Page 56 of Reaper

She loops her arms around me, squeezing my waist. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t need to.

We sit there like that for a while when I hear the back door open and close. After a few moments, Timber walks up, hands me a beer and Mae a water before sitting down on the bench Mae had originally sat on.

Not too long after that, others wander out and soon, all the fire pits are lit and everyone’s relaxing together in the cool fall air.

I squeeze Mae tight into me, but not too tight that I hurt her. “Thanks, Lil’ Bit.”

She looks up at me, confused. “For what?”

Grinning, I squeeze her shoulder again. “For kicking me in the ass earlier, for letting me get to know you better, and for listening to me.”

She returns my grin. “Anytime, big guy. But if your sister ever reams you out in front of me, I’m warning you ahead of time that I’ll be throwing down. What she’s doing is wrong. She probably knows it too but needs someone to blame. I’m sorry that you’re the one she’s blaming.”

Leaning down, I kiss her forehead and then release my grip on her shoulders. Almost instantly, Timber picks Mae up and sits her down on his lap. She giggles, but she doesn’t say anything.

Two hours later, she yawns and when I look over at her, I can tell she’s beat. Timber laughs quietly, and she playfully swats his chest.

“Oh, shush you. You know I’m still taking those pills Doc gave me, and they make me sleepy.”

“Well then, how about we head out? We still need to pack for tomorrow, too,” he asks her and she nods.

I tell her goodnight but stay seated. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Devil stop Mae. I’d known he snuck out here earlier, but thankfully, he didn’t intervene.

Devil’s been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember. Punisher too. We were always running around together as kids, however, Devil changed in high school and the few months after graduation. He had a fling with one of our friends, Becky, and then a few months later, poof, she was gone.

A lot of shit came out after that about her dad, and Devil hasn’t been the same since. I know he harbors guilt about everything that went down. That he thinks she was sent away because of him. While the Kilgore’s aren’t billionaire level, they are upper white crest, and a certain image was expected of Becky. I’m guessing her hooking up with a guy who was a Prospect for an MC wasnotpart of that image. Ever since her sudden disappearance, Devil’s been protective of those in his inner circle and the club. I have a feeling I’ll be on the receiving end of his mother hen personality at some point in the near future.

An hour later, I swallow the last dregs of my beer and am about to stand up when I feel someone run their fingers across my shoulders.

“Don’t touch me,” I grit out, my muscles coiled tight as Star comes round the bench, looking down at me seductively. She pouts when she sees my face, but I’m not falling for it.

“Oh, come on, Reaper. You look so serious. Why don’t you let me take some of that pressure off your shoulders.”

She bends down, her hands reaching for my belt, but I grab her wrists before she can make contact and shove her away from me. Standing, I scowl down at her and her face pales before she recovers and bats her eyes at me. My lip curls in disgust. The only woman I want to touch me like that is Lark, but I’ve got to fix things between us before that will ever happen.

“For the last fucking time, I don’t want you, Candi, or Brandy to ever fucking touch me again. If I wanted to fuck you or have you suck my cock, I would have said so, but I didn’t. Now stay the fuck away from me.”

Turning, I storm across the yard, chuck my bottle in the recycling bin and turn toward my house. No one stops me, though I do get a few concerned looks, as I make my way home.

Once inside, I damn near slam the door shut. Igor looks up from his doggy bed in the living room, cocking his head to the side as he watches me. Striding over to the fridge and I pull out another beer. Twisting off the cap, I take a long pull as I head into the living room and sit down in my favorite recliner. Igor gets up from his doggy bed and he walks over to the side of the recliner. He’s never clawed at my furniture to get me to pick him up. He also never jumps up on my furniture either. He just always comes up close and either gives you puppy dog eyes or jumps up to put his front paws on your legs, silently asking to be picked up.

Reaching over the arm, I pick him up and settle him on my lap. As I take another drink, he looks up at me and I sigh as I try and sift through my thoughts.

A part of me wants to head over to Lark’s tomorrow to talk to her, but with how I’ve distanced myself, I’m not sure how she’d take it. I dig out my phone, but before I even wake up the screen, I toss it on the end table next to me. I do not want to fix this over the phone.

This needs to be done in person.

Igor whines as if he can sense my internal dilemma and I scritch his ears as I take another drink and chastise myself for my past actions.

Meeting Mae and seeing her working to overcome her past, not to mention her current injuries and the shit show Timber had just put her through this morning, made me realize I’d been a damn fucking fool. There’s a way to have happiness while in the clutches of darkness. Mae’s and Timber’s love is proof of that. Why the fuck did I ever think pushing Lark away would help?

With that thought, I start planning what I need to do.

But first, I need to make a phone call.

It takes a few rings, but finally my cousin picks up.

“Tony?”