“No,” Lock rasped, his eyes slightly open. “It’s only my head.”
Benny released Lock’s shirt, taking a step back. “Dear God, man, you can’t be conscious.”
“Barely,” Lock said, his eyes rolling back slightly. “Look… I… may not be able to help you with your mate.” He looked at Max. “Sorry.”
Max swallowed, his neck tight. “Who did this to you?”
“Why? You going to go kill them?” Lock’s slack mouth held the smallest hint of a smirk.
“Yes,” Max said firmly. Despite what he thought of Lock and the fact that they often fought, Lock was one of the Club Crimson family. Anyone who messed with him had messed with all of them.
Worry shot through Max as he realized they all could now be in danger, including Jackie.
“Don’t worry,” Lock said. “They won’t be back for me.” He brushed his hair back with a groan. “I made sure of that.”
“How?” Benny asked sharply. “Did you hurt someone?”
Lock shook his head, then winced as if it had jumbled his brain. Given his state, maybe it had. “I just made sure they won’t think of me again.” He touched his forehead, looking at the blood that came away on his fingertips. “Oh fuck. Even with my alpha powers, this is going to take a little while. Excuse me, but I think I’m going to pass out.” His head lolled, and his hand grasped around for his phone in his pocket.
Benny quickly grabbed it and handed it to Lock.
Lock put his hand on it to unlock it as his head fell over to the side. “If I’m out for more than a few days, call my twin. Thor. He’ll know what to do.”
Then he passed out with that stupid hint of a smirk still on his face.
Max slammed a hand on the nearby wall as he turned away, overcome by frustration.
He wanted to find the person who’d done this and make sure they couldn’t walk.
He wanted to make sure whoever it was wasn’t a danger to the rest of Club Crimson. He wanted to know his mate was safe.
Speaking of which, he wouldn’t even be able to mate her now, not for a little while.
Benny picked Lock up in his arms gently and carried him over to the door that led to the back offices.
Max opened the door and they went through. When they reached Benny’s office, he set Lock down on the long, comfy couch.
“He’s really going to be okay?” Harley asked, looking down at him.
“Believe it or not, he’s been through worse than that,” Benny said, slumping into his office chair with a frown. His forehead was creased, and he was clearly worried as he sat forward with his hands over his face.
“Hey,” Harley said gently, coming over to put her arm around his shoulders. “It’s going to be okay. Like you say, he’s been through worse.”
“But he wasn’t conscious long enough to tell us what happened,” Benny said. “That means I’m not sure the club is safe.” He let out a long, ragged breath. “I think you should probably stay away for now, until we work this out.”
“What?” Harley took a step back.
“Jackie, too,” Benny said to Max. “You and I, you know we can take on whatever comes our way. But if our women are around…”
Max looked over at Harley, wondering if she’d caught that Benny called her his woman, but she seemed too distraught to notice at all.
“I’m not leaving. I’m part of this bar, too. I’ll stay here and watch out for Lock,” Harley said.
Benny sighed. “Please, Harley. I don’t want to have to worry about you, too.”
Her eyes became shadowed, and she looked away but nodded. “Fine.”
Benny visibly relaxed, then turned to Max. “And you’ll keep Jackie away as well? Make some kind of excuse until Lock’s better.”
Max nodded slowly. Whatever had done this was powerful. Max didn’t know a lot about Lock, but he knew he was strong, that his alpha powers were incredible, even compared to other alpha wolves.
He’d never seen Lock even close to laid out like this.
His heart felt sour, not only because his friend was hurt, but because he now didn’t know what to do about his mate.
He didn’t want to be away from her, but even coming and going from his apartment could put her in danger.
Plus, he’d almost lost control and mated her earlier that night. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold on, and with Lock out, Max might have to wait several days.
It would be safer for him and Jackie to be apart, even if his heart ached at the thought after what they’d just shared.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Benny asked, eyeing Max wearily.
Max bent down, smoothing Lock’s hair off his forehead. “I just wish this hadn’t happened, both for Lock but for selfish reasons as well.”
“You called him dog shit,” Benny said, resisting a smile.
“You know I didn’t mean it,” Max said, feeling his voice break.
Benny stood quickly, coming over to put an arm around Max’s shoulders. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. We all know you didn’t mean it. Lock will be back to usual in a few days and probably making you want to kick his ass again. In the meantime, you just have to be careful to manage things with your mate.”
“I’ll just tell her we can’t see each other for a few days,” Max said. “After that, things will be fine again. I’m sure I want to mate her. If this hadn’t happened, I would have asked Lock…”
“It’s okay,” Benny said again, squeezing Max’s shoulder as he shrugged and pulled away. “It’s just a setback. Hell, I’m proud of you for finding a human mate at all.”
“Thanks,” Max said glumly. But then he straightened. Perhaps a short break would be good. He could figure out how to tell her everything about him and then be ready when Lock could be there.
Things had been going really fast.
When Max did mate Jackie, he wanted it to be on her terms.
“I can take care of Lionel,” Harley said. “He should be out of danger, too.”
Max let out a sigh. “I suppose.” He would miss Lionel, but Harley would take good care of him and it would be a good test run for if she took him for good. “All right.”
“I’ll come get him tomorrow,” Harley said. “You just go take care of your mate. Spend the night with her. Try to help her understand.”
“Do you think she will?” Max asked.
“It’s only a few days,” Harley said with a shrug. “I would hope it’d be fine.”
Her lack of surety made him nervous, but deep down, Max knew it had to work out. Jackie was made for him, and no circumstance in the world could change that.
“Okay,” Max said. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Harley. And, Benny, let me know if you need anything before work.”
“Okay,” Benny said. “I’m taking Lock back to my place to heal up. But I plan to open tomorrow as usual. If those cowards do come back, we’ll be ready for them.”
Max cracked his knuckles. “Yeah. We will.”
Chapter 22
Jackie woke the next morning with a hangover, which she figured was the only reason she’d somehow not noticed when Max got out of bed.
She remembered going to sleep, snuggled up beside him, and wondered where he’d gone since it was so early that it was still a bit dark outside.
Turning over with a groan, rubbing her pounding forehead, she reached over to the bedside table for her phone.
When she found it, she swiped it open, waiting for her bleary eyes to adjust to the light coming from the screen.
There was a text from Max there.
We need to talk.
Her heart thumped in her chest as she read his words, wondering what he could mean by them.
She sat up, rubbing her eyes, thinking over the night before, remembering the broken condom. He’d been pretty nervous about it. Not about them getting pregnant, but… something else.
He said he hadn’t told her everything or something. Or that things had been close.
Mayb
e he was just being nice when he’d said he wasn’t worried about pregnancy because of the condom.
She’d been so happy they went all the way, and she didn’t think there would be any bad consequences. Plus, everything they’d done had been what Max seemed to want, so what was she nervous about?
A small hint of doubt crept into her heart. That he’d been playing with her. That he was too good for her all along. That his sweet words were too good to be sincere coming from someone as gorgeous and kind as him toward someone he barely knew.
After all, why wasn’t he here in bed with her after such a close moment? Why did he want to talk?
Heart pounding, she began to pull her clothes on, wondering if she should shower first.
Before she was finished changing, the door opened, and Max walked inside, his eyes widening at the sight of her pulling on her tank top and buttoning her jeans.
When she pulled on her blazer nervously, he cleared his throat.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to walk in on you.”
“It’s fine,” she said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We’ve seen it all anyway. Last night was amazing, right?”
She’d hoped that maybe he just wanted to talk to tell her why he’d seemed nervous and that seeing him would help her doubts go away.
Instead, he looked stressed, as if he’d barely slept. His hair was mussed, and he was wearing pajama pants and a hoodie that he hadn’t worn the night before.
“I… I need you to head out,” he said abruptly, walking over to take her by the arms.
“What?” Her heart felt like it was cracking. Or was that her head still pounding from her headache? “What do you mean?”
She’d never expected to be doing the walk of shame. Not from Max’s place. Not right after they’d been together. Had she misjudged him after all?
“We just need to… take a quick break. Humans do that, right?”
She blinked at him. “Humans?”
“You know, I can call you in a few days, see where things are?”
She sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her heart to stop pounding with that harsh, dull ache as she rubbed her chest. “I just don’t… What happened?”
But his expression was closed. “I really care about you, Jackie. That hasn’t changed. But… I need you to go home and not come back here or to the club, just for a couple days. We can still text, but…”
“Are you embarrassed by me? Are you having second thoughts? Is this about the condom? Maybe it breaking made you think you aren’t as serious as you thought.”
“No,” he said, coming over to her quickly, his expression stricken. He took her hand in his, raising it to his mouth to give it a small kiss. “My feelings are the same. Trust me. It’s just… Something happened with work. Not my bouncer work, different work. I can’t really explain, but as soon as I can, I’ll have you back over again.”
“So it’s about coming here? Can you come to my place?”
He was quiet for a moment, looking pained. Then he dropped both their hands into his lap and looked down at them, avoiding her gaze. “It’s probably best if we don’t see each other for a few days. Just until some things clear up.”
“Why?” She stood abruptly, her heart pounding as pure pain lanced through her. Of all the things that she’d thought would happen in the morning, this wasn’t anywhere on the list. “I don’t get it. You said you can’t tell me anything, but now it feels like you’re keeping other secrets as well.”
“I’m… I told you. It’s complicated.”
“Maybe too complicated,” she said, storming out of the bedroom. “Maybe I was an idiot for getting involved.”
“Wait,” he said, running forward to catch her in the middle of the living room, grabbing her by the hand. “Jackie, can’t you trust me?”
She looked at him, her eyes burning with tears that she wouldn’t allow to come until she was away from him.
If he had some good reason not to see her, why wouldn’t he tell her? Maybe she was just feeling off from the hangover and vulnerable from having sex, but… she just felt like she was being blown off.
“So am I free to be with other people?” she asked sharply, folding her arms as she dragged her hand away from Max’s grasp. “Since we’re on a break.”
“Not that kind of break,” he said harshly as his thick blond brows dipped over angry golden eyes. “I just mean you can’t come over.”
“Right. So I can’t see you and you won’t tell me the reason, but you want me to just act like everything’s fine and we’re together.”
He hesitated, then nodded.
“And what about Lionel? Am I just supposed to stay away from him as well?”
“Harley has offered to take him for now.”
She threw her hands in the air in frustration, trying to disguise her hurt. “So you’ve thought of everything to get me out of here. So I don’t have to see you.”
“It’s not like that,” he said, his brows still furrowed. “I don’t know why you’re taking it this way. It’s just a few days, and I have things to take care of.”
She firmed her lips into a line, trying desperately to be harder. To shield her heart. She’d let all her guards down for this man. She couldn’t afford to give him any more right now. “It’s fine,” she said finally. “I get it.”
She grabbed her purse, looking around to see if she’d left anything else there, and then reached for the door handle.
She’d call a cab and then see where Tasha had gotten to since she’d told her she planned to get some action and go back to her hotel.
Then she’d go home, have a good cry, and hopefully be able to compose herself in time to go to work, where things should be normal.
Normal and boring and bleak now that she’d tasted how things could be with Max.
“I promise I’ll call you,” Max said, still looking torn as he held the door open for her. “It’s just a short break.”
She snorted to herself as she waved behind her, not wanting to even face him as she headed for the stairs. She should have known not to fall for someone that quickly, but she wouldn’t be that stupid again.
She didn’t have a lot of experience with men, but she was pretty sure she knew what it meant when they wanted a “break.” It meant things were over, and it was best not to hold out hope for more.
She pulled out her phone to call a cab and looked up to see Max watching her from the balcony attached to his kitchen.
Ha, he could look all he wanted.
She wouldn’t let him see how he’d broken her heart.
“Are you sure things are okay with Jackie?” Harley asked as she took Lionel and his crate and supplies from Max, situating them in her living room.
Max sighed, slumping onto a couch. He was tired, both from being woken in the middle of the night and because of the stress of knowing that whatever attacked Lock could still be out there.
“She seemed hurt, no matter how I explained it,” he said gruffly. “But I can’t afford for her to be around right now. She’s too special.”
Harley nodded. “It’s a tough situation all around. Hopefully, Lock will wake up soon.”
“I didn’t really want to see her until then anyway,” Max said, talking to Harley because he really had no one else to talk to. “Until I can mate her, it’s not really safe. I nearly marked her the other night.”
“Marked?”
“Right, something only lions do… and other cats,” he said, rubbing his head. “Can happen while mating. Can’t take it back. Not all lions do it, but I know I will. I’m too possessive like that. Just hearing her accept me, it’s not enough. Plus, she hasn’t seen my animal.”
“Whoa, hold up. She has to see your animal?” Harley asked.
“Since she’s human. You didn’t know that?”
Harley shrugged. “Benny tries to keep me away from that side of things. I guess I should have known more. Anyway, I think things will be fine with Jackie. You made it clear y
ou would call her soon, right?”
“In a few days,” he said. “It works out. Now I can’t accidentally mark her, and she won’t be in danger.”
Harley pressed her lips together. “Still… I wonder if she was hurt by it. After all, you suddenly pulled back, and she had no way to understand.”
“I told her we were taking a break.”
Harley groaned. “You did?”
“Something wrong with that?”
“That usually means… well, that humans are breaking up for a while.”
“I told her we weren’t.”
“Still.” Harley pulled Lionel out to cuddle him on her lap, making him immediately start purring. “The thing is… humans are weird sometimes. Sometimes when men don’t want to commit, instead of breaking it off, they just… take a break.”
Max frowned. “Why would they do that? Why wouldn’t they want to commit?” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “That’s just stupid. Of course I still want her.” He looked up at Harley. “She has to know that, right?”
Harley frowned uncertainly. “I mean, I would have to ask her. Do you want me to call her up?”
“No,” Max said, standing abruptly. “It’s going to be fine. She should trust me. She should know by now that I’m not like that.”
“It’s hard to trust sometimes,” Harley said. “Not because someone isn’t trustworthy, but because someone might have been hurt before.”
“Stop speaking in riddles,” Max said a little too abruptly. When Harley glared at him, he sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t always understand human customs. I appreciate your help, and I am trying. I really do consider you a friend.”
She smiled wide at that, her green eyes sparkling. “Well, as long as that’s the case.” She stroked Lionel. “I think as long as it’s only a couple of days, things should be fine. I mean, I don’t even know what I would say to her or use as an excuse since she can’t know about any of this.”
“Right,” Max said. “I thought it was best to give no details, rather than lies.”
“I agree,” Harley said. “So just focus on helping Lock get better and making sure the club is secure. Benny’s holding a Club Crimson meeting every night for the next few days to try and get any info he can from other shifters.”
Max Page 14
