She could have been fully clothed under them, I suppose.
“Then why was she in your room in the first place?”
“After I saw you kissing Nate, I went to the bar. Effa was there, and we drowned our sorrows.”
I jolt my head back in confusion. “Wait!What?”
“After you kissed Nate, I got drunk. Just wanted to erase that image from my mind.”
Shaking my head, I remember when Nate cornered me in the hall. “Hold up! I think you left too soon, Danger, because Nate leaned in to kiss me, and then I pushed him away and slapped his face.”
He shakes his head slowly. “What?”
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head adamantly. “Oh my God, no. Just no. And what makes this worse is you should have known me better than that! I pushed him away, then got called away to talk to some sponsors. Straight after that, I went to find you, but you were gone.You left, Danger. Without saying goodbye.”
His brows crease like he’s completely confused, his mouth agape. “So you’re telling me that we’ve been living on misunderstandings for the past four days?”
“Misunderstanding or not, you didn’t feel the need to say anything. Hell, you didn’t even try to find me. At least I went looking for you. Then, you let me leave the hotel, thinking you had done the unthinkable?”
His chin drops to his chest, his eyes clenching shut tight. “You’re right. I’m a fucking idiot.” He opens his eyes, desperation staring back at me. “I should have stopped you fromwalking out of the hotel room when you saw what you thought you saw. I knew how that would have looked, but I thought you were having a thing with Nate behind my back, so I let you leave.”
Sinking into the bed, I exhale. “It looked so bad… you and Effa together. I know you compare Effa to Ella, whichdoesn’thelp.”
Danger’s expression hardens into a scowl. “Effa and Ella might share some similarities, but they are completely different people. Effa’s just a friend,nothing more. You’vealwaysbeenmine. You always will be. I couldnevercheat on you.”
I move closer. “Am I… still yours?”
“Yes, and you better remember it,” he replies, his voice low and commanding, leaving no room for doubt.
I rush into his arms, my swollen lips pressing against his. I don’t care about my appearance or how terrible I smell.
None of it matters.
All I need is to feel his arms around me.
His hands weave into my hair, his thumb gently stroking the back of my neck, and he draws me closer. Everything is shifting back into place, right where it’s meant to be. Being without him has been hard. Just over a month without him by my side has taken a toll. I don’t think I could bear any more time apart.
I’m a fucking mess without him.
He pulls back, panting for breath, then he looks me in the eyes, still holding me tightly. “Pack your stuff. You’re coming back with me. Not only because I miss you and want you, but the merch stands suck without your input.”
I genuinely laugh for the first time in a while, but then my face falls into a frown. “But what about the press? They’ve turned a corner, but what if they turn against me again and bring your band down, Danger? Ican’trisk Recoil suffering because of me.”
“I’ve talked to Luke, and we will send out a press release saying we are in a relationship. You are my girl, after all. We willstate that yes, you were associated with the Satan’s Savages MC, but you’re not now, and if we need a statement from the club, I’ll get Techie to draft something.”
I stare into his eyes. “Are you sure you want this? What if I end up causing more harm to the tour?”
“Not gonna happen, baby.”
“But—”
“If it does…” he insists firmly, “… then we deal with it together. We’ll show the world what happens when you mix beats with bikers.”
Grinning, I tilt my head quizzically. “Beats with bikers?”
He smiles warmly. “Yeah, just came up with that.”
“You’re definitely a musician.”
