AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her meaning was crystal clear, but the lump forming in my throat made it impossible for me to reply. She hadn’t been around me since high school, but nothing had changed. I still didn’t have any interest in men or dating. That part of me had died a long time ago.
For the second time in my life, I was about to wade into a hell of my own making. Some might be bitter, but I knew I would make the same choices if I had to do it all over again. Every action had a consequence, and at least this time there wasn’t anything left of me to break.
When I opened the door to the clubhouse, a pair of rich golden eyes tinged with green flecks met mine, stopping me in my tracks. Their color reminded me of a lioness I’d seen once on theNational Geographic Channel. They were no less rare or stunning on the girl who stood across the room than they’d been on the big cat. Dark lashes framed her wide eyes, briefly severing our connection when they fluttered closed.
“I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Tweak said from over my shoulder, his breath hot on the back of my neck. “There are two Cherry’s.”
That was where he was wrong. Cherry had never pulled on my body like a magnet, drawing me in the way this girl did. Her body stiffened, as if she could sense me watching her, my legs already eating up the distance between us.
She was petite, her bone structure delicate like Cherry’s, but she had more curves. The skirt she wore was more business than sexy, but the way it hugged her ass made me want to sink my teeth into the lush globes. The silken strands of her hair were the same shade of blond as Cherry’s, but her locks were straight, brushing against the strand of pearls lying against a collarbone I itched to put my mark on.
The sound of multiple pairs of boots hitting the hardwood behind me had me clenching my fists, my nails digging into the sensitive flesh of my palms. My brain should have cataloged the discomfort, but it didn’t, to overcome by the thought pounding through my head like the beat of a drum. Mine. Possession had never taken up residency inside me before, but it was now eating away at the ever-present numbness I’d grown accustomed to.
Instinctively, my body moved to the right, attempting to shield her from their field of vision. I no longer trusted myself not to attack one of my brothers if any of them looked at her the way they looked at Cherry. It didn’t matter that, logically, that was unavoidable. They were identical twins, and every man in this room, except for maybe Ryder and Gunner, had fucked Cherry.
Thoughts of them wanting to fuck her clouded my vision and my nails broke through the skin of my palms. None of them would get anywhere near her, let alone touch her.
Ryder rested a hand on my shoulder, and the only thing that kept me from lashing out at him was his total lack of interest in Cherry. He looked down at my clenched fist, but didn’t comment on my uncharacteristic lack of control as he turned his head to look at Cherry.
“You never told us you had a twin.”
“It’s never come up before,” she responded, fiddling with the towel in her hand. “Ryder, this is my sister, Brandy.”
Recognition lit her eyes, and she cocked her head to the side, reluctantly extending her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
Ryder cut his eyes to me, lifting his dark brow in question. I nodded, holding my body stiffly in check as his hand briefly brushed against hers. Her body shuddered at the contact, but she shrugged it off so quickly that most people would probably never even notice.
“I’m hoping you’ll let me stay here for a little while.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “If I help around the clubhouse like my sister does.”
Ryder looked my way again, and my respect for him grew. He didn’t know what was going on with me, yet he was still willing to give me the benefit of the doubt and allow me to decide her fate.
Stella’s eyes darted between Brandy, Ryder, and me, her gaze finally settling on me, two small wrinkles forming between her brows. “Cherry mentioned something about Brandy being good with computers. If she’d rather help down in the shop, I could use her.”
Brandy brightened at the idea, then glanced down at her shoes, trying to smother her initial reaction. Little did she know that wasn’t necessary. No one would lay a hand on her but me. Still, I wondered why she felt the need to cover up her relief. Was it out of respect for her sister or something more?
“She can help you in the shop, but at night she stays with me.”
Silence settled over the room, everyone no doubt in shock. In all the time I’d been with the club, no woman had ever set foot in my room, not even to clean it. Everyone knew I liked my privacy, but my reasons went beyond a basic desire for solitude.
While you slept, you were vulnerable. Something that could easily be used against me, not that I thought she was a contract killer. But in my case, my enemies outnumbered my friends, even within my family. What little sleep I got was always alone, with my gun beside me, behind a door that was dead bolted.
In order to keep everyone away from what was mine, though, I would need to make a few concessions. After she drifted off to sleep, I’d lock myself in the bathroom and sleep in the tub. It wasn’t a thought I relished, but it beat the alternatives. I didn’t relish her learning things that would either horrify her or get her killed, assuming she wasn’t some sort of avenging angel because she certainty looked like an angel.
Brandy let out a little half-snort, half-chuckle. “Aren’t you sweet for offering to share your room, but I’d hate to put you out. I’ll just bunk with Cherry. It’ll be like when we were kids.”
“Sweet my ass,” Beast muttered.
He was right. Even as a cherubic faced infant, I doubted I was sweet. But if Brandy and I were going to get along, she needed to learn there was no way for her to outmaneuver me. That I would always be the monster she could never escape. She was mine now, and I had every intention of keeping her.
“You misunderstand me, Brandy.” She shivered when I said her name and I wondered what she’d do if the next time I said it I nipped the sensitive flesh of her earlobe. “It wasn’t a suggestion. You either stay with me, or you don’t stay at all.”
Cherry’s head cocked to the side, her brow creasing as she stared at me like I was a puzzle she couldn’t quite figure out. It was the only time I’d ever rendered the girl speechless, and I wouldn’t even get to enjoy it because I could already hear the click-clacking of Valentina’s heels.
She stepped around Ryder, her eyes narrowing on me. “What’s the matter with you?”
Rapid-fire Spanish flew from her mouth as her hands gestured around wildly. When I looked over at Ryder, the asshole smirked as he adjusted the front of his jeans. Now that all his brain cells were focused on his dick, I guess I was on my own.
Valentina was unfailing and vicious in protecting those she cared about, and Cherry had somehow made it to the top of that list. Her sense of loyalty was admirable, but I couldn’t allow her to stand in the way of securing what was mine. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d considered slitting her throat, but that was before she’d risked everything to go against her father.
