Page 7 of Craving Her
“Shit, Skylar. I’m sorry. I got held up running patrol yesterday. I didn’t forget, though—at least not this time. I asked Dom to pick your car up. He probably fucked around and forgot. He’s been screwing up more and more lately.”
I let out another sigh. I don’t know if I’m hurt because he passed my needs off to someone else, or if it’s another sign that Dom will never be the man my sister deserves. She’ll never completely let him go—even if she thinks she has.
“It’s done now. But that’s why I had a friend drop me off at the Wolf’s Den so I could get my brother to run me home, because Iknewhe’d be there.” He might forget about me once in a while, but he always goes to the Wolf’s Den to relax with his brothers in the evening. He never misses that.
“Still not sure why that makes a bad day,” Mattie mutters, still looking at Torin.
“Because, before I could let you know I was there, I ran into my now very ex-boyfriend, Chad.”
“What did the fuckwad do now? You swear you’re done with him?”
“Definitely, seeing as he was balls deep inside Kristine Pomeroy.”
“Jesus.”
“Hm … Anyway, we fought, and he pushed me to the ground and tried to get physical with me.”
“You were there, Joker?” Mattie asks, looking over at Torin.
“He was,” I answer for him. “He kept Chad from hitting me. Then offered to feed me. Given that I’ve been working since early this morning, I agreed.”
I take a breath and spare a glance at Breaker. His face is red, his eyes are glimmering with anger. A small shiver of fear runs through me. When my big brother gets ahold of Chad, the man will be lucky if he’s still breathing afterward.
“That piece of scum tried to hit you?”
“Yes, but Breaker?—”
“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch. He knows who you are. He knows what hurting you means. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“Mattie, calm down?—”
“Hell no, I’m not going to calm down,” he barks.
Joker stands up and walks over to us. I notice, however, that he doesn’t stand by me. He goes to the other side of Mattie, making me frown.What the hell?
“You can probably find him out behind the bar. That’s where Skylar left him after she laid him out,” Torin answers. For a second, I’m warmed by the way he brags about me. When I look up at him, though, I notice he’s not even looking at me.
“Used some of your training on the fucker, huh sis?” Mattie asks, reclaiming my attention. He’s smiling big at me, making me roll my eyes.
“I figured I should put some of the moves you and Dad drummed into my head to use,” I tell him, but I’m partially lying. My weekly routine includes taking self-defense courses. I haven’t told anyone—not even Mom. I just wanted to make sure I could always take care of myself.
Mattie surprises me by wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly. “I’m sorry Skylar. I should have been there and not sent Dom.”
I hug him back and close my eyes, enjoying a small moment of Mattie’s attention. I really do love him. Sometimes when he and Thea get together, I feel like I'm just a third wheel. Besides, I need his love right now. Torin is still refusing to look at me. He’s making sure there is plenty of distance between us, too.
“I’m fine,” I tell Mattie.
He nods, then turns his attention to Torin. “Why didn’t you come inside and get me? You better not have any ideas about mybaby sister. She’s too damn young. There’s no way. Besides, she’s got dreams. Skylar isn’t the type of girl for this lifestyle.”
“Mattie, shut up. Jesus, I’m right here. I’ll be the one living my life and I’ll decide what I want in my?—”
“You two can cool it,” Joker mutters, interrupting me. “Do I really look like the kind of man who fools with a kid?”
Killer—another member of the club and one of the four with Mattie tonight—laughs. “He has a point, Breaker. Joker will never settle down. Hell, he has so much fun with the twinkies that they’ve created a fan club in his name.”
“True enough. Those bitches even fight over who gets to warm his bed all night,” Raze adds, and I literally start feeling sick to my stomach. It feels like my heart was just crushed inside my chest. For a second, I can’t even catch my breath. It takes all I have not to cry out with the pain I’m feeling. I don’t know how I got so attached to Torin so quickly, but it’s clear I have.
All of them, Torin and Mattie included, are laughing and cracking jokes about the twinkies. No one realizes they’re killing me. They don’t even care. I suddenly decide I need to get out of here. I just can’t handle it anymore. Clearing my throat, I try to get their attention. When Mattie looks at me, the rest slowly calm down.