Page 34

Reaper

Throughout my life, I had engaged in some rather unpleasant and morally questionable actions. There were certain things in my life that I was not proud of, while there were also some actions that I deeply regretted. However, I was completely unprepared for what I was witnessing in that very moment. I knew it was a possibility. Slim, but it was there. In all my life, I had never considered myself to be someone blessed with good fortune. However, when I looked up at her, her eyes filled with contempt and her presence radiating superiority, I realized that I would gladly bear any pain just to have her by my side.

Home.

“Where are my kids?”

I chose to remain in a reclined position, resting my weight on my arms, and I saw no need to exert effort to stand up because I knew if I did, she would fucking haul off and knock my ass back down again.

I didn’t care if she did, but I knew when she got mad, she cried, and I didn’t want anyone to see her like that.

She wouldn’t like it and that would piss me off.

So instead, I stayed there on the floor, ignoring my busted lip and sore jaw and smirked. “ Our kids are at home.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“What the hell are you smiling about?”

Licking the blood off my lip, I said, “You came home to me.”

“I did not come home to you, asshole,” she lied.

I could see it clearly in her eyes. She was still angry and wasn’t ready to forgive me yet. Not that I blamed her one bit. I fucked up, and I knew it. Hell, the whole damn club fucking knew it. The question I wanted to know was, how long she was going to punish me before she forgave me.

I knew my woman was many things, but forgiving wasn’t one of them. My wife held a fucking grudge like no other. It was that stupid fucking Russian blood coursing through her veins.

“I’ve got your room ready for you, baby. Can’t wait to cuddle with you tonight.”

She took a step toward me, kneeled down beside me, and grinned. “If you think I am sharing a room with you, then you are stupider than I ever imagined. So let me be very clear, Maxwell James Doherty, it will be a cold day in hell before I ever let you in my bed again. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” I said, then couldn’t stop the word vomit that I expelled next. “Cold day in hell. Got it. Just for clarification, does that mean a chilly day or frozen completely over?”

The next thing I knew, all the air fled my lungs and my heart damn near stopped beating in my chest when a searing pain unlike anything I’d ever felt before robbed me of every logical and illogical response I could come up with. All I cared about was my throbbing, pulsating, broken dick between my legs. I gasped for air, rolling over to my side, cupping my crotch.

I didn’t care if she burned the new clubhouse down around me.

She broke my dick!

Laying on the floor, time no longer mattered.

Only pain, and when Massacre walked over and dropped a bag of ice on my crotch, I cursed the son of a bitch, vowing to get back at the laughing fucking bastard.

“Gotta say, Prez.” Massacre chuckled. “She popped you good. I’ll be shocked as hell if you’re not pissing blood for days. You’ve been down there for almost an hour now. Want me to get you a pillow?”

“Fuck off, Massacre,” I groaned. “Where is she?”

“At home with the kids. I think you better leave her alone until she calms down, ‘cause she kicked every man with a dick out of the house. Apparently, it’s a dick free zone, now. She even kicked Ink to the curb and you know those two are best friends.”

Groaning, I rolled onto my back while Massacre plopped his ass down on the floor beside me.

“You know, I was thinking. After everything that’s happened, you got off lucky.”

Slowly turning my head to the annoying fucker, I frowned.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Well, think about it. You lied, got caught with your pants down, literally around your ankles, damn near had your head blown off, got drugged and held hostage for months, all while everyone thought you were dead. That’s a lot of shit for Remi to reconcile with.”

I sneered, “It was more than that and you fucking know it.”

“Yep. Sure do, which is why I think you’re gonna need to grovel, beg, plead, and maybe pay penance for the rest of your life if you want your woman back.”

“Well, thank you, Captain Obvious,” I snarked, slowly getting to my feet. “Tell me something I don’t already fucking know.”

“Just keeping it real, brother.” Massacre smiled up at me.

“Go away, Mass,” I groaned. “Go bug your brother.”

I hobbled toward my new office, my limp pronounced, and forcefully slammed the door, signaling my desire to be left in solitude. With utmost care, I slowly eased myself into the chair, wincing at the sharp twinge of pain. Placing the bag of ice gently on my crotch, I leaned my head back, savoring the relief it brought while I closed my eyes.

I knew when she returned, she would bring with her a storm of challenges.

Nothing regarding her was ever easy.

The problem was, Massacre was wrong. Not about the timeline of events, because that shit did happen. He was wrong about the penance part. My woman wasn’t mad at me because of what had occurred. She was mad at me because I fucking lied to her once again.

That was what she was having a tough time with.

After the Golden Wedding, she forgave me, then made me promise to never do it again. At the time, I agreed and gave her my word, because I stupidly thought those two fucknuts would finish the job. But like everything in my life before, I left nothing to chance. So, when I realized they had dropped the ball, I had no choice. It was either break my promise to my wife and finish the job, or trust that eventually one of those assholes would finally keep their word.

Yeah, when it came to my wife, I didn’t trust jack shit.

Never would.

There was absolutely no fucking chance in hell I would ever trust anyone with her life, her safety, her happiness.

Now that she was home, I had time.

Time to figure out how to dig myself out of this mess.

It wasn’t going to be easy. I fucking knew that.

It was like that saying, ‘fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,’ and I fucking knew my woman was kicking herself big time.

That was on me.

I did that.

That was what I was going to have to atone for because my woman was no fool.

I was the stupid motherfucking fool.

God, she was so beautiful.

I stood there, observing her tranquil sleep. It seemed like the weight of the world had no hold on her. I couldn’t help but notice how petite she appeared in our spacious king-size bed, her creamy skin creating a striking juxtaposition against the dark, silky sheets. Her blonde hair, still unruly, fanned over the pillow. I spent minutes marveling at how her long black eyelashes gracefully brushed her cheeks, but it was her enticing rosebud lips that truly captivated me.

Slightly parted, they were plump and luscious, utterly kissable.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu when I found myself in the same predicament, just like the night she stumbled into the clubhouse all those years ago. In contrast to before, she wasn’t battered and bruised this time and she definitely didn’t rely on me for her rescue.

Now the roles were reversed and I found myself in a state of panic, not knowing what I would do if she couldn’t find it in her heart to forgive me.

The fact was I was barely holding on.

The demon inside me was restless, itching to reclaim what rightfully belonged to him. Nothing but her could sate the beast that dwelled deep in my soul, and until she was ready to forgive me, the demon inside me would rage.

“I can hear you breathing.”

“I’m sorry.”

She opened her eyes and glared at me. “No, you’re not. What do you want?”

“You already know that answer.”

She sighed, sitting up. “I’m not ready.”

“I know,” I replied, never taking my eyes off her.

“Is this going to be a nightly thing?”

“Until you forgive me.”

She groaned, reaching behind her to grab a pillow before she threw it at me. I intercepted it before it hit me in the face when she added, “Fine, but you are not sleeping in this bed. Go sleep on the couch.”

Smirking, I headed for the door when I heard her say, “And you can get that fucking stupid grin off your face. This doesn’t mean anything.”

Choosing to say nothing, I walked out of our bedroom and smiled, knowing I was one step closer to being back in that bed next to her.