AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was like she was a magnet for sick fucks, and I was pulled to her every time she was near me. Just like at The Strip … I knew she was there. I could feel her presence. I could practically feel her silky skin against my fingertips.
Kissing the redhead, knowing Tori was watching, was a chump move. I felt like it was an easier way to get my point across without straight up telling her that no matter how much I wanted her, I needed her to be my friend and my friend only. I had spent so many years worrying about Tori and Gracie and the predicament they had landed in after I exploded their lives. I wasn’t about to ruin her life again, knowing I could never be what she needed—knowing I wasn’t good enough.
That night, after we cleared The Strip, I went home and partied hard. My face was numb when I fell into my bed alone. I needed to be numb to shut away the emotions Tori pulled out of me.
I woke up the following day with a pounding headache, which was rare. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a hangover. I knew when I sat up and felt like my head was going to explode, it was because I had spent the night mixing booze, Oxy, and Tori. I had hurt her feelings the night before, and as I sat in bed and dwelled over it, I knew I would do it again if it meant keeping her safe from my way of life. She didn’t belong in my world.
Joker’s laughter reached into my room, and I grinned. The crazy fucker was probably watching cartoons like usual. Crow was likely working out, and I knew that working out would be the only thing to help me forget once I squashed my headache.
I had a ton of restless energy now that my cock was in working order. Thanks to Tori, I now knew what having a severe set of blue balls was. Before, women didn’t affect me that way, but all Tori had to do was step into my space, and I was stiff and ready. It was a fucking nuisance. Lifting weights and expending any energy left in my body seemed to be the only thing that worked anymore. I had never lifted weights so much in my fucking life.
The smell of eggs and bacon wafted in when I opened my bedroom door. My mouth watered, and I was excited about food, but nothing was there when I entered the kitchen. Fucking Crow and his early morning breakfast workout routines. I was the grocery shopper, but I fucking hated cooking. Instead, I grabbed my trusty Captain Crunch box and sat beside Joker.
“You were wasted last night, dude.” Joker laughed. “Did the redhead come back with you?”
The fucking redhead. I told Tori she was a friend of mine, but the truth was I had never seen the woman in my life.
“Nah, man. Just a Strip piece of ass I was celebrating with,” I said, laying my head back.
I felt like it was spinning. Even the Captain wasn’t going down as smoothly as I had hoped.
I sat with Joker watching Tom and Jerry beat the fuck out of each other before the sounds of the weights clanking together echoed from the garage. Going into the kitchen, I stuck my box back into the cabinet and opened the refrigerator for a swig of pineapple juice. My stomach churned a little before it began to calm.
When I went out into the garage, Crow paused and set his bar on the rest before he sat up. He used his shirt to swipe at the sweat on his forehead and took a long drink from his water bottle.
“Partied a little too hard last night, huh, brother,” he said, looking concerned. “You trying to forget something? Or rather someone?”
I shook my head and sighed as I pulled my shirt off. “Let’s just get through this.”
I was naturally well-built, but I used lifting weights to deal with the frustration and anger that simmered below the surface. Some days, it boiled, and I felt out of control. Today was one of those days.
I worked out, lifting more weights than usual and pushing myself. My arms ached, and my muscles burned, but it felt good to feel anything that didn’t involve my past or Tori. By the time I finished, I was sweaty and breathless, but the weights had done their job, and the frustration and rage were tolerable.
“I’m heading to shower,” I said to Crow.
He sat on the garage couch, scrolling through his phone. He didn’t look up but said, “Skull and Everly will be over in about an hour.”
“Got it,” I said as I left the garage.
I let my mind roam while I showered and washed away the night before. My decision to cut Tori loose before things got heavy was good. I knew that, but that didn’t mean I didn’t wonder what it would be like. To be with her. To be inside her. To feel for someone the way Skull felt for Everly. I had always sworn I would never let it happen, but I could feel something other than shame and guilt with Tori.
Still, the correct choice had been made. Tori and Gracie had been through enough. They didn’t need more bullshit.
I shut off the shower with a fresh resolve and toweled off my aching muscles. Skull and Everly would spend the day at the house, which was exciting since we rarely saw them anymore. They were busy with work and lived a quiet life these days. They were like an old married couple, but I loved seeing them together. Her small to his massive. Her calm to his crazy. They worked perfectly together, and I was happy for them both.
The front door opening and closing echoed into the bathroom, and I grinned. As soon as I opened the bathroom door, I could smell the home-cooked food Everly had brought. The girl could cook. It was no wonder Skull was getting a little thick in the middle. I entered the kitchen as she unpacked fried chicken, mac & cheese, and green beans. But when she pulled out the pineapple upside-down cake just for me, I pulled her in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Back off my woman,” Skull threatened.
I chuckled. “Yeah, you better keep her close. A woman who can cook like this is golden, my dude,” I said before I took a bite out of a piece of perfectly fried chicken.
We sat at the table like an actual family and listened as Skull and Everly filled us in on the steps they were taking to open Skull’s shop, Cycles & Sons. They were getting close, and we were excited for Skull. He’d wanted to own his own shop since he took his first ride and could fix a motorcycle engine with his eyes closed. He wished we would come to work for him, but he knew he would never be able to pay us what we make in the drug game.
“I heard you hit ten seconds on The Strip,” Skull said, ripping into a chicken leg and covering his mouth in chicken grease.
I nodded. “Yep.”
“You riding dirty?” he asked, referring to nitro.
