All I can do is stand there as tears stream down my face. I know better than to leave the room until my dad leaves the house—doing so would incur his wrath. I just pray Momma is okay. As much as I want to race down the stairs and beg her to stop what's happening, I don't. The fear of my father outweighs everything.
Fifteen years have passed since that day, and I forced myself to forget him. Luca was merely a deep-seated memory until he called me VeeVee, and all that I'd forgotten came rushing back like a tide in the ocean.
Chapter 1
Vee
"Iloveyou,Vee,"Hankwhispers in my ear after we both orgasm, and I brace my hand on the mattress so I don’t collapse on top of him. He gets pissed at me when I treat him gingerly, fully reminding me it's been five months since that night in the club. The day I almost lost him and Ash. Jace too, but I’m not as close to him. The bright side of that situation is that I got Luca back.
I have my brother. I thought I’d never see him again. So many times I asked my mom about him, but she would tear up and leave the room. Eventually, I stopped asking, and with each passing day it became easier to forget him. I knew my father hung around terrible people, but I just didn’t know he was the President of a MC. And not just any MC, the Satan’s Rejects.
My dad and brother were in the same town as me this whole time and were so close..
It sucks that we lost so much time together. That we didn’t get to grow up with each other. Would I be the same hard-ass person I am now? Would he have run off any boy wanting to date me?
So many questions with answers I’ll never know.
"You're just saying that because I was your personal nurse. Anyone would say that to the girl who gave them sponge baths." I pepper kisses along his chest before rising up, letting his cock slip out of me, his cum dripping from my pussy as I do. Hoping more than anything that my actions say the words I can’t. Standing from the bed, I head to the bathroom to clean up.
“You don’t have to say it back,” he says, his tone laced with a quiet confidence that makes my chest tighten. “I know you feel it too. Even if you aren’t ready to admit it.”
He's right, I do. My heart clenches, a weight so heavy it can't even beat. Because to tell him, would mean to deny the other feelings that course through my body. More importantly, who I have them for.
I don't say a word, just step inside my bathroom and shut the door. Instead of just cleaning up, I turn the shower on full blast and step under it, not waiting for it to heat up.
My early morning romp in the sack with Hank has me running late. I still need to go see Luke at the shop to begin working on my newest tattoo—the one I’ll have matching with my brother.
Luke.
I still have to figure out where we stand. How to deal with the feelings I also have for him. How did my life become so complicated?
Can my heart be big enough to love more than one man? To give each of them the time they need?
I want to believe I can. But I don’t know. Even worse. Could they all be okay with sharing me?
Is this how Ash felt when she met her guys? Confused? Guilty? Unsure?
I want to talk to her so badly about it. But she’s pregnant, and I don’t want to add any stress to her. Why I think it would causeher stress is beyond me. It’s not like she would judge me. She likes both Hank and Luke.
Stop. I just need to get it together and stop overanalyzing everything.
Standing under the water, I lean forward, placing my hands on the cold tile, allowing the warm liquid to cascade down my spine. I can’t see him, but I feel the air shift when Hank steps in behind me, leaning in, blocking the flow of water from my back.
"I love you, Veronica. If you're not ready to admit it, that's fine, but I am. You've been mine since the first time I saw you. Standing behind the bar, slinging drinks and insults like you own the place. I just wish I hadn’t been a fool and waited so long to tell you." He kisses a trail along my shoulder, and butterflies dance in my stomach.
"Okay." I don't know what else to say. Do I tell him I have feelings for Luke? He has to know, right? I mean, we were hooking up before Hank was shot at the club. It’s not like it wasn’t public knowledge. Granted, since then it's only been meetups here and there. Stolen kisses when no one’s looking. Especially Hank.
I can feel the sigh of his breath on my skin at my response. He doesn’t like my answer. I knew he wouldn't. Hell, if I were in his place, I wouldn't either.
Yet, he’s still here. His hands are still on my body, touching me with love and not anger.
Reaching down, I pick up the soap and sponge, squirt some on it, then wash my body. "I need to hurry. I'm running late." My words are short, and I know he senses something is off.
"Where you goin'?" Not the question I expected him to ask.
He takes the sponge from my hand and washes my back. My heart crumbles a little more at his tenderness. Most think he's some overgrown meathead biker who speaks in broken English. But he's really a giant teddy bear who would lay down his life forthose he loves. Evident in how he tried to protect Ash. How he ended up in the hospital, fighting for his life.
So, I plaster on a smile and turn around to face him, as I tell him where I’m going.
