Now, he wanted to touch her, take her––over and over again to reaffirm his ownership of her because he was already half in love with her again––even if he couldn’t admit it to her yet. He was dragging her up the stairs with her laughing slightly at his hurry when Rebel came down them looking a little green.
“Umm, Iron, you might want to take her back to the rec center,” Rebel said, a grimace on his face. Iron didn’t know what the fuck the man’s problem was and he didn’t give two shits at the moment. He only cared about his need to be inside Roz, now, right now.
Going to the rec center would take too damned long.
“Just get the fuck out of the way, Rebel,” he grunted, not in the mood for any bullshit. Also not understanding why the man was insisting he take another twenty minutes to get Roz naked by going to the rec center in the first place. Deciding it didn’t matter because it wasn’t fucking happening, he tightened his hold on Roz before he attempted to just walk around Rebel. Rebel shifted trying to stop him and Iron let out a frustrated growl.
“I really think you should take her back there instead, Iron,” Rebel iterated, looking at him with a tilted head and an expression that he was sure Rebel thought would tell him something, but with his dick throbbing and his patience gone he didn’t have a freaking clue what the hell it was.
“Get out of the way! ” Iron gritted out, feeling Roz tugging her hand, trying to get away from him, but his hold tightened refusing again to release her.
“Fine,” Rebel grumbled tossing his hands into the air, looking pissed off as he moved aside. Iron was just glad that the man had stopped trying to prevent him from reaching his goal of sinking balls deep into a naked Roz.
He began dragging her along with him, slowing only so she didn’t trip on the stairs. Pulling her to the door, he pushed it open and realized exactly what Rebel had been trying to tell him. A woman lay naked on his bed pushing her tits out towards him and when he stopped short in the open doorway, she grinned.
“Fuck,” Iron grunted out the loud expletive and tried to shield Roz from the sight of Grace on his bed by moving in front of her.
“Get dressed and get the fuck out,” he curtly commanded
Grace sat up on the bed looking at him, a hurt expression on her face, which he ignored because he had already told her on more than one occasion that he wasn’t interested anymore, but she was persistent. He should have just been even more blunt with her than he already had been and this might not have happened.
Fuck, what was Roz going to think when she saw this bitch leaving his room?
Grace smiled widely, her voice husky when she spoke, “Oh now sugar, you know you don’t mean that. We’re so good together, Iron.”
Iron hadn’t ever wanted to hit a woman before but in that moment, hearing Roz’s pained cry when she realized what was going on, he wanted to. He wanted to slap Grace across her pretty little mouth, which she poised into a pout when she noticed he wasn’t alone.
“Oh, I see. You really shouldn’t keep bringing these women home with you, Iron. You know I’ll satisfy any needs you may have,” Grace said, standing to stretch like a cat, not bothering to cover her nakedness.
Iron knew it was a power play on her part, one that was supposed to put Roz in her place. It sent fury bleeding through him and his words were harsher than usual when he spoke. “Grace, I’ve told you three times I wasn’t interested in fucking you a second time. Once was more than enough.”
Iron still stood in front of Roz trying to shield her from the sight of Grace naked on his bed as much as he could. He knew that the fragile peace they had just found was being threatened by this display and he was not happy about it. Not to mention his poor cock that wasn’t likely to get action until they’d discussed this new development.
“But Iron, we’re so very good together,” Grace said, still naked in the middle of the room with no signs she was going to get dressed anytime soon and Iron wanted to just jerk her out the damned door and slam it behind her. Then he could work this out with Roz because this was going to cause another problem for them, he knew.
Roz let out a pained cry when she peeked around Iron after he harshly told someone to get the fuck out of his room.
Wait, no, he’d said get dressed and get out.
That was when she saw the woman with large tits and blonde hair standing up from the bed to stretch. Roz felt old insecurities raise their ugly heads at the sight of the woman standing beside the bed in Iron’s room. They sent shards of pain through her because it was obvious that this woman had been his lover, otherwise she wouldn’t have been here naked.
Roz thought about leaving, but something inside her that felt like Iron was hers reared its ugly head and she shoved against his back moving him out of the way. It was obvious that he didn’t want this woman here and she needed to be put in her place. Roz found that she was perfectly willing to handle it because she didn’t want the woman near him.
“Grace, isn’t it?” Roz questioned, her gaze resting on the woman disdainfully.
“Yes,” Grace said, looking smugly at Roz.
“Have you no self-respect?” Roz asked coldly, her eyes looking the woman first up then back down, her nose wrinkling to let the other woman know she wasn’t impressed with what she saw.
“How dare you talk to me that way? You’re nothing but another piece of ass to him so mind your mouth,” Grace shouted, losing the smug look.
“Don’t talk to Rozzy that way––” Iron growled angrily, but Roz cut him off with a wave of her hand. Because he was a smart man who knew he was in trouble, he shut his mouth and stood quietly watching her with his arms crossed.
“Oh sweetie, you wish that was all I am but you see, it’s really the other way around.” Roz stepped forward grabbing Grace’s clothes off the foot of the bed and holding them out to her. “You should really get dressed, Hon. It’s becoming embarrassing at this point. He has flat out told you he isn’t interested.”
“He’s just playing hard to get and if you understood men better you would know that, but it’s very obvious that you aren’t very––experienced,” Grace said after a short pause, a smug smile returning to her face, but she grabbed the clothes Roz held out to her.
“I am not playing hard to get. I DON’T fucking want you. How much clearer can I make that?” Grace stared at Iron over Roz’s head, watching as he stepped closer to Roz, taking her waist in his hard hands before pulling her back into him, almost like a shield.
Roz shook her head sadly at Grace, her sympathy stirred a little despite the sting of her presence in Iron’s room and the resentment she set free inside her. This woman really thought that Iron wanted her and it was sad when a woman deluded herself that way. Iron was making it clear that she wasn’t anyone he was interested in but Grace wasn’t hearing it because she didn’t want to.
“I think maybe you should leave, Grace. Iron’s not going to change his mind. He isn’t the type to jerk a woman around. If he says he doesn’t want you, then he doesn’t,” Roz told the woman, who seemed to realize she wasn’t going to win this fight for Iron’s affections. Not that there was any competition, Roz realized. She knew this, but it didn’t lessen the anguish she felt unleashed inside her knowing he had shared a bed with Grace.
Grace pulled on her jeans and t-shirt before she hurriedly stepped towards the door. Iron and Roz had already moved out of the way, Roz having pulled casually away from Iron so as not to let the woman in on the secret that this had hurt her. If Grace thought there was any lack of confidence inside Roz she would pounce; it was what women like her did. They undermined another woman’s confidence and used it against them, but Roz wasn’t about to allow that to happen here.
“I’m not going to wait forever, Iron,” Grace said, her voice shaky.
“I don’t give a fuck what you think happened with us, Grace. I can’t make this any clearer. I’ve tried to be nice and let you down easy but you are just not taking the hint so let me explain this one last time
. Do not come back here and get naked in my room or try to cause problems between Roz and me. I won’t put up with it. I don’t want to be harsh but what we had the one night we were together didn’t mean anything to me as I told you the night it happened. Do you really think I would have kicked you out the door right after we fucked if it did?” Iron’s words were insensitive but Grace was not taking a hint and Roz knew she needed to hear them.
Grace paled while listening to his speech, finally realizing that she was making a fool of herself. Sympathy stirred inside Roz a second time when Grace’s expression twisted, revealing her embarrassment. Grace looked from Iron to Roz for a moment before she turned and raced out the door without another word. Iron shut the door behind her and moved to take Roz into his arms, but she waved him off, stepping back.
Roz turned around, her back facing Iron, arms tight around her waist as she stood on the other side of the room trying to process what had just happened. She’d been so happy for a little while before they had come up here. She watched Iron pace in front of the door, feeling a lump form in the back of her throat. She wanted to say something about what had happened but she didn’t know what to say, or how she felt.
“Damn it, Roz. I didn’t ask her to come here,” Iron said, rubbing his bald head hard, his movements jerky, almost angry.
“I know that, Iron, but it still doesn’t change the fact that it happened,” Roz voiced, trying to explain the agony she felt knowing that he had been with other women. Swallowing hard, she tightened her arms around herself trying to ward off the thoughts she felt lurking inside her.
“I know. Fuck, believe me I know. Roz, what I did with her––it isn’t like what we do together. It never meant anything to me, not with any of them.” He paused and stopped talking briefly while he looked earnestly at her. “I thought you were dead, Roz, or it never would have happened.”
Iron’s eyes were passionate and his hands moved in the air as he spoke. Roz believed him, she really did, but it still pained her. She felt nausea curl in her stomach making her feel sick. She couldn’t blame him for moving on when she was the one who’d technically died.
“I know that too, Iron, but it hurts me to think of you with other women. I can’t handle it and the thought rips me up inside.” Roz felt tears stinging her eyes as she stared at him.
Iron let out a loud expletive, sitting down on the bed with his head in his hands. “Fuck, just fuck. I understand. I was going crazy thinking that someone else might had touched you.”
He looked up at her, his eyes filled with so much distress she almost couldn’t stand seeing it there. It wasn’t his fault that things had turned out the way they had any more than it was hers but they were both trying to make sense of the aftermath.
“Baby, I don’t know what to say because I know that nothing is going to fix it. It’s always going to hurt you and there isn’t a damned thing I can do about it and that fucking kills me. I would have waited if I had thought for even a minute you were alive, Rozzy. Forever, if I had to. I would never willingly betray you, you have to know that.”
His words were passionate and his eyes were focused on her with such honesty that she knew he was trying to make it easier for her. Roz wished what he said to her could make this hurt she felt eating her up inside go away, but it didn’t. It was still an open wound after seeing Grace naked and in his bed.
“I do believe you, Iron. I do. It’s just––” She closed her eyes briefly before opening them to peer at him again. “I can’t––do this now.”
She motioned towards the bed to indicate that she wasn’t ready to have sex after seeing Grace here. Her thoughts spun around inside her, torturing her with scenes of him tangled up, with other women, making her fingers clench tighter, digging into her sides. She looked up, seeing Iron nod his head, his expression pained. He sighed, his hands fisting at his sides as he watched her.
Steeling her spine, she uttered determinedly, “I will manage to deal with it, but just not right now. I need time. And I know I don’t really have a right to ask for it with the years we’ve been apart, but I need it, Iron.”
He stood and walked towards her, his face grim as he took her shoulders in his hands holding her steady for a moment.
“Roz, if you need time, I will give it to you. I know how this would make me feel in reverse. I would be insane.” He let out a low derisive chuckle. “Hell, I would likely be homicidal. Neither of us can change what’s already happened as you’ve said before but that doesn’t mean we can’t work it out, Roz. We can get past this if we’re both willing to try. I want us back, baby. I need that.”
Roz felt relief flood her, making her almost giddy. She realized she had been worried that he didn’t want to fix this between them and it had terrified her because she needed him. Gazing up at him, she knew that they would work this out somehow. Their love story wouldn’t end up being a tragedy
“I want this to work too,” Roz whispered, allowing him to pull her closer, his arms enclosing her in a tight hug. She felt his heart pounding against hers and she wanted to just stay like that forever. To just be safe in his embrace, to let her body soak up the knowledge that he still cared for her. He might not love her anymore, but she was damned sure that she could make him fall in love with her again.
“Good,” he whispered and kissed her forehead, squeezing her tighter. “I don’t know what I would have done if you said you didn’t want us to work on this because I can’t stand this distance between us. It’s making me insane and I can’t think straight.”
Roz laughed a little at that. “Yeah, I think being apart is making me a little crazy too.”
“It’s all right. We’re going to get there, babe. I know we are.” Iron held her against his chest, just holding her for a long time before he pulled back, kissing her on the nose before taking a step away from her. “Come on, baby, I’ll take you back over to the rec center.”
Roz allowed him to lead her down the stairs and out to his bike. She knew that things were going to be okay between them because they were both willing to do whatever it took to get back to the effortless love they had once shared.
Chapter 13
Iron pushed the clip into his gun hearing it snap into place. He turned around looking at Pansy, who’d just asked him how he and Roz were doing. Iron was courting her after the debacle in his room at the clubhouse. He knew that Roz was worth it and as much as he hated to admit it, he’d screwed up when she had fallen out of that truck a few weeks ago.
Despite his anger at her lack of trust in him, Iron had to admit to himself that he’d not given her much cause to trust him. He should have gone back when he first made prospect six months after arriving in Death Valley and made sure she knew how to get a hold of him if she was in trouble. Iron could have gotten her a sat phone so that she could call him but at the time he’d thought they were both invincible and that nothing bad was ever going to happen to them.
They had both been so damned young and neither of them had seen much of the world back then. Feeling conflicted about his role in the past, he turned his mind to the task at hand, looking over at the two Headhunters they were watching before he glanced back at Pansy and answered.
“It’s getting better. I think that we’ve worked most of it out now, but I don’t know how she feels about it. Rozzy was always easy to read but for some reason that’s changed and I can’t tell if she’s really happy with the way things are right now. I think it’s all good though, she seems to like the courting.” Iron let out a low chuckle because it was true. She had beamed at him yesterday when he had surprised her and Laci with a picnic. They’d made love twice since the day she had seen Grace in his room but he was taking things slowly with her because he didn’t want to mess up again. He’d done enough of that for one lifetime.
“Sometimes you have to rediscover someone who you thought you knew when you’ve been apart a long time. I think your Roz is happy. She’s always smiling when I see her. I know that it started off rocky bet
ween you but it’ll get better. You’ve both let go of your anger and that’s a start,” Pansy said, reaffirming Iron’s view on the man’s wisdom. Pansy always seemed to know what to say to people to make them see things in a way they hadn’t seen before. Somehow the quiet man always said the one thing a person needed to hear in order to bring home the point they needed to see.
“It wasn’t hard to let it go because I realized I was acting like an idiot. I really should have taken better care of her back then but I was too damned young and cocky. Fuck, I can’t believe I was ever that cocky. I thought nothing bad could happen to me or to her.” Iron let out a snort, his lip curling in disgust at his lack of foresight. Turning back to watch the two men who were now sneaking around the building, he nodded in their direction bringing the fact that they were on the move to Pansy’s attention.
“What the hell are those two up to?” Pansy asked, looking grim because they’d been watching these two men at the dry cleaners near the Blue Bird for over an hour. The two Headhunters seemed to be watching the people who went in and out of the club, which was odd. They were moving towards their bikes, Iron realized. After an hour of watching, they were just leaving and Iron wondered for the umpteenth time what they were up to.
“I don’t know but I don’t like it. It’s too fucking close,” Iron muttered and Pansy nodded.
“Agreed. They’re headed out. Think we should follow them or should we report back to Reaper?” Pansy asked, watching them pull their bikes out of the bushes behind the dry cleaners.
“I think we should talk to Reaper. This is just fucking weird. It’s a little concerning that they are coming into town to watch the club. It’s not something I think we should ignore. There is a reason they’re risking it and I don’t know what it is but we need to figure it out,” Iron said, watching the two men push their bikes to the road and take off.
Melted Iron (Blue Bandits MC Book 3) Page 12
