Page 19 of Apple of His Eye

“Just the kiss you both saw.”

“Wait, Snow, was that your first kiss? Are you a virgin?”

I nod and avert my eyes. I don’t want to see the pity on their faces because of my lack of experience. “Please don’t say anything to him. He doesn’t know it was.”

“Oh, darlin’,” Naya breathes, without a hint of pity. Instead, I hear intrigue. “You’ve got to tell him, give him the chance to make that shit right.”

“It’s okay, besides he’s indicated my age is a problem for him, being that I’m barely eighteen—”

“What do you mean, barely?

“We met hours into my eighteenth birthday, and when he brought me to the clubhouse, we’d barely known each other for twelve hours. So, I get why the kiss didn’t mean anything to him and why he did it.”

“Wait a fucking minute, you’re telling me the president of the Dirty Jackals, Kohen Prince, brought you, a woman he barely met, to his clubhouse, and staked his claim—in front of everyone that matters to him?”

I nod, unsure of how to answer her.

“He draped his cut over you, Snow. He claimed you as his old lady.”

“Only because he wants to protect me. I’ve got nowhere else to go, and the clubhouse is a safe place for me to be until I figure shit out,” I explain, trying to reiterate what I’ve been saying since this topic came up. As much as I would love for her to be right, she isn’t.

“Two things,” she shifts, leaning closer to me. “First, the Jackals have plenty of places where you can be safe, but V’s choosing to keep you at the clubhouse. Second, why the fuck do you need a safe place?”

Shit, I swallow. I don’t know if I’ve said too much. Kohen said I could trust Mimi and Naya, but I worry telling them the truth will change their opinion of me. Will they still want to be my friend knowing I stayed with Fran for all these years because I was afraid to be on my own?

There’s something about these two, something familiar, like coming home. I felt the same feeling the night I met Kohen. I feel safe with Mimi and Naya, and I consider them friends.

I look at them both, chewing on my bottom lip as I contemplate giving them my truth.

No, I don’t think there’s anything I could say to them that would change their perspective of me. But it would make them understand what’s going on between Kohen and me better.

“Kohen is—was my neighbor,” I start, telling them everything, from start to finish, even a few things I haven’t revealed to Kohen yet.

“Wow,” Naya breathes when I am finished. Both she and Mimi have sat through the entirety of my story, occasionally reaching across the table to grip my hand or my shoulder.

“You are a strong woman, Snow. I can’t believe you went through all of that, and I am damn glad you crawled into V’s window. But I’ve got to stand by what I said earlier. A man like V doesn’t stake claim on a woman to protect her. All he had to do was verbally declare you off limits to the club. No one would have fucked with you. He’s their president, their leader, and his word is fucking law,” Mimi reiterates her point from earlier. Naya nods in agreement.

“The Jackals aren’t bad guys,” Mimi continues. “They party, they drink, they fuck, they like to have a good time, but when shit gets serious, they’re fucking serious. And I’m telling you, Vortex didn’t claim you to keep you safe. He claimed you to keep you to himself.”

“You don’t understand.” I shake my head because they have to be wrong, right? Kohen said I wouldn’t be safe unless he claimed me. “I told Pothole I was with Vortex, but he still sat at the bar trying to flirt with me. Why would he do that?”

“Youtold him. Not V.”

“What’s up, bitches?” Before I can respond, a busty brunette sits down in an empty chair. I remember seeing her the first night but haven’t seen her since. Both Mimi and Naya were visibly tense in her presence. From their body language, they don’t like her very much. “Who’s the new sweet butt?”

“I’m not—” I start, intent on setting her straight, but she talks right over me.

“Sweetheart, it’s no secret, I saw you at the club the other night talking to Pothole.” She tilts her head, giving me a fake smile. “And you’ve been staying at the clubhouse.”

“She’s not club property, Maria,” Mimi interjects, gathering her trash onto the tray. Maria’s full attention stays on me. She hadn’t even bothered looking at the other two.

“Did Pothole tickle you with that little love stick of his and convince you to take a ride on the back of his bike?” She laughs like the thought of someone wanting to be with Pothole is ridiculous.

“Actually, Snow is V’s property,” Naya declares with a snarky smile.

“Bullshit,” Maria hisses, her heads snaps toward Naya.

“Not bullshit,” Naya shrugs nonchalantly. “He announced it the in front of the club.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com