6. Spike/ Gray

6

SPIKE/ GRAY

SPIKE

If I had to be honest, I couldn't deny a twinge of disappointment as the night ended the way it did.

Selfishly, I wished for more—a goodnight kiss, another shared moment. But I quickly scolded myself for such thoughts.

Gray had been through a harrowing day, and it was essential to give him the space he needed.

I had told him he could decide his path—stay or leave—but now I found myself regretting those words.

Perhaps he should stay in Moon Burrow for a week or two, at least until Jack Roth forgot about him.

I still couldn't fathom why Jack was so determined to bring him back. Gray might be leaving out some crucial details, but deep down, I doubted it.

He struck me as an honest guy, someone whose face always revealed what he was thinking.

Hearing the door creak open behind me, I pivoted and saw Gray standing there, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"Hey, you need something else? Are you hungry?" I asked, realizing I had forgotten to inquire about his last meal.

Gray took a deep breath, his expression turning resolute. Without a word, he walked up to me, and with determination, he gripped me by the shoulders.

Rising on tiptoe, he pressed his lips against mine.

The sudden kiss caught me by surprise, but I quickly responded, savoring the warmth and sweetness of the unexpected moment.

I wanted more, but I recognized that this kiss was already a bonus. When Gray pulled away, I stayed rooted to the spot.

"What was that for?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I couldn't part with you without kissing you. That's all," Gray said.

"You're cute, Gray," I couldn't help but say.

He frowned. "I'm cute?" he repeated.

Gray didn’t seem all that happy with the term I used.

"What? You don't like me calling you cute?" I asked.

"I was hoping for a more...never mind," he said quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You can count on it," I said with a nod.

I returned to the MC clubhouse, whistling to myself and thinking about where I'd take Gray tomorrow for our first official date.

Breakfast still counted as a date, right?

"Spike, Nitro's looking for you," Lenny commented the moment I stepped inside the clubhouse.

I groaned, remembering I owed him an explanation. For a moment, I debated making my way upstairs and pretending I was too tired for a lecture.

"Spike, over here," Nitro called from across the room, waving at me.

Sighing, I grabbed a beer from the bar before joining my best friend. Nitro let me take a few sips before diving right in.

"What got into you, back at the Dirty Stallion?" he demanded.

"I was just doing what anyone would," I answered with a shrug.

"You jumped to that omega's defense without thinking," Nitro pointed out.

"Well, Gray needed my help. If a bastard like Jack Roth was hunting Tommy, wouldn't you do the same?" I demanded.

"Tommy's my mate, Spike. I'd do anything for him," Nitro said in a careful voice. "Are you saying Gray could be--"

"I don't know," I blurted, a little frustrated.

I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions in the first place, but when Gray kissed me, it had been explosive. It also proved my attraction wasn't just one-sided.

"Well, did you get any answers from Gray? Like find out the real reason why Jack Roth was after him?" Nitro asked.

I immediately came to Gray's defense without thinking.

"Nitro, Gray had a hell of a day. Besides, he'd stop trusting me completely if I started interrogating him," I pointed out.

Gray didn't trust people easily; I could see that because I'd been where he was. Before joining the MC, I didn’t rely on anyone but myself.

It took me a long time to figure out that sometimes, it was okay to reach out to others for help.

Nitro gave me a look of disbelief. I kept reminding myself that Nitro probably only wanted what was good for me, that he was just trying to understand what happened earlier.

"Look, can you just do me a massive favor and keep this to yourself? Just until I sort things out with Gray. I'm seeing him again tomorrow. I'll get to the bottom of this then," I said.

Nitro didn't answer me right away, and I didn't miss the guilty expression that crossed his face.

"Nitro," I said under my breath. "What did you do?"

"Venom had to know," he simply said.

I rose to my feet abruptly, shoving my chair away. A surge of protective instincts came over me, making it hard for me to think.

For a split second, it felt like Nitro, my entire MC, was against me, which was crazy because my brothers always had my back.

The MC became my family when I had no one.

"Spike, did you forget the trouble we got ourselves into months ago with Olaf's pack?" Nitro asked me.

"Jack and I traded a few words, that's all," I said with a scoff.

"You punched the living daylights out of him," Nitro said drily. "In front of his pack mates. Spike, you practically humiliated him. We were visiting guests."

"Nitro, you've seen the way he treats the omega and weaker wolves in the pack," I pointed out. "And I don't know why Olaf lets him get away with it."

"Olaf turns a blind eye because he knows Jack is younger and stronger than him," Nitro commented, and his words made me a little uneasy.

"Not our problem," Nitro added.

"Jack will become my problem if he goes after Gray again," I firmly said.

"Spike, you just met Gray today. Is he really worthy of your protection?" Nitro asked me.

"He is," I said without hesitation.

"And if he's keeping secrets from you?" Nitro prodded.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," I said.

Nitro sighed. "I'll talk to Venom again, persuade him to let you handle this on your own for now,” Nitro said.

My initial anger at Nitro faded. Nitro was just concerned about me, how easily I threw my lot with Gray despite us being strangers.

It should've bothered me too, except it didn't. My inner grizzly wholeheartedly agreed with my decision to become Gray's protector.

"It's getting late, and I want to head back to my mate," Nitro said. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Couldn't agree more," I muttered.

"Spike?" Nitro added as I began to head for the stairs.

"What?" I asked.

"I do want what's best for you. The last thing I want is to see you get hurt," Nitro said.

"I'm a big boy, Nitro. I can take care of myself," I said. "What I could use is my best friend on my side."

"Then call me anytime. I have your back," were Nitro's last words to me for that evening.

As I ascended the stairs to my room, I couldn't help but think that Nitro might be overprotective, but he genuinely cared.

Nitro's concern lingered in my mind, but my thoughts quickly shifted back to Gray.

He was occupying my every thought, and the kiss we shared played on a loop in my mind. For now, I decided I needed some rest.

GRAY

The sound of a familiar rumbling engine woke me up. No, I thought drowsily, my sedan didn't sound like that.

More often than not, my car sputtered and coughed like an old man in the throes of death.

Shutting my eyes, I tried to get back to sleep, only to jolt up at a knock on the door a moment later.

Rubbing my eyes, I pulled myself away from the incredibly soft sheets. Boy, did I miss sleeping in a proper bed.

The sleep I had in the Blue Vale Wolves Pack compound didn't count because today, I didn't wake up with dread in my belly, wondering what sinister plans Jack had for me.

As I approached the door, the knocking continued. I opened it cautiously, and to my surprise, there stood Spike in his familiar leather jacket.

Under the morning light, Spike looked more rugged and handsome than I remembered.

When he smiled at me, my entire body felt warm. I was tempted to kiss him again, then realized I hadn't brushed my teeth yet. In fact, I wasn't ready at all.

"Morning," he greeted with a crooked smile. "Ready for breakfast?"

I flushed, realizing I was standing there in just my ratty sleeping shirt and boxers.

"Um, do you mind giving me a few minutes to shower and change?" I asked.

"Sure, I'll be downstairs," Spike said. "Take all the time you need."

As I closed the door, I wondered where Spike had been all my life. His presence brought a strange mix of comfort and excitement, and my wolf seemed to like him a lot.

Maybe it was time to stop overthinking and go with the flow, at least for now. After all, breakfast with Spike sounded like a pretty good start to the day.

Half an hour later, I met Spike downstairs in the lobby. I found him drinking coffee and chatting with Rooster.

He looked up from his conversation when he spotted me. I shivered as he gazed at me like I was a tall drink of water, like I was the only thing he could see.

That never happened to me before. I never stood out in a crowd.

All my life, I believed myself to be average, but when Spike was with me, he made me feel special, one of a kind.

"Sorry it took so long," I said, making my way to him. "I enjoyed the shower too much."

"Installed new shower heads in all the rooms just a month ago," Rooster said proudly. "Glad to hear that."

Yes, I did take my time enjoying the water pressure, but I also took embarrassingly long to pick out clothes to wear for our breakfast date.

This did count as a date, right? It should have been easy, picking an outfit, because I didn't really have a lot of choices.

Still, seeing Spike's expression made it all worthwhile.

"I have something to show you," Spike told me, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

He held out his hand, and I automatically took it. His large and callused hand contrasted a little with my smaller one, but it sure felt warm and nice.

Spike dragged me outside, and for a moment, the early morning sunlight made me squint.

He reminded me of a kid on Christmas day, and the thought amused me because I didn't think I'd be able to see a tough biker bear like him in this state.

Then I saw what he wanted to show me, and my jaw dropped. This was not my same car. My sedan was dented, and paint was peeling everywhere.

This one was shiny and smooth, the paint new.

Spike let go of my hand, pulled out my car keys, which I remembered leaving in the ignition when I ran to the Dirty Stallion.

When he started the engine, my sedan practically... purred. At least it sounded like a purr.

Did they take out the entire engine and replace it with a new one? While I knew next to nothing about car repairs, I did know that couldn't be cheap.

Spike got out, grinning, offering me the key. My hands shook as I accepted it.

"Spike, I have no words. What did you guys do? I can’t—“ I began to say that I couldn't afford it, but that would just make me sound incredibly ungrateful, and I didn't want that.

"Thank you," I finally said, tears in the corners of my eyes.

"Hey," Spike said, walking up to me and brushing my tears away.

"No one's done anything like this for me before," I whispered.

To that, Spike only pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Kiss me properly," I said, unsure where this audacity was coming from.

Spike then kissed me thoroughly on the mouth, and I furiously responded, inviting him to kiss me deeper.

The world seemed to fade away in that moment, leaving only the two of us and the warmth of his lips against mine.

It was a kiss filled with unspoken promises, and I found myself savoring every second of it.