“But he never did anything to you, did he?” I’d kill him.
“No. Swole said he’s a part of a rival club or something?”
I nodded. Crossing the room, I took her into my arms. “Las Balas. They’re bad news. They do everything from human trafficking to this shit with the meth. Always avoid them if you can. I’m sorry that you somehow got caught up in all this.”
Erica wrapped her arms around my waist, drawing me closer.
“I have to admit, this whole thing does have some fringe benefits,” she said, trailing kisses across my chest. The light contact from her wet lips made every nerve ending in my body come to life.
“You’re killing me, sweetheart,” my voice was pleading, but I wasn’t sure if I was begging her to stop or keep going.
She stopped. “Yeah, it’s not a good idea with Dominic so nearby.”
At least she looked just as disappointed as I was.
“Maybe we should go to bed,” she suggested.
I could have used a nice, cold shower, but the sound of the running water would probably keep Dominic awake, so I shucked my jeans and got under the covers with her. My bed wasn't very big, so the two of us had no choice but to get close.
We laid facing each other in the darkness, our legs twisted together. I had one hand tucked beneath my pillow, and the other was resting on her hip. The streetlights shone through the part in the curtains, giving us just enough light to make out the outline of each other’s faces.
“Can I ask you a question?” she asked after a few minutes of just laying there together.
“Anything.”
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
I stilled, so surprised by her question that I didn’t answer right away. I must have been quiet for too long because when she spoke again, her words came out as nervous babble.
“Nevermind. You don’t have to answer. I’m such an idiot. I’ve probably offended you so much. I just have been wondering for so long and-”
“It’s okay,” I cut her off because I had a feeling she’d just keep rambling if I didn’t. “But… what makes you ask that?”
“I don’t know. I just thought… isn’t that something that happens in motorcycle clubs?”
“Sometimes,” I admitted. I wished the light was brighter so that I could make out her expression, to see if she was horrified by the stark truth. “But not always. Personally, no, I haven’t. But I’m really no better than those that have. I’ve hurt people, Erica. I always have my reasons, but the fact is that I’ve been the bad guy in someone’s story more than once. I just haven’t crossed that line. But I would if I had to. To defend myself or my fellow club members, I would do it.”
Erica didn’t say anything in response, but she didn’t pull away from me either.
“Is that a problem for you?”
“It should be, right? That’s what I keep thinking. Wouldn’t those words make most women hesitate, or even go running for the hills? But I don’t want to do that. I won’t pretend to understand everything about the Outlaw Souls. I don’t think that’s even possible if you’re not a member, but I think I do understand you.” Reaching, she laid the palm of her hand against my cheek, caressing it. “I think you’re honorable.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but it still made me feel like a man that was worthy of her. waves of affection seemed to emanate from the center of my chest, warming me all the way to the tips of my fingers and toes.
We didn’t say anything else after that. Even though it was early for me, I found myself so at peace and relaxed that I was starting to doze off just a few minutes later. The last thing I was aware of was Erica moving ever closer, until she was nuzzling my chest. Then, I was out.
* * *
The next morning,I woke up to the sound of cartoonish music. Lifting my head, I blinked away the sleep from my eyes and saw that my bedroom door was open. The music must have been coming from the tv.
The light coming in from around the curtains looked grey, so I couldn’t tell what time it was. I glanced over to see that Erica was still asleep. Her hair was a tangled mess on her pillow, and I realized that she was snoring very lightly.
Adorable.
I turned to the nightstand and grabbed my phone. Unlocking it, I flinched at the bright light from the screen. It was just after eight in the morning. Knowing that Erica was a fan of sleeping in, I carefully disentangled our limbs and slipped out of the bed without shaking the bed too much. I pulled a pair of pajama pants that I rarely ever wore out of my bottom drawer and stepped into them.
When I came out into the living room, I found Dominic sitting on the floor in front of the couch, eating cereal, and watching cartoons. I didn’t even know that I had a cartoon channel.
