“Chains? You need a woman to speak for you?” Angel taunted.
“Angel, knock it off. You’re being crazy right now,” I begged.
“No. Why is she in your room, goddamn it?” my brother demanded. Sensing the escalating tension, a few of the other club members that were standing outside stepped into the room.
“Angel,” I begged as I clutched his arm.
“I said stop trying to defend him!” he roared at me as he shook me off.
I froze. Then my body trembled head to toe. Locked in my mind, I couldn’t focus. My breathing became ragged. I could hear what they were saying but I couldn’t respond.
“Get the fuck out. Look what you’ve done,” Nico lashed out at Angel in a subdued but obviously furious tone.
“Jazzy,” my brother started as his eyes reflected his regret. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. Look at me, sis,” he said in a cajoling tone. Except, then his voice faded to nothingness. The room was hazy and the roaring in my ears was nearly deafening.
The next thing I knew, I was being scooped up by Venom. He carried me down the hall to my room, then gently set me on the bed. “Jasmine?” he said softy as he laid his hand against my cheek.
A warm wash of peace trickled through me, loosening up my tense muscles and bringing my focus to his face in front of mine.
“Are you with me now?” he asked with a half-smile.
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, doll. But I need to ask why Chains had you in his room? Did he make you go in there?” he asked as he stared into my eyes. I’d never gotten used to them calling him Chains. He’d forever be Nico to me.
The thought of Nico forcing me to do anything was such a foreign thought that my face contorted in horror.
“No. Never. I went to talk to him,” I whispered as I ducked my head.
Using the edge of his finger, he lifted my chin to bring my gaze back to his.
“Unless he’s going to claim you and you’re on board with that, I can’t have that in my clubhouse. It’s pitting two of my brothers against each other. Is that what Chains wants? Is that what you want? You as his ol’ lady? Because right now this shit is creating a divide in my club.” His usually gruff demeanor was softened as he spoke to me.
“I can’t,” I finally admitted.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because he would see everything. Every time he touched me, he would see how dirty I am—how broken. It would kill him. And that would kill me,” I said with a quivering lower lip.
“Then you have to stay away from him. I see how he looks at you and I know Angel does too. That man would lay down his life for you. If you can’t accept that, then you need to let him go.”
He was probably right, but why did the mere thought leave me with my heart gaping open?