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Fat drops of rain fell from the grey sky as Cole pulled into the driveway of our house. The downpour lasted long enough to drench us before we made it inside, then stopped as quickly as it had started. Once Cole had parked his motorcycle in the garage, we climbed off. I smiled at the puddle that was accumulating at my feet.
I glanced up at him. His tongue wet his bottom lip as he became transfixed on my shirt and stomach. The thin fabric was soaked through, revealing my hard nipples and flat tummy. Cole had seen me in a bikini a ton of times, but that was before he’d witnessed me fucking Ibrahim and Matt on the video, so he was now familiar with what was beneath my clothes. But the look in his eyes was different. Instead of neutral, it was possessive and hungry.
My cheeks flushed, and a newfound heat coursed through my body. I cleared my throat, breaking the spell between us. “I need to shower and change.”
Cole tore his gaze away. “Do whatever you want. I’m not your keeper.” He placed his helmet on the bike seat, then stomped off.
Great. Asshole Cole is back.I traipsed after him through the garage, but before I could follow him through the door, the bastard slammed it in my face. I gritted my teeth, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me pissed off. It was clear that Hyde was home, leaving Jekyll outside.
Grumbling under my breath, I let myself into the house. Hopefully, I wouldn’t run into Daddy or Julia until I was cleaned up and had bandaged my knees. I wasn’t up for any questions. Besides, Cole would probably fill Daddy in on the day’s events. He seemed to have his nose up my father’s ass. Attempting to smooth my ruffled feathers, I finally realized my phone was with Zoe. I would have to use the landline to see if she could drop it off.
With no sign of anyone, I hurried to my bedroom and closed the door, ignoring Cole’s presence across the hall. I shucked the wet clothes and tossed them in the sink in my bathroom, then took a hot shower. The rain and ride home had chilled me to the bone, but I’d been so focused on Cole, I hadn’t realized it until the water soothed my skin and burned my wounds.
An hour later, I had fresh bandages on my knees. I dressed in soft black yoga pants and a clean purple tank top. I made my way downstairs and to the kitchen. There wasn’t a real need for a landline other than Daddy’s business calls, but I was grateful for it. I located the phone on the counter and called my best friend.
“Girl, I’ve been waiting for you to call! What the fuck happened?” Zoe gushed without even saying hello.
I stared out the window. “I would have texted you, but I left my cell in your car. Any chance you want to bring it over and hang?”
“I’m already getting my shoes on. See you in fifteen.”
Before I could say goodbye, Zoe hung up. I decided to wait for her under the covered entrance. Maybe it would help me clear my head for a few minutes. Sneaking outside undetected, I closed the door and sat on the bench. A chill skated down my spine, and I rubbed my arms.
The smell of the fresh, early summer rain soothed my nerves and brought back memories of Mom and me watching thunderstorms from our covered deck when I was a little girl.
A distant rumble of thunder told me the weather would clear any minute. Seconds later, the sun peeked through the remainder of the clouds and began to dry the wet pavement, causing small billows of steam. Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn’t realize Zoe had driven up the driveway. I rose from my seat and met her at the car. She climbed out, eyeing me as she waved her hand over the door handle and locked the convertible.
“Hey,” I said, squinting at her through the bright sunshine.
“Bet you felt naked without this.” She held my phone up, then gave it to me. “And this.” She gently shook a brown paper bag.
“Oh, shit. I forgot all about it. Thanks.” I took the items from her. As soon as I had the doorknob installed, I wouldn’t be so paranoid about recording devices in my room.
“You’re welcome. Also, you have a text from Cole.” Zoe removed her sunglasses and pressed her lips into a thin line. “No, I didn’t read it. Well, I did when it flashed on your screen.”
“What did he want?” I asked, pocketing my cell instead of looking at the message. I didn’t want to appear too eager in front of Zoe. Plus, he’d pissed me off the moment we’d arrived home. Needless to say, I wasn’t too keen on seeing what he wanted.
“Something about keeping your mouth shut when you saw me.” Zoe slipped her arm through mine. “What’s up, Shae? You seem different, and the shit that went down with Cole today ... I swear I won’t say a word, and no judgement. Ever. But it’s clear the dynamic between the two of you has changed.”
We reached the entrance, and I paused. “We can talk quietly in my room, but I want to search for recording devices first.”
“Fuck, I forgot about that. You need that doorknob on, like, yesterday.” Zoe dropped her hold on me and frowned, making the lines in her forehead prominent.
“Zoe, stop frowning or you’ll get wrinkles early. Ever since the limo fiasco, I’ve checked for cameras, and it’s getting old. Maybe it would be better to leave until I have time to change the lock. No one even knows I’m home other than Cole. Julia thinks I’ve been with you all day.” I flipped over my cell and opened the back of the case, checking for my ID and what cash I still had.
“Let’s get out of here. We can grab some dinner and go to the river. I’ll put the top down and we can absorb some vitamin D through the golden orb in the sky.” She laughed, then worry flashed across Zoe’s expression as she squeezed my shoulder. “Remember, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks.” I hugged her, then we hopped into her car and left.
* * *
There were very few times I’d seen Zoe’s face pale, but with the update about the MC, the fact that someone was threatening Cole, and then me, she’d turned ghostly white.
“Shae, this is serious shit.” She nibbled on the end of her French fry and stared at me. “I don’t even know where to begin. First, Cole is sending you hella mixed signals. Dude needs to knock it off. I mean, what’s his deal with Ibrahim?”
I gave her a half shrug and took a bite of my hamburger. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the smell of the yummy carbs tickled my nose. My mouth had started to water before we even parked at a quiet spot near the river. At least we could talk openly without being concerned someone might overhear us. Cole had told me not to discuss the danger or the MC club, but I wasn’t about to listen to him. Maybe it was a stupid decision on my part, but I couldn’t manage all of the chaos on my own.
“I’m guessing that something happened between him and Ibrahim, but I don’t have a fucking clue what. Maybe he felt like Ibrahim was taking advantage of me since I was younger. I’m pretty sure it was the other way around, but it doesn’t matter anymore.”
