Page 7 of Breathing

“This club doesn’t have nomads,” I told her, abruptly changing the subject.

Her lips quirked in amusement. She knew what I was doing, but she didn’t comment on it.

“You disappeared for five years, right, Whiler? With or without the patch, you went nomad.”

I sighed and walked over to the water spigot to turn it off. Dropping the hose, I turned to face her, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Do you always have something to retort?” I demanded.

A beautiful smile tilted her lips, and it knocked the breath from my lungs. She had no goddamn right to be this fucking beautiful. “Stick around and find out,” she teased.

Then, she turned on her heel, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching the sway of her hips and the up-and-down motion of her round ass as she walked away.

4

Whiler

The clubhouse was party central tonight with the Fathers of Mayhem rolling in. And five years ago, I would have been in the middle of it all, wasted within a couple of hours, at most. I probably would’ve already fucked one woman on a table and had another in my lap, riding me. I would’ve been the life of the party, thrusting drinks into everyone’s hands to get them as fucked up as I was.

But now? The beer I’d grabbed two hours ago was still mostly full and now warm, which was fucking disgusting. I’d turned away three club girls, and I was seriously debating on calling it a night and holing up in my room until tomorrow morning when the clubhouse was quiet again and everyone was dealing with hangovers.

“You okay?” Adelaide asked, dropping into the chair next to me. Adelaide was River’s girl, the president of the Fathers of Mayhem MC. She used to be Joey’s old lady, but they couldn’t ever get it right. They had constantly been on and off, tearing each other down but clinging to each other in a toxic way. Eventually, Joey let her go so she could be happy. Now the mother of three kids, two of whom were biologically hers and one adopted, she positively glowed.

It was good to see after all the hell she’d been through in her life.

I shrugged at her. “Thinking about calling it a night,” I told her honestly. “Shit isn’t my scene anymore.”

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. I knew what that meant; she wanted to talk. Something I wasn’t particularly in the mood for. “Joey’s worried about you.”

One thing that hadn’t changed over time was how much she loved Joey. And she would do anything in the world for him despite how bad they were for each other. I’d witnessed the shit she would do if it meant he was safe. And she’d protect Elaina, Dahlia, and Antonio with the same fierce protection that she guarded her own family with. They were important to Joey, so in turn, they were important to her.

“Joey needs to focus on his family and not me,” I told her. I couldn’t stop the bitterness from coating my words though. Her slightly arched brows showed me she hadn’t missed it.

“YouareJoey’s family,” she snapped at me, leaning forward again, not taking my shit. She never had. “I know you lost a lot five years ago, Whiler, but you’ve got to fucking heal, man. You can’t keep living half of a fucking life.”

I sneered at her, my temper sparking. “The fuck do you know, Adelaide?”

She got in my face, not the least bit scared of me. “I know a shit ton, asshole. I was the one who watched Tristan collapse in that fucking kitchen. I was the one that sat by his bedside as machines fucking kept him alive.” I swallowed thickly, feeling like a fucking asshole. Tristan had been the president of the Sons of Death—a damn good one, at that. He and Joey hadn’t always seen eye to eye, and Tristan had been Adelaide’s first love. River had selflessly allowed Tristan to stay with them during his final days, and Adelaide had been the one to have to pull the plug on him.

“I couldn’t fucking save him either, Whiler,” she rasped, sadness coating her eyes. “But I couldn’t let it kill me. I had people who loved me. People who still needed me.” She jabbed her finger into my chest hard enough to make me wince. I rubbed at the spot her nail had jabbed me. “And you fucking do, too. Don’t lose sight of that.”

She stood from her chair and walked straight into River with a squeak. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her forehead, staring at me over her head. I sighed and stood, nodding once at him before I walked behind the bar to pour my beer down the drain and head upstairs. He kept his mouth shut, but his stare was warning enough to watch how I talked to her.

I was done with this fucking party and with everyone in this fucking building. I needed space.

Joey frowned at me as I headed toward the stairs, but I ignored him. My boots thudded on the wood as I made my way up to my apartment. When I pushed open my door, I immediately stopped, scowling at the curvy redhead lying on my bed. She was naked, not the least bit ashamed of it. And fuck, if that didn’t make me hard, even if I was annoyed as hell. There was nothing sexier to me than a woman who was confident in herself.

“Why the fuck are you in my room?” I growled as I stepped inside and shut my door behind me.

A coy smile tilted her lips. “You look a bit wound up, Whiler. Figured you wouldn’t last much longer down there. Thought I’d give you some relief.”

I clenched my jaw, running my eyes over her. Those freckles drew my attention first, and my tongue tingled with the urge to lick a map out of them. Stretch marks lined her breasts, and her waist dipped in before flaring out to wider hips. That belly ring glistened in the low light my lamp cast across the room. Her blue eyes were flared with need and lust.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Cannon,” I rumbled as I toed off my boots. To hell with trying to keep my distance from her. Maybe if I fucked her one good time, I could get her out of my system. Maybe then it would be easier to keep her the fuck away from me. To turn her the hell away when she came back wanting more.

She shrugged at me. “I’ve never been one to take the cautious road, Whiler.”

I strode to the bed and flipped her onto her stomach, yanking her to the edge of the mattress. If she was surprised by my rough handling of her, she didn’t say a word or make a noise. She just settled her feet on the floor and rose on her tiptoes before spreading her legs for me. I unbuckled my belt and undid my jeans before reaching into my side table drawer, pulling out a condom.

She squeaked in surprise when I shoved into her. She was wet but maybe not exactly enough. Whatever. Wasn’t my fucking problem. Itoldher she was playing a fucking dangerous game. And I intended to show her how badly she would get burned if she continued playing with fire.

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