Page 43 of Clay's Salvation
I turn to face him, noticing he looks tired, like he hasn’t slept for days. His hair is more dishevelled than usual, and his stubble shows he hasn’t shaved recently. My heart tugs at the sight of him, but Rochelle is right.
“Clay,” I clear my throat, “I’m not ready to talk to you yet. You broke my trust, and that may seem trivial to most, but to me, that’s important.” He nods and opens his mouth to protest, but I place my hand up to stop him.
“Let me finish. My life has been chaotic since I can remember. Trust is the one thing over everything I want, and right now, you can’t give that to me. I need time.”
His head drops, and it tugs at my heart. I sigh, feeling every emotion like a train hitting me. He sighs heavily and heads inside the clubhouse. I take a shaky breath, picking up my bottle of beer and taking a long swig.
“You did good,” Red says reassuringly.
“So, why do I feel like a complete bitch?” I ask, taking another long swig of the bottle.
"No one ever said being open and truthful is easy,” Rochelle adds, smiling at me. “See this as setting the foundations for your entire relationship.”
“He’ll get over it.” Red laughs before taking a swig of her own beer.
The doors swings open, and Drifter strides out. He leans down, giving Rochelle a tender kiss on the head as he sits on the arm of the chair beside her. She looks up at him longingly, complete admiration in her eyes.
“I’ve spoken to Gears. Misty will be here to help get you access to your kids.”
Rochelle claps her hands together gleefully.
“And who’s Misty?” I ask, confused.
“Gears’ sister. She’s a solicitor, and she’ll know how to tackle this,” Drifter replies, draping his arm round Rochelle.
“Thanks, baby,” Rochelle says, tilting her head to kiss him.
He smiles down at her. “As much as I love you, Hell, this was for Clay.” She pouts, and he grabs her hair, pulling her head back and taking her lip between his teeth. She pulls away breathless.
“Of course, it fucking was.”
“He’s my VP, and she’s his ol’ lady.” He winks and gets up to leave.
I down the rest of my beer, suddenly riddled with anxiety.
“It’ll be okay,” Red vows, but all I can do is nod.
I make my way up to Clay’s bedroom, swaying side to side from the effects of the alcohol. I shouldn’t have spent the day drinking with the girls. I was never going to be able to keep up with them.
I stagger along the corridor, feeling along the wall. I open the door, but the space feels cold and lonely. It really isn’t the same without him.
I fumble around for the light switch.I’m sure it was here. I chuckle to myself. If only Liam could see me now, he’d be fuming.
“Well, fuck you, Liam,” I shout into the darkness, sticking my finger into the empty space. “Yeah, you prick, look at me now.” Then I trip on something and land on my arse, laughing as I lie back on the carpet. The light comes on, and I immediately cover my face, the brightness like pokers to my eyes.
“I’m melting,” I screech in a fit of laughter.
Clay kneels beside me before placing my arm around his shoulder and lifting me off the floor.
“Hey,” I shout, “I’m still angry with you.”
“Let’s just get you into bed. You can be angry with me again tomorrow.”
He pulls back the duvet and places me in the bed.
“Hmm, well, as long as you know you’re not taking advantage of my drunken slumber,” I slur.
He removes my shoes one at a time, placing them on the chair in the corner of the room.
