Page 26 of Tempest

I blinked, surprised. Tempest shifted in his chair, leaning toward me. “Being Sergeant-at-Arms… it’s not just a title. It’s a weight. Every decision I make affects the club, affects lives.” His eyes met mine, filled with an unexpected vulnerability. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m cut out for it. If I can balance the violence, the duty, with… with who I want to be. I already had anger issues. And it’s no secret I haven’t trusted women. Not after I got fucked over a long time ago. But I want to be different, for you.”

My breath caught. This was a side of Tempest I’d never seen, never even imagined existed beneath his intimidating exterior. “How do you handle it? The pressure.”

He gave a humorless chuckle. “One day at a time. Some days better than others.” His hand twitched, as if he wanted to reach out but thought better of it.

The realization hit me like a physical force. Here was Tempest, the man I’d put on a pedestal for so long, sharing his own insecurities. We were both trapped by expectations, struggling to find our true selves.

I felt a connection forming, deeper than the crush I’d nursed for years. This was something real, something raw and honest. And for the first time, I allowed myself to hope maybe Tempest saw me as more than just someone he needed to protect.

I couldn’t help but laugh, the tension easing from my shoulders. “Remember when you taught me to ride?”

Tempest’s eyes crinkled at the corners, a smile softening his features. “You mean when you nearly ran over your mom’s prized rosebush? That was the first and last time you were allowed to ride a motorcycle on your own.”

“Hey!” I protested, but I was grinning. “I was sixteen, and that bike was huge.”

“You were fearless,” Tempest said, his voice low and warm. “Still are. I wasn’t sure at first, not after the way you ran off that night.”

The compliment sent a flutter through my chest. I leaned back, letting the ocean breeze cool my flushed cheeks. “What about you? Any embarrassing teen stories to share?”

Tempest’s laugh, a deep rumble, seemed to vibrate through the air between us. “Oh, I’ve got plenty. There was this one time…”

As he launched into a story about a spectacularly failed attempt to impress a girl at a county fair, I found myself captivated. Not just by the tale, but by the way his whole demeanor changed. The ever-present tension in his shoulders eased, his hands gesturing animatedly as he spoke.

I’d never seen him like this -- relaxed, open, almost… playful. It was intoxicating.

The sun began its descent, painting the sky in brilliant hues. Our laughter faded into a comfortable silence. I glanced at Tempest, only to find his intense gaze already fixed on me. The air between us seemed to thicken, charged with an electricity I couldn’t quite name.

My heart raced. Was this the moment I’d dreamed of for so long?

Tempest’s hand moved suddenly, reaching for mine. His callused fingers enveloped my smaller ones, the touch both gentle and firm. My breath caught in my throat.

“I need to tell you something.”

I swallowed hard, barely able to breathe. “What is it?”

His thumb traced small circles on the back of my hand, sending shivers up my arm. “These feelings I have for you… they’re not new. But they’ve grown stronger than I ever thought possible. I denied them for a long time, knowing you were too young and someone I should never hope to be with. Then you became this incredible woman, and I found it hard to look away.”

My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it. Tempest’s eyes, usually guarded, now flared, the intensity both thrilling and terrifying me.

“I’ve tried to fight it,” he continued, his words carrying the weight of long-held emotions. “Told myself it wasn’t right. That I should stay away. But I can’t anymore. You’re all I think about. Your smile, your laugh, your strength. Everything about you draws me in.”

I sat frozen, hardly daring to believe what I was hearing. This man, who I’d idolized from afar for so long, was baring his soul to me. The vulnerability in his expression was different from the fierce protector I knew him to be.

“Say something,” he urged, a hint of his usual impatience creeping into his tone. “Please.”

I took a shaky breath. “I… I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen,” I blurted out, the words tumbling free after years of silence. “But I never thought… I mean, you’re you, and I’m just --”

“You’re everything,” Tempest interrupted fiercely. “Don’t you see that?”

The tension between us crackled like lightning, electric and dangerous. Tempest’s grip on my hand tightened, his rough fingers a stark reminder of the violence they were capable of. Yet his touch remained gentle, at odds with the storm I saw brewing in his eyes.

I leaned in, drawn by an invisible force. Tempest’s breath hitched, his body going rigid. For a heartbeat, I thought he might close the distance.

Instead, he released my hand and stood abruptly. “We should head inside,” he said, his voice rough. “It’s getting cold.”

Disappointment crashed over me, but as Tempest helped me to my feet, I caught the look in his eyes. A silent promise burned there, along with barely restrained desire. He was holding back, I realized. For me. The last time we’d kissed, I’d run away. It seemed this time he was giving me time to accept what was happening.

We retreated into the beach house, the warmth enveloping us like a cocoon. Tempest strode to the kitchen, his movements taut with unresolved tension.

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