Drex isn’t laughing, and he glares at Axle’s back after the back pat. As Axle leaves, Drex’s eyes come to meet mine.
“You did good. Thanks for that. Axle is going to give you a lift back.”
Some of the coldness in his tone and eyes has ebbed, but he’s still not the Drex I’ve gotten used to having close to me. I move toward him, but when he tenses, I stop.
“Why did you kick me out? Is it because I trashed your room?”
He snorts derisively while leaning against the wall.
“You know why, Eve. Don’t pretend you don’t. This is normal to me. Everything that was overwhelming you is just another day in my life. You aren’t made for this, and I’m not made for anything else. Now get back to your life. While you’re at it, get a nicer life than that fucking shitty room you’re in. I’ll pay for the upgrade in a better place.”
Rolling my eyes, I move closer again, but his eyes narrow like he’s warning me to keep my distance. When his eyes drop to the exposed tattoo on my shoulder, his throat bobs and some more of that coldness ebbs.
“I had a bad day and you didn’t trust me. I lost it a little. Doesn’t mean I was ready to leave, Drex.”
Yeah, even I know how crazy it all sounds.
His eyes lose the coldness completely for a moment, but he replaces it almost immediately, as if he’s shutting down any and all emotion.
“You didn’t even say goodbye,” I whisper when the first tear falls.
His throat bobs again, but he doesn’t look at me.
“Go, Eve. Time to get out of here. Thanks for the video.”
A few more tears fall, but mostly because I’m more pissed than anything now.
“I said you didn’t even say goodbye,” I repeat, angrier this time.
The beer bottle in his hand is suddenly launched across the room, and it shatters against the wall. I don’t even flinch. Drex gets angry. Drex gets violent. But Drex would never hurt me.
“Damn it, Eve. Go. For fuck’s sake, leave. Please,” he groans.
“Not until you tell me why I didn’t even deserve a damn goodbye!”
In less than a blink, he goes from being against the wall to in my face, lifting me effortlessly before dropping me to the pool table. In the next breath, his lips are on mine, hungrily kissing me.
My hands go to his hair, tangling in the soft threads as I pull him closer, kissing him back with as much desperation as I grind my hips against his. He pushes my legs wider apart, then grabs my ass and jerks me forward until I can’t possibly get any closer. The friction is incredible, and feeling him hard and wanting me is definitely nice.
I moan into his mouth when his hands slide into my hair, roughly angling my head so he can kiss me harder. It’s what I’ve been missing. For every second his lips are on mine, that void disappears a little more, and everything miserable is replaced with something else… Something so much better.
“Fuck,” he groans against my lips, and I grind against him again as though it was a command. His lips move down my neck as I arch closer, reveling in the feel of the touch I’ve missed so much.
He kisses and devours the skin the tattoo covers, which is fortunately healed. When his grip tightens on me, I’m almost positive he’s about to take me on the pool table, and I’m so ready for that. For him.
There has to be a way we can make this work, because I don’t fit in outside these walls anymore. There has to be a way I can fit in inside these walls.
He gently kisses his name on my skin one last time before bringing his head back up. His forehead falls against mine as we both breathe hard, practically panting.
“That’s why I didn’t tell you goodbye,” he finally says in a sad whisper. “Because I couldn’t do it. I would have fucked you until you begged to stay.”
He rips away from me, and a chill instantly settles into my core when his touch is gone. I look back just as he jerks open the door to the billiard room and walks out into the party, disappearing from sight.
Slowly and shakily, I climb off the pool table, running hand through my wild hair as I try to process what he said.
Axle walks back in with a grim expression, and I don’t protest when he starts guiding me out. Again, I’m given the wide-berth treatment as people go out of their way to give me plenty of room to leave.
“I have to stop by Drake’s on the way back to relieve Dusty from guard duty,” Axle tells me. “Dash is going to pick you up from there.”
“Gee, you guys are just having to guard everyone.”
He doesn’t say anything, and I walk with him to his bike. I notice this time all the ones in the garage are avoiding eye contact with me instead of looking pissed.
“What’s with everyone?”
Axle grunts while settling onto his bike in front of me. “Let’s just say Drex sent a message no one will forget anytime soon.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means Jessie the fuckhead got what was coming to him, and everyone knows why. You’re officially untouchable.”
Confused, I start to ask questions, but Drex’s eyes find mine as he steps into the garage with a fresh beer. His jaw is tense as he studies us on the bike, and I start to get off and go back to him, when Axle revs the beast and walks the bike backwards.
Instead of being rejected again, I just watch him until Axle gets us turned around. This time when I leave to go home, it feels like I’m leaving home.
Chapter 13
EVE
A framed picture off to the side has had me confused for ten minutes while we wait on Dash to arrive. It’s a daisy with pretty pink tinted petals and purple blends. It’d be beautiful, if not for the fact “Cocksucker” is in bold print and written over the daisy, turning the daisy into nothing but a background.
“What is this about?” I ask, looking over at Drake as Axle toys with a knife.
Both of them exchange a look, and Axle’s lips twitch while Drake grins openly.
“It’s a reminder not to piss off the guy who is permanently inking your body,” Drake says with a shrug, still smiling like a kid with a prize.
Axle snorts while rolling his eyes, and resumes messing with his knife.
“I used to draw like this,” I tell him, toying with another framed picture of a dragon.
“Used to?” he muses.
“Yeah. I love art. I just couldn’t find a job that went with it.”
“Still looking for one? It’d be fucking nice to have someone help me design. I could use another artist to free up my time just for the ink. Not everyone gives me something I want to design.”
I turn toward him, and notice the way Axle is glaring at him like Drake is an idiot.
“Really?” I ask, already feeling a tinge of excitement.
“Definitely. It gets old trying to design all the girly shit for my female clients. They like a more feminine touch. Not saying the job is yours just yet. I’d need to see some sketches, but if they’re good, hell yes. They’d love it, and I’d sure as fuck enjoy having the additional ink time.”
Axle shakes his head. “She can’t, Drake.”
I glare at him, as does Drake.
“Just for that, I don’t care if your drawing is shit. The job is yours,” Drake says to me while keeping his eyes on Axle.
Axle curses while looking back and forth between us.
“He’ll fucking kill you and you know it.”
My heartbeat kicks up—which is a very weird thing to make it kick up.
“He’ll get over it,” Drake says, grinning again.
Axle shakes his head, then stands and walks toward the door. “I’m not going to be the one to fucking tell him. That’s for damn sure.”
Drake grins at me. “This should get interesting.”
I have no idea what that means, but the thought of getting to draw again is definitely appealing. Especially if I can make money doing it.
“When can I start?” I ask Drake.
“How good are you at butterflies with cherry wings?”
Chapter 14
DREX
“Jessie is still in a coma, in case you’re concerned,” Pop tells me, looking at me like he’d enjoy taking a swing.
I wish he fucking would. I’d love to quit pretending I still give a flying fuck about him. I’d also love to hit something.
I should hit Axle for fucking bringing her here a week ago. I almost fucked her and carried her to my room. I almost pulled her right back in. And I wouldn’t have given her up a second time.
“Let me know when he dies so I can piss on his grave to pay my respects,” I say with a tight smile.
He rolls his eyes. “One day that temper is going to land you in the grave or in the pin.”
I flip him off while smiling, and he shakes his head like I’m a petulant child. Rush walks in, letting his eyes move between me and Pop before taking a seat near me. Pop is speaking to Sledge now, and I do something I haven’t done since I saw Eve a week ago.
“What’s the report on Eve and her family?”
The reason I haven’t asked is because all it does is fucking torture me and piss me off. She’s in a rat-hole motel and cleaning up after prostitutes and guys who could make my morals seem valued.
“Same for the past week,” he says quietly, escaping Pop’s ears. “No sign of the feds since the sweat bag ran them off from there. And Drake just picked up her for—”