Page 39 of Falling Hard

“She’s got even more talented over the year,” I said quietly. “Now, what were you saying before I zoned out?” I chuckled.

“I’ve known Lynx all my life, and he’s a good man. Sure, he does some bad shit, but there’s more to him than that, so just keep that in mind,” he said as Lynx came out of the clubhouse and headed our way.

Lynx opened the garage door and got on his bike, then walked it out, looking at me expectantly. He nodded to Grit, who was already walking away.

I stared at Grit’s back for a moment, thinking about what he said, before climbing onto the back of the bike. I wrapped my arms around Lynx’s waist as he took off, heading for the estate.

* * *

A few hours later,we pulled into the estate and parked by the front door. I rolled my eyes as I climbed off the bike.

“I swear Uncle Hammer couldn’t have bought a larger place. Look at it. It looks like it belongs in a horror film. I don’t like this place. It freaks me out, and I have a bad feeling,” I ranted, scrunching up my face.

Lynx got off his bike and shot off a quick text, probably to my father, letting him know we made it.

Grunting, he just shook his head and walked up the steps and punched in the code to open the door. Before heading inside, he looked over his shoulder at me and grinning wickedly, he said, “What, you afraid of a little ghost, Libby?” After giving me a wink, he went inside

“That’s not even funny, and there’s nothing little about you, and you know it, you arrogant bastard,” I whined, stomping my foot—not like he could see me anyway. Scoffing, I sat on the steps and looked up at the sky. The wind had picked up slightly, and you could see dark clouds on the horizon. A storm really was coming.

“I really, really have a bad feeling about this. I hate storms,” I muttered, secretly wishing my father was here. I shivered, then a loud scream had me jumping to my feet, and with my heart racing, I ran inside. Running past the main living area, I heard another scream, followed by curse words, and as I reached the hallway, I saw Lynx doubled over in laughter. Slowly, I approached the bedroom, and my eyes went wide, not at all prepared for the sight before me—a topless Emmie, pinned beneath my best friend, both looking equally guilty.

“Critter, what the fuck are you doing here? Holy shit, Emmeline, your father is going to lose his shit!” I screeched, my hands covering my eyes as I backed out of the room. “Lynx, it’s not funny. He’s going to give her an STD, and her father’s going to kill him. Stop laughing.” I scowled and smacked him on the arm before walking back into the living area where I plopped myself down on the world’s comfiest couch. I didn’t need to see my cousin almost naked.

A few moments later, Lynx appeared and leaning on the back of the couch, he stared down at me with a serious expression on his face. “Maiden’s coming, and I’m taking off when he gets here. Club business.” He looked down at his phone. “Seems little Emmeline took off without telling Hammer, and they just tracked her down by the chip in her phone.”

“She has a chip in her phone!” I gasped. “Like a tracking chip?”

“Yep.”

My gaze narrowed on him. “Do I have one?”

He shrugged innocently, and I it let go at that.

“So you’re heading out, then?” I asked, then held my breath. I knew what I wanted to say but wasn’t sure if I should, so I fiddled with my hair and bit my lip hesitantly as anxiety reared its ugly head at the thought of him leaving. “Are you coming back? Do you really have to leave? Can’t you stay?” I whispered.

“No, I can’t stay, but I will come back. I’m a nomad, Libby, and I won’t settle down. The open road calls my name. You’re either with me or you’re not,” he replied. Lynx walked around the couch and knelt in front of me, then taking my hands in his, he rubbed my knuckles with his finger and planted kisses on the back of my hands.

The inner turmoil was almost too much to bear. The urge to go with him was so strong I nearly said yes, but I wanted a stable home and somewhere to come back to every night, something I hadn’t had since I was a kid. But this man calmed me in ways I didn’t think possible. How could I give that up? Seeing my inner turmoil, he picked me up and placed me on his lap.

“We can make this work. Just gonna have to trust me. Whatever this is, it’s real,” he said quietly, placing a kiss on my nose.

Completely taken aback by his brutal honesty, goose bumps covered my skin, and a gasp escaped my lips as tears threatened to spill from my eyes.

“You two make me sick. Get a room!” Critter shouted as he emerged from down the hall, dressed and shaking his head as he shot me a wink, causing Lynx to tense.

“You ass, who the hell do you think you are? Stay the hell away from my cousin. Families are off limits, you know that, you manwhore,” I snapped, pointing my fingers at him accusingly.

“What can I say? I can’t help myself. Sexy must run in the genes, and you ladies can’t get enough of me.” He chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows, causing me to turn bright red.

“You shut your damn mouth before I come over there and make you,” I grumbled. I leaned forward and gave him my best angry face, which caused him to laugh.

“Not scared of you, munchkin. Hate to break it to you, but I could push you over with my little finger.” He laughed as he wiggled his pinkie finger to prove a point.

“Oh, yeah, well, I have the muscle to back me up now, and he’s just itching for a good fight, isn’t that right?” I challenged as I stood, dragging Lynx, who had this evil look on his face as he cracked his knuckles slowly, up with me.

Critter paled before puffing out his chest, trying to look bigger than he actually was. “I-I can take you. Let’s move this outside!” he said with a small waver in his voice as he headed for the front door.

Lynx followed, leaving me dumbstruck.

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