She swallows, slowly bringing her eyes to mine. “It’s my brother.”
Her words fill me with dread, and I immediately shake my head. “Not a fucking chance, sweetheart.”
“But—”
I put my hand up to stop her. “He went against this club. You can’t come asking for favours.”
She closes the gap between us, looking up at me desperately. “But the Steel Delinquents are threatening to torch our house if he doesn’t agree to working for them,” she blurts out. “Please.”
These fuckers are everywhere. I sigh. “Fine, I’ll sort your house with some protection.”
“Oh my god, thank you,” she says, throwing her arms around me.
I stiffen beneath her touch. She looks up at me, our eyes locking, and the world narrows until it’s just us. Her gaze drops to my mouth, lingers there, and she wets her lower lip, slow and deliberate. My mind doesn’t catch up, like we’re in slow motion.
She rises onto her toes and presses a tentative kiss to my lips. It’s barely there, like she’s waiting for me to stop her. I don’t, so she leans in, deepening it, her mouth moving against mine, her tongue brushing mine in a way that steals my breath for half a second too long.
Then it hits me.Sharp. Wrong.
I pull back abruptly, pushing her away before the moment can take anything else from me.
“What the fuck was that?” I growl, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.
She smiles, pressing her fingers to her lips like she’s remembering the details. “I’m so sorry,” she says breathlessly, but she sounds anything but sorry.
“This shit,” I indicate between us, “it’s never going to happen.” My chest heaves with anger.Guilt.
She nods, her lips pressed together tightly as she heads for the door. She stops, her hand on the knob. “Pres?”
I glare at her, my jaw clenched in irritation.
She sighs and leaves without another word.
What a fucking twat. I begin to pace, my fists balled in anger.What the fuck have I done?I slam my fist through the drywall, and it smashes into pieces, dropping to the floor.How could I be so fucking stupid?
CHAPTER NINE
ROCHELLE
Itoss and turn all night, angry over Drifter’s reaction. Yes, I know I was foolish, and as soon as I saw that familiar patch of the Steel Delinquents, I realised I’d fucked up. We should never have left last night.
But who the fuck does he think he is, treating me like that? I’m not just anyone . . . I’m his ol’ lady. The way he disregarded me last night was no better than how he treats the club bunnies.
I push the duvet off me, sighing heavily. I may as well start the day if I can’t sleep. I look at my phone, secretly hoping he had messaged me back last night, but my stomach twists when I see he’s left me unopened.
I head downstairs and make my way into the kitchen, the smell of a fresh batch of coffee too tempting to ignore.
Drifter’s sitting at the table with a coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, his eyes fixed to it.He clearly got my message and chose to ignore it.
He doesn’t even look up as I pass, though I know he senses me.He always does.
As I make my way over to the coffee machine, I peer over his shoulder to see what’s so important he can’t even acknowledge me. There, in all its bright colours, is a picture of me and the girls in the nightclub.
I frown.How? Who took that?
I remain behind him, my mind racing. He tucks the phone away in his pocket then pushes his chair back. I take a step back, waiting for him to stand and say something. He gives me a side glance but stays quiet.
I narrow my eyes, then ask, “How the fuck do you have that?”
