Page 149 of Dirty Salvation

“Waitin’ for an answer.”

Her own chin went up. “Just because you say you’re waiting doesn't mean I must jump, Rider. I’m not one of your boys. You’re being stupid, that’s not what I said at all, you twisted my words into something ugly and hearing what you want to hear. Only that you have outdated notions on what you see as yours.”

She felt the air stir like trying to walk through thick sludge in nothing but flip flops, this conversation was escalating fast.

She should have just left him to his shitty mood and beer.

Zara had her own annoyances today that had nothing to do with a six-foot moody biker who seemed to have climbed off his Harley the wrong way.

She was sleeping very little. It might have something to do with the psycho who was still terrifying her from the shadows. But that was just a stab in the dark guess.

After her visit with Angela had gone well a few days back, it got Zara to thinking of her own family back in Boston who to this day thought she was still backpacking around the world.

Seriously, backpacking.

She’d never slept outdoors once in her life.

It was the lamest excuse she’d given on the biannual phone calls Hades had allowed her to send her family so as not to arouse suspicion of her sudden disappearance. Call him a psycho but he had tied up all those loose ends, unfortunately. Of course, her parents hadn’t been pleased, far from it, they believed she was on drugs or worse, for dropping out of the internship position her father had set up for her with his law firm.

She’d be on the trajectory to being a junior partner had it all panned out as her father had wanted.

Things happened for a reason, a season or to learn a lesson. Zara still couldn’t quite figure what role Hades and co played in her life, other than monsters exist. Until he was found she was always going to fear the shadows. She’d never have peace.

“You didn’t answer. Is your bad day to do with him? I have a right to know.”

“I said I’d tell you if we knew anything.” it didn’t directly answer her question but it dialled back on some of her rising anxiety. “You’re not mine, Zara?”

Oh, sweet hell.

She inhaled, held that one single breath in her lungs before letting it go calmly. She’d seen this man throw his head back in the hardest belly laughs, she’d seen him joke around in the bike shop with his brothers, not to mention when he was feeling romantic slash wanting to get into her pants. She’d even seen him in his rare dark moment that night of his raid when he’d resembled an avenging devil, but it was the first time she’d seen his eyes flat cold and onher. Snakes crawled through her belly.

She frowned looking him dead in the eye. “I didn’t say that.”

“Far as I can see that’s exactly what you said. Unless you sayin’ I’m goin’ deaf now.” strange how a pretty large kitchen can shrink considerably under the scrutiny stare of a bad biker man leaning against the cabinets, arms folded over his naked chest. “You’re in my bed every night.”

“It’s my bed!” she fired back just to make a point. The point being she didn’t even know and hated this conversation even more now. All she’d wanted was a pile of pasta and maybe a Disney movie, she still had Frozen saved on DVR to watch, how had this night turned so sour so quickly?

“Our bed.” he amended with a dirty smirk on his face.

“We don’t live together, Rider!” her tone was fuming for a blast of a second, even as she said it she knew she was wrong and just lashing out. “You told me you’d give me space.”

“That’s what you want?”

No. It’s not.Zara did her own slow exhaling and took those few seconds to breathe before they got into an unnecessary argument.Too late.

"That’s what you want? Gotcha. Then what am I even doin’ here, Zara? fuck this walkin’ on eggshells waitin’ for you to see what’s clearly in front of your nose, and fuck you. You want me gone, sweetheart, watch me fuckin’ go."

“Rider.Dammit…”

And with that Rider charged out in the coolest way she'd ever seen before, he’d grabbed up both his shirt and jacket, his long legs striding so fast he practically left skid marks on the tiled floor. The door slammed behind him.

A second later she heard the purr of his bike starting up.

She sucked in a stunned breath. Blinking a few times staring at the back door.

Did that just happen?

Of all men…Rider would have been last on the list of suspects to ever cut and run in that way. She giggled unexpectedly, eyes rolling, her tizzy attitude drained in that one laugh.