Ignoring my to-do list for the afternoon, I grab a bagel and head out the door. The last thing I’m expecting is to see Sean leaning against my Jeep with a smug grin on his face.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask, feeling nothing but fury at seeing him standing here so damn casually.
“Well, good morning to you too, Moira.” He takes a step forward, and I stand my ground, refusing to be intimated by his presence. He’d left me high and dry after my grandad and Liam were sent to prison, not that I’d wanted his damn help, but an offer to at least help me clear out shit would’ve been nice. He’d kept his cowardly ass far away, and that’s how I want it to stay. I was hoping the texts were the last contact I was going to have to have with him.
“Cut the shit, Sean. What the hell do you want?”
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Even before our short stint as boyfriend and girlfriend when we were younger, I never cared much for Sean. I always hated Liam more, but there was always something about Sean that kind of put me on edge. Maybe it’s because my grandad kept hinting about how he wanted us to get together, and then after I ignored those fears and we gave it a shot, I really learned what an ass he is. It just made me realize how badly I needed to keep my distance from him. I was always happy growing up that my dad and I didn’t live close enough to train at this club. All the times we came for visits was bad enough. I can’t imagine having to deal with that on a regular basis, and once I gave him a black eye, Sean rarely came for a visit, and he made himself scarce when my dad and I came here.
“Look, I thought maybe I could help you out with things.” He eyes the club and smiles at me, but it does nothing to soften the predatory look he’s giving me. On Nikolai, a look like that would have me unbuttoning my pants and spreading my thighs. On Sean, it just makes me want to put on another layer and possibly dry heave a little.
“I don’t need your help, and you made it perfectly clear that you couldn’t be seen around here anyway.”
“Oh, fuck the Russians,” he spits out. “It’s their fault any of this is happening anyway.”
“Really? I thought maybe it was Grandad and Liam’s fault for, you know, killing Jimmy.” I look at him like the idiot he is and say, “You need to go. I don’t need your help, and I don’t want you here.”
“Fine. I’ll go for now, but I’ll be back, Moira. You need my help, and I’m going to give it to you. We could bring this place back to life, and we could do it together.”
I’m stunned by his comment and even more stunned by what he says next.
“I’ve never forgotten about you, Moira. I think we should give things another shot between us.”
I’m so stunned and disgusted that I bark out a laugh that has him scowling and tightening his hands into fists. I know that look well enough, but I’m not sixteen anymore, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let this fucker scare me again.
“That’s never going to happen. I need to be somewhere, Sean. Just leave.”
Sean glares at me for a few seconds, but when I don’t back down, he says, “You better damn well stay away from those Russians, Moira. They’re nothing but trouble, especially Dima and his bitch wife.”
“Hey!” I yell, getting more pissed by the second. “I heard Liam hurt her and that you didn’t do a damn thing to stop it. Pretty fucking tough, Sean, beating up on women less than half your size. Although, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by that.”
His face turns an angry red at my words. “Looks like you’ve been talking to the wrong damn people. Better be careful. Don’t forget which side of this fight you’re on, O’Connor.”
He turns and leaves, and I get in my Jeep, slamming my door behind me, so pissed I can barely think. The nerve of that fucker! Once I’m calm enough to drive, I look around, making sure he really has gone and isn’t watching to see where I go. On the drive to the Red Wolf, I decide it’s best to not let Nikolai know about Sean showing up. Our relationship, if that’s even what this is, is so new and fragile. It wasn’t that long ago that we were both yelling at each other and he was looking at me like he could barely stand to be in my presence. No way in hell am I bringing up all this old shit between the clubs again. If Sean keeps bothering me, then maybe I’ll mention it. Until then, it’s my problem and no one else’s.
I push it all from my mind and instead think about Nikolai. The nerves don’t really hit me until I’m pulling into the Red Wolf. No matter how much I try and tell myself to get a grip, my body is having none of it. Just the thought of seeing him again has my heart racing and my palms sweating. I get out, hoping the cool, Autumn air will shock some sense into me.
Before it has a chance to work, Nikolai opens the door, looking mouthwateringly gorgeous in his jeans and dark grey sweater. He smiles and walks toward me since my feet seem to have stopped working. I’m standing at the back of my Jeep, remembering exactly how he’d looked stretched out on my airbed naked, when he reaches me.
I keep standing there like an idiot, wondering if it’ll look too forward for me to just jump in his arms, or if I should just play it cool like we didn’t just orally get each other off last night. He makes the decision for me when he gives me a sexy grin and wraps his arms around me, pulling me in for a kiss. I melt against him, sliding my hands under his sweater because I’m dying to feel the heat of his skin against me again. He groans against my lips, deepening the kiss when I drag my nails along his back and press my body harder against his.
“Damn, Moira,” he says, pulling back and giving me another big grin.
He didn’t shave again today, and I bring one hand to his cheek, running my fingers over his thicker stubble. It looks damn good on him. I notice the tiny bit of grey coming in, and I’m reminded of our age difference. I hadn’t really given it any thought before, and I wonder if it bothers him that I’m so much younger.
“Do you care that I’m only twenty-one?”
The soft lines around his eyes come out when he laughs and looks at me like I’m crazy. “Do I mind that you’re so young and beautiful? No, Moira, I’m perfectly fine with that. Does it bother you that I’m thirty-eight?”
“No,” I say, because it really doesn’t. I smile and add, “Just think of all that life experience you have. You can teach me all sorts of things, like what life was like before the internet and all about landlines and cassette tapes.”
He laughs and gives me a quick kiss. “Don’t be a smartass, little girl.”
I’m still laughing when we get to the entrance of the club. He opens the door for me, and I’m surprised when he grabs my hand, threading his fingers through mine so we can walk in together. The place is pretty packed today. Guys are sparring in a few of the rings, and others are spaced out around the exercise equipment and punching bags, a few are even jumping rope in the corner. The familiar scent of sweat and cleaning products hits me, bringing with it a flood of memories from my childhood.
The men try not to stare when we walk by, but I can see them side-eyeing us, and I imagine it has more to do with Nikolai looking happy and holding my hand than the fact that there’s a woman in the club. Nikolai ignores them, leading me into the empty office. He sits down at the desk and quickly pulls me into his lap as I let out a yelp of surprise. Wrapping a possessive arm around me, he scoots us closer and pulls up a website on the computer.
“Look around and tell me what you need,” he says, scooting the mouse over to me.