“Look,” he glanced at Kimber briefly, then dropped his gaze to the road where they stood, “I didn’t ask for any of this… Shit! Yes, I’ll be there by noon… I did promise to protect you… Pull up your big girl panties, Tam… See you as soon as I can get there… And Tam? I don’t think I have to tell you to keep your fucking cool. They ask, you tell them you belong to me.”
Anton hit the end and pocketed his phone. You belong to me. Hadn’t he said the very same thing to her? No doubt, just so he’d have a piece of ass while he was in town, and she had played right into his hands.
He rubbed his hand over the shadow on his beard. The scratching sound of the whiskers against his flesh filled the silence between them. Anton grimaced. “I have to go.”
Lord, she wanted to bust his balls, and yet all she could muster was, “You do.”
“When I get back we’ll talk.” He reached out, meaning to touch her, but she jerked away from him. Anton shoved his hands into his pockets. “I have a job to do, tesoro.”
“You do.”
“Would you stop already?” His voice rose in his agitation. “I’ll talk to you about all this when I get back.”
“Don’t bother, Rogue. I was fooling myself into thinking this might work.” Kimber blinked back the tears, not wanting him to see how much he had hurt her. “I was wrong. Go save Tam or go fuck her for all I care.”
“Kimber—”
She didn’t wait for him to finish. Kimber turned and sprinted the rest of the way home, not stopping until she was secure in her home, with Diesel at her feet and her door firmly deadbolted. She slid down the back of the door, holding her emotions in until her backside hit the floor. Only then did she release the tears. Sobs shook her body. Of course, he would have a girlfriend in Santa Barbara. It wasn’t like he would wait to get laid until he returned to Pleasant. She had been a fool to think otherwise.
Friends with benefits.
She had warned him she didn’t do friends with benefits. Tam’s phone call proved as much. For Kimber, it was all or nothing. She had to cut Anton loose. She’d never be able to trust him. She had been a fool to think she could.
Tam was her wake-up call.
Kimber supposed she should thank the woman before she had invested too much of her heart. Diesel came over, nuzzled her side, then laid down next to her. Covering her face with her palms, she allowed the sobs to take over. Who was she trying to fool? Anton had already claimed a good deal of her heart. Now, all she needed to do was learn how to ignore the big gaping hole left by his betrayal.
Chapter 17
Anton watched Kimber and her delicious ass run in the opposite direction from him. Damn, she had looked smoking hot in those yoga pants. Not to mention the pink sports bra that barely contained her tits. It was all he could do to hold his ground. He jammed his fists onto his hips, his short nails biting into his palms. Had he taken chase, there would’ve been no stopping him. He would have carried her to her bed and fucked her senseless. His dick practically begged him to do so.
Unfortunately, there was no time to dally.
Fuck! Other than speak to Tamera, he wasn’t even sure what the hell he did. Kimber had suddenly gotten a burr up her ass. Next thing he knew, she was telling him to go fuck Tam. What the hell? Thinking of the short call, he was pretty sure he hadn’t mentioned anything about an intimate relationship with Tam. Why would he?
Her sobs carried to his keen hearing, cutting him to the heart. Damn, he hated the fact he was the reason for her sorrow.
Anton rubbed a hand down his jaw.
No matter what had upset her, he had a job to do and he couldn’t do it from here. Grayson would kill him if anything happened to his mate because Anton wasn’t there to protect her. Hell, he’d never forgive himself for not stopping Cara’s asinine plan in the first place. He shouldn’t have allowed her to talk him into giving Tamera the okay to stick her journalist nose into the Devils’ business, even if Tamera wasn’t supposed to be in the Devils’ territory alone. When the plan had been hatched, they had no way of knowing Tank would send Anton back to his home state.
Christ, how had everything turned to shit so quickly?
Kimber rounding the corner of the bushes lining her property and disappearing from his sight, stuck in his mind. His heart fucking hurt. Not only had he lost Tamera to Grayson, he had potentially lost Kimber because of all his lies and omissions. The idea of her never speaking to him again damn near crippled him.
Tell her or lose her.
Anton wanted to confess everything, to come clean.
No more secrets.
He jammed a hand through his short hair, blowing out his breath in frustration. Having a twelve-hour ride straight south ahead of him, going after Kimber wasn’t an option. Coming clean would have to wait. Not just about the Devils and his working undercover, but who he was. Who he really was. His heart was breaking wide open, telling him his feelings for Kimber went far beyond friends with benefits. If he cared for her, then he needed to be straight with her, including the truth about the fangs she had been looking for earlier. Her dream had no doubt been her subconscious recalling the truth.
Vampire.
Lord, she’d either run screaming or promise to get him help by checking him into the nearest mental institute. Freaking out, though, would be preferable to never wanting to see him again. At least then he might have a chance to prove to her vampirism wasn’t the scary thing nightmares were built upon. He was human, living and breathing just as she was, only he needed blood to survive. Not to mention the fact they were extreme sexual beings. Which she might come to like, he thought with a wry smile. He’d already shown her as much. Add to that, the drinking of her blood, and he’d give her mind-blowing orgasms any woman would be reluctant to turn down.
A four letter word formed in his thoughts.
Hell, he wanted to shrug it off, dismiss it as nonsense. But as he stood there staring at her house, not knowing if she’d ever forgive him or allow him back into her life, it sure felt as if his heart was falling apart. The closest he had come to loving anyone was Tamera, and even losing her to Grayson hadn’t felt nearly as distressing as the possibility of losing Kimber.
If it wasn’t love, it was damn close to it.
Anton had always wanted what Grayson had found with Tamera. The family. The whole nine yards. Most ran away from the idea of loving one woman. Anton had always hoped to find that one special person, to live out his life with, to have little vampire true bloods. Just his damn dumb luck, Kimber had no idea vampires even existed.
The likelihood of her wanting him once she found out was nil. He’d be left with hypnotizing her into forgetting his confession, and walking out of her life forever, in love with a woman never to be his.
If she didn’t find him crazy as a loon, he might consider petitioning Kaleb into letting him take a mate once this damn case was over. He could easily see himself in one of her white front porch rockers, cuddling a babe in his arms while she sat beside him, Diesel at her feet.
When the hell had he become such a sap?
Taking in a deep breath, he shook off his silly desires and headed for his house, reality staring him in the face. Bobby, the one man who had the ability to take him down by telling the Devils about Kimber. And Kimber, the one woman who, even if she forgave him, would never be able to love the vampire in him.
Anton jerked the screen door open and headed inside, calling out to his very temporary housemate. Not that he didn’t like Bobby, he respected the man, but he despised the MC he stood with.
Bobby came around the corner from the kitchen, holding up a sandwich. “Want one, man?”
Anton shook his head.
“No wonder you don’t have an ounce of fat on you. I swear you never eat. You even like food?”
“No time right now, Preacher.” Anton ignored the question, because frankly, he did not like food, not since turning vampire. “I need to head back to Santa Barbara.”
“Let me get my thin
gs.” He took a large bite of the turkey sandwich, wiping the remaining mayo from his whiskers. “I can be ready in five.”
“You’re staying here, Preacher. Someone needs to keep an eye on Draven. That shipment is supposed to be here any day, and Tank would have our asses if that little shit took off with his smack.” Anton grabbed his black T-shirt, draped over the arm of the sofa, and pulled it over his head. “We can’t trust that two-bit dealer to pick up the heroin alone. You know as well as I do, there is way too much money involved to trust the barkeep.”
“What will Tank think when you aren’t here and you show up back in Santa Barbara?”
“Look, bro, it can’t be helped. I have an issue with my old lady I need to deal with. If I run across Tank while I’m there, I’ll make sure he knows this is on me. Not on you.”
“You have an old lady?”
He shrugged. “Never mentioned her before. No reason to. I’d rather keep her out of club business, you know?”
One of Bobby’s brows rose. “And the pretty little thing I detained a few moments ago? She wasn’t here to see you?”
Anton winced, hoping Bobby bought it. “Yeah, let’s not tell my old lady about her. She’s my neighbor. I’ve fucked her a few times. Tam finds out, and she’ll cut my dick clean off. Go all Lorena Bobbitt on me.”
Bobby chuckled. “I can’t seem to get one woman. And you’ve got one too many.”
“You were doing all right the other night.”
“Tena? She seemed to be nice enough, too nice to put up with my ornery ass.” He took another large bite of his sandwich. Shifting the turkey and bread to one side of his mouth, he said, “I hope Tam’s worth it, man. Your old lady doesn’t cut that dick off because of your sassy little neighbor, Tank will have your balls for disobeying his orders.”
“It can’t be helped. I’ll be back in two days tops. You’ll cover for me?”
“Just get your ass back here before that shipment arrives. I don’t want to have to excuse away your absence. I’d rather not be on Tank’s bad side.”
“You got it, bro.”
Anton took the stairs two at a time. The sooner he got to Santa Barbara, the quicker he could get back, bringing Tamera with him. Pulling out his burner phone, he quickly dialed Kane’s number, being sent straight to voice mail. Shit! Where the hell was Kane?
He entered his room, pulled off his basketball shorts and stepped into a pair of jeans. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he quickly slipped into his worn brown boots before heading to his wardrobe. Anton grabbed a couple of days’ worth of clothes, stuffed them into his black duffle bag, then headed back down the stairs. Bobby sat, feet kicked up on the coffee table, remote in hand.
“Be safe, man,” Bobby said. “Don’t worry about Draven. I’ll make sure he minds his manners, even if that means hanging out unseen at that bar of his.”
Anton sure hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He didn’t want to risk Bobby being found out by the Sons. Hanging at the Rave would be risky at best. Something told Anton he could trust Bobby. If the man said he wasn’t going to rat him out to Tank and that he’d have his back, then he believed him.
“Be back as soon as I can. I owe you, bro.”
Anton trotted out the back of his house, heading for the barn where he had stored their bikes. He slid the door to the side and flipped the switch to the bare bulb. Taking his duffle bag off his shoulder, he strapped it to the back of his bike, then stepped over the seat and backed the motorcycle from the shed. Anton strapped the helmet onto his head, turned the key, and started the bike. The engine roared to life. Doing a wide arc, he drove the bike down his drive, stopping at the end, just shy of the road.
His gaze traveled to Kimber’s house. He couldn’t help wonder if she stood in one of the darkened windows and watched. If he did what was best for himself, he’d turn right, go make it up to her, kiss away all their troubles, fall into bed, and fuck the night away. Instead, too many lives depended on him doing the right thing for everyone else. So he picked up his feet, turned the bike left, and hit the gas.
He needed to get to Santa Barbara like yesterday.
Time was wasting.
Grayson’s mate depended on him, maybe even her very life. He was supposed to have been her cover, and he hadn’t been there for her. Not that it was his fault. He couldn’t be blamed for what he didn’t know. But he wasn’t about to fail Grayson, even if Anton had no idea Cara meant to send her so soon into Devil territory.
At the end of the country road, he flipped his turn signal, slowed at the stop sign, then turned onto the highway and buried the needle to his speedometer. Anton sure in the hell hoped he made it before Tamera got herself into too much trouble.
* * *
“What has you all down in the mouth this morning?” Tena grabbed her Styrofoam cup of coffee and took a long sip, wincing. “You made the coffee, didn’t you?”
“Too black for your taste?” Kimber smiled weakly, about as much as she could offer at the moment.
Her heart had snapped in two last night when she heard Anton use the same phrase he had used on her, on some woman named Tam. You belong to me. How many women did he actually claim? Kimber swallowed, hoping to stay the tears. She had cried enough last night as she stood in the window and watched him pull out of his driveway. Part of her had hoped he would’ve headed in her direction, but he hadn’t. Anton had turned his motorcycle toward the highway. She stood there watching the red taillight fade from sight.
“You could stand a spoon in it.” Tena picked up a plastic spoon from the tray and stuck in the cup as if she actually expected it to stand. “Cream and sugar doesn’t even help the taste.”
“I needed the caffeine.”
Chad walked into the break room, his eyes going to Tena’s hand, spoon, and cup. “Let me guess. Kimber made the coffee.”
Kimber actually chuckled. Chad had a way of making anyone smile, no matter their troubles. “If you guys want to make the coffee, feel free. Just get here before I do.”
Chad shook his head and waved his hand, palm out, in front of him. “No way, girlfriend. That was Tena’s complaint. I only made an observation. I’ll gladly drink the dregs to get a few extra minutes of sleep.”
“I thought so.” Kimber grabbed her own cup and took a sip, her gaze going to the clock. “Ten minutes until opening. Aren’t you early anyway?”
“I was up.” Chad took a seat across the break room table from the two of them. “So what has you looking like you lost your best friend?’
Damn, she wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings, even if she had just laughed at Chad’s joke. “I’m fine. About time to get to work is all.”
“Mmmm hmmmm. If you say so.”
“I was just asking her the same thing before you walked in.” Tena placed her cup on the table and shuddered. “I may have to go across the street and get me a latte.”
“You guys don’t know what good coffee is.”
“Sure we do, it’s called Coffee Haven and it’s just across the street.” Chad winked at Tena. “I’ll buy if you fly.”
“Hell, yes. Not too often you offer to buy.”
Chad reached into his front pocket and pulled out a ten, handing it to Tena. “You want anything?” he asked Kimber.
She shook her head. “No, thank you. Unlike you two, I know good coffee. Not that sugared down weak stuff you get across the street.”
Kimber took another sip from her cup. The hot java warmed her from the inside, though she doubted it heat the areas of her heart Anton made run cold with his words to Tam on the phone. What had she expected? She was the one who agreed to the whole stupid friends with benefits crap. Did that ever really work out for anyone? It seemed one party would always be more invested than the other, only to get hurt in the end.
Tena damn near skipped from the room, no doubt happy to get an extra-large coffee paid for by Chad. The man rarely offered to pay for anything. Kimber wondered about his motives, but didn’t have to wait long. He lo
oked at Kimber, his expression sobering.
“Spill, girlfriend. What did neighbor boy do? Do I need to kick his ass or toilet paper his house?”
That earned Chad a chuckle. She loved how he could so easily amuse her. Why she hadn’t befriended these two earlier was beyond her. They had quickly become her closest friends.
“No kicking of his butt, Chad. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand in mock worry. “Whew. I was worried there for a minute. Not that I wouldn’t have given it a try, but toilet paper is much more my style. I could egg his house too, if you want.”
“You realize Preacher is staying at Rogue’s, right?”
“Preacher? The big ass bear?” His gaze widened. “Sorry, girlfriend, you are on your own.”
Kimber chuckled again, feeling better all ready. “No worries. No one needs their butt kicked but me.”
“Stand up then.” Chad rose from his chair. “Well?”
“What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to kick your butt.” Chad laughed, then quickly retook his seat. “In all seriousness, what did Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous do?”
This whole sharing thing was still new to her. Kimber wasn’t used to talking about her life, let alone something as personal as this. Her heart felt stepped on, ran over, dragged, and ripped apart. Her feelings were still pretty raw, so she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about how deep Anton’s betrayal cut. Chad seemed as if he truly cared, prompting her to spill the beans. Maybe having someone to listen would help her get it off her chest.
“Where to start is more like the question.” Kimber picked at a cuticle on her finger. “I guess I was aiming a bit high.”
“Don’t be silly. Anyone would be lucky to have you. If I wasn’t gay, I’d be trying to get in those pants. You may not see it, but for a girl, you’re pretty smokin’.”
Her cheeks heated. “You’re such a charmer.”
“Maybe. But I was being serious.” He reached across the table and laced fingers with her. “Don’t cut yourself short. If your neighbor doesn’t want you, then he’s not only blind but damn stupid. Now tell me what he did.”
Rogue (Sons of Sangue Book 4) Page 18
