Page 7 of Creed (Satan’s Fury MC- Little Rock #6)

DEVIN

“ H ow about another round?”

“Sure.” Laura glanced over at me with a smile. “You want another glass of wine or something else?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“You got it.”

Laura turned her attention back to the four men who’d been bidding for our attention for the last half hour and gave them our order. She was talking a mile a minute, and they were all hanging on her every word. Well, most of them were.

The guy with dimples and a thick southern drawl seemed to have his eyes set on me.

He hadn’t even spoken to her or anyone else.

Just me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

He was handsome and put together. But his hair was a little too styled, and it made him look like he cared a little too much about how he looked.

It was clear the guy worked out. He was tall with broad shoulders, and his suit jacket was hanging open just enough to reveal a snug black tee underneath. Confidence poured off him like cologne that was too strong.

“You really are beautiful.” His eyes skirted over me. “And a professor. That’s something.”

“Thank you.” I smiled back, letting myself lean into the attention. “It’s sweet of you to say so.”

“Just being honest… And you’re sure you’re not from around here?” he asked, flashing another one of those magazine-smile grins.

“Nope. Just here visiting my friend.”

“Hmmm.” He shook his head. “You look so familiar. I could swear we’ve crossed paths before.”

Maybe we had. I wasn’t sure. Or it could be that he’d seen my picture on the news or in the paper. The days after that night, my face was plastered everywhere. It seemed I couldn’t escape the media or the memories. They both haunted me.

There was a time when I would’ve gotten in my head about it all, especially in a situation like this.

But it had been a long week. Hell, it had been a long year, and it was nice to have a little attention thrown my way.

I let my fingertips graze the rim of my glass. “I must have one of those faces.”

“Oh, you definitely do.” He gave me a wink. “You think I could convince you to give me your number?”

“Maybe. Let’s see how the night plays out.”

“Fair enough.”

Laura nudged me with her elbow as she laughed at something one of the guys had said.

She’d already reeled in two of them. One of them was a business type with a sports coat and khakis, and the other was tall and lanky with tattoos covering both arms. Both seemed nice enough.

They were a little cocky and maybe a little drunk but seemed harmless.

I smiled back at her and pretended to laugh along with her, but something shifted.

It wasn’t anything they’d said or done. It was just a feeling, like a thread pulling taunt at the base of my spine.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I had the strange sensation that someone was watching me.

I glanced around the bar but saw nothing out of the norm. There were a couple of guys next to us watching the game and a few women in the back corner, drinking and laughing. There were crowds here and there, all enjoying the various slot machines and game tables. Everything seemed fine.

I took a sip of my drink and tried to shake it off, but the unease remained.

I sat there a minute, trying to figure out what was going on with me, and the feeling only grew worse.

I took a slow breath and turned back to Laura, leaning in so only she could hear.

“You wanna get out of here? Maybe go check out that place a few blocks down? The one with the rooftop bar?”

“What?” She blinked, surprised. “Now?”

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I’ve really been wanting to check it out but haven’t had the chance.”

“Okay. It’s your night.” She took one last sip of her drink and slid off her stool. “Well, boys. It was fun, but we’re gonna call it a night.”

“Oh?” The guy beside me looked disappointed, but he didn’t press. “Leaving so soon?”

“Yeah, afraid so, but thanks for the drink.”

I gave him a soft smile, then followed Laura out of the bar. We made our way toward the exit, and as we weaved through the crowd, I could still feel that prickling tension crawling just beneath my skin.

I didn’t look back. I didn’t need to. I’d learned a long time ago to listen to that voice in my head, even when it made no sense.

I was thankful that Laura hadn’t pushed back and insisted we stayed.

When we reached her car, I climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up.

I was waiting for Laura to start the car when I saw them.

Two men were standing off to the side and looked to be watching the front door, but they weren’t in suits like the bouncers inside. These two wore black leather cuts and not just any leather cuts. They were embroidered with the name Satan’s Fury.

It had been a long time since I’d seen one like that, but I knew what it meant. They were brothers, and if these two were here, there was no doubt that others were close. Which meant there was a chance that Jameson could be here, too.

The thought made my heart start to race. I hadn’t seen him in years, and I was torn between whether I wanted to see him or not. Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to see him. But it had been so long, and honestly, I was scared.

Besides, Laura had already started backing out of the lot.

So, I kept quiet and stared out the window.

The unease from earlier was now gone and was replaced with a dull ache deep in my chest. I looked out the window, and I found myself thinking about the way he used to look at me, the way he used to touch me, and the way I’d touch him.

He had a way of making me feel so wanted and desired it would take my breath away.

God, how I loved that feeling, and even more than that, I loved him. It hadn’t taken me long to fall for him. He hadn’t exactly made it hard. He was so good to me, even when he didn’t have to be.

I could still remember the day he really came through for me. I’d had a hell of a day. It was one of the worst I’d had yet. A little boy who was barely four came into the local ER with a broken arm and a big bruise on his cheek.

His dad was a mess. Poor guy was worried sick and riddled with guilt.

When asked what happened, he told my partner and me that the boy had fallen off the back porch.

I believed him. I had no reason not to. The boy’s story matched, but my partner wasn’t buying it.

He kept insisting we take the father in.

“He’s got a rap sheet.”

“For petty theft seven years ago.”

“Consider it protocol,” he said. “Better to be safe than sorry.”

“I don’t know.”

“I do. The guy did this to the kid, and now, he’s gonna pay for it.”

It felt wrong. All of it. It felt like we were tearing a family apart instead of helping, and when the kid started crying, it nearly broke me.

I hated seeing him so upset, especially after everything he’d been through.

I hated seeing the father so distraught and pleading for us to let him go. I hated all of it.

I managed to keep it together until I got home. Once the door closed behind me, I sat on the floor in my kitchen, still in my uniform, and just unraveled. I didn’t call anyone. Didn’t answer texts. I just sat there alone, crying and second-guessing my decision to be a police officer.

And then Jameson showed up.

He didn’t knock. He just walked in like he belonged there. He was carrying a brown paper bag full of Chinese takeout, a grocery sack with my favorite sour gummies, chocolate chip cookies, and kettle chips, and a single bouquet of wildflowers wrapped in butcher paper.

He dropped it all on the table before coming over and picking me up off the floor. He carried me into the bedroom, and as soon as he lowered me to the bed, he ordered, “Get undressed.”

I didn’t argue. I didn’t have it in me, so I did as he said and started to undress. He slipped into the bathroom and turned on the hot water, filling the tub. After tossing in some of my favorite scents, he came back in and said, “Go soak a bit. I’ll be here when you get done.”

I nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

I eased into the tub and stayed there until the water went cold.

I got out and dried off, and when I stepped back into the bedroom, Jameson had left my favorite pajamas on the bed.

It was strange how much better I felt just having him in the house.

He gave me a sense of peace that only he could give.

He didn’t ask what happened. He just made me a plate of food, and we piled up on the sofa. I ate a few bites, and when I finally found the words, he listened. His hand never left mine, and he didn’t try to tell me it would all be okay. He didn’t try to fix it.

He just sat there with me and let me cry it out. And when there was nothing left in me but exhaustion, he wrapped his arms around me, pulled me into his chest, and didn’t let go.

We curled up on the couch and watched some silly romantic comedy he didn’t even pretend to like.

We broke open every single snack he brought, and we ate until my stomach ached.

We didn’t make love, not that I would’ve complained.

There was nothing better than being tangled up with him but tonight wasn’t about that.

It was about Jameson being there for me in a way no one else had.

I fell asleep with my head on his chest.

I woke up in my bed the next morning to the scent of coffee drifting down the hallway. I looked over and was disappointed to find that Jameson wasn’t lying there next to me. I sat up, and that’s when I noticed the note on the nightstand. There wasn’t much to it. It just said, ‘See you soon.’

But that was the moment I knew. He wasn’t just some guy I was seeing. He was something more. Much more. He could walk into the darkest part of my day and somehow still make it feel like light.

And I’d walked away from that.

Now here I was, years later, divorced, broken, and heading to a bar I didn’t want to go to, all the while wondering if the man I once loved still thought of me, too. I shouldn’t have been thinking this way.

I’d left because I had to.

I hated being a secret. I hated knowing that we couldn’t have a real future—not with my badge and his club. They would always pull us in opposite directions.

But sitting in that car, watching the road blur past, I couldn’t help wondering what would’ve happened if I’d stayed. If I’d fought a little harder. If I’d told him how much I loved him and how much it hurt to leave.

“Okay, missy.” The sound of Laura’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “What’s going on with you over there?”

“Nothing,” I lied. “I’m just a little tired.”

“Tired? It’s not even eleven yet.”

“Ha! I’m usually in bed by nine,” I scoffed. “But that’s not the kind of tired I’m talking about.”

“Oh, I get it.” Laura threw the car into park and killed the engine. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah, well, I brought it on myself.”

“Oh, don’t you even think of going there. We both know this isn’t all on you.”

“No, but a lot of it is.” I looked at her and sighed. “I should’ve never married Brian. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“I get it. He was a safe bet.”

“But I didn’t love him. I should’ve waited.

I should’ve waited until I found someone who I really loved and who really loved me.

Then, maybe it wouldn’t have been so hard when the hard times came, and when I lost my mind, I wouldn’t have to wonder whether or not my husband had my back.

” I shook my head. “But then, I wouldn’t have Austin and Chrissy, and I couldn’t imagine life without them, even if they hate me. ”

“Oh, wow. You just went down the entire rabbit hole.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, no. Don’t be. It’s a lot, but you’re getting through it.

“I know what will make you feel better.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“You need to get laid,” she answered matter-of-factly. “You need to get laid by a hot, sexy firefighter or ball player who can throw you over his shoulder and give it to you good.”

I laughed as I told her, “You’re crazy.”

“But I’m right.” She motioned her head toward the front door of the bar. “So, are we going in or…”

“We’re going in.”

“That’s my girl!”

“I say that with limitations. We’ll have at least one drink and see how things go from there, but when it comes to firefighters or ball players, I make no promises.”

“Okay, but if the opportunity arises…”

“I’ll consider it.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

Laura was practically beaming as we got out of the car and started inside. I wish I shared her enthusiasm. Instead, I felt numb. It was a feeling I’d had for a long time. I was afraid I might never feel a thrill or any kind of excitement again, but I got a glimmer of hope tonight.

Just the thought of Jameson being in that casino made me feel more alive than I’d felt in a very long time. That had to mean something. Right?