FIFTEEN
I WAKE up in the middle of the night needing to pee. After finishing my business, I hear something. I look at Dex, who is fast asleep on his stomach, and then eye the door. I quickly get dressed and go to investigate. A woman calls out Sin’s name again, and curiosity gets the better of me.
Who is calling out his name?
Was it the redhead, or the other woman who was trying to get his attention at the party?
I open the door and head toward the voices out the front of the clubhouse.
“Sin!” the woman screams. I peer outside through the window.
“Shut the fuck up!” a man growls. The man is Arrow. His back is to me, but it’s definitely him. The woman, a curvy blonde, says something to him. Arrow pushes her backward, with a hand to her chest. She staggers and trips over, falling to the floor. Irish, Trace, and Rake are standing by but don’t do anything.
They just watch.
What the fuck?
I walk to the entry and slam the door open as I run out. “What the fuck, Arrow!” I yell, bending down to see if the woman is okay.
“Fuck,” Arrow says when he lays his eyes on me. “Go inside, Faye. Now!”
I’d never heard that tone from him before, and I didn’t fucking appreciate it.
“Fuck you!” the woman yells out. I think she’s talking to Arrow, but then I realize she’s talking to me.
What the fuck did I do?
“What?” I growl, getting pissed. “You better not be fucking talking to me!”
“You! You fucking bitch!” she squeals, pointing at me.
Okay, so she is talking to me.
Rake walks over to me and pulls me into his hard body. “Darlin’, go inside, yeah?” he says, ushering me toward the door.
“Who the hell is that?” I ask Rake, my voice filled with confusion and anger. “And why is she pissed at me?”
“Ahh, babe,” he says, giving me a look filled with pity. Pity?
“Don’t look at me like that!” I snap, pushing away from him.
“Like what?”
“Like you feel fucking sorry for me! Who is that woman, and why does she hate me?” I ask him. Rake looks behind me, and I know Dex is standing there.
“Come here,” he demands, his mouth tight. I walk to him, but only because I want answers.
And I’m going to get them.
“Who is that?” I ask him. He ignores me, lifting me in his arms and carrying me back to the room.
“You can’t just stay in bed, can you?” he mutters as he puts me down.
“Dex!”
“It’s not what you think,” he says, running a hand down his face.
“You don’t even know what I’m thinking right now,” I snap.
“Don’t be angry, Faye, all right? Can you just hear me out before you jump to any conclusions?”
I nod my head, a sharp angry movement.
“This is the reason I couldn’t exactly give you any promises . . . just yet,” he says, grimacing at his own words.
“Explain,” I demand.
“She’s my soon-to-be ex-wife,” he says, slowly taking a step closer to me.
I stop breathing.
“You have a wife?” I say softly, not quite understanding what the hell was going on right now.
“No, babe, I had a wife. We’re separated and getting a divorce,” he says, studying my expression.
A wife? A fucking wife.
“Oh my god,” I say to myself. “I’m a fucking home wrecker! No wonder she hates me! I fucked her husband!”
“You aren’t a home wrecker. We were separated before you and I hooked up,” he explains, his hands making a calm-down gesture.
“You made me a home wrecker, you asshole!” I yell, ignoring him.
My mind races.
“Why did Arrow push her?” I ask. “Is this how you treat your women?”
Now he looks angry. Eyes narrowed, he says, “Have I ever treated you badly?”
“I guess not,” I say with a shrug.
His eyes narrow further. “She was under my protection. Now she’s not. She’s nothing to us now. I told you, we’re not all good guys, babe.”
But Arrow? He was growing on me. A lot.
“Why was she here?” I ask, my voice smaller.
“She doesn’t seem to understand the concept of us breaking up. I can’t even get her to move out of my fuckin’ house. I’ve given her a couple of weeks to find a new place,” he admits, running his fingers through his messy dark hair.
I gape. “That was your renovation? Your wife?”
“I couldn’t exactly tell you that my ex was living there and I was waiting for her to get her ass out of there, could I?”
“Not without sounding like an asshole,” I say, staring daggers at him.
“Exactly,” he says. “I didn’t wanna scare you off before you were even mine.”
That shuts me up. For a few seconds anyway.
“I’m not moving into that house,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Fine, I’ll buy you a new house,” he says, throwing his hands in the air.
“I can’t believe this shit,” I growl. “You have a wife. A wife. Oh my god, how did I not know this?”
“I’m sorry! I wasn’t planning on you and our baby coming into my life. That’s not to say I’m not happy you’re both here, because I am. But cut me some slack, babe, I’m trying to make things right. I just needed a few weeks, that’s all, then she would be out, and we could move on. Start our life together.”
“That’s why you were trying to put some distance between us? Until everything was sorted out?” I ask, trying to understand.
He nods. “I wanted to do something right for once. I wanted the divorce to be finalized. I wanted us to get to know each other in the meantime. Build a friendship before we build a relationship. Set the groundwork for a relationship that will last. I want this with you, Faye.”
I purse my lips together. “So you want points for good intentions?”
“Faye,” he says in warning. His patience is waning, but too damn bad for him.
“Why don’t you go home to your wife?” I say, emphasizing the word.
“Have you not been listening to anything I’ve said?” he says, starting to pace up and down the room. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are going to be holes in the carpet soon.
“I have been listening,” I snap. Well, sort of. “I need some time to process this.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” he growls, stopping in his tracks.
“It means I’m going to bed, and you’re not sleeping here for the rest of the night,” I find myself saying. “You should have been honest with me, Dex.”
He stands there unmoving. “You know what, fine. I tried to do the right thing with you. I haven’t been with anyone else; I haven’t even looked at anyone else! I was going to get the hell away from Renee before I got in deep with you, then commit to you. If that’s not good enough, then I don’t know what else I can do,” he says, walking out and closing the door behind him. It doesn’t slam, but the sound of it closing still makes me flinch.
I climb back in bed to and think over everything. I hate the fact he was married to that woman. Is that his type? I try not to be judgmental and fail. I’m sure there is judgment written all over my face right now. At least they had separated before the night I spent with him. Am I still the “other woman”? I’m way too young for all this shit. I take a deep breath and put my hand on my tummy.
“It’s going to be okay, little one,” I whisper.
I didn’t think being with Dex was going to be easy, but I thought it was going to be worth it.
But how much more of this could I take?
I try my hardest, but sleep doesn’t come.