Page 53 of Tainted Saints

“I hate that you’re in danger sometimes,” I whisper, and I feel him still underneath me.

“I hate that I don’t know if you’re safer at home or with us,” he replies, not giving me a chance to answer as he starts the engine and the bike roars to life.

My breath catches when he guns the throttle and then takes off into the night, the sound of the other two following loud causing my heart to beat even faster. I bite my lip at the way the vibrations between my thighs affect me, the man in front of me not helping as I hug his powerful body to mine.

We haven’t gone further than him making me come and I haven’t felt him inside me, the need becoming desperate the more he denies me. I don’t care that we’ve only really known each other for a couple of weeks, I want him. Badly. And I know that he wants me, so I’m not sure why he’s holding back.

It doesn’t take long to get to the restaurant, which is situated downtown in the east side. It’s on the end of the line of shops, and the outside is covered in plant pots, full of evergreen plants that give the whole place a homely feel.

Lan and the guys pull up outside the front, and I spot a woman with the same dark eyes as Lan waiting in the doorway, a huge smile on her face.

“Landon!” she calls out as he kills the engine, and I get off, my legs trembling slightly while Forest comes up behind me to wrap an arm around my waist. “Forest, Blaine, so lovely to see you boys.” She’s stunning, her hair falling in chestnut waves around her shoulders, her curvy figure highlighted by the fitted skirt and blouse she’s wearing. Her dark eyes are fixed on me, sparkling with curiosity like she doesn’t often meet Lan’s girl friends, and my heart skips a beat. “You brought a friend?”

“Mama, this is Aspen,” Lan says, taking my hand and tugging me away from Forest, striding up to his mother and placing a kiss on each cheek. “She goes to school with us. Aspen, this is Maria Capaldi, my mama.”

I nibble my lower lip as she takes me in, her gaze catching on Lan’s hand still in mine, and I swear her smile kicks up a notch. “Beautiful,” she whispers as she reaches out to palm one of my cheeks, bringing her lips to my other and placing a light kiss there. “Make sure you keep them on their toes, don’t let them give you shit,” she murmurs, and a giggle falls from my lips as she draws back.

“I will,” I tell her, and she gives my cheek a small squeeze.

“Good,” she answers, letting me go to kiss Forest and then Blaine on their cheeks. “You come by anytime, Aspen dear. I want the chance to meet you properly.” There’s censure in her tone and Lan’s cheeks colour in a blush that has me biting my lips to stop the laugh from pouring out.

“I’ll bring her by the house soon, Mama,” he agrees, and it’s my turn to blush. It feels like things are moving quickly between us if I’m meeting their family. My stomach sinks when I think of introducing them to the Ambassador and my mother.

“You ready, Duchess?” Lan asks, and blinking, I realise that I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even register his mother leaving.

“Sure,” I say, shaking my head and smiling up at him.

“Remember, stick with us at all times,” he cautions, waiting for my agreement before he turns and pushes the door to the restaurant open.

The sound of chatter filters out into the night, and I have to squint for a minute at the warm glow of lights that fills the space. Cheers ring out as we enter, and I instinctively shrink back, Landon’s hand in mine tightening as he pulls me closer, wrapping his arm around me.

I look up to see that all the tables have been pushed together, to create a huge table with chairs all around it. They’re all full, bar three at the head of the table, a mix of young men and women, maybe ten or so sitting in them.

The chatter dies down as they catch sight of me, and panic speeds up my breathing, my anxiety rearing its ugly head. I hate being on display, and my throat goes dry as my flight instinct tries to kick in.

“Hey, sugar, we’re here,” Forest breathes out under his breath, coming up on my other side and taking my cold, clammy hand in his. “Nothing will happen.”

His soft voice and touch helps to soothe me a little, my body relaxing further when Blaine comes up behind me and presses his body into my back. It’s enough that I can take a deeper breath, enough to let me push aside the usual worry that being the focus in a crowd gives me.

A large guy stands up, making his way towards us, and it takes everything in me not to bolt back out the door. He stops before me, holding out a hand that’s covered in ink. Like the guys, he has tattoos on all his visible skin, including his head and face.

“Name’s Reg, nice to meet you,” he says, and I hear a few chuckles in the background.

“Aspen, and lovely to meet you too, Reg,” I reply, willing my hand not to shake as I let go of Forest’s and place it in his.

“A posh girl, eh? You been hiding her at that rich school of yours, Landon?” a voice teases in the background, and my eyes widen, my hand frozen in Reg’s as the implication that they could easily find out who I am and it gets back to my parents that I’m here hits me.

Reg’s brows furrow, his jaw clenching as my guys rumble growls.

“Don’t be salty just because they walked in with the most beautiful girl in Fairview, Snake.” He chuckles over his shoulder, then turns back to me and gives me a wink. Letting go of my hand, he makes his way back to his seat.

“Come on, Little lady, you get to sit with Blaine and me while Lan does all the cooking,” Forest tells me, pulling me by my hand and away from Lan. He gets stopped countless times as we walk towards our seats and introduces me to everyone, who on the whole seems really nice and friendly.

There are a group of girls on the other side that keep giving me the stink eye, but I’ve met their kind in every school I’ve ever attended. Doesn’t matter if you’re rich or not, mean girls exist everywhere, so I just ignore them.

When we reach the head of the table, I see the three empty chairs and as I go to sit in one, Foresttsksme.

“These are for us,” he tells me, a sly grin on his face.

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