His voice was barely there, deep but broken from our encounter. He grabbed a gun from a drawer in the hall and headed down the tiled walkway to the front door. I waited, on tenterhooks, my lips still felt like they had him on them. I touched them and smiled at the memory.
If whoever hadn’t knocked, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would have continued and now I felt unbridled rage at whoever had interrupted us. Foe or not.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” I heard Rebel’s voice say which told me it was someone from the club. The air left my lungs and I knew that whatever we’d had was over.
Fuck.
Shona rounded the corner into the kitchen with a big smile. “We’re here to give you something to take your mind off the doldrum that is otherwise known as Rebel.”
“Hey, Shona.”
I tried to suppress my disappointment. She was here to celebrate my birthday. There was no way she knew she just cockblocked me from something I’d been dreaming about for days.
“Birthday girl!”
After she came into the living area, I saw Morena, Ryleigh, Shauna and a few of the club girls as well as Savage, Viper and Fury follow them. Damn…so the night had only just begun.
“It’s time to party, girl,” one of the club girls said just as Viper wrapped his arm around her and led her over to where a stereo sat in the wall by the back door. Rebel stood by the back wall with Savage.I caught his glance, but he was back to being the serious Rebel from before.
Fuck.
Rebel
I said goodbye to the last of the club members and closed the door behind them, activating the front lock and moving back inside to find all the mess they’d made cleaned up. The kitchen was sparkling and the bins had been taken out.
At least they did something other than drink all the booze and eat all my snacks. I searched for Darby but couldn’t find her in her bedroom or bathroom. Panic set in and I started to think she might have escaped while no one was looking.
She wouldn’t have. She’d been comfortable with me here.
Before that damn kiss…after that we’d both been on edge. It had been stupid, I knew that, but once her lips were on mine, I hadn’t been able to control it. I’d wanted her in a way I could scarcely deny. The way she moaned into me, god…my cock had been harder than fucking stone. If they hadn't knocked, I would have taken her against the countertop. I knew that for a fact. Why then was I so fucking angry they had interrupted? Being with Darby would be a mistake. I knew that…and yet.
I moved out into the lounge area and saw her sitting on the back steps of the deck, overlooking the gardens and the woods. Moving out to join her, I could sense something was wrong. I needed to make it okay again. I needed to help her.
Whatever this was between us…it had only gotten stronger the longer we were here, and if we were going to be friends after this, I needed her to know I was here for her. No matter what.
“Are you okay?” I asked, coming to sit next to her on the top step. She looked over at me, tears shining in her eyes.
“Shona let slip what happened to Keefe,” she said, her voice uneven. I wanted so desperately to take that pain from her, protect her from the world she was born into. “Did you know?”
“Yes,” I told her, honestly.
“They told you not to tell me.”
Fuck, she didn’t seem that mad at me right now and that made me feel things I really had no business feeling. I needed her to know it wasn’t my choice.
“I wanted to defy them a million times over, but when Prez tells you something, you gotta follow it. I’m sorry.”
She shrugged her shoulders but I could tell it hurt her that I hadn’t told her. We’d built so much trust in the last few days, weeks even, and yet I’d been keeping everything from her.
“I guess that’s why he’s not here and you’re forced to babysit me,” she said, looking out into the woods again. “It makes sense.”
“I’m not forced to do anything,” I told her. “If I asked to be replaced, they would do it. I haven't, which means I'm here because I want to be.”
She looked back at me and I saw her eyes move to my lips, probably replaying that kiss in her head like I had been all night, and back up at my eyes. “Thank you.”
“Come inside…you’ll catch your death out here.”
She let me help her stand up and lead her inside where I locked the door. “I really miss Keefe. He’d been my protector when no one else would. He was even in the middle of securing a bike for me.”
