Page 24 of Bound by Family
“And you were going to walk this far, in the dark, by yourself?”
She seems like a really smart woman, yet that just screams “kill me.”
“It doesn’t matter now because we have you.” When she looks up at me and smiles, the air leaves my lungs. Having that much power directed right at me is a shot to the heart. Not once in my life has this happened. Not once has a woman grabbed my attention so completely. Never once have I realized that a woman is way too good for a man like me. She’s too good and doesn’t need to get mixed up in the biker lifestyle. Even seeing her go after the guy and biting him, and having spunk, she can do so much better. Even for one night. Even for a quickie in the back of her car. Hell, even for a lifetime of those smiles.
Bristyl deserves better than me.
“Here we are.” She pulls out her keys and bleeps the locks, making the interior of the car come to life.
Green walks Leah to the passenger side while I walk Bristyl to the driver’s.
As she turns and looks up at me, her eyes swirl. “Thank you for everything.”
One taste. I want one taste. Is she as sweet as she looks, or is the sin tart to the tongue?
She brings her hands up to my chest, the heat from them sending a shock all the way down to my toes. Then she licks her bottom lip before placing it between her teeth. She wants to kiss me, too, and is giving me the go-ahead.
With the willpower of every fucking superhero ever created, I pull her into my arms, resting her head on my chest. I inhale the scent of some type of flower, burning it to memory. If I kiss her, if I taste her, I won’t be able to stop myself. That’s not weakness, it’s reality.
Giving her another squeeze and using every bit of restraint within myself, I step back out of her grasp, and she looks up at me in confusion.
“You take care of yourself, Bristyl. Don’t get messed up in this world. You’re too good.”
She goes to say something, but I raise my hand.
“Be safe.” I turn and walk away, up the hill and to my brothers who have gotten rid of the problem.
* * *
“You meanto tell me that we took on this shit and you’re not even gonna claim her?” my father roars as we’re about to enter the hotel later that night.
I’d already told him what happened and how I played it. Not only is he my father, but my brother as well, and I owe him the truth on both counts.
After Bristyl drove away, I felt a small place inside me turn cold. Even all the pussy in the world couldn’t make it warm, so I decided to go to bed.
“It’s better this way.” I slip the card into the door and open it, my father right on my heels.
“Stay,” he orders Green, who came back with me. Then my father shuts the door and turns the deadbolt.
I toss my keys, wallet, and some junk from my pockets onto the small, round table by the window. Every hotel I’ve ever been in has the same damn things—bed, TV, dresser, chair, and a stupid little table in front of the window.
“Why the fuck are you saying that?”
This isn’t the first time my father’s been angry with me, and it won’t be the last. His lifetime quota has yet to be met. I can’t blame him, either. Although a member, he will always be my father. The choices I make are a reflection of him whether I want them to or not. It’s how the world works.
I fall into the chair and it creaks from my weight. “Dad, look, she lives here in Florida—”
“And?”
“I’m not gonna have her hop on the back of my bike and take her to Sumner when she has no fuckin’ clue what she’s gettin’ herself into.”
“How do you know that? She was at the rally, son.” He sits in the chair across from me.
I shrug. “Somethin’ about her screamed innocent in a way. Or, not tainted from the life. She needs to stay far away from us bikers. I mean, hell, she works at a laundromat for Christ’s sake. That screams clean.”
He sits back in the chair and crosses his arms over his wide chest. His caramel colored hair is getting darker and shows a few gray hairs, but I’m blaming those on my brother and sister. When I was younger, I thought he could move mountains, was the coolest person in the entire world, and wanted to be him when I grew up. Now I am. I’m not the coolest person, but like him—strong, determined, and smart.
He swipes his hand over the scruff of his beard and down his face. “So, what, you’re gonna go home and drown yourself in pussy and booze?”
