“He’s all yours,” I said, turning away from the front window. As I was standing up, I heard the roar of motorcycles coming down the street, and I knew I wasn’t as lucky as I thought I was. Now I had my father here and also the guy I had slept with last night. This might get interesting.
“I’m going to go grab some popcorn and watch the biker show,” Gwen said, ducking behind the front reception desk as the front door swung open. Meg and Mr. Hell No walked in and looked around.
I kept my gaze on Mr. Hell No, waiting to see his reaction. It was worth the wait.
His gaze traveled up my body, caressing every inch of me. I fidgeted under his gaze and rubbed my hands on my jeans.
“Holy shit! What happened to your head?” Meg shouted as she walked towards me.
I ripped me gaze off of him and focused on Meg. “It’s nothing.”
“That sure doesn’t look like nothing. It looks like they took a baseball bat to your head. Maybe you should sit down,” Meg said, pulling one of the chairs that was at the manicure station and pushed it towards me.
“I’m fine, promise. I took some Tylenol and just need to rest once I get home.” “The only place you are going is the hospital,” Mr. Hell No growled at me.
My eyes opened wide, shocked at his words. Who the hell was he to tell me what I was going to do? He was just a one night stand that I had no plans of revisiting, no matter how tempting he looked right now.
“I told her she should have gone to the hospital instead of here, but she didn’t listen,” Gwen replied, popping up from behind the reception desk.
“Holy shit,” Meg said, jumping back from Gwen. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“I needed snacks,” Gwen said, holding up a bag of popcorn she always had stashed and shoved a handful into her mouth.
“Sweet,” Meg said, holding her hand out for some. I watched as Meg and Gwen eyed each other up, deciding if the other was alright. From what I knew of Meg, she and Gwen were going to be two peas in a pod. Neither one thought before they spoke and were the life of the party.
“Seriously, you get kidnapped and then they let you go, and this is the first place you go, a fucking salon?” Mr. Hell No thundered at me.
“Hey, look-” I started, but Meg interrupted me.
“Troy, lay off. She’s OK,” Meg said around a mouthful of popcorn.
Troy? Holy hell, this was Troy? The guy who last night’s party was for and the guy I had slept with. Shit. I had to sit down. My head was swimming with the fact Mr. Right had turned into Mr. Hell No and now turned into Troy. Plus, my head really wasn’t feeling the greatest. The pills Gwen had given me had barely touched the freight train running through my head.
I pulled the chair Meg had offered to me before and plopped my ass in it. I leaned forward, resting my head on my hands, careful to not hit the huge bump on the side.
“Where the hell is she?” Gravel boomed as he walked through the front door.
Oh great, just what I needed, my father added to the shit storm rolling through my head. “Over here,” I mumbled, waving my hand in the air.
“Jesus Christ, Troy. What the hell did you do to her?” Gravel said as he walked over and kneeled down in front of me.
“You’re fucking kidding me, right?” Troy said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“He didn’t do anything, Gravel. You know that ” I said, raising my head to look him in the eye.
“I see my girl hurt, I blame the first guy I see.”
“Well, you were fucking wrong with that assumption,” Troy shot back.
“You want to know what fucking assumption I’m going to make, smart ass?” Gravel roared, raising up from the floor and getting in Troy’s face.
“Oh, this is getting good,” Gwen mumbled around a mouth of popcorn. “So who is Troy in all of this?” She asked Meg.
“Troy is who Marley slept with last night and the last person to see her before she got kidnapped this morning. Gravel blames Troy for Marley getting kidnapped,” Gwen bugged her eyes out at Meg in disbelief. “Crazy, I know,” Meg said.
“That is my daughter, you little cocksucker. I don’t even know what the hell you are doing here. You think just because you got your dick wet that you belong somewhere in all of this? Well, you better think twice about that. Marley knows better than to get tangled up with the likes of you,” Gravel ranted, his finger pointed in Troy’s face.
I closed my eyes, feeling a wave of nausea hit me. Between the shit getting knocked out of me and these two idiots going at, I was about to pass out.
“Um, guys…” Meg trailed off.
“Not now!” Gravel and Troy bellowed at the same time.
I felt my body begin to sway and the floor looking like a good place to lay down.
“Troy!” Meg yelled. I opened my eyes to see Meg pointing at me and both guys turning to look at me. I felt another wave of nausea roll through me and closed my eyes again, willing the rolling of my stomach to stop.
“Holy shit,” I heard Troy mumble as I leaned to left, I was fine five minutes ago, and I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. I felt two strong hands grab onto my shoulders and hold me upright.
“We need to get her to the hospital.”
“We can take my truck. I’ll drive.” I heard Meg say as I heard the jingling of keys.
“Get the door,” Troy barked as he slipped his arm under my legs and the other braced my back. He lifted me off the chair and held me to his chest. I wanted to fight him and tell him to put me down, but my head was pounding so furiously now, all I wanted was to fall asleep or pass out.
“I’ll call Ethel and have her meet us there,” I heard Gravel say as we walked out the front door. I kept my eyes shut, afraid if I opened them, I would lose my stomach all over the sidewalk.
I rested my head against Troy’s shoulder and felt him turn to the side and slide into Meg’s truck. Someone must have slammed the door shut behind us and then I felt Meg climb in on the driver’s side.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Meg said as I felt her shift the truck into drive and take off.
I groaned as she turned the corner, feeling my stomach starting to revolt.
“Shh, it’s OK,” Troy mumbled as he brushed my hair out of my face. I nestled my face even more into the crook of his neck and breathed in his scent.
“You think she’s going to be OK?” I heard Meg ask.
“Yeah, I think she’s just got a bad concussion.” “I just want to sleep,” I mumbled.
“No sleeping yet, honey. We need to get to the doctor and have him check you over.”
“Hmm, just a little nap. You don’t have to tell anyone.” I burrowed further into him, trying to crawl into his skin and surround myself with his scent. Man, he smelled good.
Troy mumbled above me, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. My head was swimming, and all I wanted to do was close my eyes. I peeked out of my cocoon to see if Troy was looking at me, and he wasn’t. I turned my head back into his neck and breathed a sigh. I shut my eyes, telling myself I wasn’t going to fall asleep. I was just going to rest my eyes.
At least, that’s what I told myself. I was out in ten seconds.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Chapter 4
Troy
“She’s got a mild concussion. The Doc doesn’t think he needs to hold her overnight. She also has a couple of bruised ribs, but nothing severe.” I heard Gravel rumble as I stood behind Meg, Cyn, King, and Rigid.
The second Gravel had walked through the swinging doors of the emergency room, his eyes had zoomed in on me, cutting through me like I was nothing. I had no idea what I had done to him, other than sleep with his daughter. Marley was way past the legal age to have sex, the old man needed to get the stick out of his ass and lay off me.
“Is she going home, or to your house?” Meg asked Gravel.
“Ethel and I think she should stay with us a couple of days. Marley is fighting me tooth and nail
about it, but I’m not taking no for an answer.” “All right, can we see her?” Meg asked.
“Yeah, two at a time. Although he might have her released by the time you all make it back there. I heard there was a bus accident on the highway with a lot of injuries, and this is the closest hospital. They are trying to clear out beds to make room.” “I’m going first,” Meg said, raising her hand.
“Me too,” Cyn said right after Meg.
Meg grabbed Cyn’s hand, and they headed down the hall to Marley’s room, leaving me with King, Rigid, and Gravel, who was still shooting daggers at me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
Oh fuck, here we go. “I came to make sure Marley was okay.”
“She’s fine, now fucking leave,” Gravel said, pointing his hand at the exit behind me.
“I think I’ll stay and find out for myself.” I crossed my arms over my chest and widened my stance. I wasn’t about to let Gravel think that he could scare me away.
“I don’t see a fucking point in you being here. Marley has all the family she needs here. She doesn’t need a fucking one night stand coming in and checking on her.” Gravel took two steps towards me, trying to intimidate me.
I wasn’t having any of it. “Why don’t we let Marley be the judge of that?”
“Why don’t you let my fucking fist be the judge, you fucking prick,” Gravel growled, reaching back, winding his arm up.
“Knock it off!” King bellowed, halting Gravel and me.
“I want him out of here,” Gravel said, pointing his finger into my chest.
“Touch me again and see what happens.” I knocked his hand away and stared him down.
“Knock it off, Lincoln.”
Gravel whirled around, and I stepped to the side to see Marley walking down the hall with Meg and Cyn on the sides.
“What are you doing out here?” Gravel and I asked at the same time.
“I’m released. Take me home so I can take a bath and pass out.”
“The nurse said you need someone waking you up every couple of hours,” Meg said.
“She’s coming home with me. Ethel and I can take turns waking her up in the middle of the night.”
“Gravel, I really just want to go home and sleep in my own bed. I’ll set an alarm for every couple of hours, and I’ll be okay. They said it was just a mild concussion.”
“Fine, you want your own bed, Ethel and I will come and stay at your house for the night.”
“No. I’m not some needy child that needs her father. I’ve been fine on my own since we moved to California, I don’t need you now.” Marley hitched her purse up higher on her shoulder and stared her father down.
“I’m not letting you go home alone. Someone needs to stay with you.”
“No.”
“Yes. That’s final.”
Marley shifted her eyes over to me, and a smile spread across her lips. Oh fuck, I knew exactly what was coming next.
“You want someone to stay with me, Gravel?”
“Now she finally gets it.” Gravel threw his hands up in the air, thinking that he had finally gotten through to Marley.
Her grin grew even wider, and I knew she was about to land the winning punch that was going to blow the wind out of Gravel’s sails. “I choose Troy to stay with me then.”
Oh shit.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Marley
I watched Gravel’s face turn bright red and his fists clenched at his sides. “No.” “It’s Troy or nothing,” I said, propping my hands on my hips.
“Just come stay at Ethel’s house for one god damn night. It’s not going to kill you.”
“No. I’m going home, and Troy is coming with me, no one else.” I stared him in the eye, letting him know I wasn’t going to budge on my decision.
I waited for him to say anything else, but he kept quiet, although I could see the veins in his forehead popping out. I didn’t want anyone to come home with me, but if I had to choose, I see Troy as my best choice.
“Here, take my truck. I’ll ride home with Lo. You can bring it back to me tomorrow.” Meg tossed her keys to Troy and smiled.
Troy snatched them out of the air and looked at me. His eyes burned into me, as we both remembered last night. Here I was, standing in a hospital with a mild concussion and all I could think about was the man standing in front of me.
“I already called in for the night off of work, so I'm okay with watching you tonight.”
“See, it all works out, Gravel. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I breezed past Gravel the best I could considering my head was still throbbing and grabbed Troy’s hand.
“Don’t think I’m okay with this,” Gravel yelled at our retreating backs. I gripped Troy’s hand tighter as we reached the doors and I got dizzy when we pushed through the doors. I stumbled over the door frame, and Troy wrapped his arm around my waist.
“I’m all for you making your dramatic exit after telling your dad the way things are going to be, but let’s not pass out from it.”
I looked up into Troy’s face, seeing his gray eyes smiling down at me and a smirk playing on his lips. “Don’t call him my dad, he’s Gravel.”
“Okay… I must have misunderstood I thought he was your dad.”
“He is in the technical sense.” Troy looked at me, questioning what the hell I was talking about. “I’ll explain later. Right now, all I want to do is slip into the tub and then pass out in my own bed.”
“How about-.” Troy started saying but was cut off by the loud grumbling of my stomach. “We’ll stop, get something to eat and then work on your bath and passing out.” Troy led me to the truck and opened the door.
“How about we stop and get food and then you can just drop me off at my house. I’m going to be fine, I don’t need a babysitter.” I rested my hand on the door, not getting in until Troy agreed to just drop me off at home.
“No can do. I know for a fact your father and half the club will be driving past your house at some point tonight, checking up on us. I don’t want to get my ass kicked for something that I said I would be doing, but I’m not. I said I’ll be at your house, so that’s where I’m going to be.”
“Gah, I totally should have picked Gambler to stay with me,” I mumbled as I climbed into the truck and Troy shut the door behind me.
I reached behind me, grabbing the seat belt and groaned as my bruised ribs protested.
“Stop, I got it.” Troy reached over, grabbing the seat belt out of my hand, pulled it around me, and snapped it into place.
His face was right in front me when he looked up, and our eyes looked at one another. “I could have gotten it.”
“I know. I just didn’t want you to hurt yourself,” he whispered, his lips inches away from me.
“Thanks,” I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
Troy pulled away, breaking the trance I was in and started up the truck and drove out of the parking lot.
“Do you know where I live?”
“Yeah. Meg showed me where when we were looking for you. You’re only a couple of houses down from Ethel,” Troy said as he maneuvered down the town side streets. I really had no idea where we were going, but I assumed it was to some fast food restaurant. Rockton was a much smaller town than I had ever lived in before, but it was still taking me some time to get used to where everything was.
“You good with Chinese?”
“Sure. Can we just get it to go?”
“Yeah, I’ll call in our order.” Troy grabbed his phone, swiping to unlock the screen. “Is there anything special you want?”
“Sesame chicken and steamed dumplings.” My usual order.
While Troy called for the food, I glanced around, trying to remember the way we were going for future reference. If it wasn’t work, the clubhouse, or the grocery store, I had no idea how to get to it.
“It’ll be ready in ten minutes.” Troy slid his phone into his pocket and turned down another side street. I was comple
tely lost.
“I’ve never been this way before,” I said, looking out the window.
“We’re headed over to my house quick. I need to pick up some clothes.”
“How long have you lived in Rockton?”
“All my life.”
“Wow. I can’t imagine living in the same place forever. After my mom and I had left Illinois, we lived in about four different towns before we settled down in Forrest View.”
“There’s no reason for me to leave Rockton. All my friends and family are here, what else could I need?” Troy asked, glancing over at me. I wish that I had what he had. Leaving my mom and California had been an easy decision, there was nothing there holding me down.
“I didn’t really have much of a choice when we moved. Mom and my aunt decided it would be best to get away from everything and start over new.”
“Is that why you came back, you missed your dad?”
Ha! Boy was Troy waaay off track. “Hardly. I came back because things in
California weren’t working out for me.”
“You want to wait here, or come inside?” Troy asked as we pulled up in front of a two-story house with an enormous wrap-around porch.
“This is where you live?” I gazed out the windshield, amazed at the vastness and all around awesomeness of Troy’s house. It was the kind of house I always imagined living in.
“For the past seven years.”
“You live here all alone?” His house had to have had at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
“Yeah. When I first moved in, I rented out the basement to a buddy, but when he got married and moved out, I never looked for another tenant. I like having the whole house to myself now.”
“Makes sense.”
“You coming in or not?” His hand was on the door handle, waiting for my answer.
Devil’s Knights MC Box Set 1 Page 54
