Chapter Twenty-Two

Carson

 

I was just drifting off to sleep when Caroline wrapped her arms around me and snuggled close. She nuzzled my chest, and I felt a surge of affection for her.

 

“Have you ever been in a fight before?” Her voice was laced with sleep and happiness; I loved the way she sounded after she came. I squeezed her close and chuckled, nuzzling her red hair.

 

“Are you kidding?” I asked.

 

Caroline rolled onto her side and looked at me. “No,” she said softly. “Why would you ask if I was kidding?”

 

“Because I’ve been in so many fights I don’t remember them all,” I said with a laugh, raking a hand through my hair. Caroline’s body tensed but she didn’t reply. “I mean, come on, Car. I’m in the Devil’s Own. We get in a lot of little tiffs with other gangs. You’ve heard of the Aztecs, right? I mean, shit, Tommy and I have put so many of those guys in the hospital. That’s how it is, though, especially right now. This gang war doesn’t come cheaply.”

 

Caroline didn’t say anything. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. “Shit, I mean it’s great stress release sometimes, you know? Sometimes nothing feels better than duking it out with your fists.”

 

Caroline pulled away. She gave me a look that I couldn’t read before climbing out of bed and wrapping the sheet around her.

 

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Where are you going?”

 

She didn’t answer. I saw her bottom lip begin to tremble and she let out a sniffle as she ran out of my bedroom and down the hallway. I barely had time to get out of bed myself before I saw that she was almost fully dressed. Caroline was red-faced and trying to put on her bra in a struggle. I reached out to help her and she leapt away, almost losing her balance and falling over. I raised my eyebrows.

 

“You wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?” I tried again. “What happened? What did I do?”

 

Caroline glared at me. Her green eyes were blazing, and I almost felt a little intimidated. “I can’t believe you, you monster,” she whispered hotly. “I can’t believe you would beat up other guys for fun! What kind of a sick fuck are you?”

 

“Oh, come on!” I cried, throwing my hands in the air. “What do you want me to say? That I hate doing it? I don’t, Caroline, it’s a part of being in the club. This kind of shit happens. This is how guys deal with their problems. We’re not women; we don’t talk about shit every time something goes wrong!”

 

Tears filled her eyes as she tugged her tight blouse over her head. Not even the sight of Caroline’s generous cleavage could make me feel better.

 

“I have to go,” she said. “It was a mistake for me to come here.”

 

“Caroline, come on,” I pleaded. “Those other guys are assholes! They deserve it! Wait ’til I tell you about all the stuff they’ve done to me!”

 

When she didn’t answer, I pressed on. “Look at my face! You can’t just expect me to get the shit beaten out of me and let it go, right? I mean, would you do that? I don’t think you would!”

 

Caroline didn’t answer. She glared up at me as she tugged on her shoes. When she got to her feet, I watched her walk unsteadily towards the door.

 

“Caroline, don’t go,” I told her. “Come on, it’s really late. Just stay overnight, and we’ll talk in the morning.”

 

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t,” she said after a pause. “I have to go. I don’t hang out with guys who are monsters,” she said after a moment, her hand on the knob. “I can’t believe you like to hurt people just for fun!”

 

“That’s not what I said!” I argued, raking a hand through my hair in exasperation. But it was too late; she was gone. “Fuck,” I mumbled. “Way to fucking go, Carson. Another prizewinning night for yours truly!”

 

Part of me hoped she’d come back, but her diminutive footsteps disappeared soon after she’d left. I stared at the door for a long time, but she didn’t reappear.

 

Suddenly, I felt wide awake. The post-sex coma was no more, and my head was starting to pound. I reached up and found that the swelling was even worse than it had been before. With a sigh, I walked into the kitchen and yanked open the door of the fridge. There was a six pack in there, and I grabbed and it took it with me to the couch.

 

Turning on the TV, I cracked open one of the beers and poured it down my throat. This was going to be a long night.