Page 16 of No Mercy

“It’s, ah, complicated,” I finally said, looking out at the water.

“You love him!” she rushed out with surprise, guessing the truth.

Our gazes met. I decided to be truthful with her. “I don’t think I ever stopped loving Rock. Maybe that’s why I’m letting him dictate to me what he wants. You should see them, Jen, he and Sam formed an instant bond. It wouldn’t be fair to keep them apart. And there’s no way I’d let Sam go all the way to Maine without me.”

She shook her head with agreement. “Maybe you and Rock have a future together, hon.” She sat back, smiling. “Derrick and I had a rough start. You just never know how things will end up.”

It was a thought to hold on to, but I wasn’t expecting much. Rock’s unpredictable life within the MC was a far cry from the sedate life Jenny had with Derrick. He was a suit-wearing realtor. I’d have to tolerate club girls and club rules, which put me at the bottom of the barrel because I wasn’t Rock’s old lady. I doubted Jenny would survive watching Derrick being touched, kissed, or fucked by another woman.

I wouldn’t be able to watch Rock with another woman either.

“What about Tom, how did he take the news?” I’d already told Jenny that I’d spent the better part of the afternoon with him. “I bet he wasn’t too happy.”

I returned Jenny’s smile. “About as I’d expected-- he was hurt and angry. A normal reaction, I guess.”

“I imagine.” Her mouth turned down. “And you really can’t blame him. A man doesn’t usually invest weeks dating a woman only to end up on the friend list.”

“I know.” When she put it that way it made me feel guilty. “He’s been very kind and patient with me and Sam.”

“Well, I’m sorry to see you leave, I’m gonna miss you like crazy−”“Break’s over!” Someone hollered out the door.

We laughed and got to our feet. “I’ll text you when we arrive in Maine.” We hugged each other tight.

“I miss you already,” Jenny said in a teary voice.

“Don’t cry, or you’ll make me cry.” My warning came too late, because there were tears in both of our eyes.

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.” We parted and I turned and walked away, determined not to look back. Goodbyes sucked.

Considering Rock’s mood when I’d left, I decided not to go home right away. I’d warned Sam that I might be back late, and I knew Rock would take care of him. The fact that Rock was insistent on taking Sam with him revealed that he was serious about being a father. The emotions simmering between us were right on the edge, and I had a feeling that when one of us lost control it was going to be disastrous.

I wasn’t ready to face the beast that Rock kept locked inside.

I went for a walk on the beach until the weather forced me to seek shelter inside. I found myself in a bar, sat down, had a couple glasses of wine, ignored the mild advances of a man on his way to being drunk, and finally left. If he’d have been a local that I recognized as being harmless I would have stayed longer and just ignored him, but I’d never seen him before. Besides, it was dark and late and I knew that I couldn’t put off going home any longer.

I should have called a cab, because halfway there it began to pour. By the time I reached my tiny house I was soaked to the bone. Someone had turned the outside light on for me and I could see through the sheer curtains that the light was on in the living room. Sam would most likely be in bed by now, so I unlocked and opened the door quietly.

I was greeted with, “Where the fuck have you been?”

My eyes went straight to the angry man staring me down from the kitchen. It looked like he’d been in the process of getting a beer, since he was holding one in his hands. “Ssh! You’ll wake Sam.”

“I shut his door.” He set the can down. “I didn’t know lunch dates lasted six hours,” he snarled.

I kicked off my wet sandals and hung my purse up on the hook by the door before turning back to him. “I don’t want to fight with you, Rock. I’m wet and I’m tired.” I wasn’t about to explain myself to him. His gaze narrowed on my breasts when I reached up to undo my hair. I glanced down to see that my nipples were rock hard and visible through my halter top. “I had other things to do.”

I didn’t realize before I said it how Rock might take that. I’d forgotten all about his warning before I’d left to meet Tom. Fuck him, I didn’t owe him an explanation for anything. I began to undo the buttons to my blouse as I headed toward my bedroom. “You can sleep in the guest room if you like. I’m going to get a hot shower and go to bed.”

I didn’t realize Rock was right behind me until I heard my bedroom door close and I was suddenly turned around and pushed up against it, face first. I caught my breath, turning my head to the side so my nose wasn’t squished.

“You remember what I said before you left?” he rasped into my ear.

I shivered when his warm lips brushed against my skin. “Something about me not fucking Tom,” I whispered. His big body was flush against mine, and I felt his hands at my waist.

“Is your pussy wet, Allie? If I reach down there and I find you wet with something other than your own juices I swear I’ll kill your friend.”

Rock wouldn’t hesitate from taking Tom’s life for touching what he considered to be his. I’d always known that he was a possessive man, and I knew that the first time his eyes had met mine again that he’d decided that I was his. It was as if the seven years separating us hadn’t existed.

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