Wrong Choice

Chapter 7:

Rooster

Dear Darla,

Do you remember when we went 'public'? I can't forget it. You looked like a goddamn angel through the thick cloud of smoke in the bar. Friday night, after church, the club always went big, and that night was no different. Except for the first time, I wasn't wallowing on a stool by the bar, wondering why I even bothered to turn up. The guys of Sleepless Knights would never accept me as their own, not with my past. I didn't blame them. Either way, I was ruined. I was an asshole who joined a club who treated people like scum, or I was the rat who sold them out. The only people who made me feel welcome at the club were Taylor and Jade. The former humbled me with her forgiving heart, even though it was so like her. And you know Jade, she's impossible not to love.

I was minding my own business, shoulders up around my ears while I nursed a beer. I'd taken a booth in the corner, but Greenie, Bat and a few other guys sought me out. The story about me claiming you had filtered through. Bikers might be tough, but they also gossiped worse than any other group I'd known.

"So, where's this old lady we keep hearing about?" Bat sneered at me. He said it loud enough for everyone to hear and hopefully pile on me. I was used to his shit. Lizzy was eyeing me like I was her next snack, and the back of my neck was prickling with uncomfortable sweat. The club girls were wandering through the bar, sending flirtatious smiles to every unoccupied brother. I wish I could say I didn't strangle the neck of my beer bottle, but I did. All the simmering frustration melted away when you walked through the door.

Greenie pointed you out with a whistle. You navigated the crowd with the ease of someone used to club life. Didn't blink an eye at the half-naked girls gyrating on other members. You fit right in wearing a tiny black, two-piece set. The tight skirt rode up your thick thighs, your top fighting for its life, and I drowned in the sight of your perfect curves. Knowing you'd worn it for me, even if it wasn't real. Your hair curled around your shoulders like a firestorm.

"That her? Jeez, no wonder you kept her for yourself." Greenie was looking you up and down with so much appreciation, I wanted to slam my hand through his head. But I didn't need to. One of your perfect, soft smiles washed over me and you slipped into my lap. Looped your arms around my neck and damned if it didn't hit the spot.

"You good?" Your voice was low, and I anchored my arms around your waist. I was thinking this should have been harder than it was. My tension skated away like a landslide, and I squeezed your hip, wordlessly reassuring you. I let myself glare at Bat.

"This is Darla, she's mine."

Not my old lady, which is what I should have said. Mine. It was deep in my bones, thick in my blood, the ownership I felt for you. I've never wanted that with anyone, and I don't think I ever could. To extract you from my marrow would leave me too hollow to keep going.

What else do I have to live for except earning your forgiveness?

The whispers buzzed in my ear like flies, and I fought the urge to swat at the hovering club girls. They saw their bet crumbling before their eyes and every head in the bar was watching to see what happened next. My cheeks heated for a moment, unused to such attention. You lay your palm on my chest, slipping your fingers under my cut like you'd done it a thousand times before.

It affected me. Your touch. The intimate, comforting gesture.

"Told you," Bat sneered to Lizzy, who pursed her lips like she was sucking on lemon. You took everything in, not reacting to the friction even a little.

"No hard feelings, right?" So easily you defused the tension, and Bat had no choice but to wipe his foul look off his face.

"All's forgiven sugar. You decide you want to come try out a real man, I'll be right here." Bat licked his lips viciously, slapping his inner thighs. I thought his crassness might fluster you, but I underestimated you once again. Your hand slipped between my legs and cupped my junk. A jolt like lightning blistered down my spine.