Page 14 of Ruin

Mimi shrugged. “I haven’t seen her yet.”

I dipped my brows, confused over why that wouldn’t have been the first thing she’d done. They’d been close, right? Hell, if I hadn’t been home in ages, I’d head straight to my mum.

“How come?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt her praying.” She took a sip of her drink and whispered, “I worry she won’t want to see me.”

“Babe. She will. You’re a cool chick. I’m sure your mum has missed you.”

She smiled softly. “A cool chick?”

“Yeah.”

I glanced down at her hands as she wrapped them around her glass and sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry for how I acted after….”

“It’s fine, honey.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t. I didn’t know what it was back then, but I have a feeling now that I looked to you for comfort and… I didn’t want to lose that after we’d slept together, because I worried I wouldn’t keep that comfort if we didn’t keep sleeping together. I also realised recently it was more leaving the compound that I worried about. I felt safe there.”

“You’ll always be a part of Hawks, babe. Even if you don’t sleep with any members. Hell, Mouth could get you a job in there cleaning or working the bar to pay for your room. Never think we’d kick you out because you don’t have one of our cocks between your legs.”

A blush hit her cheeks. “You and… Cowboy were the only ones I’d slept with.”

“Cowboy, hey?”

The blush deepened. Shit, if I had to guess, someone had a crush.

“Yes.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I also wanted to thank you for coming here with me. I didn’t think it could be like this between us.”

“It’s nice. Now that you don’t hate me.”

She laughed. “Yes. Though, I never hated you. You annoyed me, a lot, with your cocky ways, but more in a brother way.”

“Babe,” I drew out. “Never call me a brother, since we fucked.”

I drew another laugh from her. “You’re right. If anyone heard, it would be weird.” She rested her hand on my arm and looked up at me, suddenly serious. “Honestly, I must thank you for coming. Having you here… it helps knowing I’m not alone in this.” She shook her head. “I know I have my brother and mother here, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen them, and Hawks has become a part of my life.”

I placed my hand over hers. “We’re your family also, Mimi. Always.”

She smiled softly up at me.

“Say, can you tell me what that situation was with the woman hangin’ all over Wolf? I had a feelin’ I missed somethin’.”

“You did. He only had her there to distract the family from my arrival.”

Shit.“Then I fucked it up.”

Mimi shook her head. “You didn’t. He would have sent her on her way in the end anyway.”

“Back to his room. I thought your brother was gay.”

“She’s an old friend of Taro’s and would have known to leave and not enter his room. Taro’s only into men. But if Taro had a man draped over him, a war would have started.”

I snorted. “Yeah, I could see that happenin’.”

Bigoted fucks.

“Am I interrupting something?”

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