Page 21 of Acid

“Why?” I breathe. “I can’t afford to pay him back,” I say, feeling a little panicked at the amount of money he must have spent out.

Star grabs my shoulders and turns me to face her. “He doesn’t want you to pay him back. You are a part of this family, and Olly is a part of this family. He’s just done something nice, and that’s all there is to it.” I feel tears sting my eyes. He hasalready done so much for us. I struggle to handle the warmth in my chest.

In that moment, while I’m trying to find the words, Oliver decides to shout at the top of his lungs. “I’m going to kick your ass, boy!”

“Oh Jesus,” I mutter. Star cracks up laughing, and I can’t hold it in either. Laughing with her, I wipe away the few stray tears that managed to escape.

CHAPTER EIGHT

ACID

I stretchas I wake from a deep sleep. I wasn’t about to worry Rhea, but fuck me, I was hanging. She needed the rest more than I did, and taking care of Olly wasn’t a hard job. I swear the kid nearly fucking exploded with excitement when I took him to buy a console and games. I probably should have checked with Rhea first, because the games had a higher than his age on the box, but he assured me kids at all ages play them, and it’s no different than when I watched a horror or another movie I shouldn’t have when I was younger. I didn’t tell him that I did a lot fucking worse than watch a movie when I shouldn’t.

My door suddenly opens and Spider walks in. “Oh please, come in, why don’t ya?” I say sarcastically.

He just grunts and sits in the armchair, giving me a look. “What?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m just wondering why my brother is buying a mate’s kid an entire fucking game set up?” he asks.

I smirk. “Why? You jealous? Do you want me to buy you one for Christmas?”

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Dude, I know you. You have never ever treated a woman like this.”

I roll my eyes. “She’s had a shit time. The kid has had a shit time. I am just helping her out.” Spider grunts. He doesn’t believe me. “You know what we had growing up. You know how it fucked us up?” I ask, reminding him.

“Of course I fucking do,” he sighs.

“Right, and I’m not about to sit back and watch that kid out there go through or even experience a tiny bit of the life we did. If I did that, I would be a cunt, and I fucking know that you would be doing exactly the same as me. As for Rhea, we’ve got close as mates, and that is all there is to it.” I grab my packet of cigarettes off the side and take one out, lighting it before chucking the packet to Spider. I take a long pull and release a slow exhale. “I know what you all think. I know she’s a good looking woman, but brother, I just don’t see her in that way.”

Spider sits back in the chair, his hard gaze assessing me. “You’re right. I would be doing the same. Although, I’ve seen the way you look at her, and you don’t fucking look at Star that way.” He smirks.

I snort back my laughter. “Well, of course I fucking don’t. I would get my head caved in by Ghost. I care about her, man. She’s a good woman that deserves a better life for her and her kid. Fuck, maybe it’s past trauma or some shit that is making me want to help her more. I don’t fucking know. I ain’t no shrink.” I shrug.

“Well then, you won’t mind if Scar makes a play for her, because I’m telling you, I know he likes her,” Spider warns me.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve already warned him. If he goes there, he ain’t allowed to do his normal shit and treat her like a fucking toy. She doesn’t deserve that.” I finish my cigarette. “Right, now if you don’t mind fucking off, I need to shower,” I say as I get to my feet.

Spider stands. “Yeah, we’ve shared a lot in our lifetime, but showering with you ain’t one thing I ever want to fucking do.”As he walks out of the room, he stops and turns to me. “Oh yeah, Ghost said we got a meeting with the Satan’s later tonight,” Spider adds.

I nod. “Train graveyard?” I ask.

He nods. “Yeah,” he replies before retreating down the hallway.

I close my door and head into the shower. Thoughts of Rhea flicker through my mind, of her naked body in my shower earlier today, how the foam of the shower gel glided down over every wet curve of her body. Even when she got out, she smelt of my shower gel. It was like she was mine.

“Fuck,” I hiss. Opening my eyes, I realise how painfully hard I’ve become thinking about her. I shake my head, as if to get rid of those thoughts. Fucking Spider putting that suggestion in my mind has made me think this way. I brace my hands against the cooled tiled walls. Closing my eyes, I hang my head under the pelting hot water, the image of her tattoo flashing behind my lids. “Fuck sake,” I groan in frustration.

I shake my head again, and like a flicker of lightening, the image of her appears in my mind again. I imagine her hands caressing her body with the soapy suds under the warm spray of the shower. My splayed hands turn to fists as I will my mind to think of something, anything but her. My eyes spring open when a noise comes from my bedroom. Rhea.

“Acid, are you in here?” she asks, her voice getting closer.

I clear my throat. “Yeah, in the shower,” I answer.

“Oh shit, sorry,” she flusters. I stick my head around the shower curtain—my barely frosted shower curtain—and see her standing there, her eyes fixated on the blurred image of my very erect cock.

“Rhea,” I say sharply.

She jolts, her cheeks turning a shade of deep pink. “Er, sorry. Crap, what was I going to say?” she asks herself. “Oh yeah, um...I well, I just wanted to, you know, thank you for the um, games console, and all of the games. You didn’t need to do that for him. When I get a job, I will repay you every penny for it,” she rushes out, not being able to stop her eyes from flickering to my dick.

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