Blood & Bones: Deacon (Blood Fury MC 4)
“Why not? Was it too difficult? Or was it ‘cause of what happened?”
“A little of both.”
“I didn’t intend to put it on you.”
He heard the breath rush out of her. “But you were right. I wanted him dead.”
“And you weren’t expectin’ how it would affect you.”
“No.”
“He didn’t die because you wanted him dead, Reese.” He held up his hand.
After a moment, he heard her move and her slender fingers slipped into his. They were warm and fit within his perfectly. Her touch made the restlessness eating at him settle.
He guided her around until he could see her without turning his head. He tugged her hand in a silent request.
And was relieved when she knew what he wanted.
She climbed onto the lounge chair and straddled his lap. He took the wine glass from her and placed it on the table next to the aluminum foil ashtray he made so many weeks ago. An unlit joint sat in it, waiting.
He cupped her face and their gazes locked, even though it was too dark to read her eyes.
“He didn’t die because that’s what you wanted, Reese. He was dead the second you walked through that door the night he ambushed you in the parkin’ lot. His fate was sealed that very fuckin’ moment I saw your face and you told me what happened.”
Her lips parted and a soft breath escaped. He made the woman who could cut with her words speechless.
“He died because he touched what was mine. He hurt someone I love.”
“Deacon,” she breathed.
“No one will ever get away with that shit. Not ever. Know you’re independent. The ruler of your own destiny. But hate to break it to you... You’re mine. You belong to me.”
Her eyes shut slowly, then opened just as slowly as she processed his words. “Club property.”
He lifted her hand and held it over his heart. “No. You belong to me, not the Fury.”
He waited. One breath. Two...
“Do you belong to me?”
If she only knew how much. “You would need to claim me.”
“How?”
His lips twitched. “Tattoo my name across your ass.”
She shoved at him and he captured her hands before she could escape the lounge chair.
“Just tell me you’re willin’ to give us a fair shot.”
“I won’t give up my house, Deke. Or move my practice. I’m established where I am. It’s mine and I want to keep it.”
He pressed his thumb against the pounding pulse in her wrist. “Then don’t. Your office is only twenty minutes away. We proved you can work remotely if you gotta. Your house is less than thirty. We can make it work.”
“And if we can’t?”
“It’ll be fun tryin’.” He held her wrists tighter so he didn’t get punched in the nuts for what he was about to say. “Listen, this is how it’s gonna go...”
He grinned when she groaned loudly.
“Gonna keep my place and you’re keepin’ yours. I’ll spend a few nights a week here, and on the weekends we’ll be at the farm. That means come every Friday night, you’re takin’ time off ‘til Monday mornin’. If your clients don’t understand, then fuck them. But I bet they’ll stick around. You know why?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me why,” she said on a dramatic sigh.
“Because, babe, you’re fuckin’ worth it.”
She was worth it. And not just to her clients...
“You know, you’re surprisingly a lot smarter than you sound,” she teased.
He smirked. “I’m sneaky like that.” He got serious. “Doin’ it like that will give us time to figure shit out. And one thing we have plenty of is time. But you start cheatin’ me of that time, you’re gonna hear about it. Just warnin’ you now.”
“Being with the club on the weekends will help me keep an eye on my sister.”
“Don’t gotta worry about that. We got that covered.” They had set Reilly up at the motel temporarily. Until she could afford a place of her own. The club wasn’t charging her shit since she was helping Ozzy manage the office when she wasn’t working at the garage.
“Is The Grove Inn safe for her?”
“Wouldn’t let her stay there if it wasn’t, Reese. Ain’t gonna let anything happen to her. Ozzy lives onsite and she’s at the garage durin’ the day. You don’t need to worry about her. It’s only temporary ‘til she finds an affordable apartment, anyway.”
“I can pay her rent.”
There she went again, trying to gain control of the situation. “You know she don’t want that. Wants to be on her own. You did more than your share for her, now she needs to do it herself.”
“It’s just difficult letting go.”
“No shit.” He took a breath and then released what he’d been holding onto, what had been like a knife to his chest. “Wasn’t difficult lettin’ me go, though.”
Her walking away without a word had killed him. He understood why, but it didn’t make it any easier.