Page 52 of Fletch

My hand snakes around her neck and I pull her closer until our lips touch. “Just me,” I whisper, kissing her gently.

I lay her on her back and slip from my shirt, followed by my jeans and boxers. I grab a condom from my back pocket and slip it over my erection before slowly crawling over her body. This time, when I sink into her, I whisper soft words into her ear about her belonging to me. And I make promises for the future. Promises I know I can’t keep.

I waited until Gemma had fallen to sleep in my arms before carefully slipping out of there. I couldn’t even face writing a note, because what the fuck would I say? Sorry?

I fix Axel with a glare. “Beat me to death if it makes you feel better, just know I’m out.”

“So, you do like her?” asks Grizz, smirking.

“You got what you needed, right? She’s implicated in the drugs, she’s on tape fucking me, and you have photos. That’s enough to use against her.”

Axel gives a slight nod. “Grizz, give us a minute,” he mutters, and Grizz leaves.

“Sit,” he tells me, and I do. “Is he right, do you love her?”

I scoff, ready to deny it, but my smirk fades and I groan. “Yeah, Pres, I think I do.”

“And she feels the same?”

I nod, my aching heart splitting some more. “When she wakes up to see I’m gone, she’ll realise what just happened between us.”

“What happened?”

“We said goodbye.”

He gives a knowing nod and pushes to stand. “You need whiskey and pussy . . . in that order.”

I cancel Gemma’s call for the eighth time and go back to fixing the engine. When my life goes to shit, this is where I come to find peace. I know cars. I understand what makes them tick and how to fix them. Women, I haven’t a clue.

A text comes through and I pull the screen down enough to read it without opening it.

Snap: Raid. Tonight. Club.

Fuck. Now, she’s giving me the heads-up. I call Axel to relay the information, but it makes no difference—the club is clean.

Snap: Please answer. Talk to me.

There’s only one way I can get her to walk away.

Gemma

I don’t know why I gave him the heads-up. I just wanted a response, seeing as he’s clearly ignoring me. We made love. For the first time ever, we made love, and then I woke full of happiness, only to find him gone. He didn’t even leave me a fucking note. I guess he didn’t need to—it was clear what had happened.

He didn’t respond to my tip-off anyway. Maybe he hasn’t even seen it.

He’s done. Just like before. And I’m in pain, just like before.

My mobile rings out and I step outside to answer. “I’m at work,” I say cooly.

“I know,” snaps my father, “but this is urgent. Ruby knows.”

My world stands still. “What?”

“She found the paperwork, Gemma. I had no choice but to tell her everything.”

“No,” I hiss. “You promised she’d never find out.”

“Just get here now.” He disconnects.

---