Page 7 of Trusting Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #8)

Chapter Six

Lexie

“ L exie, baby, it’s time to get up,” Jesse says quietly, shaking my shoulder lightly.

“Ugh,” I groan, sitting up.

She doesn’t give two fucks about my protest. “Come on. It’s not that damn early.”

“I’ll be down in a minute. I just need to get ready. Do you know where my makeup is?” I ask her as she starts down the stairs.

“You don’t need makeup out here,” she says simply, not stopping her descent.

I jump from the bed and follow her. “Wait, what do you mean? I do need it.”

Dirk is asleep on the couch as I rush through the living room, trying to keep up with her.

She opens the fridge. “What do you need it for? Dirk and I don’t care what you look like, and I’m sure the birds outside don’t give a fuck either.”

My heart is about to beat out of my chest. “Can’t we go back down and get it? Or can one of the guys bring it up?”

She slows her steps as she sets a carton of eggs on the table. Her brows are pulled tight when she turns to face me. “Lexie, you don’t need makeup. We aren’t going out on the town.”

“Do you have some I could borrow?”

I feel a big hand wrap around my shoulder. “What’s going on out here?” Dirk asks.

I toss my head back. “I just want my makeup. It’s not a big deal.”

“You’re right. It’s not a big deal,” Jesse agrees. “And no, I don’t have any with me. You didn’t have makeup on yesterday and you survived,” she tries to reason with me.

Dirk’s hand falls from my shoulder, and he moves to his wife’s side.

“That’s because I still had my makeup on from the day before. Just, please,” I beg.

The two of them exchange a look. Dirk points to the table. “Have a seat,” he orders.

Instantly, I realize my mistake. “I’m … I’m helping Jesse make breakfast.”

“Not anymore. Right now, we’re about to do a little unpacking.”

Jesse puts the eggs back in the fridge as he pours three cups of coffee. She sits down and waves her hand for me to do the same.

God, I hate this. I hate them too!

I plop my ass into the chair across from her. “There’s nothing to unpack. I just like makeup, okay?”

Dirk hands me a cup and takes the seat between us. “Okay, we get that. There are a lot of women who enjoy it.”

“Then what’s the big deal?”

“For most women it’s not a full-blown crisis when they can’t have it.”

“Not true.” I hold up my hand. “How many celebrities do you see without their makeup?”

“You’re a celebrity now?” he asks.

I pull my foot up on the chair, scooting back. He’s so harsh. “No.”

He reaches toward his wife and pushes her hair behind her ear. “You see this? This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Her painting herself up doesn’t make it any more beautiful. Different, yes, but not better.”

Jesse dips her head, and I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her blush. Of course she doesn’t need makeup. She’s beautiful.

“Well, if I looked like her, I wouldn’t need it either.”

He turns to me abruptly. “Do you think you’re ugly?”

I’ve stepped right into his trap. “Okay, yeah, I see where you’re going with this.

I don’t think I’m hideous, but I’m not naturally beautiful like her.

” I flick my hand toward Jesse. “I feel weird without it, okay? I think I have more urgent problems I could be working on besides my desire to wear makeup every day.”

“Like what?” he asks, luring me even further into his trap.

“I don’t know.”

“That’s a lie.”

My foot falls to the ground, and I jump to my feet. “You know what? I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t need to be interrogated right now.”

He grabs my wrist. “We’re not done. Sit.”

I want to throw a fit, but what good would it do? “Have my parents not called?”

I don’t understand how I’m still here. My parents surely want to get back to work. They’ll want to go over the list with me before they leave.

Dirk pulls his phone out with his other hand while keeping my wrist pinned. He clicks a few buttons, and then I hear it start to ring.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Jackson asks.

“Oh, it’s going. Lexie has a question for you. Go on, ask him,” Dirk says, nodding his head toward the phone.

“H … have my parents called yet?”

He sighs lightly. “No, hun, I’m afraid they haven’t.”

“Well, are you sure you left the note where they would find it?”

Another sigh. “Yeah. I left it on the kitchen table.”

“Oh. Maybe their flights were delayed, and they didn’t make it home yesterday.”

He’s quiet on the other end. “Lexie, I’m not going to lie to you. They’re there. JD and I drove over this morning to talk to them.”

“Oh, thank god. So, is someone coming to get me?”

“You mean your parents?”

“No. I know they have to get back to work, but I thought …” Something is happening inside of my body. I feel like my heart is slowly falling from the location that it is supposed to be lodged in. “They want me home, don’t they?”

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I drive up there and we’ll talk about it?”

Dirk tugs on my arm, encouraging me to sit down. “Did you tell them I don’t want to be here?”

“Just tell her Jackson. She’s an adult. She can handle it.”

Handle what?

“Fine, but JD and I were planning on coming up. We’re already on the way.”

I slide back into the chair, this time bringing both of my knees to my chest, bracing myself for whatever he’s about to say. I don’t know what it could possibly be. There’s no way my parents would have agreed to letting them keep me here.

“When we got to your house, your parents didn’t even know you weren’t there. They thought you were in your room.”

Okay. Well, that makes sense. I mean, I do spend a lot of time in my room when they’re home.

“I told them exactly what was up. They were very disappointed in you.”

My head falls. I’m disappointed in me, too. “I guess I can’t hold that against them,” I mumble.

“Oh, don’t think they were disappointed in your behavior. They were disappointed that you would associate with people like us.”

“Like us?” I’m so confused.

“Bikers.”

“Did you tell them about … Ash and me?” My eyes dart between Jesse and Dirk because it sounds weird to even say.

“Lex, I told them everything. I also told them I was of the opinion that you were raped in high school by a classmate, even though I know you don’t see it that way.”

“Why would you tell them that!” I begin to panic, but I don’t let him answer before popping off my next question. “What did they say?” The sound of my voice is drowned out by the ringing of my ears.

“They didn’t say anything. I’m really sorry, Lexie.”

“They were only worried about my association with you?”

“More specifically that you had let us into their home.”

My eyes widen, and I jump from my seat. “That I let you in their home?” I ask. Or yell. I’m not sure which, because there is a freight train running through my head right now.

“Goddammit, Dirk, I’m not doing this over the phone. JD and I are on the way. We’ll finish this conversation then.”

I begin to back away from the table. “That’s okay. You don’t have to come. I’m fine. I get that they’re upset with me … but … I guess I don’t understand why the club trying to help me would make them angry. You guys were looking after me …” My words stop abruptly because I’m so confused.

“Lexie. We’re on our way.”

The phone clicks and the conversation ends.

My gaze bounces everywhere but at the table.

This is really awkward. I’m not sure what to think about any of this.

“Maybe they were angry about everything Jackson was telling them about me, and they took it out on the messenger.” I don’t wait for Jesse and Dirk to agree.

“Or maybe they were in shock … I don’t know why Jackson would tell them about the night Ash found me and took me to Kelsie’s. ”

I shake my head, and back up another step. “You know, I’m not very hungry. Maybe you can teach me to cook some other time,” I tell Jesse without looking at her, and then I run up the stairs.

Neither of them try to stop me, and I’m beyond thankful for that.

The minute my head hits the pillow, the longing for home sets in. An ache I can’t explain. Sometimes I think it’s for the place I remember as a child. The tiny apartment we lived in when my parents were both in college. I was an “oops” baby. They had me when they were in high school.

My parents were like two passing ships in the night, but at least one of them was always home with me.

I miss it. I miss them. My heart longs to be little again.

My mom would always let me color beside her at the kitchen counter as she did her homework.

Dad did his on the couch. He liked old movies.

Mom used to tease him, wondering how he got anything done sitting in front of the TV.

I loved it. The Wizard of Oz was his favorite …

Dirk knocks on the wall. “I brought you some breakfast. The guys will be here in about an hour,” he says, nodding for me to scoot up.

“I don’t know why they’re even coming.”

He sits down on the edge of the bed after placing the tray over my lap. “Because they care about you. They don’t want to give you bad news and not be here to get you through it.”

“They already told me. Honestly, I’m not really that surprised. My parents just don’t understand you guys.”

This makes him laugh. “And you do?”

“No, but I know you’d never steal from their home.”

“Lexie, I think it’s sweet that you don’t understand why they don’t like us.” He shakes his head sadly. “They don’t deserve you, you know that?”

“If you’ll take me home, I could explain it to them,” I argue.

“I could. But wouldn’t we have to schedule an appointment with them first?”

“They’re just really busy. They work hard. It’s for me, you know? They’ve always made sure I’ve had everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“But what you really want is something that can’t be bought, can it?” His gaze bounces over my face as I take a bite of my pancakes.

“I really don’t know what that would be. I’ve never wanted for anything.”

“Why do you let everyone take from you?”