I had no response.
Riot pushed off the wall and came closer, his voice quiet. “I’ve always had your back, always will, but you’re already in too deep with her, brother. Question is, what’re you gonna do about it?”
The silence between us was thick as smoke.
Then his hand clamped down on my shoulder, solid, grounding. “Figure it out fast. If she’s your weakness, she’s already a target, and I’m not losing you the way we lost Ghost.”
He started to move past me then paused. His thumb brushed his shades before he slid them on.
“You think I didn’t notice back then?” His tone dropped lower. “When she left, you rode all night. Didn’t come back ‘til sunrise. Thought nobody clocked it, but I did.”
My chest tightened.
“You wore the kutte like armour, but you were bleeding underneath. Same way you are now.”
I flexed my fist but said nothing.
“She cut you deeper than you’ll admit,” he added, quieter, “and you let it scar over without healing. That’s why this”—his chin jerked towards the hallway—“ain’t just trouble, it’s old wounds torn open.”
My eyes met his, hard. “What, you think I should walk away?”
His stare didn’t flicker. “I think you should stop lying about what she means to you. Figure it out, Pres, before someone else does.” Then he was gone, leaving me alone with my mind swirling.
The door creaked again. “Interesting show,” Gabby purred. She leaned against the frame, arms crossed, a smirk painted across her face.
I didn’t move. “Not now, Gabby.”
She ignored that, stepping closer, her perfume almost choking me. “So, that’s why Kane thinks she can strut around here. She’s got the President’s mouth on hers.”
My jaw ticked. “Watch it.”
She laughed, low and knowing. “You can lie to them. Hell, you can lie to yourself. But I saw it, and so did she.”
I finally looked at her. “You’re out of line.”
Gabby’s smirk was razor-sharp, her voice dripping venom. “Maybe. But one day, Jay, you’re gonna regret letting her in.”
I couldn’t let her see how close to home she was. Couldn’t let anyone else see how that kiss had torn through me. My hand shot out, wrapping around Gabby’s wrist and pulling her so close, I could feel her breath hitch.
My voice was gravel. “I haven’t chosen her over anyone, least of all you.”
Gabby’s hungry eyes glittered. “Then prove it.”
My control snapped. I shoved her down until her knees hit the floorboards, but she didn’t flinch. She smiled.
“That’s right,” she whispered, breathless, “make me yours.” Her hands made quick work of my belt and zipper, and she pulled my erection free and pumped it tight and fast.
I fisted her hair, forcing her to look up at me, and she moaned, as if the roughness was what she craved. To her, it was a victory, proof Lucy meant nothing.
I forced myself to believe it too, only for a second. Forced myself into the lie, pushing my cock into her warm mouth, letting her lips, her tongue, her heat scrub at the fire Lucy had lit inside me. Every move was harsh, punishing, like I could bury the taste of Lucy down Gabby’s throat. Her mouth was hot, slick, eager. She moaned like she’d been starving for me, like every rough pull of her hair was a reward.
Gabby loved every second. She whimpered around me, her nails biting into my skin, taking the roughness as if it crowned her queen. She wanted the power shift, wanted to kneel for me because, in her mind, it meant she’d won. But inside, all I felt was hollow.
Every thrust, every groan, every desperate second, none of it erased Lucy. None of it even came close. Every sound she made, every desperate scrape of her nails, every smug moan, did nothing for me.
In my head, it was Lucy’s mouth, Lucy’s energy, Lucy’s kiss replaying in an endless loop. The thought of Lucy on her knees, of all that fire surrendering to me, was what pushed me over the edge. I had to fight from calling out Lucy’s name.
When I was done, Gabby smirked up at me, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked triumphant, convinced she’d claimed me.
