When we turned the next corner, I caught sight of a wing tattoo on his wrist, and my gaze narrowed. Before I could lose my nerve, I slammed on my brakes and swerved to the side of the road. He quickly swerved to miss me, and the PROSPECT patch on his back confirmed my suspicions. He pulled over and hung his head.
“Why are you following me, Roscoe?” I demanded as I flew out of the car and propped my hands on my hips.
“Dammit, Jasmine, I almost hit you!” he exclaimed as he ripped off his helmet.
“That doesn’t answer my question!”
“I’m doing what Angel told me to do. Now I’m gonna get my ass chewed,” he bitched.
“For what?”
“Because I wasn’t supposed to let you know I was tailing you,” he grumbled.
“Well, you suck at it.”
“No shit,” he muttered as I stomped back to my open door and dropped back inside.
My hands were shaking as my mind spun. I couldn’t help but wonder how long Roscoe had been following me. Did my brother already know about me and Nico? Was he biding his time? And if so, why?
Yeah, I should probably be grateful that Angel was looking out for me, but I was more nervous than anything. Our father had been calling and texting me, trying to get me to meet him for lunch or coffee, but I’d been ignoring him. Nico and I had been carrying on in secret. My brother was having me followed.
Nahhh. Nothing to be nervous about.
My fingers nervously strummed the steering wheel the entire way back to the Royal Bastards compound.
Shit.
After the way we left things at the tattoo shop, I’d been going crazy. I hated that Nico believed I was using him, but I hated that there was some truth to it too.
Impatiently, I waited for him to come back to the clubhouse.
There was a party going on by the time I heard his door open and close across the hall. I forgot what that one was for, but then again, the Royal Bastards didn’t really need a reason to party. My brother asked if I was joining them, and I told him maybe later after I finished updating a website I managed for a bestselling author.
Cautiously, I opened my door and peeked out. Looking both ways, I didn’t see a soul in sight, so I quietly clicked the latch and went across the hall. Taking a chance he may kick me out, I knocked once and opened the door.
His gaze whipped to the door as he tossed the contents of his pockets to the dresser.
“Give me a minute and I’ll whip my dick out for you,” he said, and my temper exploded.
“Nico, please stop. I didn’t come in here to fight with you,” I argued.
“No, you came in here tofuck.” His sneer hurt.
“I didn’t. I came here to talk to you,” I said as my anger quickly fizzled.
“About what, Jazz?” He suddenly sounded tired, defeated.
Though all I had to do was be in the same room with him and I was turned on, it wasn’t all about sex. I simply loved the fact that while we were in the act, all the bullshit disappeared.
“Us.”
“I don’t think there is an us, Jazz. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I wonder—is it worth it? To you, I mean. Having a man that has to wear goddamn gloves to touch you? I want to be everything for you, but I don’t know how I can.”
I didn’t get a chance to reply because the door crashed open, nearly hitting me. I shrieked.
“What the fuck is going on? Why are you in here, Jazzy? What did you do?” Angel’s eyes flashed in fury as he directed the last question to Nico, who raised his chin but refused to answer.
“He didn’t do anything,” I tried to defend him. It was me being in Nico’s room that had brought my brother down Nico’s throat.