Page 22 of Ky
“Where did you say you were from again?” Lexie asks, the question hanging in the air like a carefully placed trap, making it sound like an innocent question, but I know it was far from it.
“New York City,” I say warily, my face betraying nothing of my thoughts. I hate keeping things from these women who have been nothing but kind to me. But I’m protecting them as much as myself.
Or so I keep telling myself.
“Why move from New York City all the way to a tiny, out of the way town like Briar Creek, Texas? Unless you’re hiding from something, or someone?” Lexie pushes relentlessly. I’m close to my breaking point with the other woman, and can’t help wondering what her deal is.
“Lexie, come on. What’s gotten into you?” Zoe asks, her eyes narrowed, and a slight frown marring her brow, silently telling her friend to quit with the questions.
Are Lexie and Ky a thing? It didn’t add up, especially since he’d been dating the doctor until recently. The question hovered on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it back. Ky was the one person I guarded my vulnerabilities against, keeping them locked away like secrets in a hidden vault. Until last night, of course.
“You know what, why don’t you guys go on to the party? Maybe me going isn’t such a good idea. But thanks for the invite.” I look at Zoe when I speak, I didn’t want to spend hours in the other woman’s company if she was just going to interrogate me. Not wanting to give Lexie the satisfaction of knowing just how much she’s gotten to me; offering her a small smile.
“No way are we leaving you behind,” Zoe replies, frowning across at Lexie. “Don’t mind Lexie, she’s just PMS-ing.” Giving the other woman a dark look.
Lexie sighs. “I’m sorry for being a bitch. I’m just looking out for Ky, is all. He and I are family, we grew up together. We’ve been close since I came to live with the Briar Creek chapter when I was six years old. I just don’t want to see him get played.”
“I’m not playing Ky. I don’t even know the guy.” I arc up. “He helped me out when someone broke into my clinic, but that’s all there is between us.”
Lies. If they only knew what we’d gotten up to last night. But no one can know,I tell myself silently.
I fight to hold back a sob, hoping that Ky hadn’t told his club brothers about what happened all those years ago. But no one has confronted me about it, so maybe he’s said nothing? I could only hope.
“Keep telling yourself that,” Everleigh replies with a knowing smile. “I denied my feelings for Kick for a long time when I returned to Briar Creek. But he wore me down.”
“Our situations are different. For one, you two had a history together. Ky and I have nothing,” I continue to deny.
Except for the four years between our last meeting and last night’s few hours of fucking like bunny rabbits, we had nothing at all.
“Except chemistry,” Zoe replies with a little lopsided grin.
An unladylike snort escapes, and I turn beat red when the other ladies chuckle good naturedly.
Sighing, I added, my voice laced with a desperate plea. “Look, I appreciate what you all are trying to do, but please stop. Can we change the subject? I really don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
Everleigh smiles indulgently, “Of course. But I will say just this; he’s been extremely tight-lipped where you’re concerned. Refusing to speak about you to any of us. He’s only spoken to the other guys about it, and we’ve heard it secondhand from them,” Everleigh says “You can deny it until you’re blue in the face that there’s nothing between you, but to me, it’s plain as the nose on my face that there is.”
I clamp my mouth shut, trying not to smile. He’s kept the fact that he knows me hidden from the closest people to him. Why?
Going to the clubhouse tonight and putting myself in Ky’s orbit after the way my brother had taken me from the warehouse, leaving him to bleed out from the gunshot, without getting him help. Plus the events of last night and him leaving without a word.
I just don’t know if I can do it.
Yes, he survived, and I was thankful for that, but I don’t think he’ll ever forgive and forget. I’m sure he’s lumped me in withAngelo, seeing me as nothing more than a manipulative bitch. And that’s probably why he didn’t stay last night.
Even with all the cons of why I shouldn’t go, I open my mouth to refuse when the complete opposite spews from my lips.
“Fine. I’ll come. But what about Willow, who’s going to look after her?” I close my eyes, unable to take back any of it now.
“Yay.” Zoe claps her hands and bounces excitedly to her feet. “Bring her along. Ella is the designated babysitter tonight. Be there around seven,” she says, giving the other girls a silent look as they all stood as one; and before I could ask any more questions about the party and what I should bring, they were out the door, getting into the compact car that was parked in my driveway.
Shaking my head, I close the door. Now that I was alone, I try to unpack the feelings I had when Zoe and the other women of the Devil’s Carnage MC had shown up at my door. A warmth blooms in my chest, making me grin so wide my cheeks hurt. I finally felt like I wasn’t alone. That I had a bunch of badass women in my corner, and I loved that.
The rumbling of my stomach, a loud and undeniable growl. Even though I wasn’t in the mood, I finish making lunch for Willow and me; adding some vegetables for extra nutrition. The swirling emotions I’d been feeling since Ky had left my bed, and the girl’s visit abates somewhat as the aroma of the food I was cooking filled the house, a warm and welcoming scent.
I kept telling myself I could easily dismiss Ky from my thoughts, that seeing him wouldn't affect me as much as I'd imagined. And if I repeat the mantra in my head, I was sure to believe it myself soon enough.
After eating, I told Willow where we were going tonight, surprised we only had a short time to get ready before we were supposed to be at the clubhouse. Butterflies flutter in my belly atthe thought of the party tonight and whether Ky would be there. For the hundredth time, I second-guessed if I should even go.