Page 64 of Duke

“Thank you,” I whisper swiping a tear. I still can’t look him in the face. Shutting my eyes, I use them as a dam to stay the flood of tears I feel coming.

I sob, feeling his strong fingers brush the hair off my neck. He takes the necklace from my hands, fastening it around my throat.

“Does he make you happy?”

I shrug, still staring at the floor. “He was there for me.”

He runs a hand through his hair, muttering a curse.

“How does it feel to be the club Prez?”

“Tiring, I carry a lot on my shoulders.”

“Well it looks good on you,” I reply standing up.

“What does?”

“Your father’s leather and patch,” I answer, finally looking him in the eye.

He smiles softly. “Do you need more time here?”

“No. I’m done.”

He nods his head, standing. “It looks good on you, too.”

Looking down, my fingers fiddle with the blackbird hanging between my breasts.

“It does.” I smile wistfully, remembering the lines to the song she used to sing to me every night.

I try to walk away, but he grabs me. “Don’t cry baby girl. Better days are ahead.”

I feel the pad of his thumb swipe a tear and watch helplessly as he brings it to his mouth. My moan echoes through the empty room betraying me.

He answers with a sad smirk then jumps back as he seems to realize what he just did.

His eyes lick flames across my skin. The heat burning between us is going to combust any second. He shakes his head, “I won’t touch another man’s woman again.”

Again?

He doesn’t say another word but steps back with his fists clenched. Two slashes of red stain his cheeks above his clenched jaw. He turns on his heel and slaps the door open, leaving me more confused than ever. Or maybe my first gut instinct was right along; fire and ice. He burns me either way.

It still hurts as much as it did the first time I watched him walk away. I look back at my mother’s portrait before slumping in a chair in the far corner of the room.

One by one, the men shuffle back in, Meat escorting Pops. My father’s aged twenty more years since the news. Every breath still seems a struggle despite the oxygen tanks he’s continuously hooked up to. I’m terrified I could lose him too.

“Hey, babe.”

Spence sits next to me, placing a strong arm around me. It feels comforting but wrong. What we’ve been doing is wrong. I can’t make myself fall in love with him. God knows I’ve tried. But how do you give your heart to someone when another man holds it?

A woman I don’t even know gets up and starts talking about my mother. As she shares stories of her, the anger builds. This stranger knew her. Knew her in ways I never will. The walls close in, the air is too thick with pain and resentment. I hate the club. I just know it’s what destroyed the smiling woman with the once bright eyes. If I’m not careful—it’ll kill me too.

I can’t sit in here another second. Heads turn as I bolt from my chair and run out the exit door. The sun is momentarily blinding, causing me to stumble in my heels.

“I’ve got you.”

As his strong arms close around me; every wall I had in place crumbles.

“Wanna get out of here?”

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