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I lean back against the wall, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to get a hold of myself. If I storm down there now and confront my brother, I’m only going to end up in another fight, and to be honest, my body is absolutely wrecked right now. I’ll probably end up getting the both of us killed. That dude looked scary as fuck with tatts covering his bald head.
Squaring my shoulders, I open my eyes, but when I look down the hallway, my brother and the guy he was talking to are both gone. I breathe out a sigh of relief. I did just get a few head knocks, and the lighting is dark. Maybe it wasn’t Tom after all.
But those thoughts are shattered when I head toward the exit only to have someone grab my arm. Immediately I go on the defensive, clenching my fist as I swing around, cursing when I come face-to-face with Lily, eyes wide and shrinking back in fear. Behind her I see the shocked faces of all my friends and my brother.
“What are you doing here?” I choke out, rocking back on my heels and slipping my hands into my back pockets so no one can see how much they’re shaking.
“We came to see you, idiot,” Tom says, clipping me over the back of my head playfully. He’s clearly trying to defuse the awkward situation.
I glance down at Lily, who takes a small step back, averting her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” I say. “I didn’t know it was you. I didn’t know you guys were here.”
“Are you leaving?” Jordan asks, stepping in with a grin that doesn’t reach his eyes. He swings his arm around my shoulder and ushers me towards the door. “How about we go grab some food from Patty’s?”
“Not tonight.” I shrug out of his grasp. I just want to go home and wallow in self-pity.
His smile falters. “Yeah, sure. We’ll… uh, catch you tomorrow?”
I give a brief nod, cursing again. With everything going on, I hadn’t even given my birthday a second thought. Ivy steps in to give me a quick hug before allowing Conrad to tug her out the door. Wren and Ronnie just give me a wave, confusion creasing their brows as they follow Brady and Jordan.
Lily still hasn’t said a word. She’s staring at the ground, her arms wrapped around her waist. Without thinking, I reach for her, and she flinches. I drop my hand, hating myself more than ever that I made her feel scared or threatened by me.
I bring my gaze up to meet Tom’s. “Can you take my bike?”
He nods. I reach into my pocket and toss him my keys, taking his from him. “I’ll see you guys at home.”
I wait until Tom is out the door and making his way down to the parking lot before I turn back to Lily. “Youknow I’d never hurt you, right?”
The tension coils around my body as I wait for her response. Finally, she answers. “I know.”
I gesture for her to leave before me, too scared to touch her again, and I follow her into the cold night.
THE TENSION IN the cab of Tom’s ute is palpable between us. I keep sneaking glances at her out of the corner of my eye as I drive, and she just rests her head on the window, watching the ocean rage against the shore as we pass Glassons Point.
“I’m sorry for scaring you,” I say quietly.
“You didn’t know it was us,” she replies with a sigh and a shrug of her shoulder, but she still won’t look at me.
“That’s no excuse.” I rub at the lily tattoo on my chest, feeling like a real asshole. I told her she was safe with me, and then I made her feel the exact opposite.
When I pull up in the driveway next to my bike, neither of us makes an attempt to get out. I drum my fingers on the steering wheel as I try to figure out what I can say to make her feel comfortable around me again. Better yet, maybe I need to stop tiptoeing around these feelings I’ve developed, and just come clean to her. What’s the worst that can happen? She doesn’t feel the same way, and I make a dick out of myself? Pretty sure that ship has already sailed.
I’m about to open my mouth when she says softly, “Maybe I should leave.”
My stomach drops. I’ve fucked this up worse than I realised. “No. Seriously, Lily. You don’t have to do that. I’m sor–”
She shakes her head, interrupting me. “I’m not afraid of you Harley. I could never be afraid of you. You’re one of the good ones…” Her voices trails off, and she brushes away a tear. “But I never meant to come here in the first place. I’ve overstayed my welcome. You didn’t want your friends or Tom to come to your fight, and I completely disregarded that.” Her words tumble out in a rush as she pushes open the door and rushes out of the car.
I mutter a curse as I follow.
“I’ll hand in my notice at Patty’s tomorrow,” she calls over her shoulder. “It will be like I was never even here.”
Like hell it will. Lily is not the kind of girl you forget easily. I reach for her hand before she makes it to the front door and spin her around to face me. She stumbles, and her hands come up to my chest to steady herself. A small gasp escapes her lips, and my dick twitches in response to the sound, but I grit my teeth and try to think of anything other than how good she feels in my arms.
“I don’t care that they were at the fight. I don’t want it to be like you were never here. You don’t have to leave, Lily. I don’t want you to leave.”
“Harley,” she rasps out, her eyes like molten honey when they meet mine. “What…?”
“You’re not going anywhere,” I murmur, running myknuckles over her flushed cheeks. Her tongue darts out to swipe along her bottom lip, and I find myself leaning closer. Her hands fist my shirt, our mouths only inches apart.
