And Gemma? That little girl had wormed her way into the deepest part of my fucking heart as if she’d always been there. The way she smiled when she saw me was a fucking head rush. Had anyone ever in my fucking life been that happy to see me?
Hell no.
“What about Chloe and Gemma?” I asked.
Diesel sighed. “It’s not ideal, but we need you here. Slate’s been checking their movements and there’s nothing to suggest that the Ghost Riders are heading your way. We’ve got eyes on the cabin. Chloe and Gemma will be fine for a couple of days, man. We need all the fucking manpower we can get, and I was sure you’d want in on payback for Angel.”
“I do,” I insisted. It wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth. “I’ll pack up and head out straight away. Be with you tonight,” I promised, ignoring the bitter taste on the words as they left my mouth.
“Maybe I can spare a prospect or two if it looks like this is gonna take longer to sort out,” he said.
“Okay, Prez,” I muttered. I really wasn’t happy about it, but I knew Diesel wouldn’t ask me to come back if it wasn’t urgent.
“See you soon, brother. Be safe.” Diesel ended the call, leaving me standing outside in the eerie silence I was reluctant to leave behind.
Now I had to figure out a way to tell Chloe that I was leaving her alone in the middle of nowhere. I blew out a deep breath and stepped inside the cabin where she was finishing up washing the dishes. My chest squeezed as I took in the sight of her with her back to me. The cut-off shorts highlighted the shape of her legs, the flare of her hips and the loose t-shirt she wore as if it was second nature to cover herself up.
She was beautiful.
When she turned, her smile faltered, and she dropped the silverware back into the water. “What’s wrong? Has something else happened?” Her fear was palpable, and the color drained from her face as she waited for me to speak, impatiently tapping her foot on the floor.
I knew it wouldn’t get easier to say the words, so I inhaled deeply and spoke on the exhale. “I gotta go back. To Steel City. Diesel needs me.”
Her face fell and I hated that I was the one who made her look so disappointed. Chloe didn’t say anything else for a full minute, but she blinked rapidly as if she was trying to stop the tears. “For how long?”
I shrugged. “Couple days, tops. They need backup with the Ghost Riders.” I held my breath and waited for tears or begging or any of that shit women are prone to do, but Chloe didn’t do any of that shit.
She nodded, biting her bottom lip as she looked away. “Please Pike, just be careful.”
“I will,” I promised her. “Didn’t make it all this time by being careless.”
Her lips tugged into a smile that went nowhere near her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure. But I mean it. I don’t know if I can—just be careful. Be really fucking careful.” The fear in her voice did something to me.
It cracked something wide open, left it raw and exposed, a constant ache I wasn’t sure what to do with. “Chloe, I will. I promise.” I leaned close, cupped her face in both of my hands and kissed her hard and deep. I kissed her as if I could pour every promise in the whole goddamn world into that moment, as if the kiss was the only way I could tell her what I really felt. My chest pounded even as it ached, unwilling to leave her behind. “Keep practicing your self-defense.”
“I will,” she nodded and swiped at the tears that began to fall. “Every morning like always. Maybe more now that I’ll be getting a full night of sleep.”
I smiled. “Too bad I don’t have time to give you a proper goodbye.”
At the reminder, her smile dimmed. “We waited our entire lives, we can wait a few more days.”
The way her words landed hit me like a ton of fucking bricks, as if both of us had been waiting our whole lives to findeach other. I didn’t even believe in that shit but when Chloe said it out loud, the words made sense.
Perfect fucking sense.
“You remember the code to the gun safe?”
She nodded. “Thirteen-eleven-nineteen. I say it to myself whenever I enter the room.”
“Good girl.” I kissed her again, softly. “You’re all good,” I assured her, running the back of my hand down her cheek. “Don’t cry. I’ll be back before you know it.”
She smiled, burying her face in my chest and holding on to me as if she never wanted to let me go.
“Okay,” she said and patted my chest, blinking away her tears.
“Fuck,” I growled and captured her mouth again. I kissed her until the edges of my control frayed, almost snapping with my need for her. “I want you, Chloe. Need you.”
She pulled back and snuck a glance around me to Gemma, who was still drawing in the living room. Then Chloe grabbed my hand and pulled me to the tiny room that held the washer and dryer stacked on top of each other. “We have to be very quiet, but I need you too. Now.”
