Chapter Fifteen

NYCTO

Eva has adjusted well to being out of my room. I almost thought about taking off the cuffs. Almost.

She chats with my brothers, fitting in here so fucking well it makes me a little nervous because I can see her being as at home here as the furniture. The problem is, the longer I hide Ivy from her, the quicker and the harder she will turn on me. All the hard work I’m doing getting her to trust me will be for nothing.

Every time I start having a good time with her, I’m reminded of the secret I’m hiding. It’s why I clammed up in the kitchen. This whole situation makes me regret causing Eva so much concern for Ivy when I know Ivy is perfectly fine. In one single second, I could take Eva’s pain away, but in doing so, it could turn her against me in a flash. But I have to let it go, or Eva will know something is up. So, I’ve picked myself up and will let Eva enjoy her night without me being a moody cunt.

The evening moves along, filled with laughter and fun as she gets to know everyone in the clubhouse. But now it’s time to walk Eva back to my room—I can tell she is exhausted. Her shoulders slump slightly, her feet drag, and she rubs at her eyes. It must be close to three in the morning. Normally, this is my awake time, but she’s crashing hard. I need to let her rest.

I open the door to my room, guide her in as she lets out a yawn, and then turn to relock it behind me.

“That was fun.” Eva chimes, watching my every move as I grab the key from my pocket and undo the cuffs. It breaks free from my wrist, then I release it from hers. I massage around her wrist, rubbing it to ease any issues the restraints may have caused.

Her eyes meet mine, and the spark, that adrenaline, rushes through me. We stand, staring at each other, my hand caressing her smooth skin as her breathing hitches. A knot forms in my stomach, tightening. I don’t get nervous when it comes to women, but Eva has a way of shaking my world to its core. This woman has the power to rattle me.

It’s unnerving.

Her tongue darts out, and she licks at her bottom lip. God, I wish I were that lip . My cock strains against the seam of my jeans, and I know I need to make a decision right now—make a move or back the hell away before I can’t.

Eva’s chest heaves, the vital movement almost my undoing. So, I take my hand from her wrist and step back. Her eyes drop somberly like she regrets my decision, and I do. We’ve had a good night, and I’m not going to mess it up now by making a move that could fuck up everything.

After clearing my throat, I take my eyes off hers and place the handcuffs on the desk. “You should go to bed. It’s late.”

“You’re not staying?”

Rubbing the tension in the back of my neck, I think I really fucking want to. “I can’t. I have some shit I need to deal with. Club business. Then I’ll come back.”

“I’ll wait up—”

“No, chiquita , you sleep. I might be a while, but I will be back.”

She walks over to the bed and slouches on the mattress. I’m not sure if it’s me she’ll miss or the fact she’s had a taste of freedom, of not having to be in isolation.

Maybe I’m hopeful.

Or maybe I’m fooling myself.

“Okay,” she says, her tone flat.

Damn. She was so full of life out there tonight. So happy and carefree. Bringing her back in here has made her sad again.

I hate watching her like this.

But I’m the one to blame.

“Sleep well.”

She lies on the bed and turns her back to me.

Ouch.

Taking a deep breath, I turn for the door without saying anything else and walk out. I feel like the asshole that I one hundred percent am. I’m toying with her emotional state. What kind of prick does that? I need to figure out my game plan, and I need to do it now.

After closing and relocking the door, my eyes stay firmly on it for a good thirty seconds.

Maybe I should leave it unlocked. See what she does?

But it’s asking for trouble.

She’s not ready.

Not yet.

The fight for her sister is still too strong. Eva would leave in a heartbeat, not giving me a second thought. Rolling my shoulders, I turn, leaving Eva behind, and walk out of the hall back into the scarce clubhouse. Unlike me, most of my brothers sleep at night. Seeing as the party has died down, they’ve headed off to bed, though a few stragglers are still up drinking.

I wonder what Ivy’s thoughts are about Eva being out tonight?

She’s probably asleep, but I’ll take the chance.

Heading downstairs, I make my way through the Chamber toward the Cell. The lights are on. Void sits in the room with her on the sofa, watching television. I stand back, taking in the scene. They’re not talking, not doing anything unusual, merely spending time together.

I walk through the door.

Both heads casually turn to me, and Void raises his chin. “Eva in bed?”

Ivy’s eyes widen, and she looks between us at the mention of her sister’s name.

I sit on the edge of the sofa. “Yeah. She’s had a big night.”

“Void said she looked like she enjoyed herself.”

“I think she did. You were always at the forefront of her mind, but she managed to relax and unwind a little.”

Ivy sinks back into the sofa. “Good… that’s good.”

“Ivy?”

She turns to face me. “Yeah?”

“How do you feel about being here?”

Void tenses as Ivy shrugs. “Honestly, at first, I was cautious, wary of being here and of my surroundings. Of course, I’d love to go upstairs and mingle like Eva’s being allowed to. I’d love to be able to come and go. You don’t trust me, and I get it, but honestly, Nycto, I’m not going anywhere. I feel safe. I’ve felt safer here than I have in my entire life. I miss having a family, and maybe the club could be that for us. I don’t want to give that feeling up.”

My eyes meet with Void, and I give him a nod. We both stand and walk out into the Chamber. He folds his arms over his chest as he peers back at Ivy. She sits back on the couch and watches the television, the volume loud enough to block out our discussion.

“What’s going through your mind, Pres?”

“You’re down here with her all the time, you tell me. Is she a flight risk?”

He exhales. “I don’t think so. If she’s playing me, then she’s fucking good at it. I mean, we don’t talk a lot, you know what I’m like, but she’s content, Pres. It hasn’t been much time to make a judgment call, but I’m sure Ivy doesn’t want to cause shit. She wants to meet everyone, feel like she’s part of something.”

“Uncuff her. Stay with her tonight. If she makes a run for it, deal with her.” Void’s jaw ticks to the side. “If she stays put, bring her up in the morning to meet everyone. Make it clear, though, that she’s under your protection. She leaves the bunker… I won’t hesitate in having you hunt her down and end her. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“I’ll make sure to have Eva locked away in the morning so their paths won’t cross. If Ivy passes this test, then we might have a way forward and out of this whole goddamn mess.”

Void’s eyes widen. “Wanna fill me in?”

“Let’s just see if she passes the flight test first. Night, Ivy,” I say loudly.

She turns to face us. “Night, Nycto. Say hi to Eva for me.” She smirks cheekily.

“Smartass,” I grunt back as I turn, walking for the stairs.

I have no idea if I’m doing the right thing with Ivy, but the key to getting Eva on my side has always been her sister. If making Ivy feel at home means she’s on board with being here, then I’m halfway there. But I need all the pieces of my plan to fall into place.

Step one—Ivy. Let’s hope she makes it through the night without fucking shit up. If Void trusts her, then I do too. My only hope is that his trust isn’t misplaced in her giant breasts and gorgeous face. While Void isn’t one to normally let a pretty woman impair his judgment, he’s never been confined to a cell with one before.

Everything we’re all going through right now is new territory.

We have two packages we’ve stolen from Andrés, and those packages are making me lose my damn shit.

Choosing a person—a living, breathing angel—over the good of the club? It’s unheard of. And whether I’ve made the right call or not is yet to be determined. Eva has me trapped in the middle of a whirling inferno. Though it rages and ignites my soul as only the devil can, she manages to calm the beast inside me like no one else. Angel or devil? I can’t decide. But time will tell.

So, for now, I’ll sit in my purgatory, waiting to meet my fate.

Will Ivy be the savior of my problems with her sister, or have I made a mess so big not even divine intervention can save me?

With an exhale, I head back to the bedroom, where Eva should be sleeping. I stop at my door and take a deep breath, settling myself before unlocking it. Slowly, I push it open and walk in. Eva still has her back to me, her slow breaths echoing around the room. I lock the door behind me.

Every time I’ve been in here, I’ve kept it PG-13. I’ve taken my cut off but slept in my jeans and shirt. But tonight, I want to be fucking comfortable. So, I shrug out of my cut and hang it in my closet, then kick off my boots and socks, leaving them at the end of my bed. As I unbuckle my belt, Eva whimpers a little, her arm moving slightly. I stop moving until she stills, then continue getting undressed. Throwing my jeans over the desk chair, I then yank off my shirt, leaving me in my boxer briefs.

I don’t know how she’ll react to this, but I’m going with it. Noting Eva is on the side farthest from the door, I crawl up beside her. She stirs slightly as I slide under the covers, then roll onto my back and turn to face her. She’s so fucking cute. A strand of hair lies across her cheek, her eyes fluttering behind closed lids. She must be dreaming. Reaching out, I swipe the stray strand behind her ear. She’s so calm. There’s no doubt. She must be an angel.

She whimpers in her sleep again. What’s she dreaming about? Her hand flops out from under her chin, landing on my chest, and my eyes widen as it splays. Eva’s body reacts to my presence, instinctively shuffling closer. Her top leg drapes around mine, drawing me to her as she pulls herself against me.

My eyes widen as I lie flat on my back, staring at the ceiling to try to distract myself from the fact my cock hardened instantly. How the fuck did I get here?

Eva whimpers again, and her hand lowers on my chest, my abs constricting as her fingers trail down my abdominal plane, past my belly button. I have no idea what the fuck she’s doing in her sleep or whether I should wake her, but as her hand reaches the top of my groin, I tense. Her smooth fingers reach over the top of my briefs and clamp around my cock, and she lets out a content little murmur before her breathing returns to normal.

I hiss between my teeth. I’m stiff as hell, lying here and trying like fuck not to lose my shit while Eva holds my dick. If she moves—if she so much as twitches—I may moan, and that would wake her.

If Eva is an angel, she’s trying hard to dispel those rumors.

My body trembles, wanting more than anything to take charge, to wake her up and fuck her like she deserves, but I’m in this for the end game. If I lose myself in this moment, I’ll lose the small amount of trust I’ve built with Eva so far.

A slight snore resounds from her mouth, making the tension ease a little. Even if she does have her hand firmly wrapped around my cock, I guess it will be a nice way to go to sleep.

So, fighting the urge to pump my hips, I close my eyes and let my body relax in her grip. And for once, I’m allowing a woman to hold me while I fall asleep.

This is new territory.

Eva, what the fuck are you doing to me?