Cavalier (Crimson Elite 1)

“Again?” he asks confused.

“I liked to think I was a rebel. Stupid, I know.” Taking a deep breath, I try not to remember the police officer coming to my school while I sat out front for hours, even after everyone left and I was the last one there. “Powerline was down, and—well, let’s just say they didn’t survive.”

“You wear his shirt to remind you?”

“Of him, yes.”

“What about your mom?” he asks. I show him the ring that sits on my finger and I kiss it. It was hers. Closing my eyes I start to count, to calm down my erratic heart that’s beating out of my chest.

“Who taught you that?”

I open my eyes when I get to ten to see him watching me. “What?” I ask confused.

“You do that a lot. You count and won’t open your eyes until you reach ten.”

I didn’t realize he noticed. No one ever notices I do it.

“Archie did. I had panic attacks as a kid. He taught me how to settle,” I whisper.

“You loved him very much.” He wipes the tear that falls, and I turn back to look at him.

“I know nothing about you, apart from who your mother and friends are. Tell me about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Why don’t you like people?”

He almost laughs at my words. “I like you, very much.”

“When was your last relationship?” I ask him, and his eyes search mine.

“Never.”

“Never?” I ask shocked. “Okay, why did you hurt that man?”

This time he turns to look up to the ceiling. “It’s my job.”

“Your job?” I ask.

What does he mean by that? His job is the club.

“You would have heard the rumors, they’re all most likely true. We are elite for a reason, Elicea, and we’re all the reason that it is.” His eyes close for a split second before he opens them again. “Even you participate in that.”

“I would never.”

His hand reaches up and brushes my hair from my face. “You do, but that’s okay. I prefer you blind to it. I like the way you are.”

“I don’t want this, Creed.”

His hand stops pushing my hair back and he stills. My heart hurts as the words leave my mouth but they have to. Even if being with him is becoming my favorite thing, it’s also my most dangerous and stupidest thing.

“Want what?”

“This.” Pulling away from him he looks at me shocked.

“You want me to leave?” He says it in a way he doesn’t believe my words. Like what I saw wouldn’t have any effect on me. Of course, it does.

“Yes, I want you to leave, and I want whatever this is between us to end.”

He sits up. His back comes into view and I want to touch it, run my hands down it, marking him as I go.

He’s tense and waiting.

He’s waiting for me to change my mind.

“Are you quitting work, too?” His shirt slides on as he leans down placing on his shoes.

“No. Unless you want me to.” I don’t want to quit, I still stand by what I said. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. I can make a life for myself with the money I earn from the club. But seeing him every day will be hard.

“I’ll let you be.” He starts walking to leave my room and my heart stutters.

“Creed.”

His hand grips my door frame, but he doesn’t look back.

“I’m sorry.”

His back stops moving for a split second, his breathing’s stopped. But then he moves again and he walks out the door, and just as he does I lose my stomach again.21CreedIgnoring her has been harder than I thought possible. Who would have fucking guessed that? Even if I know her every move, I try my best to make sure she never sees me, and so far, I’ve done just that. Not once has she seen me in over two months. I’ve avoided her on her shifts and stayed in my office like I used to before she was even hired.

No more sitting at the bar pretending to work so I can watch her. No more making excuses so I can be near her. She saw what I was and decided it was best to run the other way. It was a smart thing to do.

I don’t blame her, even if the guys do. But they don’t know what she saw, they think we just stopped. D, though, he seems to know. Even if he hasn’t voiced it yet. And Falcon’s taunts on me about her haven’t been working. I haven’t been biting because if I do, he’ll just chase her more. That I can’t have. She can’t fall for him because if she did, I might kill them both myself.

“You been doing our dealings quietly and longer than necessary, Creed.” Echo and D sit down in front of me. Elicea’s here, I know she is. I watched her as she walked in to go behind the bar. She is a beautiful fucking creature.