grit my teeth. If I turn it off, this asshole might call the police station. I send a message telling them not to worry, I’m safe and will explain everything tomorrow. I turn the cell off and slip it into the inside pocket of my cut. I debate leaving my boxers on but decide, fuck it. I’ve come this far, no point pretending now I’m something I’m not.
Once I’m naked, I move around the side of the bed. As carefully as I can, I remove her hoodie and tank top underneath, leaving her in just a thong. I grab my knife from my cut and slice the thing off before shoving it back in the pocket along with the thong.
I slide in behind her and pull the covers over us as she rolls away from me. I fit my front against her back and throw one of my legs over hers so I’ll know if she moves. I wrap my arm around her and cup her heavy breasts before gently guiding my hand down to the swell of her stomach. I rest my hand there and swallow hard as I feel a flutter behind my fingertips. I’m not a man prone to tears. I was born and raised in a generation that believed men should be men, but I swear I have the inexplicable urge to cry right now.
I thought I finally knew what home was when I became a member of Raven Souls MC, but I was wrong. This is home—my woman in my arms and a mini-Legs resting against my palm.Capone was right. This baby might already have a father, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t have a dad too. I’m good at being part of a team. Maybe if there are two of us, we won’t fuck it up. Not that Legs would let us. She’s gonna be a natural.
