Page 65 of Greased

Scarlett swings her leg over my bike, settling in behind me. Her body moulds perfectly to mine as she runs her hands around my body. I can’t help the way my body shivers at her touch.

I have ached for her these past nine months. Dawson tried to convince us to just move on and forget her. Tried to fill our heads with the notion that if we just forgot about her that she would be safe.

At first I was onboard when we came back to the kind of club we did. The panic I felt rattled me. I knew I couldn’t infect her life with it. She didn’t sign up for that. She just thought we belonged to a regular MC. While that may have been what we started out as, it isn’t anymore.

If only we knew then what we know now.

If only we knew that she was our Scarlett all along.

That no matter how hard we tried, she was always going to lead this life. None of us could have stopped it.

Ican appreciate how Dawson feels. It's obvious he's scared. Terrified that Scar will be taken again. That this time it won’t be just her mind that is lost, it’ll be her life.

That fear lives deep inside of me too.

But I know that I would much rather have Scarlett beside me than have her halfway across the world, completely out of reach.

The drive to Scarlett’s house takes only minutes. I long for her body the moment she pulls away, swinging her leg off my bike and handing me back my helmet. Having her that close to me, even if it was only for moments, felt like heaven.

I kick down the stand before swinging my leg off my bike. I instantly reach for Scarlett and she willingly comes. I hold her close, savouring each moment with her that I can before I have to let her go again.

I’ve seen the indecision in Scarlett with how to be around us. One minute I can see her completely distanced from us. Her walls are utterly impenetrable. Not that I can blame her. What we did has eaten away at me for months.

Sometimes I see her forcing herself to not give in though. I hold onto that glint that I can see in her eyes. The small glimmer of hope that it gives me.

I could comfortably keep Scarlett in my arms forever. There’s this completion I feel each time I hold her close. Her body fits perfectly against mine. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get the feeling of her wrapped around me as we rode on the back of my bike out of my head anytime soon. Everything with her just feels right.

Eventually she pulls away from me. She graces me a small smile and I swear my brain takes a mental photograph.

“Come up stairs with me?” she asks, her voice just louder than a whisper but it's like she said it into a megaphone.

I look at her in disbelief. I have no doubt in mind that I look ridiculous right now. My eyes are blown wide and my jaw hangs open.

I gain some kind of composure to muster up a reply, “Ah…are you sure?”

She gives me a nod, “Yeah, come on.”

She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I follow her as close behind her as I can.

Her house is surprisingly quiet this time of the night. I haven’t been inside the Crux’s house in years. We used to be close with Rhodes even after we thought Scarlett had died. Dacre more so than the rest of us.

Day by day we saw both of them slowly drift further and further away from reality. Drowning their feelings in substances. Anything to numb the pain.

Nicky, Dawson, Sonny and I could all see just how much damage it had caused to an already fragile Dacre. He became a shell of the person he once was.

It was hard to not blame Rhodes for leading Dacre down the path he did. The relief we all felt once Dacre finally broke away from Rhodes’ influence was palpable.

Even all of these years later, I still hold an ounce of resentment towards him. He’s just seemed to get worse as time has gone on. Losing Scarlett changed all of us. But it affected Rhodes differently.

Just before we reach the same room Scarlett had when she was younger, Rhodes’ door opens and out walks him and Wyatt. They freeze in place as they see us. Wyatt looks disappointed as he looks at where Scarlett’s hand is held in mine.

Rhodes frowns as he steps closer to us, “I thought you were going to call me when you needed to be picked up from Pinks’?”

Scarlett just shrugs her shoulders, “Pike was already waiting out the front for me. I didn’t see the point in calling and annoying you when he could just as easily bring me home.”

She turns her head looking back at me, a cheeky smirk on her face, “Plus, Pike and I need to have a little… conversation.” She winks and my knees nearly collapse from under me. Fucking hell, this woman will be the death of me.

Rhodes scoffs, both of our attentions snapping to him. “Going to forgive him already? Heard you’ve already forgiven one of those fucktards.”

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