Page 34 of Protected By the Bikers Next Door
At that moment, the guys appear, walking over with concerned expressions. “Susan,” Wolf says, his voice icy.
“Hey Wolfie,” she simpers. “I was just meeting your new plaything.”
“Harper is our old lady,” Wolf states pointedly, taking my hand in his.
Pain flashes across Susan’s face as she looks at me in disbelief. I feel triumphant. It’s evident that, whatever she was to them, they never used that term.
I try to keep that in mind for the rest of the evening as we laugh and drink with their friends—me politely refusing drinks, which thankfully doesn’t arouse suspicion as I’m not usually a big drinker. Susan spends the whole time practically hanging off the guys, tactlessly inserting their shared history into the conversation at every opportunity. For their part, the guys mostly ignore her or shrug her off, but I still find myself feeling a little jealous, a little disappointed that they don’t tell her to go away. I try to say to myself that they’re just being kind,polite, this isn’t their home, it’s their business, they can’t kick out paying customers just for being flirtatious.
Even so, I can’t stop the niggle of doubt that creeps into my mind. What if Susan is right? What if I’m just a bit of fun before they move on to the next? What will I do then, with a baby on the way now?
The night continues to deteriorate as the guys consume more drinks; now, it’s not only Susan hanging onto their every word. I don’t want to be that jealous girlfriend, but in their efforts to talk to everyone, I feel left out. Of course, much of my time is occupied by curious members wanting to get to know me, which is nice, but I can’t help wishing that the guys wanted me by their side more.
For the past ten minutes, a friendly but overly chatty twenty-something called Tammy, has dominated my time, nattering away while I mostly zone out, worrying about what Susan said. When she stops talking abruptly, her eyes widening and her mouth popping open in exaggerated surprise, I turn around to see what’s going on, only to face a sight that makes me feel sick to my stomach. Wolf and Susan kissing. The sight of it sears in my brain, his hands gripping her arms like he wants to throw her over the bar and take her right there, her slim body pressed hard against his.
I can’t take it anymore. I turn on the spot, running for the bathroom, feeling like I’m going to throw up.
“Are you okay in there?” I hear Tammy outside the cubicle.
“I’m fine,” I respond, willing her to leave me alone.
“I’m sorry you had to see that. It was always inevitable that Susan and Wolf would get back together. They’re meant to be, always have been, but he should’ve broken things off with you first,” Tammy says. She’s trying to be kind, but her words are like daggers to my heart. When I don’t respond, she continues. “Susan and Wolf are like those fated mates you hear about, destined for each other. She didn’t mind him having his fun for a while, but now she’s pregnant, they need to be together for real, be a family. You understand that, don’t you?”
I come out of the stall, needing to see Tammy’s face to tell if she’s being truthful. “Susan’s pregnant?”
My mind goes to the life growing inside of me. Two babies. Will Wolf want us both? Will he expect that because he’s fine with me being with his friends, I should tolerate him having a relationship with another woman? Perhaps it’s hypocritical of me, but I just can’t do it.
“Yeah, she thinks it happened the day of the cookout round his place, but who knows? Those two are like magnets, always drawn together. He always goes back to her,” Tammy says wistfully.
“I can’t believe this,” I whisper to myself. The fact that he had sex with her so soon before sleeping with me only makes it that much more painful.
“Oh, sweetie, it will be okay,” Tammy says, rubbing my arm. “You didn’t actually think a relationship with all three guys was going to be permanent? You couldn’t have believed that it was anything more than just fun?” She looks so patronizing. I want to slap her. “The good news is, Susan isn’t into sharing, not for a serious relationship. She just wants Wolf. Which meansyou can have Bear and Hawk all to yourself,” she says with a condescending smile, like she’s offering me a consolation prize.
As much as I don’t want to lose Bear and Hawk either, I can’t imagine being around Wolf, seeing him with Susan, and it not hurting. Like a chair missing a leg, remove one of us and the whole thing topples.
Even if I could still be with Bear and Hawk, it doesn’t make Wolf’s betrayal any less painful.
“I need to get out of here,” I say before pushing past Tammy, heading for the emergency exit.
The cool night air hits me, and I take deep, desperate breaths, gulping air into my lungs to try to hold back the wall of hysteria rising within me. I need to get away. To have time to think. To lick my wounds and heal. I can’t simply move back home. I’d still have to see them every day. The proximity that had seemed so convenient now feels like a cruel trick.
Instead of the relaxing evening I envisioned, I call Mira and ask if Jenny and I can stay for a couple of days. She readily agrees, concerned as I tell her I’ll explain everything when I get there.
I climb into the truck, ready to go home and pack before picking up Jenny from Pam’s house and going to Mira’s. With a task to focus on, I can almost pretend this nightmare isn’t happening, that I’m not pregnant. That Wolf isn’t leaving me for another woman who also happens to be pregnant with his child.
As I’m packing, it occurs to me that I owe it to them to stay and hear them out, but I can’t bring myself to. It would break me if I had to look into Wolf’s eyes and hear that he’s in love with someone else. To hear from Bear and Hawk that thiswas just a bit of fun, or worse, that they want a relationship with Susan like we have.
With the house in my rearview mirror, I realize that the one thing I’m most afraid of is the simple fact that it’s already too late. No matter what, I can’t change the fact that I’m in love with all three men. But they don’t love me back.
Chapter 19
Bear
It’s been three days since Harper walked out on us. Three miserable days.
It didn’t take long to piece together what happened, to figure out that Susan and her crony Tammy were behind this. I expected Harper to be pissed that Susan kissed Wolf, but I didn’t expect her to run off like this.
Hawk has retreated inside himself, the way he always does when things become too much. His silence is worrying. He’s a danger to himself and others when he’s like this.
