Page 22 of Trusting Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #8)

Chapter Twenty

Lexie

W e spent the evening playing games with Brody and Daisy. Here at the cabin, with Ash, it feels like the rest of the world is a thousand miles away. I had fun. It’s polar opposite from how I had been spending my time not that long ago. No alcohol … no drugs … no loud music … no smoking … no sex.

I’m brushing my teeth when Ash steps into the bathroom with me. His eyes meet mine in the reflection of the mirror as he sticks his toothbrush in his mouth. He’s shirtless, and his chest is … holy mother of god. It’s perfection. I’ve never seen him like this.

When we’ve finished brushing, he picks me up and sets me on the counter. He wets a washcloth and begins to wipe the mascara from my eyes. “I’m not here because of the way you look or how you fuck …”

I wince at the harshness of his words. “What’s left?”

He shakes his head. “You, Lexie. Just you.”

With my face clean, and my ego humbled, he leans forward and kisses me.

It’s slow, and even though I sense his hunger, he doesn’t increase the speed as he coaxes me into opening my mouth.

His tongue slides across mine, and my stomach flips.

It’s firm and sure. My toes are just beginning to curl when he pulls away, leaving me longing for more.

“You and me, we’re a thing now. Nod your head if you understand.”

I nod, not really understanding, but if he says it’s true, who am I to argue with him?

He reaches in his back pocket and pulls out the new phone he bought for me. “I’ve set the alarm for five am. I’ll see you then.”

Before he walks out, I stop him. “Wait. I can use the phone?”

“I trust you.”

When he walks out, it rings as if on cue. It’s JD.

I answer it. “Hello.”

“Hey, sweetie. Elizabeth and I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing? Is everything going okay?” JD asks.

“I’m good.”

Elizabeth speaks. “Ash said Brody showed up unexpectedly.”

I laugh lightly. “Yeah. He brought a friend. She’s really nice. I like her.”

“I’m so glad. It sounds like you had a good time tonight.”

“Actually, I did.”

“Brody’s date in Reno must have gone well if it hasn’t ended.”

“I wouldn’t end it, either. There’s something about her. She’s really cool.” I sit down on the edge of the tub.

“Well, hopefully we’ll get to meet her soon. We can’t wait to have you home.”

Home.

If I close my eyes, I can almost smell their house. It’s the best place in the whole world. I don’t know how to describe it other than comfortable. Or at least it was. I messed that up.

“Hey, I have something to tell you guys.”

“You can tell us anything,” JD encourages.

What if they don’t want me to stay with them after this?

Ash’s deep laugh echoes from the other side of the door. It sounds like he and Brody are giving Daisy a hard time about the squirrel they encountered on their walk. She was sure it was a bear.

“You can trust us, Lex,” JD assures me.

“I’m the reason your dad got in.”

They’re both quiet, but I owe them the truth. I take a shaky breath and continue. “I snuck out after you went to bed that night, but I forgot my bag, so I came back inside. I was just about to leave when I saw him on the porch, and well, you know the rest. I’m so sorry.”

Elizabeth lets out a little whimper.

JD sighs, but I can tell he’s not mad. Disappointed maybe, but not angry. “Thank you for telling us. It’s okay, Lex. He would have gotten in one way or another.”

“But you might have heard him. It would have given you time …” My words trail off.

Brody told me everything. He’s always been brutally honest with me. Hearing about what they went through that night about did me in. I’ve never felt so guilty. That’s why I punished myself by agreeing to play another game with my dad’s boss. One I knew I had very little chance of winning.

I said I’d never do it again, but I needed to forget … to go to a place where I knew I’d feel punished for my actions. That was the night Brody found me.

“Lexie, it wasn’t your fault he showed up. It all worked out in the end. I don’t want you to give it another thought, okay?”

“But …”

“But nothing. This is a new start for all of us. You included. Now get your butt home soon, because Elizabeth and I miss you.”

I meet my own gaze in the mirror, searching for what it is that they could possibly miss. I wasn’t enough for my own parents to stay. How can I be enough for complete strangers?

“I’ve got to go. It’s been a long day,” I tell them.

They both say goodbye, leaving me with an aching hole in my chest. I miss them so much. More than they’ll ever know.

When I step out of the bathroom, Brody throws a pillow at me. “Ash and I will take the couch. You and Daisy can have the bed.”

Ash stands up. “You good?”

“Yeah. JD just called.”

“You miss them.”

“I guess I do.”

He gives me a hug. “We’ll go home soon. I promise.”

“I’ve got snacks,” Daisy interjects, trying to cheer me up. She pats the pockets of her sleep shorts.

“I’ll see you in the morning. Dress warm. It will be chilly,” Ash says, pushing me toward her.

After we all say our goodnights, Daisy and I head upstairs.

“It’s so quiet out here,” she whispers after we snuggle into the bed. We share a bag of licorice and watch the dark trees sway through the big floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Enjoy it, because it’s the exact opposite at the warehouse.”

She rolls to face me. “I’m excited to meet everyone, but I think it will be a while before I’m ready to go all in.”

“Where are you guys going from here?”

“I don’t know. I’m hiding out from my family, so I’m trying to lay low.”

“Hiding?”

She releases a sigh. “It’s not like that. I’m not in any danger. I just found out that I’m adopted. Can you imagine? For twenty-two years my parents have lied to me.”

“Were they good to you? Your adopted family?”

“They were the best.”

We lie quietly, my mind going to what my life might have been like if my parents would have given me up for adoption. How it would have been growing up with two people who were interested in being parents.

“I’m sorry. Brody told me about your mom and dad and how they’re never around. I shouldn’t complain about my situation.”

“It’s okay. Your pain is yours, mine is mine. I’m realizing everyone has something they’re dealing with.”

“Since neither of us have any siblings, maybe we can be soul sisters,” she suggests.

“I would love to have you as a sister.” I pause, staring at the ceiling. “Thank you for helping me face Ash today. I don’t think it was really about the makeup. I was just scared to see him again.”

If she’s willing to be my sister, maybe I can confide my fears with her.

“A couple from the club is taking me in. I’m nineteen.

I know I should just find a place of my own, but I long for a glimpse of what it’s like to have a real family.

If I don’t get that, how will I ever be able to raise one of my own?

I don’t even know what home feels like.”

She picks up my stuffed Toto and hugs it to her chest. “There’s no place like home,” she whispers.

My heart aches at the sadness in her voice. “Do you miss home?” I ask.

“I do, but I need some time. My head is a mess.”

“Is it the fact they didn’t tell you, or is it something deeper than that?”

Her eyes meet mine in the dark. “I’ve always thought something was wrong with me because I’m not like them.

I’m different. They are the light. I am dark.

I’ve spent my whole life hiding it from them …

from the world. If they had told me, I don’t know, maybe I would have understood myself a little better. ”

“I see the light in you. Can’t it be true that you’re both?”

She smiles. “I guess, but if that’s true for me, it can be for you too.”

“That’s debatable. How did you find out about being adopted?”

The smile instantly falls from her face. “I thought I’d earned a scholarship to study art in Paris. My room and board were included. It was a literal dream come true. I was so excited to explore my art away from everyone who knew me. To delve into the darker side of my creativity.”

My mind goes to the painting downstairs.

“Anyway, when I got there, the Dean told me my biological father had paid for everything. I didn’t get a scholarship. He was an artist, too.”

My eyes widen. “Wow. Yeah, I bet that was a shock.”

“It made me go down a rabbit hole for sure. I left school before it really even started. I’ve felt so lost and alone. I was grasping at straws to make sense of it all. Until I met up with Brody in Reno. He’s kept my feet firmly on the ground.”

I chuckle sadly. “The men of the club have a way of doing that. I don’t know what it is about them. Are you guys a couple then?”

“I don’t know what we are.”

“I can relate to that.”

Here in the dark, we’re just two girls. One with a family, one with none, both trying to figure out where we belong.

She hands Toto back to me, but I press him against her chest. “Keep him.”

Her little pinky finds mine in the dark. “Soul sisters.”

Another piece of my heart heals a little. “Soul sisters,” I agree.