“He’s long gone. Ben doesn’t think he’ll be back anytime soon.”
“What makes him think that?”
“The asshole has shacked up with some rich bitch in Western Australia, and she’s funding his new lifestyle.”
I was annoyed and relieved at the same time. Relief won out in the end. “Good.”
Merrick raised his brows at me again.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. “Fucking good, asshole,” I muttered before waving him away. “Fuck off and let me do some work.”
He gave me one last grin and then left me to it. The heaviness I’d been feeling last night had shifted. It hadn’t completely left, but I knew it was easing.
Layla and Merrick did that.
I had people in my life who cared for me.
I’d always known it, but now I let myself feel it.
It felt fucking good.
***
“Scott,” I said as I answered his call.
“I’m just keeping you up-to-date with where Storm is at,” he said, his tired voice telling me a lot about how he was doing. “I was voted in as President yesterday, but only just. Griff is still VP.”
I waited for him to say more, and when he didn’t, I prompted him. “And?”
I heard him push out a breath. “The club’s in fucking chaos. Marcus trashed my name with a lot of members so there’s no trust or loyalty there. I don’t know how the fuck this is all gonna end up.”
“Anything from Ricky yet?”
“No, nothing, which is fucking odd.”
“Not for Ricky, it isn’t,” I muttered.
“What does that mean?”
“You remember I said he likes to play with you a bit before he screws you over? Well, this is Ricky playing with you.”
“Fuck. If I wasn’t trying to deal with shit here, I’d already be putting plans together to take him out.”
“What else are you dealing with?” I asked, confused.
“Turns out Nash and J are pissed off about our plan with Griff so there’s tension there. And then I’ve got some of the club members convinced our Sydney chapter are to blame for Marcus’s death and are planning retribution on them. It’s a fucking shit-fight over here, brother.”
And on top of that, he’s dealing with Harlow.
“Do you want me to help with the Ricky issue?”
He remained silent for moment. “No, Storm needs to do it. Maybe it will be the thing to unite us again.”
He was right. “Okay, well, yell out if you need something.”
“Thanks. Will do,” he said and then ended the call.
It felt like a chain of events they would struggle to recover from had been unleashed.
Where Storm would end up, no one fucking knew.
***
That night, I took Layla back to my house. We hadn’t spent much time there, and I needed to be here at the moment. Needed that secure familiarity, which she seemed to understand.
After we’d finished the dinner she’d cooked for us, I asked her if she wanted to watch a movie.
She gave me an odd look but agreed.
“What was that look?” I asked, puzzled.
“You surprised me, that’s all.”
“Why?”
She moved into my space and wrapped her arms around me. Looking up into my eyes, she said, “I’m surprised you’re choosing a movie over taking me to bed. It’s good, though.”
Her arms around me felt so good.
Loving.
Caring.
Safe.
I put mine around her and let them settle on her ass. “Trust me, sweetheart, I’ll be taking you to bed later, but for now, I want to watch a movie with you. I want to just be with you.”
Her eyes softened. “I’d like that,” she whispered.
I kissed her, and then said, “I don’t think you have any idea how much being with you helps me.”
She smiled and held me tighter. “I think I might, Donovan, because it’s the same for me.”
Fuck.
My luck really had changed.
I bent to kiss her again. Quicker this time, because I had something else to say to her. “I’m taking you to meet my mother tomorrow.”
Fuck.
The smile that spread across her face lit my whole fucking world.
Chapter Thirty
Blade
I sat back and smiled while I watched my mother and Layla talk. We’d arrived at Mum’s house half an hour ago and she’d promptly monopolised Layla’s attention. I’d hardly gotten a word in. Hell, I wasn’t complaining, though. I fucking loved watching the two women in my life getting on this well.
“What are you grinning at?” Layla asked, a smile on her face.
“Was I?” I hadn’t realised I had been.
“Yeah, you were, baby.”
The affection in her voice fucking did things to me, and I felt the familiar tightening in my gut. Fuck, I wanted her, which was not exactly a good thing at this very moment, seeing as we were sitting in my mother’s lounge room and about to have lunch.
Layla didn’t miss it, and her smile turned into a grin. She placed her hand on my leg and squeezed it. “You were definitely grinning at something.”
I pushed her hand off my leg and sat up straighter. Changing the subject, I asked, “Do you need help getting lunch ready, Mum?”
“What makes him think that?”
“The asshole has shacked up with some rich bitch in Western Australia, and she’s funding his new lifestyle.”
I was annoyed and relieved at the same time. Relief won out in the end. “Good.”
Merrick raised his brows at me again.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. “Fucking good, asshole,” I muttered before waving him away. “Fuck off and let me do some work.”
He gave me one last grin and then left me to it. The heaviness I’d been feeling last night had shifted. It hadn’t completely left, but I knew it was easing.
Layla and Merrick did that.
I had people in my life who cared for me.
I’d always known it, but now I let myself feel it.
It felt fucking good.
***
“Scott,” I said as I answered his call.
“I’m just keeping you up-to-date with where Storm is at,” he said, his tired voice telling me a lot about how he was doing. “I was voted in as President yesterday, but only just. Griff is still VP.”
I waited for him to say more, and when he didn’t, I prompted him. “And?”
I heard him push out a breath. “The club’s in fucking chaos. Marcus trashed my name with a lot of members so there’s no trust or loyalty there. I don’t know how the fuck this is all gonna end up.”
“Anything from Ricky yet?”
“No, nothing, which is fucking odd.”
“Not for Ricky, it isn’t,” I muttered.
“What does that mean?”
“You remember I said he likes to play with you a bit before he screws you over? Well, this is Ricky playing with you.”
“Fuck. If I wasn’t trying to deal with shit here, I’d already be putting plans together to take him out.”
“What else are you dealing with?” I asked, confused.
“Turns out Nash and J are pissed off about our plan with Griff so there’s tension there. And then I’ve got some of the club members convinced our Sydney chapter are to blame for Marcus’s death and are planning retribution on them. It’s a fucking shit-fight over here, brother.”
And on top of that, he’s dealing with Harlow.
“Do you want me to help with the Ricky issue?”
He remained silent for moment. “No, Storm needs to do it. Maybe it will be the thing to unite us again.”
He was right. “Okay, well, yell out if you need something.”
“Thanks. Will do,” he said and then ended the call.
It felt like a chain of events they would struggle to recover from had been unleashed.
Where Storm would end up, no one fucking knew.
***
That night, I took Layla back to my house. We hadn’t spent much time there, and I needed to be here at the moment. Needed that secure familiarity, which she seemed to understand.
After we’d finished the dinner she’d cooked for us, I asked her if she wanted to watch a movie.
She gave me an odd look but agreed.
“What was that look?” I asked, puzzled.
“You surprised me, that’s all.”
“Why?”
She moved into my space and wrapped her arms around me. Looking up into my eyes, she said, “I’m surprised you’re choosing a movie over taking me to bed. It’s good, though.”
Her arms around me felt so good.
Loving.
Caring.
Safe.
I put mine around her and let them settle on her ass. “Trust me, sweetheart, I’ll be taking you to bed later, but for now, I want to watch a movie with you. I want to just be with you.”
Her eyes softened. “I’d like that,” she whispered.
I kissed her, and then said, “I don’t think you have any idea how much being with you helps me.”
She smiled and held me tighter. “I think I might, Donovan, because it’s the same for me.”
Fuck.
My luck really had changed.
I bent to kiss her again. Quicker this time, because I had something else to say to her. “I’m taking you to meet my mother tomorrow.”
Fuck.
The smile that spread across her face lit my whole fucking world.
Chapter Thirty
Blade
I sat back and smiled while I watched my mother and Layla talk. We’d arrived at Mum’s house half an hour ago and she’d promptly monopolised Layla’s attention. I’d hardly gotten a word in. Hell, I wasn’t complaining, though. I fucking loved watching the two women in my life getting on this well.
“What are you grinning at?” Layla asked, a smile on her face.
“Was I?” I hadn’t realised I had been.
“Yeah, you were, baby.”
The affection in her voice fucking did things to me, and I felt the familiar tightening in my gut. Fuck, I wanted her, which was not exactly a good thing at this very moment, seeing as we were sitting in my mother’s lounge room and about to have lunch.
Layla didn’t miss it, and her smile turned into a grin. She placed her hand on my leg and squeezed it. “You were definitely grinning at something.”
I pushed her hand off my leg and sat up straighter. Changing the subject, I asked, “Do you need help getting lunch ready, Mum?”
