Page 41 of Spike

It was clear now that Jack would stop at nothing to reclaim me, even if it meant putting others in danger.

“Jack didn’t want to get his own hands dirty, so he hired someone else. This way, we couldn’t directly connect those mercenaries to his pack,” I whispered, my voice barely above a murmur as the weight of the situation settled over me like a suffocating blanket.

Spike wrapped his arms around me, offering silent comfort as I struggled to come to terms with the everything that had happened.

His presence was reassuring, a steady anchor in the storm of my emotions.

"We're in this together, Gray," Spike murmured. "Whatever comes our way, we face it as a team."

I nodded, grateful for his reassurance.

"I just can't help but feel guilty," I confessed, my voice wavering with emotion. "You and Nitro wouldn't have been in this mess if it weren't for me."

Spike squeezed me tighter, his embrace offering solace in the face of my doubts.

"The MC deals with all intruders the same way, Gray," he assured me. “Those mercenaries knew what was coming to them.”

Deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that Spike was trying to alleviate my guilt, to protect me from shouldering the blame alone.

Wanting to change the topic, I cleared my throat.

“When you stomped off without an explanation last night…” I began.

Wait. Hadn’t we resoled this earlier? My mind seemed to be all over the place.

Knowing Jack hired those mercenaries made me uneasy. Gosh, this situation was getting more and more complicated by the moment and I wasn’t sure what to do next.

"I know, but I shouldn't have left without an explanation,” he admitted. “It won’t happen again.”

I leaned in closer, our faces now mere inches apart.

"Well, you're here now, and that's what matters," I said, my heart racing as I felt the warmth of his breath against my skin.

Spike's eyes flickered with emotion, and before I knew it, our lips met in a tender kiss. I soon forgot about Jack and the mercenaries. All that mattered was us.

I wanted this kiss to go on forever and it did, but reality intervened all too soon, and the sound of Nitro clearing his throat shattered the spell.

Reluctantly, we pulled away, a shared sense of disappointment lingering in the air as Nitro approached with a tray of food.

“I got you a sandwich, soup, and your meds,” Nitro announced, breaking the moment with his practicality. Couldn’t he come at another time?

Spike groaned playfully, lamenting the interruption, while I couldn't help but smile at their banter. Nitro was just as worried as I was, I realized. I pulled away from Spike.

“Mood breaker,” Spike complained.

As Nitro left us to our privacy once more, I settled back into the chair beside the bed, allowing Spike to eat in peace.

I had a feeling Nitro wanted to talk to Spike, but figured he’d give us some space instead.

“Um, so about our date tomorrow, we should probably postpone it,” I began tentatively, feeling a pang of disappointment.

Spike blinked at me. He looked adorable, with sandwich crumbs in his beard and chin.

I searched for a napkin, and finding none, I used my shirt to wipe his mouth.

Spike chuckled, then he caught my fingers and my heart raced as he kissed each digit.

“We can still make it happen, Gray,” he assured me. “I'll be out of here by the end of the day, and our date is still on. Look forward to it.”

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