After the funeral things return to normal around the clubhouse. I divide my time between helping Wrath out, taking care of the clubhouse, my book covers and planning an engagement party for Hope and Rock.
They haven’t set an actual wedding date yet, but we nail down a date for the engagement party and the menu. Hope is oddly impressed with my party planning skills and leaves most of it up to me. I want everything to be perfect for the two of them.
Taking care of Wrath means running him to the gym to oversee things, physical therapy and doctor appointments.
And stopping him from killing the doctor when he says he has to keep the cast on at least another week.
“You said that last week!” he snaps.
The doctor isn’t impressed by Wrath’s outburst. I can’t decide if that makes him brave or stupid.
“I understand, but we want it to heal correctly,” he says with the same tone one would use on a rowdy toddler.
Wrath’s agitated for more reasons than just the cast. He admits it while we’re on our way home. “Sparky’s crop is sick. We’re fucked.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Our connection’s been up in our business for weeks now and this is making it worse.”
“Anything I can do?”
“No. I just wanted you to be aware. Don’t want you going out by yourself.”
“You think they’d bother me?”
“No. But I still want you to be careful.”
“Okay.” I don’t press for more details. That’s not how our relationship works.
Sure enough, Wrath gets called in for church later that night. He’s weary when he returns.
“No one likes it when I play devil’s advocate,” he sighs as he lies down next to me.
“Aw, poor Wyatt,” I tease.
“Damn right.”
I’m glad Wrath warned me, because the guys are all on edge. At least I know why. I try to make myself as invisible as possible.
While he says things are fine, I still sense a lot of tension in the clubhouse. Wrath’s more fidgety than normal. I know he’s eager to get back to being the muscle for the club.
At his next appointment, the doctor takes another X-ray and spends a lot of time checking Wrath’s leg over.
“Okay, Mr. Ramsey, I’m going to call the cast tech in to remove the cast.”
Wrath looks so damn hopeful I almost laugh.
“Is it staying off?” he asks.
“Well, I’ll do another examination of your leg when it’s off, but I think so.”
“Thank God.”
Butterflies zip and dance around in my stomach.
“You need physical therapy. No driving for another three to six weeks.”
I expect Wrath to blow up, but he nods and grabs my hand. “I’ve gotten used to my chauffeur.”
That’s sweet and I’m not sure what to say.
As usual, Wrath kicks me out when the cast tech enters the room. “I’m going to see it eventually,” I remind him. He smirks and still sends me on my way.
While I wait, I text Rock and Z to give them the good news. I get a smiley face back from Z right away, but nothing from Rock.
When Wrath finally emerges, he’s lost both the cast and his cocky grin. He has, however been outfitted with a cane.
I wiggle my eyebrows at him. “Sexy.”
One corner of his mouth lifts.
“Are you happy?” I ask once we’re on our way home.
“Yes. I’ve got a long list of positions I need to fuck you in.”
My skin simmers with heat. A glance at the dashboard shows that, no, the heat’s not on. It’s all Wrath and what his dirty words do to me.
“Besides that?” I ask.
He huffs out a low laugh. “Yeah, angel. Pissed I won’t be able to ride for a while.”
“We’ll get you set up with the physical therapist—”
“I know.” He reaches over and squeezes my upper thigh. “I’m more concerned with making my announcement.”
Why do those words make my skin tingle?
“You…you still want to do that?”
“Fuck yeah, babe.”
My heart bangs so hard, it might jump out of my chest.
Z meets us at the front door to give Wrath a big welcome home hug and back slap. “When can we ride, brother?”
“Six to eight weeks,” Wrath grumbles.
“Fuck man, really?”
I don’t bother correcting Wrath. I figure he has his reasons for giving the wrong time frame and if he wants to tell me, he will.
Trinity seemed less than enthused when I reminded her of my plans to announce our relationship.
Too bad. She’s the one who said to wait until the cast is off. Well, it’s fuckin’ off. Nothing’s gonna stop me from claiming my girl now.
Rock looks like fuckin’ shit the next morning. “What’s up with you?” I ask as he drops into the chair across from me.
“Where’s Hope?” Z asks. “Second morning without her here. I miss the little ball-buster.”
I shoot a look at Z who’s apparently completely sincere.
Something’s seriously wrong. Rock’s got his I’m-going-to-gut-all-of-you face on. He usually saves that one for special occasions.
“We’re taking a break,” he announces without looking at any of us.
Fuck me.
Z’s face darkens. “What the fuck does that mean?” he asks. Huh. I never pegged Z for the suicidal type.
Rock tips his head up and drills a murderous look at Z. “It means exactly what I said. What do you need explained?”
Trinity gets up and leaves the table.
“Sorry, brother,” I say.
He turns his angry glare on me. “What are you sorry about? Thought you’d be thrilled.”
“Come on, man—”
“Can we talk about something else?” It might be phrased as a question, but Rock’s done with this conversation.
I get up and shove my chair in. “Talk about whatever you want. I’m gonna check on Trinity.”
As I limp my way into the kitchen, I’m fucking furious. Furious that my leg still hurts and furious that Trinity’s upset. Okay, and a little furious about whatever Rock did to chase Cinderella away.
Trin’s busy banging stuff around the kitchen and doesn’t acknowledge me at first.
“You okay, babe?”
“I’m fine.”
When she finishes slamming everything into cabinets and drawers she finally faces me. “Why didn’t she call me or let me know what happened? I thought we were friends.”
Aw, shit. Now I really want to kick Rock’s ass. Pulling her into my arms, I squeeze her tight. “I’m sure she’s upset. And she thinks your loyalty’s to the club. She probably didn’t want to make things awkward for you.”
She sniffles against my shoulder and pulls away. “You’re probably right. Fuck. Poor Rock.”
Poor Rock nothing.
Trinity refuses to join us at the table—for breakfast or any other meal—after that; something I blame on Rock. To my surprise, she keeps planning their engagement party. I don’t have the heart to tell her a wedding is looking unlikelier by the day.
Our issue with Green Street Crew keeps gettin’ worse. If Sparky doesn’t figure out the plants soon, we’re going to have a big problem on our hands.
What I’m really pissed about though is that I haven’t made my announcement yet. With whatever’s going on with Rock, I feel it’s the wrong time. And because I’m a complete asshole, it bugs me that Trinity’s not more upset about the delay.
“That’s fine. I understand.”
Shit. Does she think I’m using it as an excuse to get out of doing it?
We’re in the parking lot behind my gym, so I can test out my reflexes behind the wheel. The weakness in my leg is pissing me the fuck off.
“It hasn’t been that long. Give it time. You’re in better shape than ninety-nine percent of guys out there. You’ll heal quick,” Trin reassures me.
“Thanks, babe.”
Jake’s thrilled to see me out of the cast so he can start abusing me again.
He takes one look at the exercises the physical therapist gave me and grins like the sadistic little bastard he is.
“Go get changed, son.”
“You know I’m older than you, right?”
He shrugs. “Stop being a little bitch.”
Fucker.
Trin brought her laptop and keeps herself busy in my office.
“Why’s she still coming here?” Whisper asks when he sees her.
“Still can’t drive,” I huff out while pulling myself up on the chin-up bar. I’m pretty pissed about how much I’ve let myself go the last few months.
“People gonna think she’s your ol’ lady pretty soon.”
Fuck it. I’m tired of pretending otherwise. “Good. People should get used to that idea.”
Whisper has the nerve to chuckle. “You serious? She’s fucked half your club and mine.”
Next to me Jake shakes his head. “Dude,” he mutters.
I drop down to the mat, too furious to feel anything except how good my fist’s gonna feel planted in Whisper’s jaw.
Asshole doesn’t even see the blow coming. I kneel down next to him on the mat. “Next time you comment about my girl like that, I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”
He moves to get up and I jab my finger in his chest. “Stay down, or I’ll knock you the fuck out.”
“Fine. Fuck. I’m sorry,” he spits out.
“Wyatt? What’s wrong?”
Shit. Trin comes running over. “You okay, Whisper?” she asks. As if the fuck deserves her concern.
“Just havin’ a conversation with your man, sweetheart.”
“Shut up, dude,” Jake mutters under his breath.
I really am gonna have to kill Whisper. Trin’s face falls and her eyes skip to me. She’s smarter than all three of us combined. I can practically see the gears turning in her head as she stops in her tracks. Her gaze darts between me and Whisper. “Wyatt?”
“It’s nothin’. Go pack up, babe. I’m done here.”
“Okay.” She turns and leaves us.
We hardly speak on the way home. As soon as we’re in her room though, she bursts into tears. “I’m sorry.”
Pulling her into my hold, I run my hands over her back. “Shhh. About what?”
“That fight with Whisper was about me, wasn’t it?”
See? Smart.
“No. It was about him being an asshole.”
She shakes her head and pulls away. “How do you ever think this is going to work? I’m too experienced—”
“Yeah, I’m thirty-fucking-six, I’m just dying to be with a virgin.”
She shakes off my sarcastic tone. “This will keep happening. You shouldn’t have used goods as your ol’ lady.”
“First, don’t ever call yourself that again.”
“Wyatt. I’ve known guys in the life. They want to own their—”
She’s not fucking listening again. Cupping her chin in my hand, I give her a gentle squeeze and turn her to face me.
“I am not the sick fucks you grew up around. I’m Wyatt Ramsey and I love you. And if you think for one second I don’t already own your pussy, you’re dead fucking wrong.”
She sighs. “Wrath—”
Am I mistaken? Is she fighting me so hard because she honestly believes she’s no good for me? Or is this her twisted way of letting me down easy?
The idea leaves me cold.
“Babe, I’m not trying to force you into somethin’ you don’t want.” My stomach’s churning at the thought.
Her jaw drops, shiny tears fill her eyes and she drops to her knees, laying her head on my thigh, wrapping her arms around my leg. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
It’s impossible not to comfort her. My hand runs over her hair. “You’re making things so much more complicated than they need to be, angel. Stop trying to second guess everything I tell you.”
“I’m sor—”
“Shhh. No more. Don’t apologize for who you are.”
We’re silent for a while. It takes me a second to realize her hand is creeping up near my dick before she starts fiddling with my belt.
My hand wraps over hers stopping her.
“No.”
“Wrath,” she pleads.
“I said no.” I shift, so I can stand. Fuck, having her on her knees in front of me is making this fucking hard, but it needs to be done.
“Get up. Let’s go for a walk.”
“What? You’re rejecting me? After you just said—”
Gripping her arms, I yank her to her feet. “I’m not rejecting you. Not now. Not ever. I’m trying to show you that you mean more to me than a couple of holes to stick my dick in. Grab a sweatshirt, and let’s go—now.”
Even though I feel guilty about Wrath limping through the woods, the walk helps clear my head.
We reach the stone amphitheater and I plop down onto one of the low benches. “I thought if Rock and Hope got married on the property, this would be a good spot,” I tell Wrath as he sits next to me.
He chuckles. “First time we looked at the place, I figured the cult that owned it must have held virgin sacrifices out here.”
“Oh my God.” I laugh and shove him away. I think back to what he said in my bedroom. “Did you mean what you said?”
He gestures to the stone structures in front of us. “Fuck yeah, they got an altar and everything.”
Shaking my head, I grab his hand and pull it into my lap. “No. What you said in my room.”
“Which part? That I already own your pussy? I definitely meant that.”
“You’re nuts.”
“Yeah, but you love it.”
I do. Why can’t I say it? “It really doesn’t bother you?”
“The only thing that bothers me, is how much time we’ve wasted being pissed at each other.” He pauses and his mouth quirks up. Whatever he’s about to say will be completely obnoxious. “Besides, think about what a cocky asshole I am. I’ve got total reassurance I’m the best you’ve ever had.”
How can I not laugh at that? I shove him away. “You’re unbelievable.” Of course he grins like a fool. “You’re right though. You’re the only person I’ve ever pictured spending the rest of my life with.” I wave my hand in the air. “Back then…through the years…now.” Shit, I feel raw admitting that to him.
He pulls me tight against his chest and runs his hands over me. “Thank you, Trinity.”
We stay like that for a while. It’s completely peaceful and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
“Trinity?”
“Yes, Wyatt.”
“Would you want to get married here?”
Married? His question sets my heart on overdrive.
“Fletcher Park,” I blurt out. Because yes, I’ve allowed myself to be stupid over the years and daydream about such a thing.
“Hmmm.” The sound vibrates through me and I feel him nod against my head. “Yeah.”
We sit there holding hands a little longer. The wind picks up and I shiver. Wrath glances at me. “Think you’d want to take off to Florida when we’re older?”
That’s where a lot of retired Kings end up. They usually visit and cause trouble in the summer.
“Sure. I can totally picture you riding down the coast on a nice, big Harley Tri-Glide.”
He rolls his eyes at me, then pulls me to my feet. “As long as you’re on the back of it.”
When we get back to the clubhouse a little later, Z and Rock are standing in front of the television wearing some very unhappy expressions. “Is everything okay?”
They both turn and stare at us and Rock mutes the television. He lifts his chin at Wrath. “Call everyone in for church.” Next, his serious gray eyes land on me. “Trin, you need to stay close to the house.”
I don’t even ask why. Rock wouldn’t say it if there wasn’t a good reason. “No problem, prez.”
Wrath kisses the top of my head and enters the office he shares with Z and Rock.
“Do you need me to do anything?”
Rock glances at the war room, then back at me. “If you can put some coffee on and throw together some sandwiches or something when the guys get here, I’d appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Over his shoulder I catch the headline scrolling across the screen. Local Gang Member’s Body Dragged From Hudson River.
Guys stream in all afternoon. A couple of brothers from downstate even show up. Z leaves after church. The situation can’t be too dire, because things turn into a party as the night goes on. Someone brings a bunch of girls up. A few I don’t recognize and briefly wonder if they’re even legal.
Rock disappears upstairs as soon as someone turns the music up. I hate how miserable he’s been since Hope left.
As I’m running around bringing out food and drinks, Wrath calls me over.
He’s sitting next to Teller. My gaze darts between the two of them, trying to figure out what’s up. “Yeah?”
He pats his lap and pulls me down. “I think you’re done. Let the prospects take care of things,” he says against my ear.
“But—”
A quick shake of his head cuts off any protest. Teller chuckles uncomfortably.
“Who’s responsible for bringing up the barely legal crowd?” I ask him, nodding at the two girls putting on a show in the middle of the room.
Teller’s mouth twists into a smirk. “They’re legal. They go to school with Axel.”
Okay. That surprises me. I’ve never seen Axel’s gaze stray a centimeter from Heidi. Then I laugh, wondering if it’s his way of distracting Murphy from Heidi. “I thought he was going for diesel mechanics? They got girls in that program?”
He laughs at my question. “No clue. Hot, female, diesel mechanics, though? They’ll probably make a fortune.”
I roll my eyes.
“You should take them up to visit Rock,” Wrath suggests.
I twist to glare at him.
Teller shrugs. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“No, seriously. He’s been miserable. Maybe it will help him get his head out of his ass. Or at the very least give him some stress relief.”
With another shrug, Teller gets up and talks to the two girls.
“What’s the matter with you?” I ask Wrath. His eyebrows shoot up. “Do not make your cute Who me? face, either, Wyatt. I’m serious. Why would you do that?”
He can’t stop laughing long enough to answer.
“You’re such a jerk. He’ll probably kill Teller and scare the shit out of those poor girls.”
Sure enough, a couple minutes later the girls come running back downstairs.
“Let’s go to bed, Angel Face. I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”