Page 122 of Dirty Salvation

His voice was flat when he replied. “Nothing is wrong, Rider. Drop it, would you? you're creeping me out with the emotions. I don’t need to get away, if I do I’ll let my president know with plenty of notice.”

Nothing to do with me thinking of fucking your baby sister until she can’t walk.Or licking her between the legs until my tongue falls off and her thighs squeeze my head so hard she deafens me.

“I’m not your fuckin’ president right now, you, shithead. I’m your friend and you’re acting like something is up.”

Hawk deflected, swinging once more at the bag before his own eyes switched to Rider.

“You going to marry that girl, make her your old lady?”

“That girl?” Rider’s tone changed from concern to a warning. Darkness staining his tone

As Hawk, had known it would.

He knew every brother's trigger.

Again, his belly tensed. He knew already that girl was going to be sticking around. It wasn't just a sex thing. Rider had it bad.

“She has a fuckin’ name. Jesus. Is that what this is, you don’t like Zara? For fuck's sake,really, Hawk?”

He didn’t like her. But that was here nor there. It was nothing personal andallpersonal. What could he say to Rider that wouldn’t have him pissed off about it?

“Are you?”

Rider sighed, using one gloved hand to push the other onto his hand. Eyes still narrowed.

“If that’s what she wants, eventually. Yeah, I will. Now, you gonna fuckin’ answer me? You got a problem with Zara?”

“I have no problem.” he lied with ease and zero guilt, after all Rider was the best friend he ever had, the first friend ... he didn't want to hurt him by saying his girl gave him the fucking skin crawl heebies, not because of who she was, because he hadn't taken the time to find out, but what she represented, what she put in front of Hawk's eyes every time he looked at her. She dragged up his own demons until he thought he'd vomit.

He had so many fucking problems they were stacked ten high, but that was Hawk’s existence and nothing he needed to analyze, he lived with himself, he knew already. No amount of touchy-feely bull shit talking would change it.

Hawk would rather gouge his own eyes out.

He respected Rider more than any man, any club brother, but his girl embodied memories he’d prefer to bury in the desert.

Whenever he looked at her he saw his past ugly and glaringly real all over her sweet normal face. “She’s fine. I don’t know her, Prez.” He added to the room, avoiding Rider’s watchful gaze.

“Told you, not your president right now, but you should know, Hawk, I don’t believe a fuckin’ word outta your mouth. And I’ma fill you in real quick because I know you and what you’re not sayin’, and tell you if you hurt my woman in any way we’re gonna have us a problem, you get me? I won’t be your president then either, Hawk. I mean it, do not even fuckin’ look at Zara the wrong way. You are my friend, my best fuckin’ friend, we’ve been through some shit haven’t we, side-by-side, I’d kill for you. But you hurt my woman. Not gonna be happy about it.”

Hawk snorted not offended. Rider was a bleeding heart.That's what normal looks like. So much better than Hawk was.

He cocked his brow and said. “I’m not planning on doing anything to that girl, calm down, Rocky. Now we gonna stand around talking about our feelings all day or we doing this?”

Zara was not the girl Hawk wanted on his mind.

Rider cocked a grin. "Fine. Ring the bell, shithead."

Hawk met it with his own nasty grin, held his hand in the air. "ding ding."

All through the spar session with Rider, both men throwing banter around, taunting the other, making them faster, honing their reflexes, Hawk thought of only one woman and it had nothing to do with the new one inside the club changing shit.

Nah., It was hislittle bit of a thing.

His. Not his.

The only woman he was staying far away from. Until the end of fucking time. Maybe Rider was right and it was time to take off for a while, hit the road and clear his head.

He wouldn’t think of Gia if he was balls deep inside some other pussy.

---