Page 65 of Mischief Mayhem
In a rare twist of how we’d started this, Hollywood threw my own words in my face. He moved toward the door, but I caught his arm, trying to pull him back, trying to stop the damage I’d already done.
No, no, no. In my desperation to save myself, I’d probably ruined one of the best things I’d ever had. My eyes burned as tears streamed over them, dripping down my cheeks. I didn’t want to rush things with him, I didn’t want him to hurt me, but likewise, I didn’t want this to end. “Are you breaking this off with me?”
“No, V,” he said, his voice softening as he ran the back of his knuckles down my cheeks, wiping away the visible signs of my idiotic words. “But I’m not gonna be someone’s dirty little secret. Not anymore. Being with you . . . it makes me want more than that. I thought you wanted that, too.”
“And how am I supposed to know you’re not going to hurt me?” I could barely form the words, the thought of losing this new amazing thing too overwhelming.
“Well, that’s on you,” he said, leaning forward to gently kiss my forehead. “I guess you’re gonna have to learn to trust me.”
With that, he grabbed his boots and he walked out of my house, the quiet snick of the door behind him rattling through my body.
22
HOLLYWOOD
“It’s good to see you again, my friend,” Rico said, holding his hand out to Slip when we’d made it to the rendezvous spot for the run to Asheville. The cartel had met us here on time, not a minute later, and Rico immediately welcomed Slip like an old comrade.
I agreed with Doc that having this many guys on a run at one time smelled like a trap, but I didn’t argue, especially not when we got to the pickup point and a trailer full of goodies waited for us. Picasso had driven the truck since he was well into his sixties and riding a bike for hours at a time flared his sciatica. Now that he’d attached the hitch, we were ready to head out.
Which was fucking good because after what happened with V, I itched in more ways than one. Hearing her tell me she didn’t trust me . . . didn’t trust this . . . ached more than I thought it would. Sure, she had a point. We’d only been doing this a few weeks, barely a month, but I’d known her for over a decade. She was my sort of friend before we hooked up, and now that we’d confessed our love, I didn’t understand how she couldn’t be in this one hundred percent like I was.
I’m not sure where this is going, and until I am . . .
Where else could it go? I’d never told anyone I loved them before. I’d never been this vulnerable with anyone. Even if we’d only been doing this for a short amount of time, I couldn’t resist the way I’d felt about her. The fact that she didn’t want anyone to know because she harbored shame about me cut like a fucking knife.
Hearing her saying she was in love with me had rattled around in my head since the words left her pretty lips, flooding my chest with warmth and emotions I’d never thought I’d feel. It had happened quickly between us, but that didn’t make it any less real. And then she’d gone and torn my heart out, clenching it in her beautiful bloody little fists.
Calm down. I’ll go home and talk it out with her. She still loves me. She still wants me. It was just an argument. We were bound to have one sooner or later.
Her heartbreaking “are you breaking up with me?” yanked at my soul, giving me hope that this was far from over.
I won’t let her end it. She’s mine in ways no one else ever has been. I’ll make her see she can really trust me. I’ll fight for her. I will.
I didn’t like leaving her like that, but we both needed space to think. My ass ached from the fifty “sluts” bruised into it, and I still felt her strap deep inside me. But I rode a little easier knowing Castor and Wheels were looking out for her and the rest of the MC princesses while we were here, even if we were in a rocky place.
“I don’t know how you do it,” I said to KC while Slip and Rico finished the deal.
“Do what?” KC pulled on a cigarette while he leaned back against his bike.
“Leave Alba alone all fucking day while you do these runs.” I ran a hand back through my hair, letting my breath out on a sigh. “V and I got into a fight yesterday and I’m twitchy as hell being this far away from her.”
KC pat me on the shoulder, and I bit back a wince from where V had sunk her teeth into my trap muscle earlier that morning.
“It doesn’t get easier, brother,” KC said. “But the Roses are there, and Selene won’t let anything happen to V.”
That was the only thing easing my anxiety. We were three hours south of Madison County, so if the shit hit the fan, it would be at least that long until I could get there to fix it. My stomach churned and my heart pounded, making my hands sweaty.
“What did you two fight about?” KC asked, narrowing his eyes in a sympathetic glance.
“She didn’t want people to know about us. She still thinks I’m gonna leave her . . . or fucking die.”
KC snorted and shook his head. “Well, you can’t blame her for that, huh? Her mother died when she was a kid. Her brother nearly got blown up last year. And how many times have you been shot?”
I swallowed down the truth in that. “I just wished she trusted me.”
“I’ve known V her whole life. My little cousin’s not scared of much, but when it comes to the heavy emotions, she’s terrified of getting hurt.” KC smiled, a nostalgic glint in his eyes like he was envisioning the younger version of Verona. “If she’s pulling away, it means she loves you. If you want her, you need to pull harder.”
“Thanks, KC.” I nodded, more resolute in what I had to do when I got home.