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I’m leaning over the table and am in his face the moment the word mine leaves his mouth. “She is not fucking yours and never will be. You got me.”
The fucker points his hard stare at me, refusing to back down, and I’m about to beat his ass to a bloody pulp. But then a smirk forms on his face and he’s nodding his head. “You fucking love her.”
I back away from him like I’ve just been burned, sinking down into my seat. He’s dead right about that. I do love her. More than anything in this world. More than I thought was humanly possible, but that changes nothing.
“Sure as hell do. She’s family to me,” I state, just so he’ll back the fuck off. “And no one is going to touch her. Consider her club property. Keep your hands off and keep her safe.”
“Bullshit,” Trigger counters, causing my fists to clench even tighter than they already are. “I’ll tell you what. You admit that you’re in love with that girl, and I’ll stay away. But if you don’t admit the truth, then consider her free game.”
I seriously want to punch the guy whom I consider one of my closest friends. He’s got me backed against the fucking wall, and he knows it. Club rules are: if we don’t claim a girl for ourselves, then fair is fair and any brother is allowed to pursue her. If someone is blood, they automatically get protection from the club and are off-limits unless permission is granted. But here I am, the enforcer of those rules and trying to bend them in my favor. If I don’t claim her, officially, Trigger can do whatever the fuck he wants, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Fine. I’m in love with her. You happy?”
Finally, Trigger retreats wearing a big ol’ shit-eating grin.
“You heard the man,” Axle pipes up. “The claim has been made, which means she’s off-limits and under our protection.” He tips his glass in my direction before he takes a sip.
Relief should be hitting me, and I should be joining in a celebratory drink with him since I’ve just claimed the woman I’m in love with. But right now, I am not relieved, and there is nothing worth celebrating. Because no matter how much I want her to be mine, Bentley will never let that happen. And when he gets wind of my claiming, he’s going to come after me and make good on his threats. Fuck. I have some major recon on my hands later, and I’m not fucking looking forward to it.
“Damn, you guys are dropping like flies,” RiffRaff, our resident manwhore states. He’s shaking his head like he can’t even fathom the thought of being tied down to one woman for the rest of his life. Yeah, he can spout that shit all he wants, but I guarantee the moment he meets his one, he’ll be singing a different tune. He just hasn’t found her yet. On the other hand, I found mine all right. I just can’t fucking have her.
“Seriously.” Trigger shakes his head. “You guys are snatching up all the good ones. This place is all dried up. And the second a sexy little thing comes along, one of you bastards has already swooped in and claimed her. What the hell?”
“I’ve known that girl since she was in pigtails, Trig. There was no swooping in. I’ve always been there.”
“So what’s the deal then? Why are you trying to deny what you two obviously feel for each other? Because the way you two were looking at each other just now, damn…if I’d watched you two any longer, I would have grown a pair of ovaries.”
The guys all chuckle at his remark, but personally, I’m not fucking amused.
“Two words,” I state. “Officer Bentley.”
“What the hell does he have to do with it? Does Officer Dickwad have a thing for the girl? Because that girl clearly has a thing for you, so he should get a fucking clue and move the fuck on.”
I shake my head. “She’s his sister.”
“Oh, fuck!” His eyes shoot right up to his hairline. Yep, he can say that again. “Let me guess. Because you’re one of us, you’re not good enough for his precious little sister?”
Trigger’s irritation oozes out with every word, and I can’t say I blame him for hating the officer. Bentley has turned into a real dick and sometimes makes shit hard for our club. And he has definitely made his opinion about us known around town. I don’t like that shit either, but I know Bentley wasn’t always this way. He once was the guy playing pranks and clowning around in school and getting into trouble for it. He once was the guy who had me laughing for hours and knew how to have fun and let loose. But then, life happened, and shit hit the fucking fan. He lost his parents to a car accident, became a parent at the young age of twenty to a teenage girl, and then faced some pretty crazy shit when he first joined the police force. So yeah, that shit took its toll, so now in the place of my best friend is a jaded asshole with a major pole up his ass.
Trigger’s not far off with his summation of the situation, but if I give him the real reason Bentley doesn’t want me near his sis, all hell will break loose.
“Nah, it’s because he and I both know that girl deserves better than my sorry ass. You know I’m never going to settle down. I don’t do relationships. Never have and never will.”
The gasp to my right has me tensing. I turn and see my girl standing with her tray; the drinks rattling on the thing as her nerves take hold. Pretty sure she just heard what I said. And by the look on her face, it’s clear I just landed a punch right to her sweet, little crushing heart. Her hand trembles as she places my drink in front of me. “Here’s your drink, Grit.” Her voice comes out just as shaky.
Before I can even tell her thank you, she turns and is practically running back to the bar.
“Why the fuck didn’t you warn me she was there?” I aim my anger at Trigger, who doesn’t fucking deserve it. But I’m fucking dying inside.
“Why the hell are you so worried about her knowing the truth? If you really believe that shit you just spewed about not being good enough, you’d want to drill the fact into her pretty little head so she’s not off fantasizing about a future she’s never going to have with you.”
He’s shaking his head at me because he knows I’m not being straight with him. I’m not lying. I’m just not giving him the whole truth. “I’ll let you off the hook tonight, Grit, because there are too many ears in this place.” His eyes peer right in on me. “But I suggest you think long and hard about what you want, and don’t let anyone fucking stand in your way from having it.”
If only it were that simple. And if only it wasn’t the fucking law standing in my way.
CHAPTER 3
Hailey
