Page 54 of Scorched King

I shook my head and laughed. I was getting way to into this daddy thing I’d started. Not that he seemed to mind.

Unless his grand plan for this talk was to remind me that I was just a distraction. I bit my lip.

Living with the man himself had given me a lot of insight into who he was and what he did. He had deep roots in this place andwould do anything for his club. Including let me go if that was for the best…

I winced at the truth of that. For a man who liked roots and an extended family, he seemed hell bent on not claiming another old lady. Maybe it was time to give up. I’d spent two years waiting for him to get his head out of his ass when it came to me, and if this talk he wanted to have meant more of the same ‘I’m only in it for the sex’ bullshit, I wanted out.

Loving a man who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—love me back was pure torture.

I stripped out of my clothes and dropped them to the floor. I’d add them to the laundry basket later and in fact, should probably take some time to do laundry. I’d never seen JD do laundry, but he must have machines somewhere. No way the club women hauled his clothes down to the clubhouse every time.

I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my body and tucked the tail into my side.

Thinking about JD’s smell, I remembered that I was out of shampoo and would need to borrow some until I could make another run to my apartment.

Maybe it was time to go home. Even if that meant finding a new one.

Having JD in my bed all night, and then getting so close to getting it all, made me ache for more. It probably wasn’t healthy.

I opened the bathroom door and screamed at the sight of the man on the other side. Clutching my towel as the shock of fear worked through me.

“Jesus Christ, Cash. What are you doing here?”

“Security check,” he answered gruffly, his usual easy smile no where to be seen.

“But—but why are you in my bedroom?” I didn’t know what else to say but there was something about the way he looked at me that suddenly made me nervous.

“No one answered the door. I had to make sure you were okay. The rest of the club is off compound.”

I nodded, but tightened my grip on my towel as I made a mental note that someone should have been outside. No way JD left me all alone. The man was too obsessed about my safety.

“Well, no reason to worry about me. Everything is fine here. I’m just going to take a quick shower and then settle in with dinner and a movie.”

He stared intently, his lips compressing into a firm line. There was something about that look that made a shiver work down my spine.

He took a step in my direction and I took one back. My heartbeat picked up speed and a lump formed in my throat.

I didn’t want to be like this, but ever since the fire…

A quick flash of something shot through my mind. A man. Tall, dark-haired. Familiar.

“You sure everything is okay? You look really freaked out.”

“I—uhh—everything is fine.” It didn’t feel fine. My skin got tight and a prickle of unease flared at the base of my neck.

“You’ve been through a lot. Really glad to see you’ve recovered okay.”

“Thanks,” I said, wishing he would go already. Something about him being here didn’t feel right. I didn’t want to be alone with him any longer.

“Uhm, so all is good here. Let me lock the door after you, okay?” I had the intense feeling that I needed to get Cash out of here as quickly as I could.

“Sure,” he said, slowly backing up a few steps and turning to the side so I could sweep past him. But another flash of a man rushed through me. Dark hair. His profile. Fire burning my skin.

I gasped.

It couldn’t be…

I tried to hide my reaction, but I couldn’t breathe. I needed some air. Only when I tried to move past him, he reached out and grabbed my arm making fear shoot through my entire body.

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