“You shouldn’t feel anything about it!” he snapped. “It’s not even relevant.”
“You dumped me and started sleeping with her,” I shot back. “Pretty fucking relevant!”
“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Getting frustrated?” I asked in mock pity. “Poor thing.”
“The fuck is wrong with your mouth?” he asked, looking at me in surprise. “When did you become a goddamn harpy?”
“I never had a reason before!” I yelled back, pushing to my feet. “Because stupid me, I never even thought we were fighting before you disappeared!”
“So this is the shit I have to look forward to?”
“You don’t have anything to look forward to!” I screamed back, my mouth snapping shut when I realized how loud we were being.
“Bullshit!” he roared back, making me startle in surprise. “You wanna bitch at me? Hate me? Fuckin’ hit me? Fine! But don’t pretend that we won’t be together.”
“You made that decision!”
“’Cause I’m a fuckin’ idiot!” he yelled toward the ceiling. He dropped his head back down. “You know I’m a fuck up.”
“You’re not a fuck up,” I snapped back.
“Baby, my head was all over the place back then,” he said softly, apology written all over his face. “Didn’t know what to do, so I dropped the only thing that made sense.”
“Me,” I said flatly. “And how did that work out for you?”
“Knew I was an idiot the minute I walked out the door,” he replied softly. “The instant I said that shit to you and your face fell like I’d slapped you.”
I looked away from him. I had no idea what to say. Part of me was glad that he’d realized his mistake that fast, but the other part of me hated him for never trying again. He’d walked away like I was nothing, like Rebel and I were nothing.
“You never came back,” I murmured softly, my eyes watering.
“Knew you wouldn’t see me,” he said, his voice as soft as mine. “Didn’t blame you.”
“So you would’ve just never seen us again?” I asked, pushing him away as he tried to pull me closer.
“No way in hell,” he said, dropping his hands to his sides. “Was already plannin’ on callin’ you when you showed up at the clubhouse.”
“Easy to say,” I murmured.
“Swear to Christ, Molly,” he insisted. “I missed you like hell.”
“You just left,” I whispered, meeting his eyes. “Who does that?”
“I’m so sorry,” he replied, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and shook his head slowly. “I’m so sorry.”
“Rebel asked for you, Will.” I sucked in a harsh breath as I shook my head. “She asked for you every day for a year. Do you know what that was like? She didn’t understand why you were gone. I didn’t understand why you were gone.”
“I’m sorry,” he said roughly. “I was so fucking wrong about everything. I love Rebel. You know I do. I’d never hurt her on purpose.”
“It doesn’t matter if you did it on purpose. You still did it.”
Will’s lips trembled and his eyes grew glassy, then he cleared his throat like he had something caught in it.
“You—” I choked, swallowing hard. “You made me feel like nothing.”
“Moll,” he whispered, his face falling. “Never, baby. You were never nothing. Not for a second.”
“The night before you left, you wouldn’t even let me sleep! We had sex over and over again. I thought everything was great. I . . . I thought, this is it. This is forever. And then . . . then I realized, it wasn’t forever, it was a fucking goodbye.”
A sob ripped through me and I dropped my face into my hand. God, it had been so horrible after he’d left. I’d spent weeks wondering what I’d done wrong. I’d woken up in the middle of the night, wondering what the hell had happened. It had been months before I felt like myself again.
“Don’t,” he rasped. “Don’t cry.”
Will’s chest pressed against my front, and then his hands were there. One wrapped around my back, and the other held my head against his chest.
“I won’t ever make you cry again,” he promised against the top of my head. “I swear to God, Moll. I’ll piss you off, but I won’t ever make you cry.”
He lifted me up and carried me to the bed, keeping me in his lap as he sat down.
“I don’t know,” I finally said, lifting my head.
“I’ll prove it.”
“How?”
“By stickin’ around,” he said, his lips tipping up just a little.
He leaned toward me, and I didn’t move as his lips hit mine. They were soft at first as he carefully brushed them over mine, but within seconds, I was opening my mouth and letting him press his tongue inside. I’d let him kiss me since I’d come to the club, but that time it felt different. Like a prelude. A promise.
“Thank you,” he groaned, his fingers tangling into my hair.
“You’re welcome?” I said automatically, making him laugh into my mouth.
“I love you, Molly,” he said, pulling his face away from mine to gauge my reaction.
“I love you, too,” I replied without hesitation. That was something that had never been in question. It was the trusting part that still needed work.
His mouth hit mine more frantically then. Pressing harder and kissing me deeper, but he was still really careful. He stood me up and dropped his head to my collarbone for a long moment, kissing me there before reaching for my sling and tenderly pulling it off.
“You feelin’ okay?” he asked as I helped him push his cut down his shoulders.
“Yeah,” I breathed as he tore his shirt over his head. “You got more ink.”
“Just a couple,” he said as he reached for my shirt. “Had some time on my hands.”
“You got bigger, too.”
“More time for workin’ out.”
“You missed me?” I asked, hating the vulnerability it exposed.
“I was wonderin’ what you were doin’ every hour I was awake,” he replied, pushing my shirt over my good arm and off my head, then slowly pulling it over my cast. “Goddamn, I really missed you,” he said reverently.
“You got harder, I got softer,” I mumbled, looking down at my curves.
“Perfect,” he said with a grin as he dropped my shirt to the floor.
I giggled as he pressed his face between my boobs and sighed.
“Are you going to help me with my pants?” I asked after a couple minutes of him resting against my chest.
“Yeah,” he said, leaning back as his hands found the waistband of my yoga pants. “Just wanted a minute with my friends first.”
“Your friends?”
“Hadn’t seen ’em in a while.”
I shook my head as Will peeled my pants down my legs.
“Your arm gettin’ heavy?” he asked after he’d helped me step out of the fabric.
“Will, I get that you’re being sweet,” I replied, reaching out to run my fingers through his hair. “But I haven’t had sex in eighteen months.”
“No one since me?”
“Does my vibrator count?” I asked, jolting in surprise when he pulled me onto the bed.
“Scoot back,” he ordered, as he started unbuttoning his jeans. “Middle of the bed.”
It took me a second, since I couldn’t use one of my arms, but I was glad that he didn’t try to help me. Instead, he watched me hungrily, stripping off the rest of his clothes.
“Condom,” I reminded him as Will set one knee on the bed.
I saw him cringe, and for a split second I felt bad, but it was gone quickly. He’d had sex with someone else. It wasn’t something I could ignore. Even if he’d been careful with her—my stomach burned at the thought of it—he still needed to suit up.
“I’ll get tested,” he said after he’d rolled the condom on.
“Okay,” I breathed as he knelt on the bed, leaning fo
rward to grip my hips. He jerked me toward him and bent at the waist, bracing himself on one arm until our faces were just inches apart.
“You want my mouth on you?” he asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Yes,” I replied, then instantly changed my mind. “No.”
“Which is it?” he teased, his hand sliding up my side to grip my breast. His touch was soft, even though he was trembling with restless energy.
“Just fuck me,” I said seriously, making him bark out a laugh.
“It’s never just anything with you,” he murmured, rubbing his nose across my jaw.
His hips shifted and then he was there, sliding inside me slow and steady. He’d barely touched me, and I hadn’t needed anything but his strong body above mine to get wet. It was ridiculous, and if I remembered correctly, really convenient for quickies.
“Tell me if anything hurts,” Will instructed, sliding back out. “We’ll be careful.”
“Careful sucks,” I griped, reaching for him. My cast hit his shoulder with a thunk. “Oh, shit!”
“Okay,” he said in amusement, moving my arm to rest by my head. “Maybe you’re the one that needs to be careful.”
“I’m sorry!” I blurted, my eyes wide.
“Make it up to me,” he ordered, his eyes falling almost closed as he thrust again. “Goddamn.”
“More,” I breathed as he pulled back and thrust again. “Too slow.”
“Always too slow for you,” he answered, running his tongue across my breast. “Gotta be careful.”
“I’m fine,” I gasped as his tongue found my nipple. “I can’t come like this.”
“Bullshit, you can’t,” Will argued, biting down.
He ended up proving me wrong.
* * *
“Is she still going to be around?” I asked later, hating that I’d asked, but anxious for an answer. I’d taken another pain pill and it was making me slightly loopy. It took away the throbbing in my arm, though, so I could deal with loopy.
“That gonna bug you?” Will asked, running his finger along the skin on my arm where the cast ended.
“I’d like to say that I’m too mature for it to bug me,” I hedged, pinching Will when he chuckled. “But yes. It would drive me insane.”
“Alright, she’s gone, then.”
“But . . . are all her friends here?” I asked worriedly.
“Moll, you can’t have it both ways.”
“Right. Yes, I don’t want to see her. Ever.”
“Then, you won’t. End of.”
I nodded my head and closed my eyes. I loved the way Will smelled, and it was always strongest after we’d had sex. Not a sex smell, really, just his natural smell.
“Hey, Will?” I called. “Did you say that the guy who killed my dad was Rocky’s father-in-law?”
Will’s body turned to stone beneath me. “You eavesdroppin’ earlier?”
“No, as soon as I realized you guys were talking, I let you know I was there. It’s not like I was being quiet.”
“Sugar,” he sighed. “Better for you—the less you know. Alright? I’ll tell you that, yes. Same man. But don’t go askin’ about it.”
I thought it over for a minute. I wanted to know everything. Why he’d targeted my dad. What he’d been looking for. But I knew with certainty that the answers to those questions wouldn’t really change anything. The why of it all would never make any sense, no matter what I knew, and I didn’t ever want to have to try and lie to the police again.
“Okay,” I said finally.
“Better get some rest,” Will said in obvious relief, squeezing me tighter against him.
“Are you getting up?”
“Might in a while, see if Casper’s heard from my dad. Won’t be gone long, though.”
“Okay,” I said again, relaxing against his chest. “Night.”
I was out in seconds.
Chapter 20
Will
“What’re you doin’ up?” I asked in surprise as I dragged my tired ass into the main room. My mom, Aunt Farrah, Brenna and Trix were seated around a table with a half-empty bottle of tequila resting in the center.
“Tradition,” my mom said with a smile. “When the men are out of town, the mice will play.”
“Cats,” Brenna corrected, smacking my mom’s arm. “Perfect time for us to visit.”
“You see each other daily,” I pointed out, making my mom roll her eyes.
“Ash already passed out,” my mom said, chuckling. Samson’s old lady was a notorious light weight when it came to tequila.
“Homer’s old lady is knocked up, so she crashed before the kids, and Shady’s old lady has their son with her,” Trix said. “We were gonna wake Mel up, but we didn’t want to wake Rebel, too.”
“Good call.” I looked around the room. “Where’s Casper?”
“Your Uncle Casper is outside,” Farrah mumbled.
“You’re really givin’ me shit when you’re about to fall face-first into the table?” I joked.
“Be nice to me, Wilfred,” she ordered, smiling.
“Always.” I moved past them and headed toward the front just as my phone rang in my pocket.
“Hello?” I answered as I pushed through the front door.
“William,” my dad’s voice rasped. “You need to call everyone in.”
“What?” I stopped in my tracks and caught sight of Casper jogging toward me, Tommy on his heels.
“Everyone in,” my dad repeated. “Don’t forget a single fuckin’ person, you hear me?”
“I hear you,” I replied, stunned. What the fuck?
I glanced in confusion at my phone when it went dead.
“What’s goin’ on?” I asked, falling into step with Casper as he slowed.
“Dragon called,” he said, coming to a stop at the closed door. “Told me to pull the prospects off the gate and put Leo and Samson up there.” He shook his head. “Sent the other prospects to the back entrance. It’s all closed up, but who the fuck knows.”
“Dad just called and told me to bring everyone in,” I replied, lifting my phone up.
“Dragon told me the same. Lock everything down.”
“What the fuck is going on?”
“No idea, but they’re on their way back. We should know more in the morning.”
“I’ll call half and you call half?” I asked as he opened the door.
“Why can’t the women—oh. Shit,” he said, laughing a little.
Brenna was on the floor, flat on her back and snoring. Trix was laughing hysterically at the table, while Farrah debated the merits of drunk sex, gesturing with the tequila bottle. And my mom was hanging over Tommy’s shoulder.
“Bringin’ her to bed,” Tommy said with a huff, shaking his head. “Hopefully, she doesn’t puke all over my back.”
“Ah, hell,” Casper mumbled, moving toward the table. “I’ll get Trix and you get your aunt.”
“Why can’t you get your own wife?” I asked, eyeballing Farrah.
“Because Hulk won’t kill me for carryin’ his wife to bed,” Casper said in amusement.
I scoffed, but still headed straight for my aunt.
“Wilfred!” she sang as I pulled her up from the table.
“It’s not Wilfred.”
“Wilhelmina?
“No.” I bent at the waist and threw her over my shoulder.
“Will-you-take-me-to-dinner?”
“Nope.”
“Well, then, what is it?” She asked, slapping my ass. Jesus.
“William Butler Hawthorne,” I answered, walking quickly down the hallway to Casper’s room.
“Well, that’s boring.”
“So you’ve said,” I mumbled, jerking to try and keep her on my shoulder as she reached out to both sides and tried to touch the walls.
I carried her into the room and dropped her on the bed as she laughed.
“I liked you better when you thought your middle name was butter,” she joked as I pulled
her shoes off.
“No, you didn’t.”
“True. I had to wipe your ass back then.”
“Can we never talk about you wipin’ my ass again?”
“No promises,” she murmured as she rolled onto her side. “Never know when I’ll have to drop it into the conversation.”
I laughed and shook my head, shutting off the light as I left the room. By the time I’d made it back to the main room of the club, Brenna wasn’t on the floor anymore and Casper was sitting at the bar.
“You got the list?” I asked, sitting down beside him.
“Yup. I’ll take the names from the top to here,” he pointed. “You take the rest.”
“I can help, too,” Tommy said, coming out of the hallway.
“You start movin’ tables,” Casper ordered with a nod. “Gonna need the room for sleepin’ bags and shit.”
“What a fuckin’ headache,” I mumbled, scratching at my beard as I found my first name on the list.
“Better than the alternative,” Casper replied darkly.
* * *
I woke up the next morning to a little hand petting my beard.
“Good morning,” Molly said huskily as I opened my eyes. Rebel was sitting between us with a stuffed duck in her lap.
“We need to get her a dog or something,” I replied, trying not to move my mouth as Rebel’s fingers found my mustache.
“I don’t have much of a yard,” Molly mused, scooting in closer to me. At some point, she must have pulled on a t-shirt while I was sleeping, because she’d been naked when I’d come to bed. Hell of a way to fall asleep.
“We’ll get a place,” I said, turning my head toward her when Rebel got bored with my beard.
“You want to move in together?” Molly asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Marry me first?”
“Eventually,” she said with a secretive little smile.
“Wanna have more kids before Reb’s old enough to be their mother,” I told her, surprised when her head jerked back.
“Will,” she replied, her face pained.
“What?”
“I just—” she shook her head. “I’m not sure that I want more kids.”
“Oh.” My mind went completely blank for a minute. It wasn’t even something that had crossed my mind. Hell, there were four kids in my family. Everyone I was close to had at least two.