Page 37 of Double the Redemption

She barely lifted her head when she saw Ink in the closet doorway. His brow furrowed and he frowned, but thankfully, he didn’t try to enter the closet. Instead, he slid down and sat just past the opening.

“I’m so sorry, Naomi,” he said, voice heavy. “So fuc—I mean, freaking sorry.”

She continued rocking her son. Guilt ate at her for the fear she’d caused him. He would have nightmares for days after this. It always happened when things like this occurred with Diego.

Glitch poked her head in, her expression tight. “I’m going to sort things out with the SIM and get in contact with the team. Naomi … I’m really sorry. I hope you’ll give us a chance to fix this.” Then she left.

“Stay with her and make sure they’re good,” Savage ordered Ink. Then his heavy steps followed Glitch’s lighter ones out.

The only sounds filling the silence were Asher’s easing cries and her soft humming. She refused to look at Ink, not even when Asher stopped crying and slipped back into sleep.

Moving from this spot tonight wasn’t happening, and no matter what Ink said, he wouldn’t change her mind. She was leaving tomorrow, and she wouldn’t forgive him for what he’d done. For what he’d put her son through.

15

INK

He’d fucked up—majorly—and was clueless how to make it better, how to even start fixing it, but he had to figure it out. His gut twisted at how hard he’d fought to get the club girls into the party, and how he’d deliberately never said a word to Naomi about it.

All because he was trying to avoid her and the feelings she stirred in him. He wanted to be himself again—the one who only slept with club girls because he had no plans for anything more. No strings. Categorize Naomi as nothing more than someone new and intriguing.

He was an idiot. During the party, he’d wondered where she was and what she was doing. When he finally went to the garage to see if she was working, he missed that she’d gone to the clubhouse.

“Naomi …” His heart clenched as she rocked Asher and avoided his gaze. “Please, sweetheart, let me fix this. I promise you’re safe here.”

She ignored him, humming softly and rubbing Asher’s back.

What the hell should he say? How would he fix this?

“Naomi, I’m so sorry. Kayla means nothing to me. She’s a club girl and⁠—”

“She certainly seems to think you’re something, Ink,” she stated. Her voice didn’t rise, but the cutting implication was unmistakable. “That alone is what makes it so dangerous. I’m a woman in her way if she finds out who I am. Right now, I’m just the woman who bumped into her, but if she finds out you’re here with me, she⁠—”

“She won’t do shit.” His tone was final. “Baby, I promise she won’t do anything if she values her life. And I’ve already told her that she and I were never going to be anything. We fucked but⁠—”

“You fucked her enough for her to think it meant something, Ink. Look, I don’t care who you sleep with. That’s not my issue. You’re a single man, you’re good-looking, and women are willing to be at your disposal. But now, I’m the troublemaker. I’m the one who got Rogue angry enough to cut her down in front of everyone. I’m the one to have Savage say something to her as president of the MC. Now, you’ve dashed her plans, showing she was nothing more to you than an easy lay. You all set up the perfect storm.”

Her lips thinned. “But I’m not blameless either. I should never have let Karissa and Glitch talk me into going in there. I should have figured that no one mentioning it to me all week was enough of a clue to stay away.”

“No, baby, you shouldn’t have. That was our fault. My fault. I should have said something to you.”

“I’m not your baby, Ink, or your sweetheart. There’s nothing between us, so keep your nicknames to yourself. Save them for the girls you sleep with but don’t want to remember their names.”

He flinched. Being hit in the gut with the truth wasn’t comfortable. He wasn’t an asshole, but he never slept with the same girl twice, except the club girls, so he didn’t need to remember their names. Even with the club girls, he tried not to stick to one girl for this exact reason.

Alright, so he was an asshole.

Naomi let out a small sigh. “Ink, I’m not saying this to be a bitch. As I said, you’re single, and who you sleep with is your business, but when it affects my son, I’m not going to sugarcoat things.”

“And you shouldn’t.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I know you don’t want to hear it again, but I am sorry, Naomi. None of us thought this would happen. We were so excited for Fury and Esme that we fell into a normal routine. We always have a party to celebrate things, and part of that is having the club girls show up. They know the rules—they’re not to come before nine, but sometimes, they like to push the boundaries, and we don’t always notice the time.”

“And you thought I wasn’t going to the party.”

He tried not to flinch, but it didn’t work. They lapsed into a tense silence, so he racked his brain for anything he could say or do to fix this, coming up blank.

This was a giant clusterfuck, and they only had themselves to blame.

He could only imagine what the Devil’s Predators would think. Hopefully, Glitch and Karissa could do some damage control.