Chapter 6
Gage
When I wake, for a brief moment, I forget the mess I’ve found myself in. The hazy half-light of early morning filters through the small window, casting faint shadows on the walls and illuminating dust particles that lazily dance in the air. The smell of sex still lingers in the air, bringing me back to the present instantly.
What have I done?
Naomi lies sleeping peacefully beside me, her face more innocent in slumber, her features relaxed and unguarded. Her eyelids flutter softly as if in a dream. Her breathing is slow, even, and her chest rises gently with each breath, giving her an angelic quality that’s almost impossible to relate to the passion of last night. She looks so vulnerable. Her delicate lashes create a faint shadow on her cheeks, and her soft, full lips are slightly parted. I watch her for a long, silent moment, breathing in her scent, feeling a strange mix of pride and deep guilt swirl inside me.
I can’t quite believe that we had sex last night, that I took her virginity. The memory feels distant, like a dream slipping away even as I try to clutch onto it. Part of me thinks I might still be dreaming, that this is some illusion created by exhaustion or wishful thinking. But the scent of the room, Naomi’s nearby warmth, and the lingering weight of last night’s choices all remind me that this isn’t a dream. It’s real.
With a jarring suddenness, I hear Ace’s thunderous voice, echoing through the thin door. His tone is sharp, grating, filledwith anger and frustration. It cuts through the morning haze like a blade, pulling me abruptly out of my reverie. When I hear Ace shout my name, I realize two things at once. One, this is no dream; Naomi and I had sex last night, and two, I’m going to be in deep shit for it. I try to tell myself I was just caught up in the moment, that it was just a fleeting lapse in judgment, that what Naomi and I shared is real. I didn’t take advantage of her, did I?
“You’d better not be in this fucking room,” Ace threatens from behind the door, having no doubt gone to my room looking for me and found my bed unslept in. I know Ace’s temper—volatile, unpredictable, and dangerous. I can hear it in his voice and already feel the impending storm gathering.
He doesn’t knock before he comes barreling in, the door creaking loudly as if even the hinges resent the intrusion. The sound startles Naomi awake, her eyes are wide and afraid, her hair adorably sticking up at odd angles, accentuating her vulnerability in this moment, as she scrambles to sit up and cover herself with the bedsheets, clutching the fabric tightly to her trembling body.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Gage!” Ace curses, his voice raw with a mixture of anger and disbelief. His eyes narrow as he takes in the scene. Two people in bed together that shouldn’t be, naked and caught off guard. His gaze lingers on Naomi, then flicks to me, immediately and correctly deducing what happened. “Are you insane or just stupid?” he growls, his voice thick with accusation and disappointment as he stares at me in disbelief.
Cash ambles into view, casually leaning against the doorjamb to watch the drama unfold with an almost amused expression on his face, like he’s seen worse, or perhaps he wasexpecting this to happen from the moment I put my hand up at the auction.
Ace doesn’t wait for me to reply before continuing his rant. “You’re the one who wanted to rescue the girl from having her virginity auctioned off, and then you fuck her anyway? What the hell is wrong with you?” His words hit like blows, each one echoing through the small room, bouncing off the walls.
My mind races desperately for a defense, a way to explain myself, anything that might lessen his justifiable judgment. After all, I didn’t want to sleep with Naomi for the exact reasons he must be thinking now, that she felt coerced into it, obliged to. How do I explain that it wasn’t like that at all? I open my mouth to speak, “It’s not what it looks like—” I begin, but Naomi cuts me off with her own cutting reply, her voice sharp and unwavering.
“The girl can decide for herself,” she says scathingly, jutting her chin up. “Gage didn’t force me to do anything. I figured it would be safer if I wasn’t a virgin any longer, after all, it was one of the things that the Rusted Scythes wanted me for. Gage agreed.”
“I’m sure he did,” Cash chuckles. I’m glad someone finds this situation amusing.
I scowl at him, and Ace snaps his head back to glare at Cash before directing his fury back at us. “Gage should know better,” he snaps. He glowers at me, dismissing Naomi. “You thinking with your dick is leading us into war. You’ve risked this club to spend one night fucking some chick.”
I bristle at the insinuation that I did all this simply because I’m attracted to Naomi. I jump out of bed, not caringif I’m naked; they’ve seen it all before. I shove Ace in the chest. “Fuck you, man. It’s not like that, and you know it.”
“Do I? All I see is you taking advantage of some naive girl who is under our protection,” Ace growls, shoving me back.
“What the fuck is your problem, dude?” Naomi snaps, still clutching the sheets to her chest. “I’m not a child. I’m a grown woman who can make her own decisions. Who I choose to fuck is none of your fucking business.”
It’s rare for someone to stand up to Ace like that. It makes me like her even more. I shoot her an approving glance, but she doesn’t notice; her eyes are locked on Ace like a viper coiled to strike.
Ace narrows his eyes at her, jaw clenched. “It is my business when you’re staying under my roof, asking for my protection, and putting my men in danger for you. Or would you prefer I give you back to the Rusted Scythes? Let’s see how valuable you are to them now,” he offers coldly.
All of the fight goes out of her and she looks scared. Still, she doesn’t back down easily. “You wouldn’t,” she hisses.
“Don’t tempt me,” Ace grumbles. Though I can tell she’s won his grudging respect. “Put on some fucking clothes and meet me downstairs in five minutes,” he grunts at me in disgust. “We’ve business to discuss.” He stalks out of the room without a backward glance, grabbing Cash by the arm and dragging him along.
“Jesus, what’s his problem? What an asshole,” Naomi mutters, still clutching the sheets with white knuckles. In the harsh light of day and with everything that happened, she now seems shy to be seen naked by me. Not that I can blame her. I’vehalf a mind to punch Ace just for making her feel so exposed and vulnerable.
I begin to pull on my clothes. “He’s just stressed about the situation. He’s right, I’ve dragged us into the very thing we were trying to avoid. He has a right to be pissed.”
Naomi looks up at me, now nervous and fearful. “He’s not really going to send me back, is he?”
I shake my head, walking around the bed to plant a small kiss on her lips, enjoying how she softens trustingly under my caress. “No. He wouldn’t do that. Ace is many things, but he wouldn’t send you back. I told you, you’re safe here. I promise.”
Naomi nods, placated for now. Though she draws her knees up to her chin, folding into a protective ball, betraying her inner turmoil.
I stroke her hair from her face, cupping her chin. “I’d better get downstairs. Trust me, you don’t wanna see him when he’s really angry.”
Naomi’s delicate eyebrows rise. “That wasn’t?” she asks incredulously.
