Mason:Inked Reapers MC(121)

"I'm not rushing into anything," she insisted plaintively.



"You seem pretty in love to me," Miles folded his arms across his chest. "I just hope he's on the same page."



"Of course he is!"



"So you guys have talked about the future?" Mile queried. He didn't like  what he was doing. Every word he spoke felt like bile in his mouth. But  if Brea started asking Miles about their future and where their  relationship was going it would be the ultimate deterrent, especially to  a Reaper member. Those guys were notoriously nomadic with  relationships, adopting a "wherever they leave their hat" policy.



"Sure, we've talked about the future," Brea nodded but her bleak expression revealed the truth.



"Good," Sylar rested a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Because he'd be a fool not to want to marry you."



"I didn't say we've discussed marriage," Brea frowned, shrugging him off.



"Why not?" Sylar persisted. "That's where the relationship is headed, isn't it?"



"Won't I seem like a bit of a bunny boiler to be asking about marriage already?"



"Not if you're serious about him."



Pouting thoughtfully, Brea turned back to look through the window. The street outside remained empty; her cab yet to arrive.



"I am serious about him," she eventually concluded.



"Then you probably should be discussing marriage."



"Sylar," Brea sighed his name as she spun around to look at him. "Are  you saying this because you genuinely care about my future or because  you're hoping I'll look like some sort of crazy person and scare Miles  off?"



Sylar was stunned into silence. Brea was more perceptive than he'd given her credit for.



"I didn't expect you to be overly keen on me being in a relationship,"  she frowned at him. "But I'd hoped for at least your support."



Lowering his head Sylar could feel the tips of his ears burning with  shame. She was right, of course she was right and under any other  circumstance he would have been supportive. But Miles wasn't just a  regular guy, he rode with the Highway Reapers and that made him  unpredictable and dangerous.



"I genuinely care about your future," Sylar promised. And he truly did.  The only reason he wanted her to break things off with Miles was because  he cared about her future. He didn't want her getting embroiled in any  pack problems. And there were definitely problems brewing. The very fact  that Miles, and some of his cronies, had taken up residence in Colridge  was extremely troubling. The Reapers were planning a strike, the  question was when would it happen?



"Oh, cab's here," Brea saw the yellow car as it slid up to the curb and  stopped. She shouldered her bag and gave her brother a sad smile.



"Will you at least meet him?" she asked, cocking her head to the side  the way she used to do when she was a little girl, whenever she was  trying to get her way.



Sylar knew it would be a terrible idea for him to meet Miles. What if  Miles recognized him? Or worse, what if Miles was only even dating Brea  to get to him? Sylar shuddered at the thought, but he wouldn't put such  behavior past the Highway Reapers. Smith's scars were a painful reminder  of just how far they'd go to protect their turf and the kind of depths  they were willing to sink to.



The cab driver was now honking his horn, the sound cutting through the  peaceful stillness of the street. But Brea didn't move, she stood  staring at her brother, her eyes wide and expectant.



"Brea … " Sylar fumbled for an excuse.



"You're meeting him," Brea concluded for him, swinging open the front  door with unnecessary force. "You can't possibly dislike someone you've  never met," she continued as she stepped out into the late afternoon  sunshine.                       
       
           



       



"Meet him first. And if you still don't like him, then fine."



"I never said I didn't like him," Sylar protested as she strode down the  driveway towards the waiting cab. He tightened his fists as he noticed  the cab driver cast an appreciative sweep of a glance up his sister's  bare legs.



"You didn't have to," Brea shot back over her shoulder before bundling  herself into the cab. Sylar groaned and cracked his knuckles as she  watched her drive away. He sensed that removing Miles from her life was  going to prove tougher than he'd originally hoped.





Chapter 52



Brea threw herself against her bed, savoring its familiar scent. It felt  really good to be back in her apartment. As nice as it was to go back  home, this space truly felt like hers; a space she didn't have to share  with anyone. She bunched the sheets in her hands and wriggled against  the bed, wishing it could somehow swallow her whole and trap her inside.



The whole trip back to Colridge she'd been thinking about Sylar and how  he didn't seem to like Miles. But he was never going to like anyone she  dated. In that regard, he was behaving like the over protective parent.  But Brea didn't want him to have to act like that anymore. She wanted  him to be her brother, her friend.



With a sigh, Brea sat up and looked around the room. Everything was just  as she'd left it, as if frozen and awaiting her return. Chewing her  lip, she fumbled for her cell phone in her tracksuit pocket. She swiftly  scrolled down to find Miles' number. Her body ached with desire as she  looked at the now, familiar pattern of digits. She'd missed him  terribly. Being on her bed only made her miss him more wishing he was  there with her, his limbs tangling up with hers.



Not wasting another moment to deliberation she called Miles. After three rings he answered.



"Hey, babe," his voice was so warm and delicious it sent shivers down  her spine. She heard the click of a door closing and wondered where he  was.



"Hey," Brea bounced excitedly on the bed. "I'm back in Colridge now. What are you up to?"



"Coming over to see you," Miles replied flirtatiously. Brea giggled with  delight. She wanted to rest her head against his strong chest and feel  his powerful arms wrapped around her.



"I've missed you," she told him shyly.



"I've missed you too."



Brea was smiling. She'd been gone just one night and he'd missed her. He  clearly cared about her deeply, just as she did with him. Was marriage  in their future? She didn't dare ask, but she'd certainly fantasized  about it. She loved Miles. Every fiber in her body told her so. She  thought of her brother, and how she sensed he was trying to get her to  behave in a way which would push Miles away. Biting her tongue, she held  in any talk of marriage and a future together. Instead, she opted to  live in the moment.



"I'm taking off my clothes," she told him seductively as she fumbled for  the zipper to her playsuit. "You've got ten minutes to get here before I  start playing with myself."



"I'll be there in five." Miles hung up and Brea dropped back down on the  bed, giggling with excited delight before quickly shedding her clothes.





Chapter 53



"Wait, what?" Smith placed his bottle of beer down on the table and frowned at his friend.



"Brea's dating a member of the Highway Reapers" Sylar repeated sourly.  He couldn't keep the secret to himself any longer. By his second beer,  he'd been bursting to tell Smith all about Miles and now he was on his  fourth, which meant the truth came tumbling out with no hesitation.



"Seriously?" Smith looked truly astonished. "You're sweet, innocent little sister?"



"Yep."



"Well," Smith rolled his eyes and gently shook his head. "She won't be sweet and innocent much longer."



"Hey," Sylar growled, kicking at his friend beneath the table. "That's my sister you're talking about."



"And she's busy being railroaded by a member of the Highway Reapers. You  know as well as I do how they treat women. They'll be passing her  around like some sort of joint."



Sylar could feel his heart hammering angrily in his chest, could hear  its echo in his ears. He wanted to think that Smith was wrong, but he  knew the truth. To the Reapers, women were objects. Maybe it hadn't  happened yet but Miles would ruin Brea. He'd take what made her special  –   her innocence, her sweetness, and destroy that.



"You think he's with her to get to you?" Smith wondered anxiously.                       
       
           



       



"The thought had crossed my mind," Sylar admitted sourly, gazing sadly  at his half empty bottle of beer, the contents no longer cold but  lukewarm.