Jake the Panty-Ripper (Book 1, the Phantoms MC Series)

seven: in which she isn't april's fool

"Out of the blue, you came to me" –Prides, Out of the Blue

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Sebastian was waiting in the parking lot outside when I got off work, which was strange in itself, until I noticed the black eye and busted lip he was sporting.

"What the hell happened to you?" I demanded, cupping his chin once I got into his Audi. I gauged the damage to his usually flawless face. It was bad.

"Your friend happened to me," Seb said, his voice monotonous. He put the car into gear and peeled out of the lot. "Happy belated. I got you a present. It's in the back."

I simply stared at him. He gave me a sideways glance.

"Which friend?"

"The biker guy. He cornered me after work today and... You can see for yourself." One hand left the steering wheel as he ran a finger along his swollen bottom lip.

I took a deep breath. "Did he say why he hit you?"

This time, Seb gave me a wounded look. "I'm a bad boyfriend, Maya?"

"Oh, God. He said that?"

"His actual adjective was shitty, but I was paraphrasing on your behalf."

I covered my mouth with one hand, stifling the laugh that wanted to escape. Sebastian glared at me.

"Sorry," I said, schooling my features into a serious frown. "It isn't funny."

"No, it isn't. I thought we were good, and then I find out that you feel otherwise and –"

"Seb, stop." I gently patted his arm. "We are good. Stop worrying. I'll, um, talk to Jake. This was uncalled for."

"Should I be worried?"

"About what?

The tips of his ears flamed red. "About you and him. I never knew you two were friends to begin with."

"Me and Jake?" I let out an unladylike snort. "He's doing this out of obligation, not because he wants to sleep with me. You remember Sharon, right? His mother?"

"Sharon Ford? Yes. My mother knew her."

"Well, when she died, she kind of asked Jake to look out for me. Sort of like a big brother thing."

"Look out for you?" His brow creased when he glanced at me. "And what exactly does that entail?"

Paying my rent, paying my electricity, cleaning my house, sending my car for repairs, socking my clueless boyfriend for forgetting my birthday...

I froze just thinking about the many other personal things he'd done for me since he'd gotten out of prison. Seb did not need to know about those things. No one did.

"Making sure my lovably stupid and forgetful boyfriend doesn't ever forget my birthday again?"

Despite the pain he must've been in, Sebastian smiled. "Trust me – I'm never forgetting April Fool's Day again."

***

Being carless in a small town wasn't a hardship, by any means, but I missed Old Betsy. Despite how stubborn old age had made her, she'd been with me since high school. I'd made memories in there. Granted, they weren't memories of the sexual kind – like Luke had in the back of his old truck – but still, they were good ones. I wasn't going to let Betsy go without a fight.