Southern steel- Mack

8. Eden

I feel the bed move and see Mack's back as he sits up on the side of the bed. I stretch and feel the muscles I didn't even know I had loosen. Last night was amazing. You hear horror stories about people's first times. I'm so glad I waited for the right person and missed all the awkward teenage boy fumbling. I reach over and place my hand on his back. "Morning!" I feel him tense under my touch.

"Mack you ok?" I ask sitting up in the bed and pulling the sheet up to cover my body, suddenly not feeling so confident being vulnerable right now. "Mack?" I whisper.

He stands and looks at me, and I see the conflict in his eyes. He smiles kindly, but his smile is as fake as the weight I put on my drivers license. "Morning Eden."

He searches until he finds his boxers and puts them on. I wrap the sheet around me and find my underwear. I'm sure not going to be the only one naked for this conversation.

"Eden, I had such an amazing time last night."

"Mack tell me you aren't feeding me the same line the douchebag in every romance book gives before he says something really stupid?"

"No, I'm serious. You were absolutely amazing and it's never been like that with anyone ever before." He comes to stand in front of me. "I just think we need to keep this on the down low for now." What the fuck did he just say to me? He clearly doesn't see the look I'm giving him as I imagine his dick spontaneously exploding because he keeps talking.

"I really care about you, and want to work on our friendship." Our friendship? He's kidding right? "I just think some of the guys, specifically Titan will not take too kindly to me...you know...."

"Fucking me?! Is that the word you were looking for? You fucked my brains out. TWICE!"

"Eden." He sighs like he doesn't know what to do with me. "Don't say it like that. You know you mean more to me than that."

"Do I? Because right now it sounds like you are ashamed of me and want me to be your dirty little secret."

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying Trigger and Titan aren't going to be happy about this, and maybe we need to not tell anyone right now. If you're not comfortable with keeping what we're doing a secret then we can take some time to think about things before we sleep together again."

"How long Mack?"

"I don't know. Maybe until you're a little older."

"You know when a good time to think about things would have been? Before you stuck your dick in me and took my virginity!"

The look of pity that crosses his face makes me want to throat punch him. "Baby, why didn't you tell me?" Then I see the panic set in "You don't think Titan isn't going to want to beat my ass for taking his little sister's virginity?!"

"IT'S NOT HIS TO GIVE YOU! He doesn't get to give you permission, I do! I'm a grown fucking woman and my older brother doesn't get a say in who I give my body to. I DECIDE!"

I look around and find my shorts and throw them on then find Prez's shirt that I wore yesterday and put it over my head. How fitting that the last time a man stole a piece of my innocence I covered myself with this same shirt.

The irony isn't lost on me that both times neither of those men asked what I wanted nor did they care. I fought back last time, and I'll fight back now.

At this the door opens, and Wilder slips inside. "Ya'll might want to keep it down if you don't want Titan coming in to shoot his VP." He says then notices my face. "Edie you okay, honey?" He puts his hand on my cheek and looks in my eyes, and the kindness I see is too much. I feel the tears coming.

"I'm fine. Just stay right here and minute, then help me get out of the clubhouse and back to mine without drawing attention please." He nods.

I turn towards Mack. "The last man that touched me didn't let me decide. This time I did. I thought I decided right, but I didn't. I let you take something from me because I thought what we had was special. I let you cum inside me without protection because I thought we were lasting. I thought you felt the same because you didn't ask about any birth control." I see his eyes look panicked. "Don't worry, there won't be any little Macks running around. Because you may think I'm just a kid, but you're the one who's too immature to have an 18 year responsibility right now, and the last thing I'd want is to have a reminder of the 2nd man to make me feel dirty and not good enough."

I see him start to get pissed now. "You are not dirty! I had no idea you had ever been assaulted or I wouldn't have touched you last night." Well that does it right there.

"I'm sorry you were sold a used bill of goods that aren't good enough to be proud of, that is only good enough to be your secret fuck toy." I feel Wilder at my back giving silent support, just a whisper of a touch.

Mack comes closer to me now. "That's not what I fucking meant. You're not used goods. I meant I'd have held off and taken more time. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you with you being fragile."

"I was fragile when I was 13 Mack. I was fragile when I pieced myself back together. I'm not fragile now. The only thing fragile right now is your male ego. A real man who cares about someone would have took the hits. You think Titan or Trigger would've want a fight, then you fight! People fight for things they believe in. Didn't you spend the last 6 years of your life fighting for your beliefs? I guess some things are just worth fighting for." I turn to walk away, and he grabs my hand. Didn't the military teach him any survival skills, like don't approach a wild animal or enemy? They're unpredictable and make strike out at you.

I turn back to face him throw my fist directly into his throat. He starts choking and drops my hand to grab his throat, the drops to the bed while he tries to regain his breathing. I hear Wilder make a different choking noice and see the laughter and disbelief on his face.

"Wilder let's go. I have a date with plan B, and a full STD panel." I walk out the door, and Wilder is right behind me.

He walks me down the hall then pulls me into a room. "It's my room. Just take a minute. Breathe, cry, hit me, do whatever you need to do girl. I got you!"

At that I collapse in his arms. He holds me while I cry, ugly, snotty, blotchy faced tears. "I'm ok." I finally say. He goes to the bathroom with a cool washcloth and gently wipes my face.

I compose myself, and he hands me a pair of sunglasses. He grabs my hand and leads me out of the clubhouse. We get outside, and I see a few of the guys standing around.

"Look who I found hungover in a guest room." He laughs and puts his arm around my shoulders. "I thought the club princess could hang better than that." He chuckles. "I'll make sure Mama C gets her fixed up."

He keeps walking us until we get to Cora and Pops' cabin. He opens the front door and leads me in. Cora is in the kitchen. "Mama C our girl here needs you. I'll leave you ladies to it. If you need me, I'm here." He kisses the top of my head then takes off.

I fill Cora in on what happened and beg her not to tell Trigger or Titan. I don't want to cause issues in the club over some personal drama. She snuggles me while we come up with a plan.

Forty-five minutes later there's a knock on the door, and Wilder comes back in with a bag in his hands. He hands it to me, and I glance inside. There is plan B, bath bombs, and chocolate ice cream. "I just wanted you do have a few things in case you needed them. If you need a ride to that other place you mentioned I'll be by you then too if you want. We can role play."

He winks at me. "We can go in and you can call me horrible names and tell them you need a check up because I'm so devilishly charming that women apparently just kept falling on my dick. Now that I met you I'm a changed man, and I don't even want to look at another female because the thought of any other woman makes my GIGANTIC dick shrivel up, and we need to both get tested before we start our epic love story." He says causing me to smile. He gets serious and says, "That epic love story will find you one day, but don't wait around on it to live your best life. You don't need anyone else in order to be great."

"Thank you Wilder." I kiss his cheek.

"No problem honey bunny." Then he saunters out the door.

Cora and I head to my room and start packing.