Page 46 of Daughters of Chaos

Taking it a step further, I lean closer, daring him to pop off. He bares his teeth at me as I refuse to budge. "Did I strike a nerve, Big Guy?"

Reaper starts growling as Jesse steps in, pushing me back and putting himself between me and the furious MC enforcer. "How 'bout you take a walk, brother? Cool down before you do something stupid."

Reaper's lips curl at Jesse, and he pushes away from the bar, storming outside. I watch the door slam behind him.Good fucking riddance.

"What the fuck is his problem?"

Jesse sighs. "I don't know, babe. Probably something to do with the Bastards. He was pretty pissy when he came in."

"He's always pissy, but that," I point toward the door Reaper barreled through, "thatwas fucking bullshit.Thatwas fucking psycho."

Jesse holds up his hands in surrender. "I know. I know, but as livid as he was, you gotta know he'd never cross that line. He'd never lay hands on a woman like that; none of us would."

"Yeah, well, he can still go fuck himself. That whole MC intimidator thing he tried to pull was bullshit."

A laugh escapes Jesse's lips. When I snap my head toward him, he sobers up fast. "You know, it's not every day someone has the balls to square up to Reaper like that. It was kinda hot."

I roll my eyes and shove his shoulder. "Shut the fuck up." My words don't hold any venom, and a tiny smile forms on my lips.Just like that, things are back to normal. Jesse has some kind of magic power to soothe shit over like that. It's impressive.

We get back to work, and I find myself watching Jesse. He's hot, with his muscular body, tats galore, and killer smile. Even his hair is sexy with that still-tousled look from our romp earlier. Everything about him is attractive, including his personality.

I start wondering if there could be something more, something deeper between us than our friends-with-benefits arrangement. But that would involve feelings, right?

And I don't do feelings. I only do positions.

Lots and lots of positions.

My stony heart wouldn't know feelings if they burst through my chest. Notthosekinds of feelings anyway. I love my sister and loved my mother, but the other kind of love? Yeah, that's foreign to me. I've never felt it. Who knows, maybe I never will.

I look at Jesse again, almost hoping for something to snap into place. The seconds pass, and . . .

Nothing.

There's no moment ofOh my God, he's the one, no butterflies in my stomach, no aching desire to be anything more than the occasional rut.

Damn.

My body only wants him for one thing. I guess I'll just have to enjoy it while it lasts.

26

Raven

Everyone is on edge. Even Phoenix is feeling it. Raptor told her about the club meeting, and as much as I hate that it burdens her, she deserves the truth. I hate that it's taking something from her, from all of us. That sense of security we once had is gone. Left in its wake is unyielding heaviness. Everyone seems to be holding their breath for something terrible to happen.

It's gotten bad enough that Viper has made some calls to his friends up north, an ally club, according to Jesse. He seems to think when the Bastards make another move, we'll need backup. They've agreed to a meeting, but that's still weeks away. If shitgoes down before then, who knows what kind of hell we'll be dealing with.

I land another hook on the punching bag in front of me, letting loose some anger as my pulse races. Finding out the guys had a friend who owned this boxing and MMA training center was a godsend. It's giving me an outlet for all this pent-up frustration I've been toting around.

Stitch is on guard duty today since Jesse's helping his dad, and Reaper is out on some errand—probably kicking puppies or stealing candy from children.Asshole.I was pleasantly surprised when Stitch showed up today with Tweak in Reaper's stead. He's not back to full capacity, but he's doing well for a guy who got stabbed and faced death not that long ago.

My leg connects with the bag, jangling the chains that anchor it to the ceiling. Bag practice is great, and coming here has helped keep me calm with everything simmering, but it's not the same as going toe to toe with another human being.

I drop my arms and head to the ring in the center of the gym. "Alright, Stitch, glove up. I need a sparring partner."

He quirks an eyebrow as he grabs a pair of gloves. Tweak shoots me a grin. "What? Don't wanna spar with me, Raven?"

My lips twitch as I adjust my gear. "Nah, Tweak, that wouldn't be fair. You'd kick my ass," I say with a wink.

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