“We can,” she pleads, standing and gripping my arm to keep me from walking away. “I can make you happy, Briar. I can be anything you want.”
Jesus, if only life were that simple. My jaw snaps closed before I tell her that she’s perfect exactly how she is.
“Please. I love you.”
“You shouldn’t,” I insist, but her fingers only dig harder in my flesh.
I revel in the pain, wishing she would cut me wide open, that way I’d have a reason to bleed all over the ground at our feet. I need to walk away but she’s relentless, clinging to me, begging with her eyes to give her exactly what she needs, but she’s misinformed because giving her what she needs will be her ultimate demise.
“Just picture it,” she pushes further with a sniffle. “We could get a small house in Ireland or something, make love all day and all night, and only get fresh air when we run out of food.”
She’s living in a fairy tale I can’t let myself imagine. I convinced myself I could have a normal happy life once, and it ended the exact same way I knew it would.
“We can’t have that!” I roar and spin around, facing her. Stubbornly, she glares at me, not intimidated in the slightest at my rage.
“We can!” she yells back.
“It’s not fucking possible, Molly! I murder every woman I fuck, and killing you would be my signature in blood on my own suicide note.” My hands are trembling with rage and the urge to prove to her just exactly what my demons feed on. On trembling legs, I walk away from her, the sobs escaping from her throat aren’t even enough to get me to turn back and comfort her.Chapter 13Molly
“No thanks.” I wave my hand when Xena pushes a full shot in my direction.
“Are you pregnant?” she whisper-hisses.
“What? No!” I look around the room logging where TJ and Lynch are. Briar has been AWOL since his outburst in the park last night, so I don’t have to worry about him hearing. Once I realize neither of my brothers heard her absurd question, I turn back around and glare at her. “Why would you ask me that?”
“That’s the only reason I wouldn’t be drinking,” Legs replies with bitterness in her voice before tossing back another shot.
Xena nods in Legs’s direction as if it’s sound reasoning.
“I just don’t feel like drinking,” I mutter, tracing the scars on the table with my fingers.
I can’t talk to them about Briar. I love these girls, but each one of them has a big-ass mouth when they’re naked and under various club members. The last damn thing I need is any rumors getting back to Lynch, especially after Briar’s disclosure.
He wouldn’t hurt me. I know that down in the marrow of my bones, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me pause and reevaluate exactly what the hell is going on. I spent all damn night mulling over the new information, and I’m no closer to understanding than I was when he deserted me last night.
The front door opens, only it’s Minx stumbling in with a laughing hangaround rather than Briar. I need to talk to him, but I’m not brave enough to text him. The new guy Virus was introduced earlier as the best thing in tech.
“A genius and an amazing asset to the club,” Lynch had praised before he settled on the couch where he’ll watch Zoe until she’s ready to show him some attention. The dynamic they have is weird, but they seem happy so who the hell am I to judge?
I’m not going to risk sending something that could be monitored, but I don’t think he’ll respond anyway. With him being gone nearly twenty-four hours, I’m beginning to worry that he may be gone for good.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head, answering Zoe’s whispered question when the other girls are busy toasting with yet another shot.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out slowly, in no hurry to answer yet another text from Owen.
Owen: Are you mad? I swear, had I known you didn’t like sushi, I would’ve taken you somewhere else.
I grin at his concern. I’ve assured him multiple times that the kid’s meal cheeseburger and fries I had last night, rather than the raw fish I couldn’t stomach, was fine. I can’t blame him. It wasn’t until we were seated and the appetizer he ordered was brought to the table that I even remembered I despise fish. Just the smell makes me gag. I wonder if he kissed my forehead last night rather than my lips because he was worried about his fish breath.
I chuckle as the thought hits me.
Me: Not mad. I swear. Just distracted at a party.
“Is that your vet?” Zoe asks with a grin on her face.