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Being in Rage’s arms felt different than being in Virgil’s. He’d only hugged me once. It was at my mother’s funeral. I’d been inconsolable. Mom had been my best friend. The person I relied on most for advice. My dad was wonderful, but he’d been more than a little lost since Mom had died. There were times when I thought he relied on me more than I relied on him when he hadn’t closed himself off to me.
Virgil had hugged me tightly and let me cry. He’d been different then. More like he was now. It had pissed Dustin off something fierce. But honestly, he hadn’t done anything to help me. He’d gotten to the funeral home ten minutes before the funeral while Virgil had been there the entire time. I should have known then things wouldn’t work out with Dustin.
I thought Virgil was the face he presented to the world and Rage was who he really was. Right or wrong, I knew I was fixing to find out.
Before I could get myself fully together, Rage picked me up and carried me inside the clubhouse. The action was enough to make me aware of my surroundings again and to calm the hell down. By the time he got me inside, I was squirming to get down.
“Stay still, girl,” Rage growled at me. “You’re fine just where you’re at.”
I blushed furiously. Because there was no way he could know how being held by him affected my heart. This is what I wanted with all my being. Not only would Rage be the perfect protector for Cassie and me, but this was a man who’d give his all into any relationship he had. If he ever chose to have one. As far as I knew, since I’d met him, he hadn’t been in one. At least, none that Dustin had mentioned, and I never saw him with a woman when he came to visit.
“I’m not a girl, Virgil.”
“Rage. I’m Rage. You know that.” Yeah. I did. I also could tell I was right in my assessment. Rage was the true man, Virgil the person his family expected him to be.
“Where are you taking me?” We hadn’t slowed once we’d stepped inside the clubhouse. Instead, he’d continued to carry me through the place, straight through the common room where there were women in various stages of undress. They all seemed agitated, and men were tossing them clothes, urging them out. More than one of them shot me a venomous look as she stomped out.
“To my room. We got some talkin’ to do.”
I wanted to question him further, but knew it would come soon enough. Right now, I wanted to savor this moment. Being held in Rage’s arms felt every bit as good as I remembered. It made tears come to my eyes again, and I shamelessly buried my face in his shoulder as I cried silently. For everything I’d lost. For the future I should have had but hadn’t known how to take. For the past I hadn’t been strong enough to prevent.
He carried me inside a small, apartment-like room. It wasn’t big, and there appeared to be only one room with a bathroom. He had a bed, one dresser, and nothing else. I thought he might set me on my feet, but he kicked the door shut and took me to the bed. Instead of putting me down, he sat back, scooting against the headboard, and settled me on his lap.
My breath caught. How many times had I dreamed of being in this position? In Rage’s arms. In his bed…
No. Not if I wanted to keep my sanity.
“Let me up.” I struggled to scoot off his lap. I was too raw for this. Too defenseless. No way I survived if he kept treating me like this.
“Pepper.” His voice held a warning that he wasn’t going to tolerate my disobedience. “Stay still.”
“Why? Why can’t I sit on the other side of the bed? Or the floor? Or why can’t we go somewhere that doesn’t have a freaking bed?”
He cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing over the skin below my eyes. Catching my tears? “Baby, this is between me and you. After we’ve gotten things settled between us, I’ll take you to Church, and we’ll talk to Sting about the rest of this situation.”
“The rest of it? I’m confused. I don’t know what you mean. Or what you want from me.” I couldn’t help myself. My stupid hand went to his chest to pet the slight dusting of hair peeking out from the black wifebeater he wore. His chest was heavy with muscle and firm beneath my touch. I looked up into his steady gaze, unsure of myself and the situation.
“We’re here to talk about what happened between you and my brother. We’re also going to talk about what I expect from you going forward. You had your chance to stay away from me, and you brought your daughter straight to my door and declared my brother was a danger to you both. So you’re done with Dustin.”
