Page 4 of Priest’s Sunbeam (Renegade Souls MC: Next Generation #2)

Sunshine

After the carbs crash, Sunny was tempted to take a power nap, but having the twin beds only inches apart felt too intimate.

So, like a woman who should know better but couldn’t help herself, she watched Seb sleeping. The sweep of his dark hair over his forehead called to her fingertips to brush it back.

So many things were off-limits now with her best friend. She’d dreamed of a forever love with him, but had been shoved into the forever friend zone instead.

She certainly couldn’t rush him for a body hug like she’d done millions of times before. Sebastian was present for every significant event in her life, yet Sunny struggled to accept that their relationship needed altering to maintain any connection with him.

It was the most challenging thing she had ever faced.

In her younger, na?ve mind, she’d been waiting for the day to be age appropriate, and so sure Sebastian would claim her as his old lady.

But when she’d grown tired of waiting and practically thrown herself at him, her mortification today at the memory was as strong as it felt a year ago. Crushingly so.

When Seb left Colorado for his engineering degree, their bond was so intense that she fell ill.

Unable to leave the bed, so heartsick over missing him, she’d stopped eating and needed an IV of fluids.

Though worried, her dad had been the angriest, telling Sunny no boy was worth getting sick over.

Her feelings were amplified at fifteen; she’d called Seb ten times a day during that initial week, and he’d responded every time.

She’d never once thought they’d end up as they were today, as detached strangers.

Sighing, she rested her chin on her knee, unable to pull her gaze away from him.

Mapping his face with his day-old stubble and full lips, his eyelashes sweeping against his cheeks.

Too long for a boy, but on Sebastian, he still looked every inch a man.

His arms were ropey and well-defined because he worked out religiously.

She would have assumed maturity would make loving someone easier, but it felt worse.

Knowing she shouldn’t violate his privacy by staring at his sleeping form, Sunny slipped into her boots and jacket and quietly snuck outside.

She first went to the diner and picked up sandwiches, chips, and road snacks.

She’d only been gone ten minutes at most and engaged in a call outside their motel room, so she didn’t wake Sebastian.

Tanner picked up immediately. “Hey, stranger, are you home yet?”

“Not quite. Your brother is taking a nap. How are things there?”

“How much do you know?”

These bikers and their secrets. She rolled her eyes to the darkening sky.

“I know enough, Tanner.”

“Everything is quiet but tense. Rider, your dad, and a few others are out scouting. Alpha and Hero are following a lead.”

Tanner was her age and still prospecting for the Souls, so he’d only know as much as the brothers told him.

“And what are you doing?”

He grumbled, and she grinned. “Grunt fucking work, as usual.”

“You’re such a good pet.” She giggled when he told her to shut up.

She gasped as the door to her right burst open, revealing the man of her dreams and nightmares, battle-ready.

With his forehead folded down over his eyes, his hair stood up in tufts, and Seb’s arms bulged when he folded them over his chest. Sunny noted his feet were bare, and she swallowed as she tried vainly to drag her eyes off the gorgeous sight.

“Hang up the phone.” He growled like a soaring threat.

“Is that my brother?” Tanner asked.

“Yes, the sour bear is awake.” And then to Seb, she said. “I’m talking with your brother. I’ll be there in a second.”

“Hang up the fucking phone right now, Sunshine.” He growled again and didn’t wait; he just plucked the phone from her hand, pressed the button to cut the call, and slipped it into his back pocket.

She gaped up at him. “Well, that was rude. I was only talking to Tanner out here, so I didn’t disturb you.”

His eyes scanned her like he thought he might find a bomb on her person. She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the night air.

When he spoke, noticing the bag in her hand, it was low and warning. “Did you go over to the diner?”

“Yes. I grabbed us some dinner and snacks for the road.”

“Inside, right now.” He issued and palmed the top of Sunny’s arm and forcibly marched her into the motel room, slamming the door with them inside.

“Jeez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the motel bed,” she huffed, freeing her arm from his grasp. “What’s your problem?”

“My problem is you. Not fucking listening. Not caring that we’re not out here for Spring Break vacation, Sunny, someone has threatened your life. They could be here for all you know. And you’re prancing your little ass with a target on it without a goddamn care.”

She blinked as her heart battered against the inside of her ribcage. He’d never raised his voice to her before, and Sunny, god … she liked the rough timber of it and the dark fire in his eyes as he glared.

“I wasn’t thinking.” She frowned. “I wanted to pick up some food for when you woke up.”

“No, you weren’t thinking,” he rasped, pacing like a caged tiger, all supple, angry lines. Sunny had her eyes pinned to his back, fascinated by his angry display.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian. I know better.” She admitted and watched his steps come to a halt, and then they carried them over to her, where he bent his head until their eyes were level.

“I should have just thrown you into a gym bag and taken you home like that. It would be less of a hassle.” He rasped.

Of all the nerve. Sunny had been feeling bad about her carelessness and how he must have panicked when he found her gone. But now, she jerked her chin up and stared at him.

“No one forced you to be the one to drive here,” she said. “No one said it had to be you.”

“Yes, it did.” He gritted through his teeth, then parked himself on the edge of the bed to put on his boots.

She kept going over his response, and it just made her steam.

“I’m sure someone else would have come. But I’m sorry I’m such a burden,” emotion made those last words warble, and Seb shot his head up to look at her.

“You’re not a burden. Grab your stuff, we’re out of here.”

With his jacket on, he shouldered their bags and checked them out. She followed at his side, silent. She unwrapped the sandwich packages on the road, passing Seb his roast beef and mustard. They ate in silence for a while.

“Don’t do that again,” he said, balling up the napkin.

He tossed it into the trash bag, which she placed at her feet when they’d finished eating.

The beauty of his serious face was almost unbearable to her at such close range.

The sooner they reached home, the better she could surround herself with buffers.

“Don’t buy shit for me,” he clarified, and her eyes widened. She thought he meant her going outside without him. Oh. Well. “I buy whatever you want, Sunshine.”

“It’s just food.” She croaked, resenting how his kindness melted her heart. But would he be saying the same to Harper, Lily, or Valentina?

“Don’t do it again. Take my card if you want to buy shit.”

“Fine,” she said finally, breathless. Remembering all the times he’d paid without question.

A long line of events connected Sunny to Sebastian. The small and the big threaded their lives together intricately.

The miles went by.

Sunny slept through most of it, but was acutely aware of Sebastian and his evocative scent wafting to her nose. It was like she was being tortured with each inhalation.

Answering texts to keep herself busy, she switched to Harper’s thread.

SUNNY : Does your husband know any age-appropriate men?

HARPER : He might, but they’re all in California or criminals. Are you willing to travel for a date?

SUNNY : At this point, yes. The moon isn’t out of the realm.

HARPER : LOL. Are you not coping, then?

SUNNY : He yelled at me, and I liked it.

SUNNY : REALLY LIKED IT.

SUNNY : I need professional help. If we were dating, it totally would have made me maul him.

SUNNY : That’s sick, right?

HARPER : No, that’s lust.

SUNNY : Do me a solid and share a mortifying secret I’m unaware of to lessen my self-pity.

HARPER : LOL. Okay.

HARPER : The biker rally last year. Cain was stalking me, and I gave him a blowjob. Before he left, he beat up several guys for flirting with me.

Giggling, she ignored Seb’s side glance while her thumbs rushed over the screen to reply.

SUNNY : That isn’t mortifying. It’s romantic.

HARPER : You share some psycho blood with my man.

SUNNY : Was it consensual? The BJ.

HARPER : I didn’t volunteer for it, but I enjoyed it. Is your little romantic heart still fluttering?

SUNNY : Sadly, yes laughing emojis I told you, I’m sick.

SUNNY : I want to feel important to someone.

SUNNY : After this trouble, of course. It’s not like I can date while someone is terrorizing my family.

HARPER : I don’t know. It worked out well with my stalker.

Sunny chuckled again. Her friend’s dark humor was so funny.

“What are you laughing at?” Seb asked. His rough voice made her jump.

“Harper thinks I should date a stalker.” She said boldly, assuming he’d catch the joke, but his jawline tightened to granite, and she felt the truck’s speed increase like he’d pressed hard on the gas pedal.

“You’re not dating a fucking stalker just because she is.”

Sunny’s eyebrows hit her hairline, surprised. “You know about that?”

“That Cain is demented as fuck? We all know what he is.”

“Hey, Harper loves him.” Only Harper needed to understand Cain. Harper was delighted with who she’d chosen. “And he’s wild about her. He went through the ritual fight for her.”

“Yeah, crazy fucker.”

For months, Cain’s offer to take beatings for five consecutive nights to date Harper was the biggest news in every chapter. They were happier than ever after his win.

Sunny felt a pang in her heart and couldn’t look away from Sebastian. She blurted out a question.

“Would you do something like that?”

He was silent. She thought he wouldn’t answer.

“For the right woman, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do.” His resonating declaration went through her like an arrow to the heart.

Yeah, that totally suited Seb’s character, she thought, choking down her emotions. One day, some woman would be the luckiest person alive to be loved by him.

And that woman would not be her.

At that moment, Sunny realized something that made a turbulent wave of guilt go through her body.

This whole time, she’d been punishing Sebastian for not returning her feelings, like it was something in his control. Every day, he showed her his care and protectiveness. And instead of being grateful for that, she’d hidden herself away to lick her wounds alone.

She hoped one day she could return to that place with him, where her heart wasn’t broken in half, and love him again just as a friend.

But none of this was Seb’s fault.

It wasn’t hers, either.

Feelings didn’t always have to align.

That was life.

She turned in her seat to apologize for being a jerk to him all year, but she didn’t get the chance to do so when he cursed. “ Fuck .”

“What is it?”

“We’re being followed.”

Her throat dried up. “Are you sure?”

“Red sedan, four cars back. It’s been there for over an hour. I’ve taken a few turnings, and it stays with us.”

Sunny unbuckled her seatbelt to kneel on the seat and look through the rear window.

“It’s moved closer, three cars away now, Seb.”

He didn’t increase the speed, but he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out his handgun, placing it between his spread legs.

Suddenly, the road trip became really serious, and Sunny couldn’t stomach the thought of Seb facing danger, especially not because of her.

“Seb. I’m frightened.” She shared and put herself back in the seat, buckling up. His hand came across and squeezed her thigh. She placed her hand on top of his.

“No one is going to get near you, sunbeam.” He said, using his personal nickname for her, making her want to burst into tears. “I promise.”

There was no one she trusted more.

But her fear kept tripling as she continually looked through the back window to see the pursuing car growing ever closer.