Page 21 of Trusting Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #8)

Chapter Nineteen

Lexie

B rody snoops around the room as I search through my bag for socks. “So, what do you think of Daisy?” he asks.

“I think I like her a lot more than I like you.”

He laughs and plops down on the bed beside me, making me throw my arms out to catch myself from bouncing off.

“What dumb shit did you do to earn a stint up here at the cabin?”

“Does it matter?”

“No.” He shrugs. “Really, though, what do you think about her?”

“Why do you care what I think of her?”

He shrugs. “Because for one, you’re a girl. And … I don’t know. Ash and I are best friends and the four of us are going to spend a lot of time together. I guess I want you to like her.”

“I thought you didn’t like me.”

“I like you.” He dips his head to catch my eyes. “I just don’t like some of the shit you do.”

I try to evade him, going back to my task. I’m not sure how to feel about Brody asking my opinion on anything let alone someone he obviously wants to date. “Fine. I like her. She’s different.”

“Good different, right?”

I pull my socks on, still not sure why Brody is up here with me. We’ve spent a lot of time together recently, but that’s because he had to.

“Yeah,” I finally answer him. “Did the club send you up here?”

“No. I didn’t even know you guys were here.”

“Oh.” I feel bad for ruining his little rendezvous.

“We’ll get out of your hair tomorrow. I know you and Ash have been waiting a long time to see each other.”

“Waiting or dreading?”

“It didn’t look like you were dreading it a few minutes ago.”

I turn away from him, my cheeks heating. “Well, I dread the fact that someday he’s going to look at me and see who I really am.”

“I get that.”

“You do?”

He sits up. “Now I do. I mean, did you see Daisy? Like what the hell does someone like her see in me?”

My head snaps back. “You’re not serious, are you?”

Brody stares at me, remaining silent.

I hold up my hand, ticking off his attributes finger by finger. “You’re hot, sweet, protective, loyal, hot.”

“You said that already.”

It makes me laugh. “I’m just saying you have plenty of qualities I’m sure Daisy enjoys.”

“Same for you,” he says, pretending to punch me in the arm.

“Whatever.” We both know that’s not true. Brody has seen me at my very lowest. “Did you tell him?”

“About?”

“You know,” I say quietly, looking away.

“You mean did I tell him I found you walking on the side of the road half-dazed, bloody, and bruised?”

I nod, not wanting to admit out loud that it really happened.

“Yeah, I did. Funny thing is Jackson told him a similar story. Makes me wonder how that happens not once but twice.”

“You know I drink too much, and I have a horrible sense of direction. And I’m clumsy,” I add quickly.

“Come on the food is getting cold,” he grumbles.

He’s not even going to try to argue with me. Brody knows he’ll get nowhere. He grabs my arm, not giving me a chance to procrastinate any longer.

We find Daisy and Ash filling their plates in the kitchen. “It smells good,” Daisy praises. “Handsome and you can cook?” She fans herself.

I raise my eyebrow when Brody glances at me. See, I told you.

Everyone sits down, and we all eat until we’re miserable.

“Why did you make so much food?” Ash groans, holding his stomach.

“Hey, you’ll thank me tomorrow night when you’re heating up leftovers.” Brody nudges Daisy. “How about we go for a walk?”

I stand up quickly, nervous that they’re about to leave me alone with Ash. “Thank you for cooking tonight,” I tell Brody as I gather dishes.

My heart thunders against my ribcage as my two buffers head out the door. I come up with zero ways to keep them by my side.

Ash ushers them out. “Stay on the path. There are some pretty steep drop-offs out there, and keep your eye on the weather.”

“Will do.” Brody salutes him.

The door closes, and Ash comes to stand beside me. “It’s getting dark out there,” he says, leaning over the counter to straighten the curtains. “I was thinking. Would you like to go on a hike in the morning? We could get off the beaten path and do some exploring.”

I beg my heart to please slow down. Why is Ash affecting me like this? I’m not nervous around men. Why is this one so different?

“That sounds wonderful, but I don’t know if I have proper footwear for that.”

“Jesse has a pair of hiking boots by the door. They’re your size too.”

“Um.” How does he know my size? “I guess I could try them.”

He takes the rinsed plate from my hand and dries it with a dishcloth. “We should go just before sunrise.”

“I don’t have an alarm. No phone, remember?” I doubt that it will get me out of this. The thought of anything remotely close to exercise sounds awful. Well, other than swimming. I do love to swim.

“Oh, shit. I bought you a new one.”

He leaves my side, and I turn to watch him search the cabin.

“I left it on the doorstep this morning. I’m sure Dirk set it in here somewhere.”

When he finds it, he holds it over his head triumphantly. He opens the box as he walks toward me. “I’ve already set it with everyone’s numbers.” Ash lays it down beside me on the counter. “It’s even waterproof. Equipped with a compass and a calculator.”

As he continues telling me all the phone’s features, I stare at him.

This is so easy for him. How does he manage to ignore all of the ugly things about me?

He doesn’t mention the reason I need a new phone in the first place, that Dirk stomped on it to cut my ties with the dark world I was so willingly living in. He’s relaxed and calm.

A boyish smile pulls the corner of his mouth up, distracting me.

He’s stopped talking.

Oh, he’s stopped talking! Why am I still staring at him?

I rip my gaze from his face, spinning around to go back to the table for more dishes. Jesus, he flusters me.

My eyes scan the windows, hoping Brody and Daisy get back soon. They catch on the painting in the corner of the room.

Ash’s warm hand presses against the small of my back. “Go take a look. I’ll finish.”

I rush across the room, excited yet terrified to see how a stranger sees me. Someone who hasn’t been witness to the destruction I’ve caused myself over the years.

My feet stop short when I get close enough to make out the darkness that surrounds Ash and me. Demons that are not just mine. Some belong to Ash. How do I know this? I have no idea. There’s nothing in the black smudge of paint that differentiates them.

It’s amazing. I’ve never been so moved by a piece of art, and I don’t think it’s just because I’m the centerpiece. “Wow.”

Ash slides his arms around my waist, startling me. I jerk away, but he holds me tight against him, resting his palm between my breasts.

“Shh,” he whispers against the shell of my ear. “Let me hold you.”

I’m stiff in his arms, but like always, he’s patient with me.

“I love this painting so hard,” he admits, giving me a gentle squeeze.

The woman in the painting is relaxed in her man’s embrace despite the darkness that lurks around every corner. It’s almost as if there is a protective barrier around them. That is exactly how it feels when I’m with him. Like there is this invisible bubble that forms whenever we’re together.

It feels so good, I’m afraid of losing it.

“Do you see how the sun lights over your hair? It’s incredible. The contrast of light and dark. I think we’ve been given a gift to have our portrait painted by her. She’s very talented.”

“Wow,” I say again, laughing slightly. “I can’t find any other word but wow.”

He laughs too, and that’s the combination that unlocks my muscles and allows me to relax against him. My mind wanders back to the moment frozen in time in the painting.

“She looks safe in your arms,” I whisper.

His warm lips press against my temple. “It’s one place she’ll always be safe.”