Page 83 of Golden Atonement

“No. Sypher still needs more time.”

“Why did you tell him to tell me?”

I stepped forward, reaching for her hand. “How do you know it was me?”

She looked up at me and smirked. “Because you knew the only way I was coming home was if I knew everything. Gotta say, that was pretty ballsy on your part. I don’t know a single MC President that would let his better half know the score.”

Carefully wrapping my arms around her, I whispered, “What can I say? I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

“Have you?”

“I’m sorry, baby. Please don’t make me sleep on that couch anymore. I won’t do it again. I promise.”

Sighing, my woman removed herself from my arms and stepped back. “I’m not done being mad at you. In the meantime, I’ve ordered a nice big comfy bed for this room. It will be here tomorrow.”

“I won’t sleep in it.”

Remi chuckled as she walked toward the door, only to stop and turn. “Then I hope you enjoy the couch.”

Watching her walk away, I frowned.

She was holding back. Pretending. Going through the motions. The woman I knew would have ripped my ass a newone for touching her before she was ready, yet she didn’t stop me.

Following her, she didn’t stand straight. She looked lost in thought, and it was at that moment I knew she was second-guessing her return, but the second she took a seat at the bar, I knew the time had come and what happened next would not be pretty.

Chapter Three

Remi

He was breaking down my walls.

I think somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I knew he always would. He was my kryptonite. The very thing that could fix everything that was broken inside me. I wanted to stay angry at him, but what was the point? He knew I would forgive him, and so did I.

It was inevitable.

He was inevitable. Like death, I couldn’t escape him.

One look, one smile, one whispered word and nothing around me mattered anymore. He had this hold on me I couldn’t shake. Didn’t even know if I wanted to. All I knew was that I wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Eventually, I would give in and my world would spiral once more until he consumed every inch of me.

I didn’t know if what we had was toxic, but I knew I couldn’t, or didn’t want to live this life without him. He was a ghost, a lingering memory that seared himself to my soul, haunting me in my dreams, whispering endearments while he enticed me. I couldn’t close my eyes and not see him, smell him, feel him. He was everywhere and nowhere.

I thought I could do this.

I was wrong.

I wasn’t strong enough to tell him no. I knew that now. Like the time I showed up here all those years ago, I allowed him toconsume me, to take over, so I wouldn’t have to deal with the truth anymore.

The truth was, he broke me and only he could fix me.

“Remi?”

I looked up and saw Ink looking at me.

I didn’t remember sitting at the bar. I wasn’t a drinker. Never cared for the stuff, yet that didn’t stop me from asking, “May I please have a whiskey?”

Ink blinked, his eyes shooting at something behind me.

“I’ve got this, Ink,” he said, walking out of the shadows. “Tell everyone to stay away.”

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