And damn if that wasn’t even more terrifying.
7GRIFFIN
Itried to steady my breathing as I stared up at the ceiling of my room. My head filled with Marty and the fact I’d turned down her invitation to go inside her place three days ago.
Three freaking days ago, I could have taken her up on her offer and got her out of my system. Because at the end of the day, no matter the shit that had floated in my head after meeting her, forever and always weren’t for a man like me.
I was thirty-five and never had a serious relationship.
I wasn’t that guy.
I wasn’t some Prince Charming or fucking knight in shining armor. If that was the case, my armor had rusted up and lost a few chunks of metal to get me where I was. My hands weren’t clean. Not since I was in high school and got in situation after situation that landed me into trouble. The Army tried its damnedest to get me on the right path, but by the time I was out after the tours I’d done overseas, it wasn’t like I was going to sign up to be some kind of insurance salesman. That’s when I’d joined the Steel Sinners. Made my way with my brothers here, helping the club get to where we were now.
Not only that, but I also wasn’t some choir boy. I liked to go out and get my dick wet as much as the next guy. I worked hard for the club, and when I had my play time, I fucked. Hard.
One-night stands or weekend flings with tourists I met on the Strip or, hell, even at the club downstairs were the extent on my relationships with women. The closest I’d ever been to a relationship was a friends-with-benefits situation I’d got myself into after I graduated high school with my girl best friend at the time. It’d been fun, but when it had run its course, I never got myself into something like that again.
And as much of a tough-girl exterior as Marty had, I knew if I went there, she was someone I wouldn’t be able kick out of my bed after making her scream out my name and call me daddy. I’d want to keep her.Forever.
So, for the last three days, I’d been in my head. Dwelling and overthinking. Stewing and being a prick to whomever I came in contact with while I helped the prospects remodel that floor of rooms. By the second day, the guys knew to give me a wide berth when I went to check on their progress.
But that didn’t mean I’d stayed away.
I might not have talked to her again, and she might not have seen me, but that didn’t mean I didn’t watch her like some kind of stalker. I snuck into the security offices, sat back, and watched her through the cameras as she walked the halls with her headphones in her ears, her head bouncing to the beat of whatever she was listening to. Or I watched her from afar as she waited for the fucking bus to get home.
Those were the moments I wished I could kick my own ass.
If I claimed her as my old lady, as my woman, there was no way I’d let her endanger her life like that. Waiting in the darkness for a bus to show up only to walk four blocks to get to her apartment while wearing those damn headphones. Thefact she didn’t notice me following her around, too distracted by whatever she listened to, proved she needed me.
Marty needed a daddy to watch over her and make sure she got home safe and sound.
A knock sounded at my door, and I yelled out for whoever was on the other side to come in. I was in the clubhouse part of the casino; usually, it was only the guys up here. I wasn’t even a little surprised to see Stone’s big Viking ass looming in the doorway of my room.
“Hey,” he said. I nodded my chin in his direction. “You good, man?”
“I should be asking you that,” I muttered, sitting up on my bed. Resting my elbows on my knees, I watched as he came in and took a seat on my recliner. “How’s that bug you had?”
“Gone, finally.” Stone grinned and then winced. “Whatever fucking flu shit that was kicked my ass.” He scratched his chest. “What’s up with you? Heard about what happened at the meeting. Discretion?”
“You said—” I started to go off on him, but Stone winced and put his hands up in surrender.
“I’m sorry. I fucked up.” I could tell by the look on his face he meant it.
“To be fair, you had a crazy high fever.”
“Still, I made you walk into something blind without much direction. If I’m honest, I don’t remember why I even said discretion to begin with.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I muttered. Silence fell between us as we watched whatever the hell was playing softly on the TV.
“The rooms look good,” Stone said carefully. “Pope was talking about maybe doing that to the other floor in two months or so.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“I also heard you talked to Marty?” Hearing her name coming so fucking casually from him had my hackles rising. I stood to my feet and crossed my arms over my bare chest.
“How do you know Marty?” I growled, stepping closer. Stone’s blue eyes widened before he broke out into a deep fit of laughter.
I glared at the man I considered my best friend as he wiped away tears before laughing all over again, so hard this time he bent at the waist and smacked his own thigh as if he couldn’t get himself to stop.
