Page 61 of Burning Ember

No crying over spilled . . .ummm, yeah, not going there.

I take deep breaths and the fresh air helps. I revel in it for about ten minutes before I know I need to clean up the mess and let Taz know that he’s going to have to try harder.

After I’ve scrounged up a handful of towels, I go back into the main room.

I notice right away that Taz and Mav are having a heated discussion down the hallway. After a minute, Taz storms past me, sending me a deadly glare as he does so. Mav comes back into the room.

Griz walks up to me and grabs a towel. Then he lays it over some of the mess. My heart warms at the simple gesture. Rigor follows his example. Bodie watches both and then decides to help too. I give him a tentative smile and he gives me a kiss on the cheek in return.

A growl comes from the hallway and both Bodie and I peer up to see Mav scowling.

Bodie holds up his hands. “I forgot. Shit. Won’t happen again.”

“People better stop forgettin’ shit around here, or we’re gonna have problems.” His eyes dart to mine and then back to Bodie. “See that it doesn’t happen again,” Mav mutters before he goes in his office and slams the door.

Bodie looks over at me and the corner of his mouth lifts up, revealing his sexy dimples. He winks and then walks off to lay the towel over the mess on the floor. Together the four of us clean up the spilled water . . . and whatever other things it contains.

The garbage is overflowing. I pull it out and knot the top of the bag. It’s heavy enough I need two hands to carry it. Using the back door, I exit the clubhouse. I’m just outside the door when I hear Mav’s voice and stop in my tracks.

“No. You do what you got to do. I’ll take care of him. I get that you need to do this.” After a few seconds, he speaks again, “I’ll pick him up first thing tomorrow. Come on now, I always treat him like he’s my own.”

He gives a dismissive snort. “No, I won’t let these assholes do anything stupid to him.”

There’s silence for another few seconds and then, Mav lets out a laugh. A real laugh. It’s masculine and beautiful, and, God, I’d give anything to see his face right now. I bet it’s a sight to see. My stomach does a little flip, and I press my free hand there scolding it to settle down.

“You what?” he laughs again. “He okay? No, I’m not pullin’ them, Nick. At least not both of them. Pick one and keep him with you. And I mean like you’re fuckin’ connected at the hip. No bullshit. That’s the best I can do. No, not until we know who hit Cap and make sure they’re not comin’ back to finish the job.” He exhales. “And keep your piece with you at all times. Yeah, yeah. Call me when you get to Cali and check in every day. I gotta know you’re safe, even if it’s through Dozer.”

I hear him curse under his breath. “Yeah, there is. You heard about her, huh?” There’s a pause. “Lil’ Bird’s doin’. Surprise for Edge. She’s not stayin. It’s only a temporary deal.”

I hear the click of a lighter.

“Yeah, she definitely knows her way around a kitchen, so most of the guys have takin’ a likin’ to her.” Silence. He lets out a long breath. “Well, she’s not tough on the eyes if that’s what you askin’. Nope. Not goin’ there.”

Not tough on the eyes?

I bite my lip. I want to step closer. But I don’t want to give myself away. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping. I can’t help myself though. He sounds so at ease. Not angry, which he is every time he talks to me.

Another laugh, “Yeah, Bodie’s gonna be in the thick of it with Blaire if he doesn’t start showin’ up at home for meals and shit. She’ll come lookin’ for him, and we all know how that’s gonna end.”

“Fuck . . . don’t ask me. He’s pissin’ me off. I don’t know what’s goin’ on with him. Cap thought it was because of Bethany, but now he’s all over Do—Pumpkin. Maybe he’s just sick of waitin’ for her to come around.”

He’s silent for a long while and then says, “Hey, listen . . . I gotta run. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I jump into action and quietly back up so I can open and roughly slam the back door, acting as though I barely walked outside. I look up in time to see him coming around the corner cigarette dangling from his lips.

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing him. It’s always a shock to my system. A sucker punch of sorts. Almost as if I forget, during the times when he’s not around, how gorgeous he is.

I’m unexplainably drawn to him like two compatible sides of a magnet. My lips part as my eyes hungrily run over him.

His jeans are light today. He’s wearing a gray T-shirt that hugs his chest and biceps and no leather jacket. His facial hair is growing longer and longer each day and I keep expecting him to trim it, because it’s starting to look like a beard, but each day it’s still there.

His eyes draw up to my face when he sees me. His steps falter, leaving us facing each other with three feet of space between us. Too much space and yet too little.

Something fills the space quickly though. Chemistry? Sexual tension? Anger? I’m not certain, but it’s there, coiling in the air. His irises are lighter than usual as they roam over me. Although that could be from the way the sunlight’s hitting his face. The breeze causes the smoke from his cigarette to waft toward me and I wave it away. I’m not a fan of the smell. And definitely don’t want it on my clothes. Reminds me too much of my mother.

He pulls the cigarette from his mouth and holds it away from me.

I’m caught completely off guard by the gesture. Then shocked stupid when he reaches toward the bag I’m holding and says, “Want a hand with that?”