Watching Kit leave with Harmony was a weird feeling.
For years now Harmony and Chelsea had been around, helping out wherever they could and keeping us all entertained. I don’t think they realized it, but my boys had a special bond with those two. Even from the start they had been more than just club girls.They were special.
I was glad my Brother had seen that in Harmony and had decided to give her everything she deserved. I wished I could feel the same about the brunette that was her best friend. It takes a special breed to be the Old Lady of an MC President.
Harmony got it. She saw the bad in the world but didn’t let it affect her. She was strong and would stand up and have her say whether people wanted to hear it or not. Chelsea was more of a soft soul. She’d had it hard growing up and tended to take everything to heart more easily. It bought out my protective side. I wanted to hold her, to cocoon her from the bad.
Chel meant more to me than I could ever let show. I wanted to keep her close – own her, mind, body, and soul. But I’d done that once, and I swore I never would again. My instincts told me to keep her at an arm’s length, keeping her in my bed every night but refusing to acknowledge any other type of attachment. I told myself I was protecting her, but I knew I was actually just hurting her over and over again.
Chelsea walked back inside the clubhouse, tears streaking her face. Even with mascara running down her cheeks she was still beautiful. Every time I saw her my body stood alert. The girl was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. She had long, athletic legs that felt like a vice when they were wrapped around me, all due to the amount of running that she did. Her stomach was toned too, and she had the perfect set of breasts, not too big, not too small. Add the thick wavy auburn hair and unusual dark green eyes and she was a fucking wet dream on legs.
She walked straight over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I stilled for a minute, but then my brain told me to stop being such an asshole. She had just watched her best friend leave. I pulled her close against my chest and rested my chin on the top of her head. I was never one for big public displays of affection, but with Chelsea I just couldn’t stop myself from wanting to hold her, especially when there were other men around.
Caveman logic.
The longer I stood there with her cradled against me, the guiltier I felt. I knew I was about to make a phone call that was going to not only rattle my world, but possibly drive her away permanently.
I gripped her shoulders and pulled back so I could see her face. “I gotta do some shit in my office. You gonna be all right?”
She chewed on her lip, a tick I’d noticed she had when she wanted to say something she was unsure of, or that she knew I wouldn’t like. She let it go though.
“Yeah, I’ll go do some school work.”
My heart screamed at me to say fuck it, she needed me, the call could wait. But the logic inside my head argued that it was for the better that I get this done now and start the shit-storm that would probably drive that wedge between us for good.
I nodded. “Okay.”
I could tell by the way that her shoulders slumped that she was disappointed, but she just turned and walked away. I rubbed at the scruff on my face, watching her leave before I finally worked up enough nerve to walk to my office and pick up the phone. The number was burned into my memory like it had been branded there with a hot iron. And even though I didn’t call it on a regular basis, I don’t think I could forget it if I tried. It rang a few times before a soft sweet voice picked up on the other end, and my heart instead of flying like it usually did when I heard her speak, it completely sunk.
“Optimus?”
“Hey, Sugar.”
“What’s wrong?” She knew the score. I had regular calls to catch up with her and only visited once a year. So when it wasn’t one of those times, she knew something was bad.
I sighed, hanging my head. “Need you back here.”
“Op, I told you. I’m happy here.”
“I know, Sugar. But that’s not it. There’s a shit-storm about to hit the club and these guys will go after anything and anyone to take us down. I need you here so I can protect you.”
The line was silent for at least a minute before she spoke again. I hoped she wouldn’t make this harder than it had to be. If I had to, I would fly to her and drag her back kicking and screaming. I would do anything to protect my family.
“Okay,” she whispered quietly.
Thank fuck for that.
“I’ll send you some extra money right now for plane tickets. I need you here like yesterday.” I balled my hand into a fist. “Can I talk to her?”
“Yeah, I’ll get her.”
Relief flooded my body. They would be here soon and my family would be safe. Guilt settled in my stomach when I thought of Chelsea and how she was going to react, but it quickly evaporated when another soft voice came across the line.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey, baby girl.”
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