My men were good, more than. But it was my fucking club—my responsibility.
“As long as you’re good—then yeah, would be good to have you back,” he affirmed.
“I’m good,” I assured him. “Just got to handle something first, and I’ll hit the road. Later.”
I hung up, looking again at Grace, knowing the timing was shit. But also knowing there was fuck all I could do about it.
I strode in her direction, ignoring the wide-eyed looks I received from the women sitting around her.
“A word?” I asked quietly, my eyes only on hers—only for her. All thoughts of speaking to her pop, of his acceptance or not of us, flew from my mind, and all I could think about was that I was about to leave her. If I couldn’t convince her to leave with me.
She nodded before rising, seeming to understand I’d only approach her like this before we’d talked to Cole if it was important.
She followed me out front to my bike, and I leaned against it, arms crossed at the chest as she eyed me with a mixture of concern and wariness.
“Tank called, that bike gang has amped shit up—I need to get back, baby,” I explained softly.
Some of the color drained from her cheeks as she visibly swallowed. “Oh.”
“Come here, ladybug.” I took her hand, pulling her into my arms. “I want you to come with me,” I murmured in her ear.
She pulled back, staring at me in wide-eyed shock. “I can’t go back with you. I have a job, Ruston. And we just met!”
I straightened, no longer able to maintain any semblance of a casual posture. “You have a job you’re clearly unhappy with and where the owner’s son is stalking you. And we didn’t just fucking meet. You keep pullin’ that shit, I’m gonna pull my hair out,” I growled. “You saw me through nearly dying. You’ve touched the soul in me. In some ways, you know me better than anyone else in my goddamn life. And I was inside you not two hours ago, so don’t tell me we don’t fucking know each other.”
“What the fuck is going on out here!” a male voice roared, and we both turned to watch a thunderous Cole stalk in our direction. “What the hell are you doing with my daughter?” he demanded, his blue eyes alight with rage.
I stood in front of Grace, needing to protect her from anyone this angry—even if it was her father. “I’m going to need you to back up,” I ordered.
“Back up? You’re gonna tell me to back up?” he demanded incredulously. “That’s my daughter.” He jabbed a finger in Grace’s direction.
“And she’s my woman,” I decreed.
“We came to tell you tonight, Pop.” Grace spoke softly, stepping alongside me, giving me a look when I tried to guide her back behind me. “Ruston just has to leave unexpectedly, and we were talking that through.”
Cole turned his cold eyes to me. “Got what you wanted and now you’re leaving?” he seethed.
The fact I didn’t clock him in the face was a fucking miracle. “You can talk about me all you want,” I growled. “But I won’t let anyone disrespect Grace—that includes you.”
For a few heated moments we stared at each other, the tension thick in the night air.
“What’s going on out here?” Scarlet, Grace’s mother, arrived at her husband’s side, her green eyes and red hair matching that of her daughter. “Why do you two look like you’re about to kill each other?” She looked between me and Cole quizzically, though I sensed she had an instant read on the situation. She was sharp, just like her daughter.
“Because we might be,” Cole snarled, his gaze still locked on mine.
“Baby, you can’t kill Gracie’s first boyfriend,” she chastised her husband.
“He’s not my first boyfriend, Mom.” Grace groaned in embarrassment.
She gave Grace a knowing look. “Let’s be real honey, it had to be like this with the only one that’s mattered.”
“He’s not her fucking boyfriend—he’s the prez of another club.” Cole swept an angry arm in my direction. “From five hundred fucking miles away. He’s just passing through and using our daughter to do it.”
I took a step forward. “First of all, the fact you think your daughter would allow me to use her for anything says you might not know very much about her. And I’m not her fucking boyfriend—I’m her man. And yes, I’m a fucking prez. A leader like you. And I want her to lead alongside me.” I pulled Grace under my arm. “I have to leave tonight to deal with some shit back home, and I want her to come back with me.” I looked down at Grace, my tone softening. “I want you with me, ladybug. Please.”
She bit her lip, her eyes sweeping from her parents to me, and I could feel myself losing her. “I don’t know, I don’t think I’m ready….” She trailed off softly.
I released her as I tried like hell to understand the position she was in while not raging at her to start the life with me we were destined to lead. “All right, baby. More time. I get it,” I murmured before turning to her father. “We have shit to work out—and this wasn’t the way we wanted to start the conversation, but we will continue it, another time. For now, there’s a creep from Grace’s work who’s stalking her. I need your assurance you’ll have eyes on her while I’m gone.”
