Page 32 of Summer's Edge

Ruin chuckles at his cleverness, or whatever the hell he thinks he’s being. But I kinda like him knowing. Because the farther away from the cabin and Summer we get, the more it’s starting to seem like it was all just a very nice dream.

“Yeah, we got together,” I say. “And it was awesome.”

He shakes his head but is smiling from ear to ear. Kinda like the red Joker smile Summer painted on my face.

“You dog,” he says. “You know Ice’ll be pissed.”

“That’s why he’ll never find out.”

The smile vanishes from his face. “How you gonna make that work?”

“I ended it with her.”

Kinda. I tried to anyway. But the words just wouldn’t roll out of my mouth. But I did the best I could and I figure distance will take care of the rest just fine.

“Dude, why?”

“What do I got to give her? And like you said, it would piss Ice off.”

That shuts him up for the moment. He knows I’m right. I got nothing to give her. I live my life day to day, care about nothing beyond being the best damn MC brother I can be and kill as many of our enemies as I can. I live in a small room at the clubhouse where the only personal belongings are my clothes, my weapons and my cut. I’m wearing it now, over my T-shirt, the one that still smells like Summer from the night she fell asleep leaning against me on the porch steps. I carried her to bed without waking her. And then fell asleep beside her.

Just a dream. One I should start to forget.

“You saved Cross’ life,” Ruin says. “You can have anything you want now. Even Summer.”

“She’s not a thing to be given away,” I snap.

He lets got of the steering wheel to put his hands up in surrender. “Don’t bite my head off. I’m just saying. You don’t gotta worry about Ice.”

“The guy saved our lives, of course I care what he wants,” I say. “Or did you forget?”

He gives me a shocked look. “Of course I didn’t forget. I’m just saying. If you found the one, don’t come up with a bunch of bullshit excuses why you can’t have her.”

Ruin and I have been best friends for a long time. Sometimes he knows what I’m thinking even when I don’t. But this isn’t one of those times.

“What the fuck do you know about findingthe one?” I ask.

He just grins stupidly and won’t meet my eyes. He’s probably talking about Ariel, the sister of Chance’s girlfriend. They’ve been seeing each other for a while now, but it’s been rocky. So he’s not one to talk.

“Are you and Ariel getting serious?” I ask anyway. Might be I missed something.

He nods. “I think so.”

“And that just sums up exactly why I don’t need advice from you.”

He doesn’t look offended, which is a bad sign. He’s just got that stupid soft grin on his face that’s supposed to what, make me reconsider? Fuck that. I’ve been reconsidering. Every day and night while Summer was asleep in my arms.

We ain’t got a future. One way or another I’ll fuck it all up.

I just wish I didn’t miss her so much already. I miss her soft lips, her soft body, her laugh and the way she can always say the exact right thing to get my blood pumping.

But what happens at the cabin stays at the cabin. Forever.

We’re only about twenty miles out of LA. Once we get there, once I’m back in my element, killing and keeping my brothers from being killed, Summer will fade too.

“I’m just—"

“We’re done talking about this, Ruin,” I say warningly, coldly. “Tell me about the job instead.”

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