Page 37 of Ruckus

“What if that’s exactly what I want?” She holds my stare daringly, and the tiny hint of a smile that’s on her mouth makes me want to kiss it, right here, right now, with everyone in the room watching.

“Go to your room and leave your door unlocked,” I tell her, already feeling my dick get hard. This is a bad idea. I’ve spent five long years trying to get over her the last time, tried really hard to regret it, and yet here I am setting myself up to do it again.

Freya tries to hide her smile as she checks the space around us. Me and her need to have a conversation, but before we get to that, I’m releasing this tension that’s between us.

She places down her drink and starts making her way toward the door, and I lean my shoulder against the pillar beside me and watch her all the way out.

“Ruck.” I tear my eyes away from her when I realize Finn is standing beside me. I still can’t get over the fact he’s here. Me and him got close after Wrath left, I get why everything had to be kept secret, but at the same time I’m feeling a little betrayed. Losing him wasn’t easy.

“I want your opinion.”

“Shoot.” I hope we can get this done quick because I got somewhere I need to be, and I don’t want my conscience getting a chance to kick in before I get there.

“You really believe that every man here is trustworthy.”

I scan the room and hold my eyes on Sinner.

“I believe him,” I confirm. “Things have changed. This ain’t the club you left, Finn, and it sure as hell ain’t the one that betrayed your father.”

“I wanna believe that.” He looks over to the table where Dev, Vike, and Saul are all sitting together.

“Like Raze told ya, every man who went on that run and left you behind is dead. The men here are loyal. I’d put my life on it,” I assure him.

“You do every day that you're here, you know that, right?” His words send a shiver up my spine. I’ve bonded with the brothers in this room, and the thought of any of them stabbing me in the back makes me sick to my stomach.

“You want my advice, brother?” I blank those kinda thoughts from my mind. Everyone here is loyal. We’ve been through too much together for them not to be. “Jimmer gave you a greatopportunity, instead of looking back on the past, focus on the future.” I go to leave.

“Could I convince you to be a part of that future? I’m gonna need a strong, reliable VP.” His question stops me in my tracks. “Come on, Ruck, what's keepin’ ya here?” He stands in front of me, blocking me from the door.

It’s a question I asked myself a lot after Wrath left. I hated Cliff and the way he ran things. I never really understood why I couldn’t walk away, but now, suddenly, the answer seems so obvious.

Freya kept me here, even after she left too. I guess I was always waiting for her to come home.

“I appreciate that offer, but I belong here.” I tap his shoulder. “Don’t mean to say I won’t be stopping by to visit.”

“Well, it might be a while before we’re up for visitors, all I got so far is an old building, some outhouses and a dead man's dream.” He laughs at himself. “I don’t even have any members.”

“You’ll figure it out, Finn, these things take time. Build your charter on trust and loyalty, the same way Jimmer did his, learn from other people's mistakes. One man you can count on is better than twenty that you can’t.”

“How close is he to patching?” Finn tips his chin across the room toward his brother. I heard that Rocco didn’t take him turning up here back from the dead all too well.

“Pretty close, he’s shown he can be trusted, he works hard, you think you can convince him to transfer once he gets the cut?” I can tell from the way he’s looking at his brother that he wishes things were different. Dev is protective over Corey in the same way.

“He’s gonna forgive you, Finn. It’s just come as a shock to him. It came as a shock to all of us.”

“Well until he does, can you look out for him for me?” he asks.

“What do you think I was doing all that time you were dead?” I snigger, grabbing his hand and touching my shoulder to his, before I finally make my way out the door.

The air is thick and muggy as I march across the yard, and just like last time, I have plenty of opportunity to talk myself out of what I’m about to do. Only now I know how good it feels to be inside her. I know that her legs tremble when she comes, and I know that she has the potential to really fuckin’ hurt me.

Freya’s always been a fuckin’ tease, she knows how to play me. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is all another one of her games, some kinda revenge for me leaving with Trinity the other night. But, like a fool, I head to her door. I reach for the handle and stop when I think about Wrath, am I really going to betray him again? And if I do, what will it all be for? Another one night stand? A reason for her to leave this place a second time.

“You coming in or just standing there?” She knocks me outta my thoughts when she opens the door.

“I was just…”

“Thinking of backing out?” She hits me with those daring eyes again and I show her that I ain’t backing down from nothing when I force her back inside. Kicking the door shut behind me, I kiss those lips that I’ve been tasting on mine for days, her bottom one seems to have healed, but I still take it steady. I don’t want her to have any reminders of the man who hurt her.

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