Page 16 of Rocky

“Don’t you ever do that again!” I spat before running to my room.

When I was safely on the other side of my locked bedroom door, I pressed my back against it and released a deep breath. A simple kiss shouldn’t have me as worked up as I was, but it had been three years since a man had touched me.

A knock on my door startled the hell out of me. I wanted to ignore it, but when I heard my sister’s voice on the other side, I felt a sense of relief.

“You can come out now, they’re gone,” Blossom said.

I’d only been in my room for a minute and didn’t believe Rocky and his brother had left so quickly. “Blossom, don’t play with me. I’m not in the mood.”

“I’m not playing. Rocky got a phone call, and they rushed out. It must have been an emergency because they asked if RJ could stay for a few hours.”

I opened the door and asked, “They left RJ?”

“Yeah, but they’ll be back to pick him up.”

“They don’t know us well enough to leave him with us. How irresponsible!”

“It’s a good thing we aren’t crazy. You don’t have to hide in your room anymore. The boys are in the kitchen eating pizza, and Violet and Sage promised to let them watch a movie when they finish.”

She walked away, and I followed her. My other sisters were in the family room, and when I entered, they looked at me almost sympathetically.

“You should consider going to therapy, sis,” Rosemary told me.

“Why? I’m fine.”

“You aren’t fine. Deacon fucked you up physically and mentally,” she continued.

“And even though you’re not together anymore, you’re letting his past actions affect your future,” Daisy added.

“How?” I folded my arms across my chest defensively.

“Y’all broke up three years ago, and you haven’t looked at another man since,” Daisy said.

“You’re twenty-five years old but act like you're sixty-five. There’s more to life than working and caring for us,” Blossom commented.

“Seriously, because we’re basically grown,” Sage said, referring to her and Violet because the others were over eighteen.

“You’re not grown until you’re eighteen, so technically, you’re still my responsibility.”

“True, but it’s not like you’re changing our diapers,” Violet added. “It’s time for you to live a little. We’re here to watch Briar whenever you need. You’ve sacrificed enough of your life to make sure we’re good.”

“Y’all might be right, but I need to stay away from men like Rocky. He’s probably no different from Deacon.”

“Every man in a bike club ain’t the same. I heard the Mayhem members are nothing like the Riders,” Rosemary said.

“Who’d you hear that from?” I questioned.

“Different people. It doesn’t matter. You can tell they’re different by the things they do in the community. When was the last time the Westside Riders had a fundraiser?” she asked.

I didn’t have to think about it long because they’d never had a fundraiser.

“Everyone knows the Riders ain’t that kind of club. Those idiots do more harm than they’ll ever do good.”

“Exactly. Mayhem has a history of doing good in the hood,” Daisy said.

“That might be true, but I’m over bikers. Regardless of what Mayhem is doing for the community, there’s probably a dark side we don’t know about. When I start dating again, I want a regular man with a regular job and regular extracurricular activities.”

“Ugh, I sure as hell don’t. I want a nigga who can break another nigga’s neck for looking at me too hard,” Rosemary shared.

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