Page 28 of Resurfaced Passion

It left Reaper weakened and on edge, snappy with everyone.

The boys didn’t bother him most of the time. They’d cottoned on real quick how Reaper didn’t like to talk much or ever. Today more than most they gave him a wide berth around the church table and didn’t ask if he wanted to go for beers later. He got his tasks for the day and skulked out ahead of everyone. They rightly didn’t ask what the fuck was up with him. Probably to do with the toxic cloud of energy hanging over his head like a goddamn nest of crows waiting to attack.

She’d willingly gone on a fucking date.

Paige.His Paigewith another man looking across at her from a table with want on his face.

He was still fit to murder.

The idea of her with another guy made him fucking postal.

Even now Reaper felt the flash of blood through his ears. He could easily get Lawless to track that guy down. CCTV and a licence plate were all it would take, and Reaper could get some satisfaction smashing his face in a little bit.

It had felt like a million shallow paper cuts watching her across the bar, smiling at that complete tool-bag.

Though he worked and ate that day, his brain was too busy trying to dismantle the bomb living inside him.

On a fucking date.

It was dangerous, the feeling rippling through him.

He’d wanted to rip the guy limb from fucking limb and present Paige with the leftovers as spoils to his victory. Show her who the better man was.

God, kissing Paige felt like she was water in the desert after a month of dehydration. He’d been foolish, understatement. But he hadn’t been able to stop himself from tasting her. Laying his claim that she belonged to him even as he told himself he was playing a dangerous game.

The way she’d kissed him back, with needy, breathy pants had about done him in. He’d jerked off so much in the past two days, even with his head raging with pain, that he should technically be legally blind by now.

Grabbing his coat from the hook, he swung it on and continued striding through the clubhouse.

“Reaper, hold up.” He heard from behind just as he was about to step outside. He turned to see Rider approaching. When he reached him, Rider didn’t dance on ceremony, he never did. Reaper had always respected the guy for the man he was and the way he’d built the club into the conglomerate revered MC it was throughout the states. “I need a favor.” The way he scrubbed a hand through his beard let Reaper know he was having a hard time asking for whatever he needed. Rider rarely asked any of the guys to do anything that he himself wouldn’t do. Some of the guys had special skills, Lawless and Hawk for example, that Reaper wouldn’t do. Grinder hunted people down, Lawless chopped them up when needed. Tag was the brawler, The Butcher put people back together and Capone was an all-around guy, he went where he was needed. “My father’s truck is fucked; can you swing by his house in the pickup and bring it in? I have the prospects with Snake, or I’d get them on it.”

“Sure, no problem.”

They were all still surprised Ajax ‘Mad-dog’ Marinos hadn’t returned to Austin once Rider’s son was born. No more so than Rider who had a fractured relationship with his old man.

He turned to leave. “Everything okay, Reap? We haven’t had a chance to check in for a while.”

Rider was the one guy who kneweverything. Thanks to too much booze one night and Reaper’s loose fucking lips the whole sorry tale came pouring out of him. As he said, he respected him, and liked him. He was a good, fair boss and a good friend, even if it was Reaper who put in the least percentage there. It wasn’t because he didn’t give a fuck, it was always about priorities and he’d made his choices a long time ago and didn’t have brain room for anything else.

Stalling in the doorway, he rested a shoulder on the wall. Rider was in his usual wide legged stance, arms folded over his leather cut.

“Who would have time for anything, Prez, with two babies at home?”

Rider’s lip quirked. “True. But my question still stands.”

“Everything is the same. I need to check with Tennessee soon, but apart from that, same-same.”

“Sorry to hear that, brother. You’ll ask if you need shit, okay?”

Reaper nodded and accepted the fist-bump from his prez before ambling off to the pickup across the compound. While the engine idled, right before he drove off, he paused.

Always thinking about his time in Tennessee shifted something inside his guts.

Just for a second before he locked it down.

Jesus. Good memories, bad memories, fucking cruel and devastating memories.

His brain swam inside his skull, making the world feel like he was tipping over.

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