Page 39 of Lawless
I stared at him. "Were you waiting to see if I would help the people who fought tonight?"
He dipped his head in a small nod. "I value people who are true to their word. I wanted to see if you were true to yours."
"And Heather?"
"I've never seen her fight before. I didn't expect her to jump in, much less challenge you."
"And if she finds out about us...doing this?" He looked amused at my awkward gesturing between us. "You think she's going to wait until Fight Night to jump me again?"
"Yes," he insisted. "Fight Night is the only way she can take her feelings out on you and remain in the club. She won't try to subvert my authority."
"And your authority says what exactly?"
"That if she harms another club member, she'll be lucky to leave here with her life." He leaned in close again, his breath fanning over my aching lips. "Also that I'm not hers and I can kiss, touch, and fuck whomever I damn well please."
He rolled his hips between my thighs, just enough for me to feel his hardness pressing through his jeans. Sweet Jesus, the last time I felt a man inside me was before the Collapse. Nursing school kept me too busy for a relationship and I wasn't a casual sex kind of girl. And after school? Well, I didn't have the best opinion of men. Especially not this one pressing himself between my legs, no matter how well he kissed or likely fucked.
"Why are you protecting me?" I asked.
"Because you've proved yourself to be honest. And you're useful to me." His hands traveled up my sides. "And if you want something that’s reasonable, just let me or Gunner know. I'm sure we can be useful to you, too."
A shiver went down my spine at all the things that word could mean. Useful for what? For feeling kisses like these? More massages? Or just…more?
"I don't understand." My brain felt like it was desperately trying to stay above water. "Why me? Why not anyone else from the service center?"
"You were the only medic, of course," Reaper chuckled. "And I still took a hell of a gamble. Few people are honest anymore. I had no idea if you were."
"But Gretchen, Tom, Liza," I choked out their names at the gruesome memories. "Why assault the teenage kitchen girl? Why kill the two owners? Why harm innocent people?"
Reaper pulled away from me like he touched a hot stove. His face twisted from lighthearted desire to something resembling shock and rage. And maybe even hurt.
I was even more stunned as he turned and left without another word, Hades' claws clicking on the ground after him.
Fourteen
MARIPOSA
Three days passed without Reaper saying a word to me. I continued to stay at his house but barely saw him or Hades, for that matter. The two of them were so in sync, I wondered if the dog was pissed at me, too.
Thanks to Tessa making me her unofficial midwife, I was kept busy and could at least pretend Reaper's cold shoulder didn't bother me. I, along with Noelle, helped her declutter and clean for the baby's arrival. Without an ultrasound machine, I couldn't monitor her condition as accurately as I'd liked but made do with a stethoscope and old-fashioned feeling for the baby's movements. She was 31 weeks along by my estimations and the baby seemed to be healthy.
Despite Reaper's silent treatment at the back of my mind, I found myself happier while tending to Tessa than I had felt in years. Her sweetness and positivity were infectious. We often wore matching grins as we both felt the thumps and kicks from the baby's activity. I wanted to work in labor and delivery while in school, and those moments with her felt like I made it. My calling was answered. Until I remembered I had been taken to this biker gang compound against my will.
When not with Tessa and Noelle, I familiarized myself with the medic's office. After making note what everything was and where it was stored, I rearranged cabinets and drawers to give me quick access to what I'd need most in an emergency. Seconds or even fractions of seconds could mean the difference of life or death for someone. A former EMT told me that right before I left Texahoma.
I was so focused on my reorganizing, I didn't notice someone stepping into the office until I heard, "Oh hey, Mari."
My head snapped up to the open office door, where Gunner's tall, lean body filled up the doorframe. The light from outside illuminated the disheveled flyaways of his hair, giving him a golden haloed appearance. Once again, I wondered how such a bloodthirsty man could look so angelic.
"Hey," I replied, my task already forgotten. "Need something in here?"
"Yeah." He smiled sheepishly and held up an index finger covered in grease and blood with a deep gash across two of his knuckles. "Got a boo-boo. Can you kiss it better?"
A smile tugged at my lips. His face and the playful way he said that made it hard not to. But I steeled my features quickly enough to shoot him a scathing look.
"What did you do?" I turned on the water in the sink, ignoring his question about kissing it.
"I was just fucking around with some knives in the armory. Made a bad catch." He shrugged as if it were no more than a papercut.
