“You promise?”
“Yeah, beautiful. I promise.”
I’m instantly reminded of his promise the night of our parents’ wedding and the fact that he kept it. Or at least, he’s attempting to. He came back for my graduation. The whole claiming thing? I bet it’s a joke.
His gaze flicks to my mouth and drags upward, heating as he leans forward, pinning me against the cold wooden surface of an empty desk. “I didn’t forget.”
“Forget what?”
“Everyfuckingthing,”he emphasizes, like it means more than I can ever comprehend.
God. Why is that so fucking hot?
I almost whimper. This is ridiculous. I hate this shit. I never know where I stand with him. If he just wants to mess with my head or fuck me and get it out of his system. Maybe both.
It’s infuriating.
Then I remember that every time we’ve been together, he’s made sure I’m the one who has the orgasm. He hasn’t selfishly chased his pleasure. Instead, he’s focused on mine.
Am I wrong about him?
“Yeah, you still want me,” Gage whispers as his voice drops an octave, digging like grit underneath my skin. Time hasn’t changed its effect on me. My knees nearly buckle as he licks his lips. “It’s gonna be a fun night.”
Well, shit. I lost this battle before it began.
Chapter 5 Gage
AN HOUR EARLIER—
I didn’t lie when I told Letty on the night of the wedding that I’d be seeing her around, but I also didn’t confide that she wouldn’t have any real contact with me during those two years. For the most part, that held true. The clubhouse and the dance were the only two times I talked to her.
It’s been fucking torture. And now, after the long wait, I finally have permission to reappear in her life.
My right knee won’t stop bouncing as I tap my thigh, eager for church to end. Storm has sent me a look several times as he’s noticed, and it’s distracted him.Shit.I cross my arms over my chest and lean back, stretching out my legs under the table in the center of the room. The club’s logo stretches across the surface, etched into the wood. The same emblem I wear on the back of my cut.
The men gathered around this table are more than friends and club brothers. They’re family. Only two are related to me by blood, my uncle Bear and my cousin Drew, but that didn’t matter in my world. We’re brothers, bonded through our allegiance to the club and our way of life—a concept my father will never understand. The only thing he recognizes is dollar signs.
It takes all my effort not to focus on my father’s mistakes, the danger he’s placed me, my brothers, Letty, and her mother in, and the shit storm we’re all caught up in because of it.
I tune in to Storm’s words, refusing to steal another glance at my phone to check the time. He’ll have my ass if I do, and nothing is stopping me from going to Letty’s graduation.
“Torque, Wolf, get your asses to that meeting. We need eyes and ears on that shit. Don’t get seen and cock it up.”
They nod, rising from the table to head out.
Blendcore Enterprises, my father’s multi-million-dollar company, merges corporations and smaller companies with hot-selling products, often dipping its toe into illegal ventures. My father makes his money off other men and their ideas, whatever he can get his greedy hands on. Lately, that includes weapons supplied by our enemies. We need more intel before we go after Mifflin, and the only way to get it is by spying on meetings between our rival club and the mediator from Blendcore.
But it’s more than gobbling up smaller companies and taking them over, often downsizing to maximize profits. It’s the powerful allies my father has made and the cutthroat tactics they use to get what they want. I know we’re missing something. A connection that ties this all together, and it worries me that Letty and her mother, Cynthia, will become a casualty of my father’s ruthless business practices.
“You sure that dancer from Show’ N’ Tail got the info right?” Cash asks, flicking ash from his cigarette onto a tray. “Ain’t doubting your word, Pres. Just lookin’ out.”
Storm grunts. “Yeah, she’s good for it. No love for the fuckers at Blendcore. They bought out the company that owned her apartment building and had her evicted.”
Damn. “Fuck,” I curse, shaking my head. I hate hearing this shit. My father’s reputation is confirmed every time I learn something new and vile he’s done.
“This ain’t on you, Blaze,” Storm reminds me. “We’ve been over this shit.”
Yeah, I know. Doesn’t change how I feel. “I still don’t like it.”
