“He couldn’t convert a bunch of cow lovers!” shouted another.
“He didn’t want to be reincarnated as a bug.”
“The water was too filthy to turn to wine.”
“What water? There wasn’t any water in the desert to turn to wine, much less walk on!”
“Baptizing Indians would wash the red dot off their foreheads!”
It went on for several moments, before Krishna gave a signal to stop. She was actually surprised when it fell silent, but she continued to smile sweetly, showing no reaction to anything and said, “Great guesses, but you are all wrong. Jesus was not born in India because he could not find three wise men and a virgin.”
Again, the crowd roared, but as she looked around, Krishna noticed several faces that weren’t smiling or guffawing at her jokes. She glanced briefly at Alex, who now stood, leaning against one of the posts of the carport, and promptly ignored the extreme disapproval on his face. This was his fault. If he’d been willing to do something to help her, she might not have been so desperate to put some of these men in their places.
Knowing it would be lost on the crowd, Krishna ended her little performance with a curtsy and a hand gesture used in her native culture only to insult a crowd. Then, she turned on her heel and headed to her Buick Riviera. She didn’t need this shit anymore today. She could make her own schedule here, and she’d come back early tomorrow, when she wasn’t so angry. Tonight, she would take out her frustration on her apartment, giving it a good scrubbing, and she’d get up in the morning with a better attitude.
And if she were lucky, Alex would apologize. Luckier, and the pigs around here would give her a little space.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“You look all out of sorts,” Pop said as he approached Alex in his office. “Something got you frazzled?”
Looking up from the final details he’d added to the complete design for the tribal work. “Just focused,” he answered shortly. Pushing back from the table, he motioned toward the completed artwork. “That’s yours.”
Pop tilted his head as he inspected the work, and Alex watched his expression change from critical and analytical to satisfied and even impressed. “That’s damn good, boy. I like the small areas of color you throw in there.”
Alex nodded curtly. “Tribal is great, but it needs highlights. Not full color. Just a little here and there.” He folded his hands behind his head and waited as Pop continued to assess the work.
“So, when can we get started?”
Alex smiled, the first real smile he’d given one of his brothers in weeks. “Unless you want to marathon for twelve or thirteen hours, old man, we’ll need several sessions.”
Pop grunted, scowling. “I’m too old for that shit. I was too old for that shit back in juvie, bro. Let’s say two hours, tops.”
“I can do the outline in that, give or take. We can start tomorrow.” Everyone knew Pop came first, and anyone else who wanted a piece could wait. If he had anyone scheduled, he’d reschedule. It was a standing rule. Alex was going against the grain enough and didn’t need to raise more questions.
“Badass.” But he didn’t leave, instead taking a seat in one of the two chairs Alex had brought out from the offices for visitors. “You’ve been a little surly lately, Alex. A lot of the boys are noticing, and they’re irritated. We gotta get along and have each other’s backs, right?”
“Of course, Pops.” He needed to proceed with caution right now. Complaints were bad, and it would put him in the spotlight with everyone following his every move. He didn’t want that kind of attention, especially since he had to head over to Krishna’s in a bit to straighten things out. He’d acted like an idiot by not giving her any reassurance that he would take care of her. And then she’d gone and called a lot of attention to herself. While he loved what she’d done and how she’d made a fool of Bolt and Bones, he also knew that she’d brought a lot of resentment on herself that hadn’t been so strong before.
He had to stay under the radar, and if his brothers thought he needed an attitude adjustment, that would mean trouble for him as well as Krishna.
Pop nodded. “I just wanted to be clear on that. I didn’t think you had any bones to pick, but you never know. I haven’t seen you with the usual two girls under your arms lately, and I didn’t know if one of the boys might have taken one of your favorites and caused a little friction or something.”
Was that the impression Alex gave? That he only cared about tattoos and sex? And had his club always been so shallow? He liked to think they stood for something and weren’t just a bunch of ex-con thugs running drugs and riding bikes. “No, nothing like that.”
“Something’s gotta be bothering you, man. Don’t forget, I know you. Are you getting a little stir crazy? Because I can get you on a run, if you need a little change of scenery.”
The rogue in Alex yearned for a chance to go on a run. He missed the danger and excitement, the solitude, and the adrenaline rush. But he was settled here, and he didn’t want to risk going back to jail, and he didn’t like the idea of anyone shooting at him. Besides, as he’d told Krishna, he’d paid his dues like everyone else, and he didn’t have any obligation to that side of the business anymore. He was just the tattoo guy these days.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” He shook his head and stood. “I’m just bored with the women, Pop. I’m taking a little break and resting the old boy, if you know what I mean.”
Pop rolled his eyes. “I think you’re crazy, for the record. I wish I could exercise Pop Junior every now and then. But Lorna would smell it a mile away.”
Alex shuddered. He didn’t want to think about the consequences of Pop cheating on his wife. The old man would likely be a eunuch if she ever caught him with another woman. He didn’t think the leader of the Ashes had any interest in opera, and he doubted a monastery would accept him, even if he took a vow of silence.
“Well, if you worked it as often as I do, you’d be ready for a break, too,” he said patting Pop on the shoulder. “It starts to chafe after a while.” He walked away to the sound of the old guy chuckling and figured he’d done a pretty bang up job of diverting suspicion.
He rounded the garage and grabbed his jacket, draped over the seat of his bike. Stabbing his arms into it, he straddled the beast and turned the key in the ignition. He was about to rev the engine to life but stopped as Quarter waved and jogged in his direction. What now?
The big man – named because he looked like he weighed a quarter ton at six foot seven with bulging muscles and a thick neck – slowed as he closed in. “Hey, man, we’re putting together a poker game, two hundred buy-in, thousand dollar pot, if you join. You in?”
Alex shook his head. “No, man, I’m not feeling the luck right now. And I need to clean my place. I haven’t done dishes in a week, and there’s a rank odor coming from my kitchen. If I don’t take care of it, the neighbors are going to come looking for a dead body.”
Quarter gave him a doubtful expression. “You’ve bowed out early a lot lately. You got a piece of ass on the side you aren’t bringing around or something?”
Alex didn’t exactly want a rumor like that going around. It would get back to Krishna, and she’d have all kinds of doubts. At the same time, maybe it would give him a pass. He gave a cocky smile. “Maybe it’s something like that. I guess you’ll just have to wonder for a while, won’t you?”
He started the bike, cutting off any further conversation, and he saluted Quarter as he pulled out onto the road. It was about a half hour to Krishna’s apartment from here, and he tried to figure out what to do to show his regret for his mistake while still being stern about her behavior. He decided to pick up some takeout and some flowers and hope that got him back in her good graces so he could have reasonable conversation with her. And follow up with a round of hot sex.
And another thought struck him as he placed the order for teriyaki. He’d turned down the game so easily. Poker used to intrigue him, and he regularly took the pot. Now,
though, Quarter was right; he’d lost interest and hadn’t felt any draw to the game in weeks. He found himself anxious to see Krishna every chance he got. What had come over him?
He had feelings for her. He got that. But for everything that used to mean so much to him to take a back burner to the time they spent together wasn’t just uncharacteristic. It was straight up strange. If he wanted to keep up appearances, he had to start at least pretending he still wanted to participate in club activities. He didn’t want to pull so far away that anyone questioned his loyalty.
After they’d cleared up everything else tonight, he would bring it up to Krishna and gently let her know he needed a couple of nights a week with just the boys. He hoped she would understand and agree without feeling let down or ignored.
Alex chided himself for being timid. He was a man, and he had a life to live, a life he wanted Krishna to be a part of. But he had been solo for a long time, and he didn’t want to give up his independence. Krishna shouldn’t be the center of that life. His world was much larger, and just because she’d grown up coddled by loving parents who had sheltered her from reality didn’t mean his own world needed to shrink to fit within her boundaries. It would make more sense to expand her horizons.
And yet, here he was, carrying food and flowers to her doorstep like some whipped boy.
Alex told himself this wouldn’t become a habit. He wasn’t typical boyfriend material, and Krishna needed to deal with his shortcomings. He could compromise in some areas, but he refused to change who he was, and if she couldn’t wrap her mind around that, they would never work.
But as she opened the door with a perplexed expression, his resolve crumbled, and he simply gave her his best charming grin. “Hey.”
***
Krishna’s first concern as she stared at Alex was her appearance. Nothing that transpired between them earlier trumped her rat’s nest of hair piled and clipped haphazardly on her head. Or the ragged oversized t-shirt she wore with a pair of faded Chicago Cubs pajama pants. And, worst of all, were the dirty kitchen gloves and suds that topped off the Cinderella look. “Hi,” she replied, blowing a lock of hair from between her eyes. “What are you doing here?”
He held out his left hand and a bag of takeout, and he drew his right hand from behind his back, producing a bouquet of pink and yellow tulips. She gaped at them, and he said, “I think I owe you an apology from earlier.”
She took the flowers and smelled them. Not all tulips had a scent, but these were glorious. She sighed. At least her apartment was clean, and that spoke for itself as to the reason she wasn’t. With a head gesture, she stepped out of the way and said, “Why don’t you come in and explain? I’m starving anyway, and that food would probably make me pliable to anything.”
He waggled his brows as he slid past her, and she pointed to the coffee table where she wanted him to drop the food. She stopped in the kitchen, searching for something she could use like a vase. She found a tall plastic cup from the gas station and filled it with water, cutting down the stems so they wouldn’t tip it over before dropping them in.
“Thank you for these,” she called over her shoulder. Satisfied with the way she’d arranged the first flowers she’d ever received, Krishna joined Alex on the couch, diving into one delicious box of chicken and an egg roll. “So, why did you bring them?”
He struggled for a moment. “You were angry, and I think I took too long to weigh in on what was bothering you. I’m sorry about that.”
As usual, his words were simple, but the sincerity behind them was real and strong. It made her smile, and her feelings of animosity were stomped out. “I know you’re new to this, just like me, and maybe my expectations are off. I’ve got this idea in my head, an image from society, and I guess I assume that’s how every relationship should be. It’s a learning curve, and I’ll find the part of me that understands every couple is unique.”
He looked relieved, and Krishna was glad. She actually felt bad for putting that weight on his shoulders all evening. And now that she was eating, she realized she’d denied herself food for too long. Her hunger had affected her mood, and she was starting to recover.
But as she watched Alex shovel the meal into his own mouth, she realized something still bothered him. Krishna frowned. “What’s wrong?”
He kept his head down, his eyes intent on his half empty box as he spoke. “I warned you not to cause trouble, Krishna. You didn’t listen.”
That wasn’t what she had expected, and she tilted her head, confused. “What are you talking about?” And then it hit her. “Are you talking about me standing up to your buddies?”
His head snapped up, and he gave her a harsh look that made her flinch just a little. “Don’t put me on the wrong team. Men giving you hell are not my ‘buddies.’”
That was fair enough, she supposed, but she was incensed, and Krishna tended to speak before she thought at times like this.
“And your idea of standing up to them would be brilliant in most social settings. But at the clubhouse, all you did was stir up a bunch of guys who already have a problem with you.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. “I shut them up, Alex. They had nothing else to say.”
“But they will,” he argued. “And so will everyone else who heard you.”
Putting down her fork, Krishna folded her hands in her lap. “Do you really expect me to stand by and listen to the offensive jokes and lewd comments without saying anything? There’s only so much I can let slide off my back, Alex. Even my feelings get hurt.” She wanted to add that, if he had just given her some encouragement or a promise to help her, she might have been able to hold her tongue. But she’d already forgiven him for that transgression and didn’t want to give the impression she was taking it back.
“Yes,” he said simply. He turned those golden brown eyes on her, and they shone with concern and regret. “Not forever. But right now, you’ve got to ignore it. If you take things too far, I won’t be able to protect you.”
Krishna scoffed. “I told you earlier, I can take care of myself.” She couldn’t believe he was lecturing her. Sure, he was a man of few words, but the tone mattered, and he certainly wasn’t reading the TV Guide to her right now. “I know I came to you today, but I’m not weak, and I don’t expect you to turn on your own to protect me.”
“You don’t know what they’re capable of,” he said, his voice gravelly.
“Are you saying they would hurt me?” she asked, incredulous. Harassment was one thing, but as far as she knew, the Ashes didn’t promote violence within their own ranks. She may not have signed on permanently, but Pop had initiated her as part of the club. She had the tattoo and everything. She had no intention of being disloyal. According to what she’d heard, that was the only reason for any harm to come to one of the members.
Alex breathed out heavily and hung his head in his hands. “We’ve never had a female member before, Krishna. It’s caused a lot of tension.”
She leaned back in her chair and mentioned the elephant in the room. “And you only accept white members, as a rule.” He only glanced up, saying nothing, and she nodded. “I may have dark skin, but I’m as all-American as it gets. My parents are Irish, and that’s how I was raised. I didn’t know the difference until I was in junior high, Alex.” She knew her emotions were getting out of control, but the whole thing infuriated her.
“I know that,” he snapped. “Not everyone sees that.” He shook his head. “I’m not saying it’s right. I’m just saying they have a tough enough time respecting women. If you keep your opinions to yourself from now on, this will blow over.”
She stood and stomped to the kitchen, reaching into the fridge for something to drink. She couldn’t speak at the moment, or she would say something she later regretted. She took her time choosing from juice, water, milk, and pop. It wasn’t a vast selection, but she made it seem that way. When she finally stood up again, she’d managed to slow her heart rate and breathe again. She didn’t sit down as
she addressed Alex. “Would things be different if our relationship was public?”
He instantly shook his head. “Maybe eventually. Now, it would definitely escalate things.”
Krishna threw her hands up in exasperation. “Maybe I don’t belong there.” She’d hesitated from the start and, now, she wished she’d listened to her gut. Usually, when things seemed too good to be true, they were. She’d been so desperate for a break, a way to get out of a thankless job she hated, that drained all the life out of her and left her with pennies, that she’d jumped at the opportunity, despite her misgivings. And she’d met Alex and been swept into a whirlwind of passion.
The question now was did she regret her decision? Was the money worth this trouble? And was Alex worth the hassle?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The answer was clear as Alex stood and Krishna took in all of him. She’d never found anyone so appealing before – physical perfection, mysteriously quiet, brutally honest, and deeply loyal – and she doubted she’d ever find his equal. He inspired passion, both good and bad, and he made her want to pursue her dreams rather than sit back and accept whatever life gave her.
This Savage Love: A Bad Boy Romance Boxed Set Page 83
