Now, Scarlett realized her mother had only done that so that she could meet her real father and spend time with him.
Scarlett was torn between truly enjoying him and feeling guilty for not being home with her mother.
“I just want you to know that my ex did something similar to me. I know that feeling, and no matter how much you try to tell me that it doesn’t matter, it does. He cheated on me and then called off our wedding only weeks before we were supposed to say our vows. It mattered to me, and from the looks of things, you and I aren’t that different,” Scarlett said softly.
Something flickered in Ox’s eyes then, something good.
“This life teaches you a lot, Scarlett. Especially how short life can be. I know it’s not my place- not yet at least- but I want you to know that if in the end, Limit is what will make you happy, then you have my blessing.”
She frowned, obviously confused.
“I thought you said he wasn’t good for me?”
“No, I said you won’t find a fairytale with him. He’s not that kind of guy. If that’s what you’re looking for, then walk away from him now. However, I can say this for certain: he’s never taken to a woman the way he’s taken to you.”
The fact that it was her father telling her that, weighed heavy on her heart as she sat back in her chair.
Even though it pained her to say it out loud, she had to let him know that she was prepared to face anything at this point.
Scarlett’s whole world had fallen apart in a matter of weeks, and at this point, she knew she could handle just about anything.
“You survived without a happy ending, Ox. Something tells me I’ll survive, too.”
Chapter 13
Limit was pulling on his cut when a steady vibration caught his attention. He knew it wasn’t his phone, because his phone was off, which meant it had to be Scarlett’s.
She thought she was being slick by sneaking out while he slept, but Limit was no light sleeper.
He was awake the second her breathing changed.
Now, he was taking his time because despite the fact that she’d caressed his face like she truly thought he was worth a damn, she was only a temporary fix for a permanent problem. He loved spending time with her, and she challenged him at every turn, but he knew he needed to handle his own problems before he dragged her into anything.
As he searched for her phone, his eyes landed on his old combat boots tucked in the corner of his room.
Filled with sand and dirt and regret, they stayed there for the better half of his days. On occasion he would need them, but they would never find their way back to the trenches again.
Sometimes Limit missed how simple it was to show up to work; to be alone, to live alone, to take care of no one but himself. And, if he were being honest, he hadn’t paid too close attention to his own safety, either.
No, Limit had only worried about the men under his reign while they fought their way across Afghanistan in their own version of real-world hell.
While he tried not to think about it, sometimes the memories would creep through the curtain and he would be transported to another realm entirely.
Sometimes, he had nightmares.
Nocturnal bouts of bone-chilling terror.
Momentary lapses into internal psychological warfare that would make a lesser man pry his own eyes out in an effort to un-see the imaginations of his own mind.
Sometimes he would be trapped in his own mind for minutes, or hours, and in that time, he wasn’t Limit anymore; he was Colton Graham once again.
The man trained to kill with his bare hands.
The man trained to be alone, to fight to the death, to never leave a man behind.
All he was known by back then was his rank and his weapon, and a man like Colton Graham never missed a target.
Never.
That’s why he’d eventually become a sniper.
But, none of his awards or medals mattered anymore.
Not here, and not now.
Limit had only honed his skills further, utilized them, tended to them while under Ox’s care.
He watched out for his club and he did it with expert precision. He kept the memories at bay and did his best to stay rooted in the present. He didn’t always succeed, but he never let it show. He rode harder, faster, better than most of his brothers, but even still he couldn’t fix what was broken in his head.
The radio silence that sometimes crackled and spit commands that Limit knew had no connection to his life anymore.
The flashes of him and his brothers laid up in enemy territory, waiting to be rescued. The feel of his scope resting against the underside of his eye as he locked in on a target he knew wouldn’t make it past the perimeter of the barrel on his rifle.
Limit understood that none of those memories had a place in his life anymore, and yet, they haunted him.
Often times his club would make remarks about the fact that he was silent; that he lurked in the shadows, but what they didn’t quite understand was that the shadows were where he felt most comfortable.
The darkness.
In the dark, no one could tell when his eyes glazed over as he was catapulted into the rearview of his life.
In the dark, he could always make sure the crazy that sometimes shrouded his mind went unseen.
Unnoticed.
And then, there was Scarlett Hunter.
The sassy little virgin who looked at him like he was someone worth saving.
The spitfire who was too soft, too sweet, too sheltered to even begin to understand him, or what he’d been through.
Yet, he couldn’t shake her.
Limit tried, but he couldn’t get the taste of her innocence out of his mouth.
So, he watched her with a clarity that would startle most. He’d never made a commitment to her, and he didn’t know if he had any plans of doing so. They could talk about strings all they wanted, but once she got to know him, she would understand that being the enforcer for the Seven Deadlies was barely the tip of the iceberg.
“Hey, brother! Church is starting,” Rider said as he banged on Limit’s bedroom door.
Limit snatched her phone from the foot of his bed and started to tuck it into his pocket, his eyes grazing over the name Scott scrolling across the screen.
Before he could stop himself, he answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hello? Who is this?”
Limit crossed his arms over his chest.
“This is Limit. Who is this?,” He asked.
The man on the other end of the phone scoffed loudly.
“This is Scarlett’s fiancé! Why are you answering her phone? Where is she?”
The rude tone of Scott’s voice did nothing but irritate him further.
“She slept in my bed last night, I’ll answer the damn phone if I want to.”
Before he could say another a word, Limit hung up the phone and shoved it angrily into his pocket. Of all the things to wake up to, that was the last fucking thing he’d expected. He knew she had a recent ex, but Scott sounded pretty fucking convinced that they were still together.
Limit didn’t know why, but the idea of Scarlett being attached to any other man-any other man- had his blood boiling in less than two seconds.
He almost ripped his door off its hinges in his haste to get to church on time lest Ox chew his ass out on top of everything else.
As he rounded the corner, a familiar tawny head of hair caught his eye.
Scarlett smiled at him and even though he’d been buried in her sweet pussy just hours ago, his anger overshadowed anything else.
Even though she looked like a fucking angel there to taunt him, to remind him of just how far from heaven he would always be, he was pissed.
He took her phone out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table angrily, his nostrils flaring.
“Here. Your fiancé called. Hope your little trip through the slums was worth it, princess.”
Limit watched her smi
le slowly fade away before she looked down at the phone that was ringing yet again. Rayna and Esme were staring at him with wide eyes, surprise on both of their faces. She sucked in a shaky breath before she looked up at him again, tears in her eyes.
“You really think I would make love to you while being engaged to someone else?,” She asked softly.
Her voice trembled.
Limit could practically feel his anger vibrating against his skin.
“We didn’t make love. We fucked. There’s a difference.”
Scarlett flinched at his words, and Limit realized that maybe he was being too harsh. He hadn’t made her any promises, had he?
“I thought that what happened between us was more than that.”
Limit snorted.
“Don’t be naïve, Scarlett. Look around you, do you think men like us entertain virgins on the regular?”
She looked stricken by his words, but he didn’t back down.
Limit hadn’t dabbled with romance in a long time, and there was a reason.
The desert wasn’t the only thing to break him down. He’d been married before, but like a lot of military relationships, it too had failed.
The thought of someone like Scarlett, someone so fucking good hurting him in the same way?
Well, it made him a little crazy.
“I guess I was naive, huh?”
She asked this question just as two twin tears fell from her hazel eyes and dripped down her flushed cheeks. Limit’s stomach lurched at the sight, but he didn’t say another word. He just sneered in her direction before he turned and headed for church. He caught a glimpse of Green and Fury watching him with wide eyes too, but Limit didn’t care.
He was done with women fucking him over.
If she wanted to stay with her limp-dicked fiancé, then good for her. He didn’t have to entertain her anymore.
As he slammed into his seat, Ox caught his eye and he figured he was better off without her. He didn’t need to complicate things any more than they already were, and Scarlett Hunter was just that: a complication.
“Alright, guys. Let’s settle in. We’ve got business to discuss,” Ox said.
All eyes were on him as he slammed the gavel once and pointed to Green.
“Our trusty accountant tells me that our plans to open up our own strip club have come to fruition. It’s time, boys. Axel found us a good hook up as far as real estate goes, and that means that we’ve got ourselves a location!,” Ox announced.
Resounding cheers echoed in the room before Ox waved a hand, silencing them. He was smiling.
“That’s right. More legit business, and the plot of land we’re going to develop is located right here in the Smokies with us. We break ground next week.”
Limit clapped along with everyone else.
He clapped, but he really didn’t give a shit about any business endeavors.
He was too caught up thinking about Scarlett.
“That’s right! And Rayna agreed to run it for us. I’ll work the books and she’ll work with the girls to make sure this place is filled with top notch pussy. We want it accessible to all of our allies, especially the Lone Rangers,” Green said.
Everyone nodded, including Prettyboy.
Hadn’t been too long since his old lady, Esme, had come to stay with the Seven Deadlies. Axel was her former ol’ man’s president, and when he died, Axel sent her to stay with the Seven Deadlies for a while…
Needless to say, she found a reason to stay for good.
Prettyboy and her were insanely happy together, so who was Limit to judge? He liked the little hellion, she was a good old lady. Not to mention the fact that she was Fury and Rayna’s surrogate.
That made her a-oh-fuckin’-kay in his book.
“As we move further with our building plans, all of us will take turns visiting the site and monitoring the progress. We’ll probably get every unsatisfied husband from Bryson City flooding through our doors too, which means we’ll also get more business in the garage,” Ox said.
“We got a name picked out?,” Rider asked.
“I vote for Peener Paradise,” Green interjected.
Everyone at the table laughed, apart from Limit.
“Pretty sure that implies the club is filled with dicks instead of pussy. Sorry, brother,” Prettyboy said with a grin.
Green pouted, but Slayer slapped his arm.
“I liked it, let’s get t-shirts made.”
Green’s pout turned into a smile as they fist bumped.
“What about the ladies? Where are we getting the pussy from?,” Torch asked.
Ox leaned back in his chair as he studied Torch.
“Other clubs in the area. I’ll offer Ruby and Loretta a place, too.”
Torch nodded, and Prettyboy spoke up.
“Esme said she’ll take over Rayna’s place once the baby is born. She can help wrangle some women from Axel’s clubhouse, especially if they’re automatic VIP’s,” Prettyboy said.
Ox nodded.
“Sounds good to me. Before we leave church today, I want to remind everyone that Fury’s wedding is Friday, so we better get prepared. Fury, am I allowed to invite Scarlett?”
Fury glanced at me briefly before he nodded.
“Rayna is already on it.”
Ox smiled happily, and it cut Limit right to the core. He was confused as hell, and for a man who didn’t want any strings, it sure as hell felt like he was suddenly being strangled by them.
Chapter 14
Scarlett glanced at Rayna and Esme before she stood, attempting to excuse herself.
“Wait! Jesus, what the fuck just happened?,” Esme asked.
Scarlett glanced down at her phone before she shrugged.
“I guess Scott called again.”
“Do you…ya know, have a fiancé?,” Rayna asked.
Scarlett smiled sadly before she wiped away her tears.
“No, Rayna. He cheated on me and then dumped me weeks before the wedding. Unfortunately, when he realized I was moving, he started calling me on and off begging to get back together. I guess between all the family drama and Limit I forgot about him,” She explained.
Scarlett shrugged helplessly.
Rayna relaxed considerably before she shook her head.
“Limit had no right to speak to you that way, regardless. Do you want me to hurt him for you?,” Rayna asked.
Her big blue eyes were wide and focused directly on Scarlett.
She glanced at Esme to see if Rayna was serious.
“Oh, don’t look at me, darlin’. If she asks it, she’ll do it.”
Scarlett’s bottom lip trembled violently before she sucked in a breath and looked at Emily, who’d joined them moments before.
“Baby, don’t let that man tear you down. What he said was wrong. He had no right, and I plan on telling him just that the second his surly ass gets out of church,” Emily snapped.
Rayna glanced at her.
“I like you.”
Emily grinned like the Cheshire cat.
“I like you, too.”
Esme snorted before she reached across the table and took Scarlett’s hand in hers.
“I’m really sorry you got your feelings hurt.”
Scarlett smiled tremulously before she tugged her keys from her pocket.
“I need to go home. Em, you stayin’?”
Emily frowned.
“Don’t leave just because of that cock gobbler, Scar! You didn’t deserve that!”
Rayna choked out a laugh as she mouthed the words, cock gobbler?
Esme giggled at the name, too.
Scarlett shook her head.
“I want to leave. I need to get out of here. I’ll check in with you later if you’re not home.”
Rayna caught her hand at the last second.
“Will you come to our wedding? It’s Friday, and it’s kind of a big deal, and it would mean a lot if you would come.”
Scarlett smiled as she nodded.
“Of
course. I’m honored that you would invite me.”
Rayna nodded, but Scarlett knew that she could tell how close she was to crying.
Scarlett was so close to letting go, she could practically taste her own tears, but she refused to cry until she was alone.
As the doors to the room where church was held banged open, Scarlett slipped out of the front doors and booked it to her car.
Turned out, Ox was right after all.
Limit didn’t have anything to offer her.
✽✽✽
Esme turned to look at Rayna and Emily, her blue eyes narrowed.
“What the fuck just happened?,” She whispered.
As raucous laughter filled the clubhouse, Rayna and Emily scooted closer to Esme so they could talk amongst themselves.
“Me thinks Limit like her. A lot.”
“Me thinks Limit can suck a dick,” Emily said wryly.
Rayna cracked up before she nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, that too. But, seriously? The man was so bent out of shape! He crushed our girl’s feelings.”
Esme smiled when Fury wrapped his arms around Rayna from behind.
“Care to let your ol’ man in on what you three trouble makers are talking about?”
Emily winked in his direction.
“I prefer to refer to myself as trouble, thank you very much.”
Fury rolled his eyes before Rayna kissed his palm.
“We are talking about the scene Limit just made.”
Fury pulled up a chair before he dipped his dark head and kissed Rayna full on the mouth.
“Uh, yeah. I’m a little confused about that myself. What did she say? She got a fiancé?”
Emily slapped her palms onto the table.
“That ass hat treated her like a fuckin’ door mat. Scott was awful. Always made her feel like shit, like she was less than. He talked down to her, cheated on her, and at times he would be so…controlling. Typical rich kid used to getting whatever he wanted! But, for the longest time he had her convinced that she couldn’t do any better. Then, he dumped her weeks before the wedding.”
Gluttony (Seven Deadlies MC Book 3) Page 9
