Chapter Twenty

Wolf

I have lost my motherfucking mind. I just attacked one of the original founders of this club. I attacked him in front of most of the club, in the clubhouse. Because of what?

Because the fucking asshole has been grating on my nerves for the last two weeks. It's not enough that he already knew Hadley before I did, no. He had to know her better than I did. He knew her favorite chocolate and what kind of books she liked and what her favorite food was. The fucker kept rubbing it in my face. Always showing up to her room just as I was leaving.

He was doing it on fucking purpose and I knew it.

Picking up the desk chair, I sling it across the room I'm currently pacing. It hits the wall with an unsatisfying thud. Glaring at the offending piece of furniture at my feet, I wonder what it will take for it to break. Pacing the room from side to side, I feel like a caged animal.

The room is small and square with a single window. The walls are painted a generic beige color and a double bed stands in the middle, pushed against the wall with a bedside table on each side. One side has a lamp with a black shade and an ashtray beneath it. The bed has a blue bedspread covering it and against the wall beside the door is a chest of drawers. It's simple but it's all I need. I have a house but I use this room when I've had too much to drink or when the party starts to stretch for days. Currently, the only use for this room is Hadley. Everything around me smells like her and that only serves to amp me up further.

Amber hated the club. She never came out for a party or a BBQ or any other club event, and I was willing to offer up anything for her, but I could never give up my club. Often, I've wondered if she had survived if I would have given up the club. The answer is always yes. I think if she survived, I would have given up anything for her and my little girl. Lost in my own mind and the anger swirling around me, I almost miss the soft knock.

Glaring at the door I roar, "Go the fuck away," and fume at the person on the other side.

"Wolf?" There's hesitation in Hadley's voice, and it shreds my insides.

After striding to the door, I fling it open. The momentum causes her to fall forward into me. The realization hits me that she was resting her forehead on the door. She places her palm on my chest to create some distance and I allow it.

Blue eyes stare up at me, filled with apprehension. "Can we talk?"

Turning away allows her space to enter the room. She looks around and sees the turned-over chair. Leaving it on the floor, she moves over to the bed and takes a seat in the middle. She crosses her legs and looks at me expectantly but says nothing.

"What did you want to talk about, Hadley?"

"I was hoping you would just talk to me. I mean, maybe you could explain what just happened downstairs." Again, she leaves me with that look that says she's waiting for me to say something.

"Well, I don't want to talk about it. You were there and you saw what the fuck happened so what more could there possibly be to say?"

Pacing the room again, I run my hand through my hair. I need her to leave. I need her out of my space before I do something irrational that I can't take back.

"Yeah." The sarcasm drips from her voice. "I was there. You attacked Viking without provocation, broke his damn nose, and wouldn't fucking stop."

Her spine is ramrod straight as she glares at me. "What I want to know is why the fuck you would do that."

As we glare at each other, my hold on reality finally snaps. I lose my shit and she's the person I spew my venom at. "It really doesn't fucking matter, does it? I just need you to get the fuck out of my room, out of my goddamn head, and out of my fucking life."

Raging at her, I watch as her temper spikes. Being an asshole isn't something I do often. I should be ashamed of myself but I really can't find it in me to give a shit.

She unfolds her legs and smirks at me. This fuels the fire running through my veins. Leaning back on her elbows, she watches me patiently. "Want me out, huh? Well, I'll make you a deal. Tell me why you're being an asshole and I'll leave your room. Tell me the truth, hell, I'll be out of your life in the next five minutes."

Lying there on my bed, pushed up on her elbows and wearing only a pair of tights and one of my Gypsy Bastards shirts, she has never gotten to me more. Clearly, I'm fucked in the head. I scan her body from her painted toenails up her calves and over her thighs. The shirt is too big on her but I can see her figure and she's clearly not wearing a bra. Again. Her nipples harden under my gaze. I move my view over her exposed shoulder where the shirt has slipped off and then up the column of her neck. When I reach her face, I can see she's breathing harder and her lips are parted. She wets her lips with her tongue and I have to suppress a moan. This woman is like cocaine running through my system and my cock is so hard I could hammer nails with it.

"Well?" she keeps pushing. Her voice has taken on a husky quality.

Watching her carefully, I decide that laying my cards on the table is the best option. At least then I'll be rid of her. I cannot handle the whiplash of emotions anymore. One minute I'm beating a brother to a pulp and the next I can think about nothing but fucking this woman into submission.

"You were touching him." It comes out on a growl.

I don't want her touching anyone and I don't want anyone touching her. Except for me.

"And?"

"I don't fucking like it."

Taking a step toward the bed, I stop myself before I move any closer. She watches me closely and licks her lips again. The room is badly lit and I have never been more grateful. Even through my jeans, she would be able to clearly see my erection if the lighting were only slightly better. She shakes her head and comes to sit upright.

Watching every move she makes, I realize how sensual she is. The way she moves is fluid and so goddamn sexy that I can't help but stare. She tilts her head to the side, studying me.

"So how do we fix this problem? You are a very important person to me and I don't want to lose you. I care for you deeply." Sighing, she continues, "But Viking is my friend and old enough to be my grandfather."

No reply is the best way to go. Grunting, I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Too late, I realize she has tracked the movement and sees my erection clearly. A grin forms on her face and I know that I'm seriously fucked. She crawls on hands and knees over to the edge of the bed.

Looking up at me through her lashes, she breathes in deeply. "Do you want me to touch you?"