Page 25 of Marked By the Possessive Biker

His grip is firm, and he releases me before pointing to a chair. “Have a seat.”

I figure he’s doing a power play and is going to stay behind his desk, but he surprises me when he comes around and sits next to me. “Go ahead, shoot.”

I open my mouth and then close it quickly. This is off, the whole situation is. “How come it seems like you’re not surprised to see me? Did Lexi tell you I was going to come by?”

He shakes his head. “No, I figured you’d come by eventually.”

I lean forward. “Why’s that?”

He laughs. “Well, you’ve been seeing my sister, right? You’re the one that broke her heart.”

I scrub my hand across my face. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, and honestly, hurting her is the last thing I ever want to do.”

He grimaces. “Why did you then?”

Fuck, I knew this wouldn’t be easy. I sit up a little straighter. “Because I know your sister deserves better than me. Because even though I wanted to be with her, I thought… I know our worlds are completely different, and she deserved more.”

He laughs, which takes me by surprise. “Oh yeah, and how did my sister take it when you told her that?”

I jut my chin at him. “She thinks I’m wrong and refused to walk away.”

He leans back in his chair. “And your club? What do they have to say about this?”

Fuck, I’m not explaining the ol’ lady situation to her brother. “As far as they’re concerned, she’s my wife, and they’ll protect her as a member of the club.”

His jaw tightens. “Did you get married?”

I shake my head. “No, but in the club's eyes, we are.”

He’s way calmer about this than I expected him to be, and I’m about to ask him about it, but he surprises me. “Ya know, I’m good friends with Walker. Do you know Walker?”

Walker—who owns half the town. The man that runs mercenaries in the compound across from our clubhouse. The man that is sort of my boss since our club answers to him. “Everyone knows Walker.”

He nods. “Right, well, we’re friends, and I talked to him about you and your club.”

“You asked about me?”

He stands up and starts pacing. “Yeah, when you asked about my sister at the wedding a few months ago, I found out everything I could on you.”

Fuck, I wasn’t ready for this. I’m ready to defend my past and everything I stand for when Cruz turns to stare at me. “Do you make her happy?”

I shake my head. “Honestly, right now, I think I piss her off more than anything, but I keep thinking she deserves better.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “Better than a man that disobeys orders. A man that was told it wasn’t safe to enter but did so anyway and saved six women and children from being trafficked. Walker told me all about you, Ben, and I’m not sure my sister would find a better man than you… I mean if you plan to make her happy and quit pushing her away.”

I stand up when he brings up my past. I relive that day every day. I was so scared, but I could hear the kids crying, and I knew I couldn’t just leave. I had to try and save them. It was luck—and the fact that Walker’s men showed up to do a removal—that we all made it out alive. “I was at the right place at the right time.”

He tilts his head and looks at me. “You may be right, but I also know that some men would have walked away without a backwards glance.”

I shake my head. “I couldn’t.”

He nods and sits on the edge of his desk. “Do you love my sister?”

Fuck yeah, I do but I also think she should be the first one I say it to. I’m about to tell him that when there’s a noise behind me. “Do you love me?”

Lexi is standing behind me with her hand on her hip. She lets her hand fall and walks toward me. “Do you?”

Fuck, even though I didn’t say the words, I thought for sure I showed her. “Yeah, princess, I love you.”

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