by Kay Maree
"What about you?"
"I'm sure your sister and the other girls can speak from experience when I say dating when you are surrounded by a club is the hardest thing in the world. Only the tough survive and so far, no one has stood up to that."
"No one within the club that you want to date?"
"Nah, they are all like my brothers." He rolled over on to his side.
"What about someone from another club? Surely some have come through here?" I swallowed, trying to discretely focus on my breathing. I don't know why this conversation would cause a reaction like my heart racing and my stomach being all tied up in knots.
"Not as often as you would think. Ireland is like a bubble of peace where that is concerned. Well for us anyway. We always seemed to get called into your fights, not the other way around."
"If one did though?" Rolling onto my side, I wondered where this line of conversation was going.
"If it happened then it probably wouldn't change anything. They would just be visiting and I have never been the one night stand kind of girl. Another reason why all of Liam's guys strike out. They don't want serious, I do."
"Not one for long distance?"
"After being cheated on by the last one who I tried it with? Nope." I closed my eyes as the memory of Angus came to my mind. He was one of Liam's guys who was moved to the States. I had to hear it from Liam that he was cutting ties with our guys because he had met someone in some middle of nowhere fucking town. The guys wanted to rain hell down on him but I told them to let it go. He wasn't worth pissing off other clubs for and we needed the hold in the US for the gun imports they were doing at the time.
"Rosa, not all of us are built from the same cloth." His words were whispered before I felt his lips press against mine. I felt his hand against my hip. Placing my hand against the back of his neck, I moved my lips against his. I knew the minute I knocked on his door that something was going to happen. I can't put my finger on what it was about him that drew me in but I knew that in this moment, kissing him was the right thing to do. I knew this could just be a crush and normally I wouldn't even entertain the idea of something happening between us but I couldn't let this go. The fact that he kissed me first told me that I wasn't alone. I was silently praying that he wasn't spinning bullshit right now. He rested his head against mine, I kept my eyes closed.
"Break my heart Corey and so help me God, no one will ever find your body." My voice was low but I knew he would be able to hear me.
"There is something you'll come to know about me, Rosa. Because I have been taking care of my sister for so long and seen the fallout from others relationships, or lack thereof, with women I don't do anything unless I am serious about it. It may be quick but I can feel something here and I want to work out what it is. If that means taking a leave of absence from the club so I can be here to figure it out then I will do it. If you want to come to the States and see where this goes then that's okay too. I don't want to hurt you Rosa but I can't leave wondering if I missed my chance." I kissed his lips softly.
"I believe you. Let me get past meeting my brother first then we can talk about more. I guess it will all depend on if he wants to know me or not."
"So let's enjoy these next few days. When we get back to Dublin, we will organize you coming back to the States. I don't think you have to worry about Cameron though. He won't push you away or turn his back on you if it's true."
"What about until he finds out for sure?"
"You can meet my sister and hear all my embarrassing stories and decide if you are ready for our crazy!" He grinned at me, his hand moving to brush a stray hair from my face. Closing my eyes again as his palm rested against my cheek, I leaned into it a little. The corners of my mouth twitching as I tried to fight a smile.
"What can I say, I'm a sucker for a mad man." He laughed and leaned in, pressing his lips against mine again. Moving from the bed, he moved to turn off the lights. Getting back to the bed, he lifted the covers up and got underneath them. Wrapping his arms around me, he laid down and pulled me against his chest.
"Let's get some sleep. We have more driving ahead of us tomorrow." Laying my head against his shoulder, I curled into his side.
"If you snore, I am leaving and going back to my own room."
CHAPTER TEN
Corey
The rest of my sight-seeing tour went by in a flash. Rosa added a few of her own places to the list which I was more than okay with. When we got back to Dublin, I booked my return and her flight while she sorted all her other stuff. I was just walking out of Liam's office after the reaming I got from him about not hurting Rosa when my phone rang. Seeing that it was Raven I couldn't ignore it. Stepping outside I answered it.
"Hey, Boss."
"Hey, just checking in. Been a few days since we spoke. You good?"
"I'm good. Sorry I didn't check in. I was exploring Ireland."
"So putting your task on hold then?" I could hear the confusion in his voice.
"No just waiting for a few things to sort themselves out."
"So have you found what you were looking for?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Great so should I tell Hailee that you'll be back in time for the wedding?"
"I'm sorry, say what?" Raven chuckled.
"Hailee has decided that she is done waiting and, in her words not mine, just wants this wedding bullshit over with so we found a place nearby that can take us on short notice and are doing it."
"Hell yeah, I'll be there! Wouldn't miss that for the world!"
"When are you back?"
"In a couple of days. A few loose ends to tie up here tomorrow. Flight is booked for the day after."
"Does your sister know?"
"No, not yet. I was just about to call Toby to see if she was awake."
"Hold up..." The line went silent before I heard Abby's voice.
"Hey, Bee!"
"Hey, Ace, you doing okay?"
"I am! Never thought I would say this but I'm kinda missing your ugly mug!"
"Only kinda? Well I'm not sure I can come home for that." I laughed.
"What?! Why not? Could have said I didn't miss you at all!"
"You could have! I'm surprised that you do. Toby getting on your nerves?"
"No!" I laughed again.
"Relax, Ace, I'm coming home. I'll be back in a couple of days."
"You are such an asshole, Bee!"
"Maybe so, but you love me."
"See now I don't know about that. Hey, while I have you on the phone, can I talk to you about something?"
"Of course. What's up?"
"While you have been gone, I have decided that I want Toby to move in with us. If you are okay with it that is."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. I can move in with him if you don't want him too though."
"It's not that, Ace, if you're sure then I am happy to have him move in with us or for you both if he wants you to move in with him. I just want you to be ready." I turned my head as something caught my eye and saw Rosa walking toward me. Wrapping my arm around her when she reached me, I gave Abby my attention again.
"I have been living a sheltered life and making your life hard. It can't be easy for you to find someone with you sharing a house with your sister."
"Ace, if I really wanted to find someone, you living with me wouldn't stop me. Neither of us have had it easy but that doesn't mean I want you to move out."
"Even with my nightmares?"
"You may think it, but you don't cramp my lifestyle. I am happy for you though. Please just make sure you are certain. I don't want to see you hurt again."
"I am, Bee, but thanks for making sure. You may be right."
"About what?"
"Me loving you."
"Love you too, Ace. I gotta go but I'll see you in a few days." I chuckled.
"See you then, Bee." Hanging up the phone, I looked down at Rosa.
"Hey."
"You hungry? Thought we might go grab a bite."
"Let's go. Need food after the ass chewing I just got from Liam."
"Aw was it really that bad?" I raised a brow at her.
"Do you not know who you're talking about? I think every vital organ and then some were threatened."
"Regretting your decision?" Dropping my head and pressing my lips against hers.
"Would take a lot more than that to scare me off, Rosa."
"Good because you are sorta starting to grow on me." Letting out a laugh, I shook my head.
"Well that's good to know." Pulling back a little, I headed for her car. "Let's go eat."
"Everything okay back home?"
"Yeah, just having a chat with my sister. She's thinking about moving in with her boyfriend. I don't know if it's such a good idea. They had only just started to become serious when I left. I know he's a good guy and he's had my back more times than I can count but I think it's too much too soon." We reached Rosa's car and she unlocked it. She hadn't handed the keys over to me yet and I was okay with that. I knew I was gonna be the same when we got to the States. Hell my own sister wasn't trusted with my beast. I might have to look into getting something else as well if Rosa was planning to stick around with Raven. Getting in the car, she started it up and looked over at me after she pulled out of the parking lot.
"What is worrying about it?"
"I just don't want it not to work out and have to kill my best friend for hurting my little sister."
"Okay, that's understandable. I am guessing another part of that is you don't want to see her hurt again right?"
"Well yeah, there is that."
"So, how about instead of focusing on the negative, you think about the positive. Your sister finally feels ready to open herself up completely to someone. After all the hurt and pain she has been through, she is ready to move on from it all and put it behind her. As her big brother, shouldn't that be something to be happy about?"
"Yeah... I guess."
"Corey, I know you love her and you will always be there for her but you can't protect her all the time. At some point, and I mean this not from a malicious point of view, she is going to have to start saving herself. I don't think this is just about her though."
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
"She has been your sole focus for so long now. I think part of you might be worried that she doesn't need you anymore. You were all she had at one point though and she will always need you, but it might be time to just let go a little before she begins to resent you or feel like you are the thing that is holding her back and you end up pushing her away. Don't focus so much on what may or may not happen. Hell, she could walk out the door and get hit by a car crossing the road. Just enjoy how far she has come." Rosa pulled into a parking space outside a restaurant. Her words were going around in my head. Not only that though, just remembering how happy Abby sounded on the phone earlier. Rosa was right. I needed to focus on the positives and see how far Abby has come and in a large part, it's thanks to Toby. If she is wanting to talk to him about it, then Abby is slowly putting her past behind her. I had to be happy about that didn't I? Getting out of the car, I moved around to the front of it and wrapped my arm back around Rosa's shoulder.
"You didn't tell me you had a degree in psychology as well as owning a bar." Rosa laughed and tucked herself into my side.
"It comes with the territory. The amount of drunk people I come into contact with, I need to be a psychiatrist as well." I pressed my lips to her head as we walked inside.
"Makes me so fucking lucky then."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Rosa
To say I was nervous for the flight was an understatement. I barely slept before the flight which I was hoping would work in my favor and not bite me in the ass. I had never been on a flight before so choosing a thirteen plus hour flight may not have been the brightest move. Corey managed to keep me calm though and we landed in Las Vegas. We went to where Corey parked his car. I didn't know what the plan was when we reached his house. Would I meet his sister and her boyfriend before he took me to meet my brother or would he just take me straight there? He would have to check in with Cameron after being gone as long as he was, especially with no explanation to begin with and very bits of vague information while he was away. As if he could hear my thoughts as we passed the sign telling us we were now entering Fernando, his voice broke the silence.
"What do you want to do first? Head straight to Cameron or freshen up and rest before you have to deal with that. I asked Toby if he could keep Abby at his place tonight so that we had the place to ourselves if you needed. I didn't want to overwhelm you so soon after that flight." He pressed his lips together and I had to fight a laugh. He sounded as nervous as I felt.
"I would kill for a shower and some coffee. I think after that I should be okay. Which do you think will be the lesser of two evils? Your sister or my brother."
"Well they are both on the same level so I'm not sure. I really don't know what my sister is going to think. I don't even know how to go about this. On one hand I am breaking the cardinal rule of never dating a best friend's sister, but on the other hand, I met you first and he doesn't know he has a sister so I think that rule doesn't really apply. My sister on the other hand, may fall over at the fact that I have met someone. She never thought it would happen." He pulled into a driveway and shut the car off.
"I should get this car back to Ruby though before she tracks me down. I had to borrow one of hers because I didn't want to leave mine at the airport and couldn't tell anyone what I was planning."
"Do I want to know why you couldn't drive yours?" He chuckled and got out of the car. I followed him out my side and watched as he got our bags out of the back. He took another set of keys out of one of the pockets and moved toward the garage door. Unlocking the side door, he walked in and switched on a light. Sitting before me was a Chevrolet Camaro, painted yellow with black stripes down the middle.
"There is a reason my sister calls me Bee and this is it. We all have quirks, mine happens to be that I am a Transformers nerd. I don't buy extravagant things often. This was on my bucket list though." I rubbed my hands down my pants before I moved over and placed my hand on it.
"I love it. You clearly take very good care of it."
"I do. I ride my bike most of the time and this sits here. I am the only one who has ever driven it. Well Abby did once. Never again after that though." I traced my fingers lightly over the paintwork. Hopefully I could convince him to take me for a ride in that thing. "Shall we get you some coffee?" I nodded and turned to look at him. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he watched me admire the car. The more I got to know of him, the more I wanted of him. That thought should have scared me considering how long we had known each other but it didn't. I had known people my whole life and never had anyone made me feel the way he does. I knew, no matter how things went with Cameron, this was where I needed to be. I was just hoping that Corey wouldn't send me away if Cameron didn't want to know me. I moved to him and took his hand as he unfolded his arms. He picked up the bags in the other. Letting go of my hand just long enough to lock the garage door, he led us inside and showed me around. I put my bag in the spare room while he got me a clean towel.
"Shower is down the hall, third door on the right. Take as long as you need. I'll be in the kitchen when you are done." He pressed a kiss to my head before leaving me alone. Unzipping my bag, I took out my toiletries bag, a fresh change of clothes and the towel Corey had left for me and went into the bathroom. Locking the door behind me, I turned on the hot water to let it heat up while I got undressed. Adding cold water and getting it to the perfect temperature, I stepped in under the spray and let the water wash away all of my tension. Getting out once I was done, I dried myself off, feeling much more human than before, and got dressed. Hanging my towel up on the rail in the bathroom to dry, I made my way to the kitchen to find Corey and coffee
. As I got near, I could hear his voice.
"Where are you?" There was silence followed by a soft sigh. "Let me just go meet with Raven and I will give you a call when I am back home. If she is still insisting you both stay here tonight then let me know." There was more silence as the other person talked, guessing now he was on the phone. "Bro, I know she is pissed at me but I have some shit I need to sort out okay? I love her and I want to see her but stall her okay." I felt bad for listening in on the conversation but I couldn't walk away for some reason. "Just tell her I will talk to her soon okay. Please, just keep her away from the house until I am ready. I need to see Raven first." Moving into the kitchen quietly, he looked up at me. I walked over to him and rested my hand on his neck. Closing his eyes he leant his head against mine. "Yes, it has to do with what I found. Toby, I mean this in the nicest possible way and considering I am running on no sleep since I left Ireland, what she wants isn't my concern right now. I am just asking for a couple of fucking hours. Is that really too much to ask?" He took a deep breath. Massaging my fingers into his shoulders. "Okay, yeah. Whatever." He hung up the phone and all but threw it on the table.
"Abby being difficult?"
"No, she is being a fucking pain in my ass. I told Toby that I was back and he let it slip to her, now she is trying her hardest to get over here to see me. I know it's her house but I really just want to deal with Raven first. He needs to know first. Toby told me that he was giving me a couple of hours and that is the best he could do. All bets were off after that. Knew I should have called in the fucking big guns and got Hailee and Katy on it." He let out a sigh and got up from his stool. Pouring me a cup of coffee, he added milk and sugar before setting it down in front of me. "You feeling better?" The tone in his voice softened as I took a sip from my coffee mug. Nodding, I set it down.
"Definitely feeling more human. You should try it. We can go and see Cameron when you are done."
