Page 8 of Brightness

Sure, I’m probably going to keep my bedroom in my little cell since I feel safe down there, but I do need to get to know the other members of the club, and I have to be more involved. If I’m going to be part of Defiance, I need to embrace the lifestyle, embrace the family, and it’s taken being on Void’s bike to show me that.

I can’t help but snuggle into Void’s back, needing to be closer to him. He’s opened my eyes to so much today. Sure, if he wasn’t being an asshole to begin with, I wouldn’t be here right now, but with all the endorphins coursing through my veins, I’m finding it very hard not to wipe that slate clean.

We ride for… I’m not even sure how long. It feels like an eternity, yet only a minute. I take in the splendor all around me, enjoying everything Tampa has to offer, loving every second of being out in the world. The minute Void pulls over to the side of the road, a sense of anguish washes over me—I never want the ride to end.

He shuts off the engine, hops off the bike, and turns to face me. I’m sure I am practically glowing.

“Hop off, sweet thing. We’re here.” He gestures behind him, then moves in to undo my helmet. I move my head past him to glimpse through the giant front window glistening in the sun.

Void chuckles, trying to keep up with me as he continues to undo the strap. “Jesus, stay still. You’re like a fucking toddler, Ivy!”

I giggle and stop bouncing. “Sorry. Just excited to be out.”

Finally, he manages to pull the helmet off my head, and I run my fingers through my hair. He reaches over and places the helmet on the seat of the bike with a heavy exhale. “I should have taken you out sooner.”

“It’s not your fault. There were extenuating circumstances. Then, if I’m honest, I didn’t want to be anywhere but in the Cell, you know? It felt like safety. Like home.”

He drops his chin once in recognition. “I know. Still, I could have tried. After Andrés—”

I reach out, gripping his arm. “We’re here now. Let’s go have some of this pie.”

Void slides his hand down over mine, and we entwine our fingers.

Tingles.

Goose bumps break out all over me.

My heart gallops, taking off at breakneck speed as we head for the door. How Void can infuriate me to the point I want to snap his neck one minute, then make me swoon the next, I have no idea. What I do know is there is something here, a connection between us. There has been since he took me off the boat and out of the shipping container, away from the men who took us from Cuba.

Maybe we aren’t on the same page.

Maybe we are.

But I need to find out, because this back-and-forth whiplash is going to give me a complex.

And right now, I don’t need to add to my ever-increasing problems.

Chapter Three

VOID

It’s been damn good spending the afternoon with Ivy. She loved hanging out with Trixie at the café, seeing how it all works. While Trix got to work, Ivy watched on in awe as the product she’s cultivating with Dash was baked into the items the club’s selling.

Ivy does a lot of hard work, and now she’s seeing the end result. It never occurred to me she hasn’t experienced this side of what she’s been creating.

I stand back, observing Ivy in her element as Trixie explains all the various recipes she uses, and how you need specific amounts of product for each baked good. The precision of it all made Ivy’s inner nerd come out, showing me just how exciting this is for her. Have to admit, I got a semi watching her geek out the way she does. She’s fucking adorable when she gets giddy over shit.

The way her wavy chestnut hair falls perfectly over her shoulders makes me hard just from looking. Ivy’s sun-kissed skin is so gloriously perfect. Her lips are so fucking delectable I want to kiss them every damn chance I get, not to mention that adorable button nose. But it’s the fire behind those eyes that does me in. She’s like a fucking goddess, and I want to worship at her feet.

She might be small, but it’s that spirit inside of her that lets you know she’ll kick your ass in an instant if you let her down. How can a woman like her be so innocent in every way, but then talk about doped-up donuts and baked brownies like it’s a normal conversation?

It messes with my head.

How is she fragile and breakable in my mind, yet I stood back while she bricked a man behind a wall, leaving him to his death right in front of me, without so much as a blink of her eyes.

Hell, I saw her smash a brick into said guy’s face with reckless abandon.

She’s not a delicate wallflower, so why do I keep picturing her as one?

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