Page 73 of Wrath

“You want me to cook ya somethin’ up?” Polly gets up and starts heading toward the kitchen.

“Nah, I’m good, I’m just waitin’ here for Troj and Storm so we can head to the gym and meet Wrath.”

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you shouldn’t skip it,” Polly lectures him.

“Who said anythin’ about me skippin’ it.” Ruckus looks at Laura and when his tongue slides along his top lip she instantly turns red.

“Oh, my god,” she mouths to me when he turns his back and heads for the coffee machine.

“So, what are your plans for the day, Laura?” Alicia doesn't seem to notice that she’s practically hyperventilating.

“I was, ummm. I need to…ermmm.”

“You were gonna speak to your parents, right?” I answer for her when I see her struggling.

“Excuse me, I need some air.” Laura rushes for the door that leads out to the balcony.

“Hangovers.” I roll my eyes at the girls before rushing after her and when I find her gripping the wood railing with her head between her arms, I can see how panicked she is.

“You okay?” I go to her and place my hand on her back.

“No, I’m not okay, last night I had sex with a fucking outlaw biker.” She turns her head to look at me. “That may be a regular thing to you these days but it’s not for me.” Her response proves that she knows about me and Aaron. I don’t know who I was kidding trying to hide it in the first place.

“Lau–”

“No, let me say this… I understand that you don’t love my brother, and last night was fun, but this isn’t where we belong, Katie. The longer you stay here, the more chance you’ve got of running into trouble.” I love my friend for caring so much but she really doesn’t understand.

“Laura...” I rest my forearms on the rail beside hers and look out at the ocean. “This place is my home now. Raze is my brother and me and Aar…I never stopped loving him. I tried but I couldn’t. Our past is tragic, but I’m really excited for our future. I know it’s hard for you to understand, but Katie’s gone, I’m myself again now, and I’d really like it if we can still be friends.”

“Of course.” She smiles at me before pulling me in for a hug.

“But, I should get back to Beverly Hills before my parents send out the search and rescue squad.” She laughs. “I guess I’m just going to have to get this done before I leave.” Blowing out a brave breath, she marches her way back inside the clubhouse. I follow her as she walks straight up to Ruckus, who’s now leaning on the bar talking to the guys from Colorado and Tawk.

“Ruckus, I want to thank you for last night. I had a very enjoyable time, however, I don’t feel as though we can…” She clears her throat. “I’m not looking for any kind of relationship and I’m not saying we didn’t have a connection, I just don’t think the two of us would work out.” I scowl at him over her shoulder hoping that he gets my warning while the two Colorado guys attempt to hide their smirks.

“Listen, darlin’, I ain’t the…” Ruckus starts talking and I shake my head at him. I will not have Laura leave here feeling any worse than she already does. Ruckus looks to the ceiling and draws some strength before he finally comes through for me. “Not gonna lie it’s gonna cut me deep but I guess I’ll just have to get over it.” He fakes a smile at her then snarls at me when she lowers her head.

“And please don’t think it was anything you did wrong. Everything was good. Very, very good.” She leans forward and strokes his arm, encouragingly. “I just think we’re better off as friends.” She stretches up to kiss his cheek before heading to the table where we’re all sitting and picking up her purse. I can see the guys struggling to hold back their smirks, and when Ruckus narrows his eyes at me, I quickly start ushering her out.

“It was lovely to meet you all, good luck with the baby.” Laura quickly says her goodbyes before I walk her out to the parking lot. We both get a death stare from Trinity and her crew as we pass the lower floor of the motel where they all gather around one of the doors.

“Do you think he’ll be okay, he looked kind of bummed?” Laura asks, dragging her case into the trunk as I open her car door for her.

“I think he’ll be fine,” I assure her, kissing her cheek and waiting for Rocco to open the gate to let her out.

“The people here aren’t what I expected at all,” she admits. “Perhaps you really can be happy here,Eden.”

I hug her again then watch her get behind the wheel and wave as she drives off. I’m heading back to my room when I pass Ruckus and the guys coming through the arch.

“I appreciate the way you handled that, I don’t think Laura’s ever had a one-night stand before.” I stop him before he can get to his bike.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” Ruckus shakes his head.

“The main thing is, he did good.” The Colorado member they call Storm teases him by massaging his shoulders and Ruckus quickly shoves him away.

“Just for future reference, though, my friends are off limits.” I make that point very clear before leaving them to saddle up and move on.

“Does your friend plan on coming back?” Trinity calls out to me as I pass them again. Peyton and Alicia have already warned me about how this bitch can be, and I’m not feeling up to dealing with any bullshit today.

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