Page 22 of Resurfaced Passion

“You mind?” The man in the doorway indicated to the chair over by the window and Reaper nodded. He sat up in bed, the blankets pooled around his waist while he rubbed the sleep from his face and saw it was only 9:30 pm.

Once he’d closed the door and parked himself on the chair, Capone leaned forward and rested both his arms on his spread knees, looking over at Reaper.

“Just go with what I’m gonna say for a second, okay?”

With no clue what the guy was on about, Reaper had a thought to kicking him out and going back to sleep for a day or two, instead he listened.

“So, don’t take this the wrong way,papi, but you got a thing for the diner girl, or am I reading it all wrong?” Alert. Reaper’s eyes narrowed to dark, warning slits. If this was another Arson situation with Capone about to declare feelings of thedick kindfor Paige then he was in for a world of fucking pain.

Capone immediately laughed and held up a hand. “Okay, I take it by the dog growling that’s a yes.”

Reaper didn’t confirm shit. Just stared.

“Get on with it, Cap. What the fuck is this about?”

His boys looked slightly taken aback when he strung more than two grunts together at once. It was Preacher who tagged him with the road name Reaper on his first week since he was so quiet, and no one saw or heard him moving around the MC. It stuck ever since.

He might not be much of a talker now, but he’d sure throw the fuck down if Capone was looking in Paige’s direction. His silence spoke volumes where she was concerned, and every damn guy better just start to understand that.

It wouldn’t be the first time he’d knocked someone out for wanting her. “Chill out, man. You’re barking up the wrong tree,papi,” Capone smirked, rubbing a hand on his clipped facial hair. “My heart was taken a long time ago,sí?”

It was the first Reaper was hearing of it. If Capone had a woman then she was either invisible or so small he could hide her in his goatee. Stuff as inconsequential like taking note of who his boys were banging never entered Reaper’s field of vision because he’d been so focused elsewhere for years, dealing with his own business.

He felt like a shitty friend, in all honesty.

He rocked up for the MC when it was needed. For fights, to be backup for any of them. But as for emotional shit? He knew nothing.

In the last few years some of the club boys had hooked up to really great women, even had kids, Reaper barely knew those girls, he never took the time to have a conversation. He could give a torrent of excuses, but the truth was his whole energy, every single day, was somewhere else. Trying to breathe. Trying to live. Trying to just get through those minutes and hours of this new life.

Clearing his throat, he swung his legs out of the bed and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, then sat on the end of the bed and asked. “You got a girl?”

Capone half-smiled and shook his head. “Nah, Reap. But it doesn’t matter,sí? When you’re taken, you’re taken.”

Fuck, didn’t he know it. He lived that shit.

“It also means you don’t look at a woman your boy is taken by.”

Reaper’s muscles stiffened and he shot Capone a sharp glare.

Capone laughed. “You really are a pit-bull. Listen, it’s not me. But we were all just at Otis’ and your girl, well,papi, it looks like you lost your spot, because she was definitely on a date with some preppy looking guy in a sweater. I thought you should hear it from one of us. We’ve never asked why you just don’t date her, fuck her, marry her and give her an old lady patch, whatever,sí? You’re a private guy, we get it. Besides, Preach and Snake overshare enough for all of us.” Capone tried to joke but all Reaper heard was white noise rushing through his ears.

Paige was on a date?

On. A. Date. With. A. Guy.

What the fuck.

He’d never felt rage like it for a long time, crushing pain stabbed through his middle gut.

He was pulling on his discarded jeans and a shirt over his head before he knew it, then pushing his feet down into his boots.

“You can’t go there, Reaper. I was just giving you the heads up about it, so you’re not blindsided if she rocks up with a boyfriend.”

He pinned his friend with a violent stare. Blood covering Reaper’s vision. His bones felt old as he swung into his leather jacket and pulled out the beanie hat from his pocket and yanked it down over his ears. “Can’t I? Watch me.”

“Whoa.” Capone was in front of him in seconds. He was a little taller, but Reaper would knock him to the ground if he had to.

No one got in his way when it concerned Paige.

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