AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"It's going to be fine," Eda promises me. "It's all going to be okay. You're safe now, Es. You don't have to worry about Harry again."
I pull in a shaky breath. God, the thought of Harry coming for me again took my breath away. It's a scary thought and one I'm praying I won't have again. Today was the scariest that I have ever seen him, and it showed me yet again that it doesn't matter how long you know someone, you may not always know them fully. People are good at disguising who they truly are, and if they don't want you to see a certain side to them, they'll make sure you never see it. It's so easy for manipulative, narcissistic people to gain the trust of others because they only show you what you want to see. They only tell you what you want to hear. You'll never see their deceit coming until it's too late.
I hear the locks of the door go, and I turn to see my front door opening and Shadow walking in. I take a deep breath, realizing that Seri gave Shadow her key before he left. Christ, I'm jumpy as hell. I wait on bated breath for Grayson to enter. Of course he's the last one.
The smell of smoke filters into the house and I wrinkle my nose. God, that's strong. My gaze moves over Grayson, taking in every inch of him. Relief washes through me and my shoulders slump forward as the knowledge that he's okay hits me. My feet move toward him, and the second I'm within touching distance, he pulls me into his arms.
"You're okay," I breathe.
"I'm fine, honey. I told you everything would be okay."
I sink into him, my breath catching as the stench of smoke fills my lungs. "Why do you smell like smoke?" I ask him as I lean back and look up at him.
He gives me a serious look, his eyes filled with love but his face void of emotion. "Es, there's some things you'll never know, and this is one of them. I need a shower, and I don't have spare clothes here. You wanna spend the night at the clubhouse with me?"
I grin as excitement runs through me. "Yeah?"
His lips curve into a grin. "Fuck yeah, you're comin' home with me. You good to drive?"
"Yep. I'll drive the girls," I tell him. "They're pregnant and shouldn't be breathing in the smoke."
"Seri too?" he asks, his lips twitching.
Fuck. "Please don't tell her I told you."
He chuckles. "Trust me, honey, I won't say a fuckin' word. Now go pack a bag. You're spendin' the weekend with me."
I love that he wants that. Maybe the girls are right about him wanting to claim me. What Grayson and I have is so different from what I had with Harry. I wasn't allowed around Harry's friends, and he didn't want me to hang out with them, whereas Gray wants me with him and he's had his brothers around me a lot. Even though there are no labels and I have no idea what's actually happening between us, I feel more secure in whatever we have than what Harry and I had. I'm just scared. I don't know if I'm able to trust what I feel. The last person I thought I fell for turned out to be a monster.
"Come, Es, I'll help you pack," Eda says with a smile. "I'm glad you're staying with us for the weekend. It'll be fun to have you around."
"Yeah," Seri says. "You're always fun when you're drunk. Kins needs someone to party with, and with Effie and Eda pregnant, she's lacking women these days."
I can't help but laugh at her feeble attempt to hide the fact that she's pregnant too.
"What's your excuse then, Seri?" Eda asks with a raised brow.
"I'm still dealing with my injuries. It's going to take a while," she says distractedly as she starts to rummage through my wardrobe.
"Yeah, like nine months long," Eda says under her breath, but I still hear her. I press my lips together to stop the laughter from bursting out. "What do you need help with?" Eda asks.
"My bathroom stuff?" I ask, really glad that she came over tonight. She's one of the sweetest women I've ever met, and I know that while I spend the weekend in the clubhouse, we'll get to know each other a lot better. "If you don't mind."
"Not at all. I'll pack these up and you and Seri pack your clothes and anything else you need."
An hour later and I'm sitting in the clubhouse surrounded by the girls while the men shower. There were a lot of weird looks from the other brothers, along with the old ladies, when we walked in, but a look from Ace had everyone focusing on something else.
"So, Esme," Cruz says as he sinks down into the seat beside me. "Is that short for somethin'?"
I nod. "It is," I reply with a smile.
"You goin' to leave me hangin'?" he asks, and the sound of confusion in his voice makes my smile grow wider.
"Yep," I reply sweetly.
"So, you and Reap. Are you sure you want him? I'm free and all the women love me," he says, raising his brows and grinning.
"I'm good, but thank you."
