Page 25 of Sinful Mates

I knew he hurt over this too, and it didn’t feel right to make them both sweat over it for weeks. Slade made his bed and had to lie in it. Lesson learned. Fingers burned in the fire. Family first, club second. But it might have come too late for his friendship to recover.

Zethan wasn’t any better. He never repented for killing those police officers. But dragging his brothers into the fire ruined him, and for that he was sorry.

“I don’t know what to do for Zethan.” Slade’s admission was no surprise. When it came to leadership or corrupting like the devil, no problem. Friendship and relationships were a whole other matter. He couldn’t order us into submission and expect everything to be fine.

Stuck between them both, I tried to be fair, stay out of it, support them, and let them sort it out. Hell, with a mate bond, emotions on steroids, and two alpha males wreaking havoc on all of us, I’d be damned if I let this go on much longer. Dealing with my separation from Alaric drained me, and I was not going through this again. Not while I juggled learning to be a parent. It was either confront this problem, mend fences, or go on a time out. Selfish as it sounded, with Mia in my life, I had too many things to deal with without being dragged into my mate’s opposition.

“You broke his heart.” I traced the scar on his neck. An old knife wound, by the thickness of the scar tissue.

Ice cracked as a shelf of an iceberg slid under water, my mate just as broken up about this. Probably more so, being the one to facilitate it and the chaos twisting our bond in knots. “He fucking wrecked mine.”

Nope, not having a bit of it. “Don’t drag me or the others into your pissing contest.” I moved my hand over Slade’s massive chest to soothe the burning embers desperate to evaporate the water from a lake.

Slade squeezed the back of my neck, eyes drilling into mine. “You’re damn sexy when you talk dirty, Nurse A.”

I smacked him on his rock-hard arm and my knuckles complained. “Be serious! Don’t hide behind your jokes and flirty smiles.”

“Don’t my flirty smiles work on you?” There he went again, hiding.

I hit him harder, and his jackal snarled, nipping my knuckle. “I know you’re hurting as much as he is. You don’t always have to be strong for me. For the club. Let me carry some of the weight for once.”

“Why not? You’re always strong.” Deflection if I ever saw it. Pride, too. Too damn proud to admit he needed help. Boy, what a bunch of sinners, my mates and me.

“That’s a different story.”

He lost his bravado. “Showing strength is my job.”

Slade couldn’t afford to fight a war with his club and salvage his presidency, and defend it from the police and Danny’s avatar colleague.

“I know.” We talked about his reason on the Ferris Wheel.

Weakness in this world got you killed and replaced. Danny’s lust for power and greed led to his demise. Wary we were headed for a similar fate, I took the reins to stop us flying off the cliff and landing in Hell.

Beard hair bristled as I stroked it. “All I’m asking for is to not let this sour too long. Wounds that fester take more effort to heal.”

“I’ll speak to him.” Slade sealed his promise with a gentle kiss in contrast to his rough nature.

“Thank you.” I linked our fingers and strolled up the path with him into the house, my sandals clacking on the warm wood floors.

Standing in the foyer, I felt transported to another world. Old world charm. Plush, cozy furniture, reading nook in one window, airy and light. Soft palette color scheme with different colors in each room, ranging from baby blue, lemons, and olive, to compliment the beachy theme. Totally not masculine like Slade.

Slade took me on a tour after we dropped the food and alcohol on the counter, and my angsty mood lifted immediately at how relaxing and inviting the space was.

Kitchen with stainless steel appliances, marble top counter, plenty of space for food preparation, lots of cabinets, and a coffee maker. Three bedrooms, two with king-sized beds, and another with two bunk beds, intended for Slade’s niece and nephew. Lounge room with a bar overlooking the outdoor amenities, including a pool, spa, and trampoline. A pool Mia was already checking out with Zethan as her shadow.

I laughed, because who needed a pool when you had the beach two hundred feet away? Still, it made me think of lounging on deck chairs, reading by the pool, sun on my skin, drinking cocktails, and brilliant sunsets.

Slade made the right recommendation for us to come here for time away.

“Not bad, Mr. Vincent.” I trailed my fingers along the beautiful wooden doorways and doors. “Did you renovate this?”

“Sure did, Nurse A. Alaric helped me.” He circled my lower back. “Like it?”

“Do I ever.” I could get used to a whole summer of this. Most businesses these days ran their operations from anywhere, and I wondered how Slade felt about running the club from afar. He probably wouldn’t go for it, but hey, worth a try, right?

We shared a short kiss before Mia tumbled back inside. “Mom, I’m going in the pool.” She bumbled off into the bedroom for her suitcase.

“Shit. Kid duty.” I brushed my man’s forearms, loving the light dusting of dark hair.

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