There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
Tilting her head back her eyes meet mine and I hate the sorrow I see in them. “Because I know what you’ll do and I don’t want you to.”
“Grace,” I say her name with as much emotion my heart has.
I then carry her over to the couch with her seated upon my lap.
Framing her face in my hands I plead to her, “Tell me what’s wrong, baby.”
She bites her lower lip worriedly. “Promise me something, Oak.”
“Whatever you want.” My response is immediate. I’ll promise her anything to return the light in her eyes.
“Promise me you won’t decide what to do without me.”
“I promise.”
Her fingers tighten in my hair and I feel the pull on my scalp. I let out a hiss between my teeth. “I mean it, big guy. You can’t decide without me.”
I pinch her chin between my index finger and thumb. Both of our eyes boring into one another’s. “I promise.”
“Okay,” she breathes. “This is a battle we fight together.”
“I hear you, Grace,” I tell her. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”
Her fingers around my hair loosen and I release her chin. I tuck away the wild strands of hair behind her ear before resting my palm on her ass.
“First,” she begins in a business-like tone, “you need to tell me why you didn’t tell me the FBI has a hard on for specifically you.”
Oak
“Ishould have told you,” I tell her softly. Palming her ass in my hand I give a gentle squeeze that earns a barely audible moan from her. “And no explanation I give will be a good excuse in not telling you. I’m sorry.”
She stares at me for a moment, eyes stunned. Her fingers tangle in the ends of my hair, pulling slightly to create a sting on my scalp. “You might be the only man I know who has no problem with apologizing.”
“Because a man admits his faults, Grace. He owns them. Hopefully one day he’ll make up for them. But what they’re accusing me of? I’m not sorry for that, baby. I killed Chris Townsend,” I tell her, letting the words sink into her like a sponge. I wait for a reaction and when I see none I continue. “Brutally. And I would do it again. He deserved far worse.” My voice turns dark as the rage inside of me builds.
“I’m not scared of you, Oak. And I’m not the one to condemn you,” she tells me and in her eyes I see she’s telling the truth. “I knew it had to be for a reason. Whatever that reason may be you don’t have to tell me.”
But I do.
I glance away from her as I swallow roughly. My fingers begin to twitch, a compulsion I can’t control.
Her hand snakes around her back, takes my hand, and rests it between the both of us. My fingers stop twitching with her tender hold.
Raising my hand she gives each knuckle a kiss before resting it against her chest.
“Chris Townsend was a part of a rival MC known as The Nightcrawlers. When Sticks formed his own MC it was much smaller and filled with older men who could hardly ride any more. At the time the only other young ones were Dex and Pax. They were newly patched in members. Had been with the club when they were young and gotten rid of their prospect patches when they turned eighteen.”
“Originally I had come to Stonesville to track down the man who I had caught fucking my girlfriend,” I tell her, my voice dark as fire burns inside my veins. When I close my eyes I can still see the ecstasy on Lana’s face as Crow thrusts inside her.
“Did you find him?” Her innocent question causes me to bark out a laugh that’s filled with dark humor.
“Did I find him?” I snort, not being able to help it. “Yeah I found him. Hate having to work with him, too. Hate having to see his face almost every fucking day.”
Her eyes go wide. “Someone from the club?”
I shake my head. “No. No one inside the club but he works with us from time to time.”
