Page 33 of Reckless
Chapter Eighteen
Carly
I hear the rumble of the motorcycle following us the entire way. I don’t really know how to react to him showing up. I wanted to find him tonight to tell him how I felt about him, but after being turned away and feeling so betrayed, I don’t know what I want anymore.
The cab stops in front of my apartment, and I get out not waiting for Wrench to get to me. I don't want his help right now. I wanted his help when I showed up at the gate before I was cornered by the giant in the parking lot. Then he showed up with the ‘she's mine’ stuff and it just made me pissed off. I'm not his, that's been made clear enough to me.
I walk into the building, and I can feel him behind me. The pain in my side has only gotten worse, and all I really want to do right now is lay down and sleep.
"I have Doc coming to check you out and make sure nothing is broken," he says from behind me, but I don't even want to look at him.
My head is screwed up right now, and I have no idea what to do. I know if I let go of all the doubts in my heart, I am already head over heels in love with him. The problem is that I can't let go of everything. I can't be with a man who has to hide me. I was already in a relationship where the person I loved was ashamed of me, and that is the most terrible feeling ever.
A knock sounds on my door and I move to answer it, but Jax steps in front of me. “I got the door, go sit down.”
“This is my place you don’t just get to—“
"You're fucking hurt, Carly. Stop being so goddamn stubborn and just let me make sure you're okay." His eyes are pleading with me even though his voice is an order.
“Fine.” I ease myself down onto the couch as he grabs the door.
An older man walks in, he and Wrench talk but I can't hear anything they're saying. "Okay, let's check you out, dear." He gives me a smile.
I nod.
“Go into another room, you know the drill.” He looks back at Wrench.
“Doc, I’m fine. Just let me—“
"Go now, or I don't check her out." He waves Wrench off, and the look on his face is priceless as he does what the older man says. When he turns back to me, he is smiling. "Can't ever have those boys in here when I'm checking you ladies out. Feels like a damn dog hovering over me, breathing down my neck. Don't know how you ladies tolerate it." He shakes his head, and I laugh. "Now I need you to lay down and pull your shirt up all the way to your bra."
I do as he says, wincing as I lay down.
He presses on different spots, taking mental notes as I react to the touch. When he asks me to take a deep breath, he seems to study how I react to it. His cold stethoscope sends goosebumps across my skin as he listens to my breathing.
"Okay, you can sit up now. Come back in!" He barely raises his voice and Wrench comes stomping in like a child coming back from time out. "I don't think they're broken. Definitely bruised, possibly cracked but without an X-ray, I can't be sure. Even if they're cracked, I can't do much for them. I'm going to give you a prescription for the pain and tell you to take it easy. No heavy lifting or exercising until you have no more pain. Wrapping your torso with an Ace bandage can help sometimes."
"Thank you so much." I start to stand up to say goodbye to him, but he shakes his head.
“You sit and rest.” He leans down patting me on the back. “I’ll send you the bill he says to Wrench as he walks away.
“You can go now, thank you for getting me home and calling Doc over here.” His head spins to me a look of surprise plastered on it.
“Not going anywhere, babe.”
"No!" He jumps at my tone. "You do not get to call me that, ever. I am not yours no matter what you told that Neanderthal in the parking lot. I wanted to be yours so fucking bad. I came to you tonight when I needed someone, and I was sent away. Then what? You regret it and decide to come after me? I refuse to keep playing this game with you."
"Can I get a damn word in, woman?" He sounds annoyed, but I don't give a crap. I arch an eyebrow at him as if anything he could say right now will make me feel any different than I do. "First, I had no damn clue that you came to the clubhouse tonight. I would have never sent you away, and I came looking for you as soon as I saw your message. Second, it's been fucking hell not having you with me and knowing I hurt you. I do not take that shit lightly. Last, you are mine. In every sense of the goddamn word, you're mine. I'm done fighting it, no more games."
I don’t know what to say at first. “I won’t be your secret.”
“Never what I wanted.” He sits down next to me. “I want to tell everyone you’re mine. Have you on the back of my bike like a damn trophy.”
“But, how can you? The club—“
"Let me handle that. We have church tomorrow at noon. I'll have more information for you then." His hand brushes my cheek, and I lean into his touch. "You're it for me, Carly. All I've ever wanted and so much more than I deserve."
My chest tightens hearing him say these things. It's all I wanted when I showed up tonight. I wanted to know that my heart wasn't wrong again. That this time it led me in the right direction and I wasn't going to get crushed again. "You need to know, this is it. I can't do a relationship filled with I'm sorrys and second chances again."
