“MyFight”—FromAshesToNew
The thought of lying next to her in bed was akin to torture. My attraction for her was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Yvette didn’t come close to this, and it made me realize how crazy I’d been to move her into my house. What we’d had was superficial attraction. Whatever this was had my head in knots and was creating the biggest mindfuck I’d ever experienced.
As far as Sloane went, sure we were grown-ass adults, but she was Voodoo’s sister. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship and create issues in the chapter if shit went south. In that, I understood where Angel had been coming from when it came to Chains and Jasmine. Thankfully, things had worked out for them. Despite my powerful attraction to her, I didn’t know this chick from Adam.
“What? Don’t you trust me?” she asked, trying to sound like she was joking.
Sliding both hands down my face, I groaned. It wasn’t her I didn’t trust.
“Oh, come on. Just lay down. We’re both exhausted.”
She was right. I’d been on the road since four in the morning, then in a fucking race across Dallas. Now it was after midnight and I was fading fast.
“I’ll rest there for a bit,” I conceded. Stealing my resolve, I approached the bed and sat on the edge. After I kicked off my boots, I rubbed my forehead in preparation.
I can do this.
When I glanced over my shoulder, Sloane had turned to her side, facing the wall. That should’ve been a godsend, but the curve of her hip cried out to be stroked. Her silky black hair fell in tangled waves over her shoulder and fanned across my poncho. Whether it was the proximity of her body to mine or the faint scent of her perfume, it had my dick hard.
Trying not to disturb her, I surreptitiously adjusted my junk—not that it helped.
Stifling a groan, I lay down and stared at the ceiling. The flickering light from the candle cast shadows on the stained surface. It probably would’ve been wise to blow it out, but I wasn’t too worried. I’d sense it before it got too bad, and I’d easily harness it.
My eyes grew heavy, and I slipped into an exhausted slumber.
The next morning, we woke up spooning and quickly separated. The temperature had dropped overnight, so I wasn’t surprised. Sloane, on the other hand, looked mortified. I wasn’t sure how that should make me feel, but my ego took a bit of a hit.
“I’m so sorry. I swore we would sleep separate, and we woke up like that!” She made a wild waving motion with her hand.
“It got cold last night. It’s human nature to seek heat. Don’t sweat it. What do you say we have a delicious breakfast of a protein bar?” I asked with a grin.
She slapped a hand over her mouth, then spoke behind it.
A muffled jumble of words was all I caught. “Uh, what was that?”
“Morning breath!” she said from behind the shield of her hand, causing me to roll my eyes. I’d smelled worse than her morning breath in my life.
“Come on. I might have something,” I offered before pulling my boots on and heading out to the main common area. This place was a lot smaller than our clubhouse back in Ankeny, but it seemed like it could’ve had potential.
Making a beeline to my bike, I opened one of the compartments in the faring and pulled out the pack of gum I carried when I was trying not to smoke. It had a couple of pieces, so I brought them back to her.
“Hopefully we aren’t here past tomorrow, or you’re outta luck, babe.”
“Don’t call me ‘babe’. We both know I’m not your anything.”
Was that disappointment I heard in her statement? Not that it mattered. I told Voodoo I’d stay away from her. We were only here until we got this shit figured out for her, and I’d sworn off relationships anyway. In any other circumstances, I could’ve fucked her while I was here and left without a backward glance, but this was Voodoo’s sister. Crazy as that was.
“I’m going outside to smoke and call Voodoo.” I’d been doing fairly good at cutting back, but the mornings were always rough. Thankfully, I had a new pack in my saddlebag because my open pack was in my cut back at the hotel.
Sloane nodded as she popped a piece of the gum into her mouth. “I’ll wait for you to eat. But please ask him if they checked on my mom? Or can I use your phone when you’re done? I hate not having my phone.”
“I got you. I’ll do both,” I told her, then went outside.
The sun was bright after the dim interior, and the air was brisk. In the daylight, I could see that the place needed quite a bit of TLC, but the building seemed safe and sturdy. Once I’d packed my smokes against my palm, I leaned against the dented metal of the exterior, opened the pack, and shook one out. That first hit of nicotine after I lit it was like a zap to my system. It was enough to calm my nerves and to wake me up. As I held the cigarette in the corner of my mouth, I pulled out my phone and checked the battery life. It should be good for a while if we didn’t make any marathon calls. Not like I had apps and shit on there to run down my battery.
“Phoenix. No events overnight, I take it?” Voodoo asked by way of greeting.
“Nah, we’re good. It’s peaceful out here, though. I’ll give them that.”