Page 31 of Rise In Arms

She’s driving me fucking crazy. How can one woman—a petite scrap of a woman at that—make me act all caveman and shit. Fuck me.

First, I turn my head around for one second and a guy’s already trying to get into her pants, so what do I go and do? I fuckin’ kiss her. I taste her, and she tastes fuckin’ amazing. I thought I just needed one kiss to get her out of my system, but little did that do—if anything I want her even more, don’t give a fuck she has another guy’s baby inside her. I feel this insane need to own her, body and soul, and I’ve only just met her.

Now I get it, how Quill went mad for Jasmine, and Hawke for Luisa. I mean I thought I felt love for Jasmine, and I still carry her in my heart, but what I’m feeling for Charity is something new, something I’ve never felt before. It’s as if I need to carry her over my shoulder and lock her in my room so nobody else can have her.

What the fuck am I thinking? She’s running away because her man laid his hands on her, raped her from what I hear. The last thing she needs right now is another man trying to own her. But I just can’t help what I’m feeling, and she tests me, I know she does, like she did at the table when she ordered her food. And now I catch her on the back of Bear’s bike? Another fucking test, I’m sure. But no fucking way am I’m going to allow her to be up close to Bear like that. I don’t care if her arms around him are needed to stop her from falling off—I don’t want those arms to be around any other man but me. She thinks I don’t know what she’s playin’ at, but I know she’s trying to get me back for tellin’ her it was a mistake to kiss her. The words sounded bitter in my mouth when I spat them out, because it was a lie. A lie I tried desperately to convince myself of but failed to do so.

With red-hot anger searing through me, I dump her ass on the back of my bike and get in her space. “You’d better shut the fuck up and put that helmet on your sweet head, before I bend you over this bike and give you the spanking you deserve.” My hand twitches at the thought of my hand on her ass.

Her eyes widen. “You wouldn’t dare?”

“Wouldn’t I? Don’t test me, Char. I’m a man that keeps his word.”

She stills and looks the other way. She’s obviously trying to ignore me, despite the fact I’m right in front of her, but even though she’s stiff as a corpse I check that the strap on her helmet is done up securely. I don’t care. She’ll stay on the back of my bike, and that’s final.

“Everything okay here?”

I turn to face Hazel, who has a concerned look on her face. “Yeah, sis, everything’s fine.”

“Can I have a word with you?”

“What now?” I ask, looking down at my watch on my wrist.

“Yeah, now, Kane.” She’s pissed.

I sigh and meet Hazel’s eyes. “Sure.”

Hazel looks over at Charity, who’s still looking away, and walks a few feet away.

I follow her and push my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “What’s up?”

“Why are you being such an asshole to Charity?” Hazel says straight up. “She’s been through enough, don’t you think? She certainly doesn’t need you manhandling her.”

I look down at the bitumen and kick at a stone near my foot.

“Kane, look at me,” Hazel continues, her voice gentler now.

I do and try hard as fuck to think of a reason why I am, indeed, acting like an asshole. I can’t exactly say to my sister it’s because I fuckin’ want her best friend, though. Don’t want any other man’s hands on her, or hers on anyone else but me.

“You like her, don’t you?”

Fuck. I snap my head up to meet Hazel’s eyes, and notice she’s smiling. I roll my eyes. “Don’t be fucking creating some fantasy notion about me and Charity. I’m doing this for you, remember?”

“Yeah, sure you are. Is that why you couldn’t handle her being on the back of Bear’s bike?”

My sister is too fuckin’ smart for my liking. I love Hazel, she’s my only family and I’m damn proud of her—and it kills me to lie to her—but I can’t tell her that yes, I like Charity, I want her, and I don’t want any other man to look her way. She’ll think I’m crazy and shit, and to be honest, I’m not ready to admit any feelings just yet.

“Look, Hazel, let’s hit the road. We have a long ride ahead of us and I don’t like us wasting time out here. If Blake is looking for her, then we need to get her to the clubhouse, and pronto.”

Hazel sighs loudly. “Okay, I get it, you don’t want to talk about it. But be nice to her, okay? She’s my friend.”

Hazel leans in and gives me a kiss on my cheek then pulls me in for a hug. I embrace her back and kiss the top of her head, loving the way her brown hair smells. It brings back memories of us as kids. “Love you, brother,” she whispers into my chest.

“Love you back, sis.” I pull back and look down at her. “I promise I’ll try and be nice.”

She smirks. “That’s my Kane.”

I laugh then turn around to walk back to my bike. Charity still sits there, stiff as hell on the leather seat, but I know her eyes are on me; I can feel them.

---