Page 80 of Through The Woods

A wave of disappointment crashed over me, but I gave him a small smile. I’d been looking forward to dominating every second of the Scarred Savages Prez’s time; I wanted to act like a normal couple, even if it was just for a couple of days. I nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. We don’t want anyone getting cold feet.”

He stopped stroking my hair. “So, you’ll ride out with us? Twitch and Joker are out on a run until tomorrow night and Axel can hold the place down until then.”

I shook my head and stretched. It was late and all my decorating had left me zapped. “It’s freezing outside. If some of the guys are going to be around, I think I’ll just stay back and make sure they don’t destroy the place. You’ll only be gone for a few days, right?”

His mouth flattened into a thin line and he nodded. “No more than three. You’ll stay with the guys? No going into town on your own?”

I frowned. “I always go into town on my own,” his jaw tightened and I amended, “But I will absolutely not do that while you’re away.”

Charm shifted and took my hands in his. “You’ll be safe; Joker and Twitch will be back early tomorrow night and you’ve got your phone so I expect a phone call the minute they get back.” He moved off of the bed and began pacing. “Screw it—I’m fuckin’ taking you with me, honey.”

I reached for his hand and pulled him back onto the bed, resting my forehead against his. “You can’t drag me along for club business like this and you know it. Trust me, with the way your accounts are, I have plenty to do. When do you leave?”

He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and sighed. “Gonna ride out in a couple of hours—we’ve got some club business to take care of before we head down.”

I didn’t ask and he wouldn’t have told me if I had. In cases like this, ignorance was bliss.

I got up and changed into the oversized sweatshirt he’d given me during my first week and settled in under the covers with him. “Go—the sooner you go, the sooner you can come back to me.”

He exhaled a low growl, but didn’t argue. Instead, he pressed a soft kiss against my lips. “I’ll be back as soon as it’s done.”

I nodded and snuggled up against his warm body. He’d be close to me for a few more hours and I was going to take advantage of every second.

Fir tree

The numbers ran together on the computer screen and I sat back to rub my fatigued eyes. I’d been sitting in Charm’s study for the better part of the day, but the books were still a long way from being perfect.

Everything was labeled as shipment or load, nothing specifying what it was they were moving and receiving daily. Regardless, it was easy enough to work through.

I’d found a small package wrapped up and waiting for me when I awoke this morning. It was Death by Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson. The note attached to the top brought a grin to my face.

To my little science nerd:

I can’t wait to see what random facts this book will generate.

-Your black hole

I’d give myself another ten minutes here and then I was going to be curling up in the overstuffed armchair in the den to devour this book.

The back door slammed and I glanced at the clock on the bottom of the screen—it was only four.

“Twitch?” I called out as I stood up.

It had taken me a while, but I’d successfully tracked him down the morning after the biker gathering. He’d been sitting out on the back patio, staring blankly into the woods and without a word, I’d climbed onto his lap and hugged him.

“I’m so sorry,” I’d whispered and he’d nodded, before holding me tighter.

We didn’t talk about it after that—I didn’t want to do anything that would lead to a relapse for him.

There was no answer so I assumed it was Joker. I walked out into the hallway, but the house remained silent.

“Guys?”

The hair on my arms stood up as I got to the back door and looked out. There was no one there.

“Hey, Neve.”

I jumped and spun around, ready to fight. He was sitting on the arm of the couch as if he belonged. “Blade? How did you get in here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Charm?”

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