Hellion (Southern Rebels MC)

“How did you know?” I shook my head. “Never mind. The salon,” I muttered and she nodded, smiling faintly. “Yes. I broke my arm falling out of a tree and a tree limb tore the skin.” I repeated the story by rote, the truth being I had gone after my uncle when he was yelling at my mom and he’d thrown me into a glass table. Something in my tone must have clued her in though, because her smile faded.

She looked down at the table, her arms stretched in front of her, and tugged at the sleeves absently. “You don’t have to tell me the lie,” she murmured, spreading her fingers out. “Or the truth.” She shook her head. “You don’t have to tell me anything.”

She gave me an out, but what amazed me was how easily she seemed to read me. “I didn’t fall out of a tree,” I admitted out loud for the first time and a weight lifted off me. She nodded, but seemed to realize that was all I was going to give her.

“Did you really lose your virginity to –”

“Nope.” I cut her off before she could finish, shaking the box of pancake mix at her. “I don’t even want to know if they got that right.”

She let out a snort and then a laugh as I started to make the batter. I popped the bacon in the microwave and turned on the gas cooktop as she kept laughing. It wasn’t until I’d taken the first set of pancakes off the heat that she finally stopped.

“Can I help?” She asked contritely and I mock frowned at her. “Please. I’d like to help.”

“You can heat the syrup,” I told her, flipping two more pancakes off the griddle. “Plates are in that cabinet,” I added, pointing to the cabinet next to me. Her hip bumped against mine as she reached into the cabinet and it was all I could do not to intentionally bump her back. She set the table, placing the syrup and napkins in the middle as I brought over a plate stacked high with pancakes and bacon.

“Who is going to eat all of those pancakes?” She questioned, eyeing them.

“This guy,” I said, pointing to myself. “I missed lunch. Hell, I think I missed breakfast.”

Nico flew into the room. “Bacon.” Cadence handed him a strip and he took it with his foot and started to nibble on it, making some very inappropriate sounds. I looked at Cadence and we both started to laugh.

“So, when do I get to learn something about you?” I asked her and she glanced at me in surprise, a forkful of pancake suspended in her hand. “I mean, you know everything about me.”

“I doubt I know everything,” she commented, glancing down. “In fact, I think maybe I don’t know nearly as much as I thought.”

“I still think you know more about me than I know about you,” I prodded. “Like, where you’re from, your family, your childhood. Any mystery scars I should know about?”

A reluctant laugh escaped her before she took a big bite, buying time. I waited, because for the first time I’d found someone worth waiting for. “I’m not from anywhere,” she finally said, lifting her gaze to mine. “You’ve been inside my childhood home.” She smiled ruefully. “In fact, you’ve sat on my childhood bed.”

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “The RV? You grew up in that RV?”

She nodded, her gaze reminiscent. “My mom was a hippie, a gypsy, a nomad,” she murmured, and I didn’t miss the fact that she referred to her mom in the past tense. “She was a rolling stone and I was along for the ride.”

“You didn’t love it like she did,” I guessed and she dipped her head, the loosened strand of hair from her braid falling along her cheek, and I tucked it behind her ear, my thumb skimming along her cheek. Her breath caught and I pulled my hand back, the feel of her soft skin imprinted in my mind.

“I thought I didn’t,” she admitted slowly. She gave me a rueful glance. “Yet, here I am, roaming the country in my childhood home.”

“Disconnecting from it all,” I said, repeating what she’d told me and her gaze dropped. “You know, you’re not a very good liar.” Her eyes shot to mine and I smiled. “It’s okay though.” I leaned back in my chair, my eyes not leaving hers. “I feel like you have your reasons.” She didn’t answer, pressing her lips together, and I reached behind me, opening a drawer. I fished out an old phone and slid it across the table. “In case of emergency,” I mentioned as she picked it up, powering the phone on.

“You’re awfully trusting,” she commented.

“Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you.” One eyebrow arched questioningly and I rested my arms on the table, scooting forward. “You’re here. Honestly, I thought I’d never see you again after I left you on the side of the road.”