“Go to sleep baby,” I whisper. “I’m not leaving, I promise.”
With a heavy sigh, her eyes close and I do as I promised. I stayed kneeled beside her until the storm passed.
I’m so fucked.
The next morning I’m doing paperwork at the shop when Dom comes in. He fills up a cup of coffee as he gives me a few side glances.
“Dom, say what’s on your mind.” I sign my name on a dotted line and look up at him.
“I saw you come out of Tanner’s room last night.”
His tense posture tells me he doesn’t like it.
I toss my pen down and lean back in my chair. “Okay. Yeah, I was in there.”
“I didn’t think I needed to have this conversation with you.”
“I wasn’t fucking your sister if that’s what you are insinuating. I heard her screaming in the middle of the night, so I went to check on her.”
His shoulders slightly relaxed and he cleared his throat. “Screaming? What happened?”
“She was curled up in the floor, crying and having a fucking panic attack.”
“Panic attack?” He pauses and his eyes meet mine like it just dawned on him what was going on.
“The storms.” He shakes his head. “I’m an asshole,” he mutters.
“What’s her deal?” I ask as I stand to make a cup of coffee.
“When she was a kid, a bad storm came through and a big ass tree busted through her window. I was already gone, but she called me after it happened. The tree trunk landed on top of her, and she was trapped beneath it for hours. My parents didn’t find her until the next morning. I guess they couldn’t hear her crying out all fucking night.” He sits at the chair in front of my desk and braces his elbows on his knees. “Storms can trigger her panic attacks sometimes.”
“I didn’t know. I just tried to calm her the best I could.”
“I appreciate it, Maverick. She was traumatized when it happened.”
A small slither of guilt pangs me. I was just trying to help, but I know that wasn’t the only reason I was in that room.
“Well, just so we are on the same page. Tanner is off limits. You get any woman you want, Maverick. You always have. I don’t want her to get sucked into this shit more than she already is.”
“You have nothing to worry about, Dom.”
“I'm serious, Maverick. She isn’t some club whore. I don’t want her treated like one by any brother here.”
“I can promise you I won’t let that happen. No one will disrespect her.” I grab my keys from the desk and open the shop door.
“Thanks man.” Dom follows me out and disappears into the shop while I head towards my bike.
No doubt about it. I’m definitely fucked.