Settling on my pillow, I begin to close my eyes and beg for sleep to come easily. Just as I begin to drift into oblivion, her voice stirs me.
“Why did you move me in here?” she asks without turning to face me. “I thought you hated me.” She thinks I hate her? That’s far from how I feel about her. Hate isn’t exactly the word I would use to describe my trepidation about her. Skeptical or cautious would be more like it, but not hate. How could you hate the one woman on the planet that makes you question every decision you’ve ever made or the way you process your thoughts? She tempts me like no one else has before in her place, but this isn’t about my feelings. My club, and my brothers will always come first to me. Even if she is innocent, she’ll never outrank them. My life isn’t exactly picket fences and two point five kids like you see in the movies. It’s dark and dangerous. Not every woman would be able to handle the lifestyle, but I sure as fuck hope that Dani could be one of them that could.
“After the show you put on earlier with Trax’s ball sac, it’s safer for you to be in here with me. I can’t have some of my brothers beating and raping you under my watch. You’re not here because I like you, it’s just killing two birds with one stone. You’re secure, and I can keep the peace.” I know every single word of that was a lie, but I need to keep her in the dark as long as I can. If I can prove once and for all that she’s not a spy, I’ll feel better about her being around the club. When a woman fights, it’s a turn on for me. Maybe it’s the way their body moves as they strike their opponent or hell, maybe it’s the fact that they wear hardly any clothes in the ring, but fuck, it’s hot. Seeing a woman who can fight like a man flips my “on” button every time. Hell, maybe I just like feisty women like Dani. However, she’s dangerous to the club because a woman who will not submit to orders is a liability. I don’t want to have to show her what happens to a person when a club deems her a liability or a risk to them.
“He attacked me first, you know. It’s sweet how you protect a potential rapist because he wears the same patch as you do,” she retorts, turning over on her side to face me. Her face is beautifully illuminated by the glow of the TV. Her deep brown eyes contrast greatly against her soft feminine features. She was right about being bruised from Trax’s choking as deep purple bruises encircle her throat. Seeing his marks on her brings the asshole inside of me flooding back to the surface.
“He’s my brother, Dani. I can’t exactly play favorites against a brother and a prisoner. If you had listened to me, you’d have never been in that situation. Next time I issue you an order, fucking listen to it.” The intensity of her stare shatters the willpower I am desperately clinging onto. Her eyes could unman the staunchest warrior from his post if she flashed those chocolate browns at them. She has no idea the effect she has on people, and yet she knows how to use it expertly against men like me. She sashays her curves throughout the clubhouse and teases us with each sway of her luscious ass. She’s a fucking tease to us all, but I’m the only one who can’t fucking get her out of my head long enough to stick to my fucking job.
“What happened to the man I met at Red’s that night?” she asks, watching my eyes for a truthful answer. “ I know you were focused more on getting laid that night, but the asshole façade you put on for the club doesn’t feel like it’s the real you. You care about the people here.”
“Don’t, Dani. I’m not the man you seem to think I am. There’s not a heart of gold buried underneath my black heart. I’m not made to love anyone but myself. I was born and bred to kill and service justice, not to love. Now, go back to sleep. I need to rest before I handle business tomorrow. I’d advise you not to leave the room until we get back. You’ll be safer in here after your little stunt tonight.”
I roll away from her and settle into the pillow. Darkness begins to take hold again when she whispers one last thing in the blackness of the room. I can barely hear her words as I fall asleep, but they resonate in my mind as sleep pulls me under.
“Your heart may be black, Hero, but even assholes have them.”
Waiting for Hero to return to his room became pure torture. I’ve sat on his soft bed and nervously counted the seconds until he burst through the door and privately chewed me out for my attack on Trax. I don’t know what came over me when he touched me, but the feel of him on my skin sent me into a blind rage. Anything and everything in my way would have been destroyed if I hadn’t walked away. Trying to escape through the bathroom window wasn’t my brightest idea now that I have time to think about the consequences had I succeeded, but it was the only viable option my brain presented to me in a moment of sheer panic. Knowing Hero would be hot on my heels, I assumed I had limited time left breathing on the Earth, and I wouldn’t go silently.
I don’t know what infuriates me more. The fact he ordered me to move into his room or the fact I blindly followed his orders. I guess blindly following would be putting it nicely. I tried to put up a fight but when I weighed the options, it was the lesser of two evils. The bastard may hate me, but at least he respects me enough not to force himself on me. I think my exhibition match with Trax is proof enough to the men of this club that I will protect myself when provoked.
It’s been over an hour since he stormed out of my room, leaving me to move and unpack with Slider’s supervision. My eyes begin to droop, and I know I won’t be able to stay awake much longer, but I try to fight off sleep as much as I can. Hero’s room is twenty degrees colder than mine so the warmth of his bed is unfortunately my only option. Well, that or become a Dani Popsicle. Men suck in the aspect of how warm they tend to stay. I’m always cold. Sliding under the silky covers of his bed, I lay on my side absently watching the movie on TV. It doesn’t take long before sleep takes me.
The door opening stirs me awake. I’m too tired to deal with his imminent verbal whiplash, so I stay still and pretend to still be asleep. He stops at the foot of the bed before stripping his clothes off. I know I am taking up nearly the entire bed so maybe he’ll give up and sleep on the couch. It’s not that I’m afraid of him sleeping next to me, that’s the farthest thing from my mind. I’m afraid I’ll like his warm body nestled next to mine way too much. My body still wants him even if my mind is still convinced he’s bad news.
He startles me with his touch as he lifts my arm out of his way before he slides into the bed. His touch sends tingles flying through me as the bed adjusts to his weight and he settles into position. His breathing is ragged and judging by how fast he inhales and exhales, he’s just as nervous as I am about the sleeping arrangements. If he were to reach out and wrap himself around me, I would be a goner. Why can’t I convince the rest of myself how much of an asshole he is? He just wants to fuck me out of his system and move on to the next whore. Just thinking about his escapades since I’ve lived in the clubhouse makes me shiver in disgust. God¸ I hope these sheets are clean and disease free. If we were ever to move past the dividing line of loathing each other into fucking, he’s going to need to be tested. I won’t let him near me with the possibility of having dick rot. Sex with him isn’t worth a permanently diseased state.
His breathing finally begins to slow, letting me relax again. I know I shouldn’t alert him to the fact I’m awake, but his reasoning behind tonight won’t let me go back to sleep. My mind won’t let me just lay here next to him without answers. I may be in bed with a monster, but he seems to be in check at the moment. His other side would have pinned me to bed and taken what he wanted.
“Why did you move me in here?” I ask with my back still turned. I need to know why he’d literally move his self-proclaimed enemy into his bed. “I thought you hated me.”
He exhales quickly. I must have startled him. “After the show you put on earlier with Trax’s ball sac, it’s safer for you to be in here with me. I can’t have some of my brothers beating and raping you under my watch. You’re not here because I like you, it’s just killing two birds with one stone. You’re secure, and I can keep the peace.”