The only thing I felt was…safe. I was safe because Rebel was here and I knew he would protect me with everything he had. I’d never felt that before in my life. I didn’t want this to end because they were all dead. I wanted to wake up to Rebel’s cooking every morning, have him in my bed every night, have his cock buried so deep in me I didn’t know where he ended and I began.
But he’d already told me it was nothing to him. It was just sex.
A transaction.
My chest pulled at that thought. After what we did…I’d wanted to bask in the afterglow, have his arm wrapped around me as I drifted off to sleep. Instead, I’d gotten mad at him. He had said himself he’d not wanted to keep it from me and only followed what everyone else wanted.
I checked the time on my kindle and decided it was past time I left my room. I closed my kindle case and trudged from my room to the kitchen. The house was quiet save for the sounds of the TV turned down low.
“Hey,” I heard an unfamiliar voice say from the back door. He came in and even though I saw him in his cut, I was wary. “I’m Josh. Rebel just had to head out for a few hours. He’ll be back soon.”
I nodded, hoping it came off as sincere and moved into the kitchen. My stomach was growling angrily since I’d not eaten since last night. I opened the fridge to see a note on a Tupperware container in Rebel’s handwriting. My chest squeezed.
Even though I refused to talk to him, he was still thinking about me. I pulled it out and read the note.
Please eat this for dinner. I don’t know what time I’ll be back but if this is still in the fridge when I do get back, I’ll wake your ass up and make sure you eat. We can talk tomorrow x
Kendrick.
I couldn’t help but smile. I peeled the post-it note off the container and lifted the lid up so the steam could vent and tossed it in the microwave. Looking back over at the guy sitting on the couch, I could tell he was nervous, shooting me glances every now and then and going back to his phone. Something about him had me on edge but I couldn’t place it. If Rebel left him here, he had to trust him, so I really shouldn’t be worried.
Why couldn’t I get it out of my mind that I knew him from somewhere then?
The microwave beeped and dragged my attention back to it. I opened the door and the sweet aroma of chicken carbonara wafted up to my nostrils.
God…how was he such a good cook?
I was never going to get used to not having this in my life once this was all over. An uneasiness settled over me as I thought of not seeing him again, not having his cooking, not having him to perve onwhen we worked out, not seeing his smile or feeling his arms around me.
I choked back a sob and shook my head to dislodge the fear building inside of me. I knew what this was before I slept with him, and I knew it had an expiration date but what if…what if I didn’t want to say goodbye?
Sitting at the table, I finished the entire contents of the container and moved up to the sink to rinse it. Josh hadn’t moved but he still cast wary glances my way. We knew each other somehow. It had to be that or else I wouldn’t have this funny feeling and he wouldn’t keep looking at me like that.
The door opened and Josh jumped up. Rebel rounded the corner, taking in Josh first, then me. His eyes softened when he saw me.
“You’re good, brother,” he aimed at Josh. “The boys are expecting you.”
Josh left. I noticed how they didn’t have the same playful friendship Rebel had with the others which made me curious. Did he not like him?
“I’m glad you’ve eaten.”
I nodded. “Thank you, it was delicious.”
“My pleasure,” he said, shrugging off his cut and hanging it over the back of the chair. “Do you want anything else? I can make some brownies if you’re still hungry.”
“No, I just ate,” I told him. Before I could think to stop myself, I added, “You didn’t tell me you were going.”
“Sorry, I figured you were asleep. It was really quiet behind that door and I didn’t want to wake you. I just needed to be brought up to speed on the movement of your brother. Wolf confirmed it was Riagan.”
I nodded, but that was when something hit me. That was…how I knew the other guy.
“Wait, that guy that was here…his name was Josh and he’s a member right?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“How well do you know him?”
Rebel thought about it for a minute. “He came up with me and Fury as a prospect, so a few years. Why?”
