“You’re not a terrible person,” Goose murmurs. “He betrayed you, manipulated you, and used you. He tried to kill you. I want him dead, too.”
Goose doesn’t let me respond to him. He leans forward until his mouth touches mine and kisses me in a hard, owning yet chaste kiss. I welcome it, because I think I would always welcome a kiss from him.
He breaks the kiss, both of us catching our breath as he rests his forehead against mine. Sucking in a deep breath, I hold it for a moment, then let it out slowly. I cup the sides of his throat, feeling the warm skin there.
Goose shifts back slightly, his gaze searching mine, then his lips curve up into his half smile. The one I love so much. I watch as his tongue sneaks out, sliding across his bottom lip before he clears his throat.
“Let’s go home, Cid.”
Home.
In a little part of the back of my mind, the one where I allow myself to imagine and hope, I let myself believe that home means our home—together. I don’t actually say that out loud or anything insane like that, but I allow myself to think it, if only for a moment.
“Yeah,” I exhale. “Let’s go home.”
GOOSE
The shift is subtle, but I can feel it. Our time locked up inside her apartment, in our little bubble, is coming to an end. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I like being in her space, cooking, fucking, hanging out.
As we drive back to her apartment, I try to shake the sadness that washes over me at our time being over. She’ll go back to her shit, and I’ll go back to the clubhouse. It’ll be different. And we’ve made no promises, so I don’t know if we’ll even be… anything.
We walk up to her door together, my hand on the small of her back, standing too fucking close to her. I stop at the sight of a man standing in front of her door.
Fuck.
He lifts his head, his gaze scanning past Cidney and focusing on me. “Ivy,” I murmur.
He shakes his head once, jerking his chin toward the door. I know I should let Cidney open her own door. It’s saying something without actually speaking the words when I open it for her, but since the keys are in my hand, there’s no way around it.
I watch as Ivy takes a step to the side, his gaze never leaving me. I can feel his sharp focus on me. If Cidney feels the tension in the hallway, she doesn’t act like it. She takes a step away fromme and throws herself in her cousin’s arms, hugging him. He wraps his arms around her, his attention never leaving me.
This is going to be awkward because he, without a doubt, knows I’m fucking his cousin, and he is also, without a doubt, going to try to beat my ass for it. I’m not admitting it, though, not until it’s absolutely necessary.
Shaking my head, I clear my throat as I open the door and step into the apartment. They move farther into the apartment, and I know I should give them space, but I don’t. Standing in the living room, I cross my arms over my chest and wait for whatever blow Ivy is about to deliver.
“What are you doing here?” Cidney asks. She’s standing to the side between us, no doubt trying to make it look as innocent as possible. Ivy shifts his gaze from mine to meet hers, and I watch as his lips curve up into a smile.
“I need to talk to Goose. Can you give us a minute?” he asks.
She narrows her eyes, her brows snapping together, and I watch as she opens her mouth, then snaps her lips closed. She dips her chin, knowing this isn’t a happy little social call, and turns, walking away and toward her bedroom.
Ivy turns toward the door and walks out onto the small balcony. I follow behind him, knowing whatever he’s about to say, I’m not going to like it, and I’m going to have to fight the urge to throw him off the balcony.
“You had a meeting with the fuck who tried to kill my cousin, and you didn’t invite me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about that, but pissed the fuck off is at the top of the list right now.”
Leaning against the wall, I cross my arms over my chest, likely appearing defensive, but I don’t think I care too much. I’m in the thick of this shit, not him. He’s at home with his woman and baby, and I’m here taking care of his family.
“It wasn’t something you needed to be at,” I state. “Bullet and I handled it.”
“You took her there,” he grinds out. “She is my family. She is my responsibility.”
My spine straightens at his words. He’s right, of course. I’ve made no claims to her. I haven’t even asked for permission to fuck her, even though I’m doing that. Cidney is Ivy’s family, but she’s also not supposed to be involved in club life, yet here she fucking is, in the middle of the shit.
Right in the goddamn middle.
“It’s what she wanted,” I state. “She wanted to confront the man, the family, who manipulated her and tried to kill her. I’m not taking that away from her. Cidney is an adult. She can make her own decisions.”
“She’s only twenty-one,” he snaps.
