She shrugged. “I’d rather not take the chance.”
“Wow.” My heart thundered and heat crept over my skin. “That’s…” I had no words, only the relentless throb of shame pounding through my skull.
“It makes me uncomfortable,” she continued, battering my soul. “Being around you now. I mean, what if you snap and do the same thing to me one day?”
Each word hit me like a sledgehammer to the stomach. I held up my hands in surrender. No more explanations needed. “Okay.”
“It’s just…my mom said—”
“Wait, you told your mom?” Her mother was the biggest damn gossip in town.
“Well, I was scared, so yeah.”
All those voices in my head telling me it was a mistake to trust Ashley had been right after all. “I trusted you, Ashley. I thought we…” Nah, I shouldn’t even say it because it’s a lie.
She stepped closer. “What?”
I backed away, putting my hands in the air. “Never mind. It’s all good. Thanks for telling me.” I wasn’t going to beg her to reconsider. What she said already cut on a deeper level than I’d ever admit to anyone.
Because sometimes I wondered the same things about myself.
Chapter Thirteen
Shelby
I’m so outraged, I don’t even know where to begin. “What a horrible thing to say to you. I wish I’d slapped the shit outta her before we left. I woulda showed her the meaning of violent.”
Rooster’s mouth slowly curves up but sadness still clouds his eyes. “In hindsight, it was a heavy story to lay on a teenage girl—”
“Bullcrap,” I spit out. Lord knows I’d said and done some dumb stuff when I was sixteen. Heck, stupid stuff still flies out of my mouth more often than I like to admit. But I’d never say anything as downright cruel and heartless to anyone. Let alone someone I care about. “Logan, look at me.”
He meets my eyes and cocks an eyebrow.
“You can always share anything with me.” I rest my palm over his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He leans in and brushes a soft kiss over my lips. “Thank you.”
I press my forehead to his and we rub our noses together. “You’ve shown me who you are over and over.” I tip my head up to meet his eyes. “I’ve never felt safer in my life than when I’m in your arms.”
He swallows hard and tucks a wild piece of hair behind my ear, stopping to stroke my cheek for a minute. “She was right to some extent.”
“Horse feathers.” There’s no way I’ll ever believe he’d intentionally hurt someone he cared about.
He flashes a quick smile then turns serious again. “I’m not saying this to make myself sound like I’m such a great guy, because I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” I insist.
“Whatever violence is in my DNA has always been triggered by people like my dad. I can’t stand men who bully those weaker than them or ones who threaten and hurt women.”
“Oh, I remember how you went after Brad for disrespectin’ me and those guys in the bar peekin’ up my dress.” I lightly trace my finger over his chest. “But I think you had that protective streak long before…what happened. You tried to look out for your mom. And it sounds like you protected Jiggy when you guys were kids.”
“Protected him? Or protected people from him?” He huffs a laugh and shakes his head.
“Your mom,” my voice breaks but I push through to get the thought out, “sounds like a she was a gentle soul with a good heart. I think all that goodness in you came from her.”
He takes my hands between his and rubs vigorously, warming my fingers. “I’ve done stuff…participated in things for my club that were not good, Shelby. I need you to understand that about me.”
I tilt my head, studying his face. How do I interpret his confession? It’s probably as close as he’s ever gotten to sharing any sort of “club business” with me.
“I’ve met a lot of your brothers now,” I finally answer. “I’ve seen how protective they are. Not only looking out for their wives but keepin’ watch over all the ladies. While he was on the road with us, Wrath may have had his eyes on Trinity, but he made it crystal clear he was ready to break the arms of anyone who dared touch me, too. Same with Murphy. He looks like a big ol’ cuddly bear—”
“I’m gonna tell him you said that.”
I flash a quick smile before continuing with my thoughts. “But he got downright snarly with anyone invading my space.”
“Yeah, Murphy never hesitates to protect a brother’s girl.”
“I saw that. Dex too. He’s sweet and thoughtful, but I’ve watched him protect the girls in the audience when he catches guys groping ‘em.”
“He has a lot of experience doing that at Crystal Ball.”
“Right, well, I’ve been on tour a little bit now, and I can tell you most of the security guys treat it like a joke and look the other way. It’s frustrating to watch when I’m on stage and can’t do anything.” I blow out a breath. “Even Ice. He seemed scary at first but ended up making me feel welcomed in his clubhouse.”