My whole body was light and floaty and warm, and there was a pleasant buzz inside my skull making all my worries disappear.
There was also a very distracting pulse between my legs that got worse every time Tone looked over at me, those dark eyes sweeping me up and down before he flashed another smile.
Him and the other guys had quickly moved on from darts and played several games of pool. Each time the angle was right—and by right, I mean whenever his ass was facing this way—I would glance over and nearly salivate at how well his jeans fit.
Lizzy giggled and I ducked my head, knowing I’d been caught. “Girl, you’ve got it so damn bad,” she said. Another giggle left her when I blushed. She was a seriously happy drunk. “Y’all can barely keep your eyes off each other.”
I raised a brow. At least I was pretty sure I did. It was hard to tell through the buzz. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just admiring his form. I was a pool champion back in the day.”
Kayla snorted, pushing blue hair out of her face. “Oh, you’re admiring his form alright. The form of that booty.”
Lizzy giggled again, and it set off a chain reaction among the three of us. We laughed until my stomach protested, and I had to wipe at the tears clinging to my lashes. When I inevitably glanced at Tone, he winked and raised his phone in the air. I grabbed mine, squinting to read the blurry words.
Tone: Don’t have so much fun without me, Smoothie Girl. I was serious about you being able to give me a complex.
Feeling giddy and wanted, I blew him a quick kiss, laughing again when he caught it and shoved it in his pocket.
Ugh. How can he be so perfect?
“He really is a great guy,” Kayla said, sounding suspiciously like she was responding to my inner thoughts.
I paused for a moment. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
Lizzy snickered. “You don’t drink much, do you?”
Not like this. Not when no one around me knows what could go wrong.
But I was drunk enough that those melancholy thoughts couldn’t reach me. So, what I said was, “What gave me away?”
“You’ve been an open book since like, shot two,” Kayla said. “Which is pretty awesome, if you ask me. I could listen to you sing Tone’s praises all day. He really is a sweetheart.”
I had to agree with her. “Not what I expected from a biker, that’s for sure.”
Lizzy nodded. “I’m surprised he can be so chill after what happened to Katherine-” Her skin paled and she clapped her hands over her mouth quickly.
But not quickly enough.
There was that name again.
My mood shifted. A nice way of saying it jumped from a tall cliff without a parachute and straight towards the angry, roiling depths below.
The alcohol in my stomach rebelled, raising pitchforks that stirred the acid uncomfortably. Was I turning green? I felt like I was turning green.
“I think I missed something,” Kayla said, staring us both down. “What’s going on?”
“Texas is going to be pissed.” Lizzy pushed her last shot away without touching it. “That’s what’s going on.”
“Who is Katherine, exactly?” I asked, and there was iron in my voice. I was getting the distinct feeling she was so much more than a friend.
Lizzy shook her head. “I can’t. I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Shitty, shit, shit.”
I glared at her, but she only gave me a sad look. And when my focus shifted to Kayla, she looked confused.
Fine.
I would get my answers straight from the source.
“Don’t.” Lizzy grabbed my arm when I slid out the booth.
I don’t think so.
Jerking out of her grip, I started across the bar, unsteady on my feet. Thankfully, it wasn’t far. Soon enough, I was standing right beside the pool table, folding my arms and cocking my hip.
Tone was lining up for another shot when he glanced up and spotted me, brown eyes smiling. He stood, leaning against his pool stick. “Uh oh. That’s the attitude stance. Whose about to get it?”
“Tell me about Katherine.”
Tone went completely stiff, knuckles squeezing the stick in his hands.
Somewhere behind me, Texas groaned. “Fucking hell, angel.”
My heart almost stopped, watching the man who stood like a statue in front of me. His lack of a response was more telling than anything. If she was a nonfactor, or someone he couldn’t stand, he would’ve dropped a witty comment.
But he hadn’t.
She meant something to him. Still.
Was she the reason for the tortured expression I’d caught on his face before?
Was I a distraction while he nursed the remnants of whatever had been between the two of them?
“Well?” I tapped my foot, trying to be strong no matter how badly I wanted to run home and crawl beneath the sheets. Except I knew I wouldn’t, even if the opportunity appeared. I had to know.
I had to.
“Let me get you home, Smoothie Girl.”
“You can get me home after you answer me.”
“Naomi…”
“Don’t Naomi me,” I snapped, walking right up to him and getting in his face. There was no way I didn’t look ridiculous, considering I barely made it up to his chest.
Tone looked over my shoulder, a muscle in his jaw pulsing. “You were supposed to have my back on this. That’s the only thing I’ve ever asked of you. The only fucking thing, Tex. Jesus Christ.”
Wood splintered behind me. “I know, brother. I fucked up.”
I snapped my fingers in Tone’s face, forcing his attention back to me. “No. You don’t get to be mad at him because you’ve got some other woman somewhere.”
His nostrils flared, dark eyes burning. “That’s what you think?” He grabbed me by the elbow, hustling me towards the door so fast I could barely react.
We passed Texas who was holding a shattered pool stick. Axle, who was hitting me with his harshest look yet. Then we were outside, back in the cold that I couldn’t feel for the heat inside me.
“Let. Go.” I pulled free right as he opened my car door. Slow, heavy footsteps gave me some much-needed space as he went around to the driver’s side.
We watched each other from over the hood, but his anger had drained away as quickly as it came. Leaving...hurt?
No. Don’t soften. Don’t see things that aren’t there.
“We’re not going anywhere until you give me some answers, Tone.” My breath fogged in the air.
He was quiet for a moment. Then, “I was going to tell you.”
There wasn’t a single thing nice or amused about the scoff that left my mouth. “Said every lying guy on the face of the planet, but I’ll humor you. When were you going to tell me? When you couldn’t hide her from me anymore?”
A thought occurred to me that almost made me sick.
Was that where he was when he wasn’t with me? He was out somewhere with her instead?
My stomach pitched sideways, and I put a hand to my throat, willing everything inside me to stay where it was.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said softly, face pinched with some emotion I couldn’t read in the dark.
“Just tell me.” I stomped the ground, wishing I could stamp out the sting behind my eyes as easily.
He swallowed thickly.
His mouth opened and closed.
He wasn’t answering me.
Tone wanted to keep the secret so badly? Fine. But he couldn’t keep us both.
“You know what? Forget it.” I slid into the passenger seat, slamming my door. He got in right after me, sealing us into a bubble of pregnant silence. “Drive.”
He put the key in the ignition. His hands went to the wheel, unmoving. I could see him staring at me from the corner of my eye.
I stared out into the night, refusing to look at him. Refusing to let him see the pain scraping me inside out. “Drive.”
“No.”
Wi
ping at my eyes, I shook my head. “No?”
“No,” he rumbled. “A misunderstanding won’t be the end of us. I refuse.”
“You say that like there’s still an us.”
“Fuck!” He slammed a fist into the dashboard with a crash, making my heart leap against my ribs.
Biting my lip, I looked at him, so, so confused by what I was seeing. He had never lost his temper. Never been out of control. And yet…
Tone was breathing hard, chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes were clamped shut. There was a dent in my dashboard and dark red blood sitting on top of the surface.
I forgot my anger, grabbing his hand in mine and pulling it towards me. His knuckle was split, and although it wasn’t bleeding heavily, it looked painful as hell. But he wasn’t paying any attention to it.
“Katherine,” he started, swallowing again like there was a boulder in his throat.
“It’s fine,” I said, even though it wasn’t. “We need to go back in and get you a bandage or something.”
Whatever threat she represented wasn’t so great I wanted to see him hurt.
He tilted his head towards me. In the shadows, I could barely make out his eyes. And still, the bleakness in them stunned me. When he spoke, I had to dip my head to hear him.
I almost wished I hadn’t.
“I told you she was my best friend,” he said raggedly. “And yeah, eventually became more. Then time ran out for both of us.”
“Tell me,” I whispered, heart sinking with awareness of what was coming next. Even though I knew I couldn’t stop it.
And my armored knight, who had been nothing but good to me.
Who had made me feel welcome in this new place.
Who had carved out a slice in my life so easily, and with such precision, it felt like he had always been there.
He said two words, and my heart broke for him.
Two words, and he changed everything.
Two words, and I fell in love with him. No matter how poor the timing.
Barely able to get them through his throat, he said, “She died.”
I hugged him, because I knew there was nothing I could say, and he let me.
We stayed like that for minutes, hours, days. I wasn’t sure. I kept my arms around his neck and my nose pressed to his skin until I felt drowsy. Until the sound of the car starting had me opening heavy lids I didn’t remember closing.
Tone drove me home in silence.
He walked me to my door in silence.
He took my shoes off and put me to bed in silence.
My heart ached at how well he was taking care of me when I couldn’t do the same for him. He stood beside the bed, staring down at me with those dark, endless eyes so full of lurking memories I couldn’t begin to guess where his thoughts were.
When he turned to go, I reached out and caught the back of his jacket between my fingers.
“Stay,” I told him.
Because now, I understood the source of those tortured emotions that had flashed across his face before the truth came out. With that understanding came perspective.
He was always so collected—so full of purpose—because he was holding himself together. Holding the grief at bay. My knight had a dragon hitching a ride on his shoulders, and he didn’t realize he was the one keeping it there.
I didn’t know how to help him.
I didn’t know if I could.
But tonight?
Tonight, I wasn’t willing to let him battle it by himself. Maybe I couldn’t take the field. But I could-
No. I would hold him together.
Tone slipped off his shoes and jacket, then his shirt and jeans before climbing in beside me in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. The sight of his body would always excite me, but I tucked that bundle away. I waited for him to get comfortable. Then I crawled on top of him, letting my hair spill over his shoulder.
Letting him feel the beat of my heart right beside his.
Letting him know he wasn’t alone.
He sniffled, the only sound he had made in Lord knows how long. Then he wrapped his arms around me, and I prayed we would be okay before sleep arrived and took me under.
Chapter Twenty
Naomi
A disgustingly dry mouth and the buzz of my watch woke me up.
I climbed off Tone, smiling softly when he shifted and reached for me in his sleep. Then I experienced a brief, all-consuming moment of horror when I realized I’d let him in without giving any thought to what my room looked like.
I glanced around nervously, and only started to breathe a bit easier when I realized that everything incriminating—pill bottles, insulin vials, lots and lots of spare needles—was safely stashed away.
After last night, I knew for sure I was going to have to tell him eventually. But eventually wasn’t arriving today. So, I grabbed what I needed, disappeared into the restroom, and came back out fast enough to tuck the items away again before moving towards the sleeping figure making my bed look super tiny.
I shook his shoulder and he groaned, rolling away from my touch. “Wakey, wakey,” I sang. “The sun is up, which means you should be up.”
“What kind of hippie junk is that?” he grumbled, raising himself to a sitting position, back against the headboard.
My eyes drank him in. Only Tone could make grogginess sexy. I somehow managed to stop ogling his chest long enough to get to his beard, and I pointed at it, a grin taking over my face. “You’ve got a bit of a situation going on there.”
He rolled his eyes, not even bothering to run his hands through the smashed mess. “How are you so goddamn perky? Shouldn’t you have a headache?”
“That’s why I stick with liquor when I do actually drink. It leaves me a little drained, but I never want to hide under the bed to avoid the rest of the world afterwards.”
“This is too much talking for how early it is.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed, searching for his clothes and putting them on. “I need a shower before I can deal with being away. Oh, and this is Lynn’s day off. You should call her and see if she can run the shop for a bit.”
I frowned, not understanding. “Are we going somewhere?”
“Yeah.” He pulled his jacket over his shoulders before facing me and offering a weak smile. “I still owe you an explanation after last night.”
I shook my head, ponytail flying from side to side. “No, you don't. If anything, I should be apologizing. I was hurt, but that’s not an excuse for jumping to assumptions. I had no business trying to insert myself into-”
“It is your business.” He closed the distance, bringing me into his arms. I pressed my cheek against his chest and sighed happily while he held me. “This has to do with both of us. Give me maybe a half-hour, and we’ll hit the road, yeah? Grab something to eat on the way?”
“Okay.”
We let go at the same time, and he placed a sweet kiss on the top of my head before seeing himself out. I scrambled to pull together an outfit and then ran for the shower, wondering if I needed to trade out my mascara for war paint. I had no idea what this day might bring, but it was always better to be prepared.
And since no one made armor that went around the heart, I was feeling pretty poorly equipped.
***
The ride was longer than I expected, and I was glad Tone was driving my car again instead of his bike. I wasn’t sure my butt would’ve survived this long of a trip. We stopped at a small diner on the way out of town and had a delightful breakfast with just the two of us. But once we got back on the road, the silence had claimed him again.
I was okay with it. The view from the backroads showed trees and farmland and even a distant mountain. Plus, I knew whatever was going through his mind had to be some heavy stuff. He didn’t need me interrupting his thoughts. Although I couldn’t help but notice that not once did he remove the hand on my thigh for the entire drive.
Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, he slowed to a stop and pulled to the shoulde
r. I had no idea where we were. No car had passed us in several miles, and I hadn’t been paying a lot of attention to the signs.
My trust in him was rock-solid, though.
So, when he came around the car and grabbed my hand before strolling into the woods, I went willingly. The shadows of the trees swallowed us up and we walked among beams of sunlight streaming in through the dense canopy.
He cleared his throat after a few minutes of helping me over rocks, around shrubs, beneath limbs. “You asked me once how I ended up with the Seven Sinners.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I reminded him, only to be ignored.
“I would’ve never sought them out by myself,” he said. “Not back then. I was young and dumb and arrogant. I thought I was handling things so fucking well, but I couldn’t even see how obvious the trail was that I was leaving behind.”
“The town we went to, where the fair was held. Deacon. That’s where I’m from originally.” He paused for a second, looking both ways at nothing that stood out to me before continuing on. “The fair is one of the few good things about it, because it’s always been a shithole. Too poor. Too dirty. Too small to be meaningful. You know what collects in small towns?”
“What?”
“Stupid assholes. Hateful people. They’ve never known jack shit, and that ignorance scares them. They hate anything that threatens what they do know.”
I squeezed his hand, keeping my mouth shut for a change.
He snapped a branch free as we walked by, twirling it in his fingers. “I started stealing from those people. Because while they were stupid and hateful, they were also filthy fucking rich. Money that was barely a drop in the bucket for them meant everything to me...to us.”
I wondered how he kept his voice even. Even from our single point of contact, I could feel the tension in him. The anger. The sadness. The eternal, swirling storm of emotions that had never settled.
“Katherine and I grew up together. I’ll never forget the day she moved in across the street and her parents came over to introduce themselves.” His lips quirked at the memory before they returned to a thin line. “She introduced herself to me from behind her mom’s legs, and we were thick as thieves from that day forward. She was sweet, and too damn nice for this world. So despite me being an asshole, things worked. I shielded her from the worst our town had to offer, and when things at home took a turn, she was there to balance out my bad behavior.”
Tempted by a Sinner (Seven Sinners Book 4) Page 21
