Page 179 of Traitor

When the laughter finally ebbs, I have to wipe tears from the corner of my eyes, and when I look at him, he's just watching me.

That stupid smile on his face.

"I like hearing you laugh," he murmurs, entranced.

Something warm spreads through me, unfamiliar but not unwelcome. I shake my head, smiling.

"I remember when I couldn't even look at you without my brain projecting filthy things at me." I take another bite of my chicken wing, licking my lips slowly. "Right from the first night we met."

I don't miss the way his jaw flexes, the way his fingers tighten around his beer bottle.

"You were intoxicating," I add, voice dreamy now, like the memory is wrapping around me, pulling me in.

His smile doesn't waver, but his eyes go distant, like he's sifting through the past, pulling threads from an old memory.

"I was gone for you the moment I saw you," he admits, voice gravelly. "Exactly when you walked through the door of the clubhouse."

He leans back, eyes drifting somewhere past me, reliving it.

"You walked in, looking a little lost. You stood there for a few minutes, just... observing. Taking it all in. And then, just like that, you took a deep breath, squared your shoulders, and made your way to the bar."

His lips twitch, like he's holding back a smirk.

"You weren't a typical biker chick. You tried to be. Fuck, you tried." He chuckles, shaking his head. "But I could see it. Your dress wasn't slutty or tight enough for that place. You weren't eyeing patches to hunt. You looked like a woman on a different kind of mission."

He finally looks back at me, searching my face.

"Of course, I found out later you were looking for a job. When I first looked at you, it was obvious you wanted to blend in, you wanted to see what was happening. But at the same time you held yourself differently." He grins, eyes dark. "Made me so fucking curious."

His voice drops lower. More intimate. "You fit in, but you also didn't. To me, it was like you were this ethereal being from another world, too damn curious for your own good. Dropping into our chaos just to see what would happen." He laughs, shaking his head. "You drink wine, for fuck's sake. We didn't even keep wine behind the bar until you came. Had to start stocking up just for you."

I remember that night so vividly. The way my skin tingled under his gaze, the way his kiss made my head spin.

I shake myself out of it. Blink away the past.

His laughter fades, replaced by something quieter. "I was so fucking grateful to that clueless prospect who let you in that night. Even if it cost him his chance at a patch. You spent years with an MC. How come you never picked up the full biker style?"

I tilt my head, considering it.

"I realize now that I was always kept at a distance," I murmur, my voice quiet between us. "I told you... my first bike ride was with you. Not even my best friend back then gave me one. They lured me into their world, but I think some part of me, at least after a while, became reluctant. Creeped out. Looking back, I was really fucking naive."

I shake my head, lips twisting. I should have trusted my instincts when all those little creepy moments started stacking up.

"But I was looking for family in all the wrong places." I shrug, accepting that it happened, but it doesn't own me anymore. "There's nothing I can do about it now."

Bones watches me, something soft and understanding in his gaze.

"You weren't naive, baby." His voice is low, certain. "You were vulnerable. And they preyed on you."

I'm about to agree when I hear it.

A sound so hauntingly beautiful that it freezes me mid-breath.

Violin. Crying. Raw.

My head snaps up. The sound is drifting from one of the rooms in the clubhouse, pouring out.

"What is that?" I whisper.

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