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“Look, you can give me shit all you want, but he’s never really dated, never been this far away from home, and he’s alone,” Teddy said. “I brought him here, so I feel like anything that happens to him, I’m responsible for. If you can’t understand that, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Kong cocked his head, studying him. There were dark circles beneath Teddy’s eyes, and it looked like he’d lost a little weight since Kat and Mark had cut their patches off him.

“Tell me you’re not doing it for your own twisted reasons.”

“I’m not,” Teddy declared. “Whether you choose to believe it or not, he’s my friend. I just wanted to protect him. How was I supposed to know that your interest in him was different from the way you treated the last three guys who were stupid enough to fall for you?”

Deflating, Kong rubbed the back of his neck, recalling the way he’d cut the last one loose in a short note, right before he’d headed to Kill Devil Hills to help with the rebuilds for their sister chapter.

As much as it galled him, he had to concede that Teddy was right to caution Scout about his tendency to be one and done with the men he took to his bed, even if Teddy couldn’t have known the real reason behind it.

“You’re not wrong,” Kong admitted. “But none of those three were the right fit for me. Jaxson was too delicate; that’s why I didn’t approach him again after the night we’d spent together.

He just bruised too goddamn easily. Every time I looked at him afterwards and saw handprint-shaped marks mottling his skin, I felt like shit because I hadn’t been careful enough to prevent it.

Robby just wanted to say he’d taken a ride on King Kong and lived, which pissed me off when I overheard him, and Davy, well, I could have handled that better.

When I got the assignment to head north, I should have taken the time to explain to him that leaving him behind wasn’t personal; it was to help his chances of being named a prospect here, something that wouldn’t have happened if he’d spent six months at Kill Devil Hills with me.

At best, they’d have asked him to prospect there, which would have led to me leaving him behind when I returned and ending the relationship anyway. It was a no-win situation.”

Nodding, Teddy leaned against the doorframe, staring up at him. “I didn’t know about Davy or Robby.”

“Well, now you do.”

“I’m sorry Robby was an ass,” Teddy said, shocking Kong to his core.

That was the last thing he’d have ever expected to hear coming from him. “Should have figured something was up with the way he’s ping-ponged around the club, fucking everyone who shows the least bit of interest in him. I guess I thought he was just doing it because you’d hurt him.”

“Why? Is that because it’s something you’d have done?”

“If anyone would have me, maybe, I dunno,” Teddy said. “I was with Kat and Mark for so long that I can’t even imagine what the feel of someone else’s hands on me would be like. When I do try to think about it, I just cringe and wanna puke.”

“Maybe you should have thought about that before you pulled the shit you pulled,” Kong declared. “Now, I do get why you warned Scout about getting involved with me, but why encourage him to keep silent about the salvage yard? You nearly got him into some real trouble with Mark.”

“Which wasn’t my intention,” Teddy snapped.

“All I wanted was the chance to finish the project I’d been assigned so I could prove to Mark that I was capable of handling it.

He had no right taking it away. I might not have the same experience with bikes as other people, but I spent a lot of time researching and tracking down locations only to realize he’d rigged the whole thing so I would fail.

So yeah, I warned Scout about giving up any information.

I didn’t want Mark to cut him out of the process the way he did to me.

It’s not fair. I worked my ass off on that and every other task he gave me.

That should have been enough for him. But of course it wasn’t.

I needed to show him that he was wrong. That I was every bit as capable as I’d always been.

Just because I’m getting older doesn’t mean I don’t still have value and something to contribute. ”

“We’re all getting older,” Kong pointed out. “And I can almost see how it made sense in your twisted mind to encourage Scout to keep bringing in the parts alone since you’re the one who brought him to the club in the first place. There’s just one thing you failed to consider.”

“Yeah, that Mark wouldn’t give a shit how much effort I put in,” Teddy replied. “I was never going to be enough. I’m washed up, don’t move the way I used to, and whatever sparkle and appeal I once had has dulled enough that he and Kat aren’t interested anymore.”

Tears shimmered in Teddy’s eyes as he picked at his fingernails.

“Just didn’t wanna see Scout waste his time on people who’d just use him up and throw him away once they got bored,” Teddy said. “If that makes me a bad person, so be it. You all think I’m trash now anyway, so who cares?”

“Mark and Kat never got bored with you. They got pissed because you’d already earned your place with them and us a long time ago, so there was no reason for Mark to test you.

Only you couldn’t see that. You created an issue and an adversary where there never needed to be one.

Now you need to figure out why you chose that route and own up to it before there’s no going back. ”

“It’s way too late for that,” Teddy remarked.

“I just hope you don’t do the same thing to Scout after the years have taken their toll.

He’s got a beautiful soul. He deserves to be loved and cherished forever.

Not cast off when he loses his shimmer. It sucks, and it isn’t fair to do to anyone. I just wanted to spare him that pain.”

There was real emotion in his voice, sincerity and misery mingled with a hint of frustration.

“You know what, I believe you,” Kong relented, ‘cause dammit all, it even made sense to him now. “There might be some hope for you yet.”

Teddy tried to smile, but only one side of his mouth quirked upward, while his eyes just remained dull and sad.

As he turned to go, Kong wondered if either Mark or Kat truly had a clue about the way Teddy saw himself, or how deeply he believed that they’d thrown him away because he’d gotten older and was no longer the young wannabe stripper they’d first brought home with them.

He could see how his insecurities had fed into his issues with Sinn, the beautiful man drawing stares whenever he moved through a room.

He hadn’t been here when the man had joined them and had no way of knowing if Kat and Mark’s eyes had strayed to him too.

Had there been interest there before Saint had claimed him and Night, or had Teddy just seen what he wanted to see because he’d already been down on himself?

If Teddy could just say that to them, maybe there would be a chance of putting things right again.

As he backed away and watched Teddy close the door, Kong doubted he would find it in himself to be that honest with Mark and Kat.

There was too much bitterness and hurt there now, which was a shame, because when Teddy, Kat, and Mark were on the same page, there was nothing in the world they couldn’t accomplish, especially when they were focused on what was best for the club.