Page 8 of Creed

He rewards me with a deep belly chuckle that sends me back in time to when our lives were so different, but connected.

“You going to keep pretending?” he states, but the words come out in question.

My pulse thrums against my temples as he continues to stare at me, and I wait for him to work my identity out.

“Maybe I have one of those faces.” I make my way to where Tonya is struggling against the arms of a large man as Creed and an even larger guy with just as much ink as him separates Ghoul and Tonya’s ex.

“You okay?” I ask, though I already am aware she’s anything but fine.

“What gives him the right? Where does he get the fucking audacity?” She shudders and bursts into tears.

“Oh, honey.”

The biker holding her back releases her into my hold, and I wrap my arms tight around her. “You want to get out of here?”

Tonya sniffs and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “Is my makeup ruined?”

I swipe the pads of my thumbs under her eyes, removing her smudged eyeliner. “Good as new.”

My bestie squares her shoulders, pushing her chest out. “He doesn’t get a say in who I fuck.” She marches through the part of the crowd, going toward where Ghoul and her ex-husband are separated. Flipping Kaydence’s father off,Tonya then wraps an arm around Ghoul’s neck, pulling him in for the world’s most sensual kiss.

Rage or whatever his name is stomps off, shoving people out of his way.

Creed whistles and I give Tonya a wave.

Time for me to go.

“Lottie,” my name is called in a growl, and I freeze in place, closing my eyes at the sound of his voice.

He remembers and part of me wishes he wouldn’t. His tattooed hand grips my hip and the heat of him washes over me from behind.

“Where do you think you’re running off to, hellcat?”

I spin around at his use of the nickname he gave me years ago. “Don’t call me that.”

“All right then. What should I call you? Liar?”

“What?”

He licks his lips, and my brain instantly wants to know how they’d taste. “Back there. I asked you your name and if we knew each other. Why’d you lie?”

“You had no clue who I was?”

“Bullshit. Like I could ever forget you. Why’d you lie to me?”

My heart stutters in my chest.Like I could ever forget you. “Because I wanted to avoid this conversation.”

“You mean the one about how you threw yourself at me the last time we saw each other after you were the one who ended things?”

“Can we pretend that never happened?” Tears threaten to fall as my cheeks burn. “I never ended things. You ran away.”

“I’m not the only one who disappeared.”

“I’m not talking about this.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. What the fuck was up with that?”

“I was drunk and grieving and you were there. I was embarrassed. After.”

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