Twenty-Three
Skye
I was having a lot of fun with Jesse. A simple trip to the doctor’s wound up taking an extra hour because Jesse wanted to take me out to breakfast, but not on Warlord territory.
“We look so out of place,” I whispered to him after we’d sat down.
Even though this was your normal breakfast bar, we didn’t look like we belonged at all. Jesse sat there in his Warlord cut and jeans, his long blond hair up in a messy bun. He radiated a lot of charm, already had heads spinning for a second look, while others seemed a little uneasy. I was in equally disastrous clothes: jeans, and a ripped band hoodie I’d stolen out of Hunter’s drawer this morning because it smelled like him. He’d left for the Road before I’d even gotten up.
If this was Leo, he would have left some heartfelt note beside my pillow. But this was Hunter, and he was blunt, and leaving pretty verses on a pillow beside my head was not his style. But when I went down to the lounge to meet with Jesse, he had smiled and said, “Hunter demands I remind you what it’s like to be normal.”
I didn’t know what he meant when he said normal, but now that I was seated here, among the everyday people of Brown Bay, I understood.
He was pulling me out of the club for a day, making sure I didn’t feel “stifled.” I had the day off work, and now here we sat, me grinning like a fool while Jesse’s presence dominated the space.
“Yeah, we don’t look the part, but that could be a good thing,” Jesse replied with a smile. “If you can’t fit in, learn to love standing out.”
Story of my life.
But I didn’t love standing out.
I savoured my plate of pancakes, downing my coffee as Jesse sat back, having already devoured his eggs and bacon in record time. He kept glancing around the room; they were casual looks, but I knew he was on guard, scoping the place out in case something was amiss.
“I can’t believe Hunter’s allowed this,” I found myself saying in thought, and then I winced, realizing my mistake.
Jesse’s eyes crinkled with warmth. “He told us what happened at the cabin, Skye.”
“He did?”
He nodded. “Yeah, and the threat wasn’t from our side.”
Was it Leo’s side then? He was so adamant it wasn’t.
I poked around the last of my pancakes, asking, “You think Hunter’s taking a risk letting me out like this?”
“I think Hunter just wants you to live.” Lightly, he added, “Besides, I’m a good guy to have at your side. You think Hunter would have someone weak looking out for you?”
I shook my head. “No, he wouldn’t.”
“Relax. Beyou.”
After we finished, I got stocked on birth control, feeling relieved about it. Hunter was insatiable. He would have sex multiple times in the day if it were up to him. I couldn’t risk unprotected sex. Not only was I not ready for that sort of commitment, but I also didn’t know what that would do to our arrangement.
I would not be fucking with fate to find out.
“Why have you gone quiet?” Jesse probed as he drove Hunter’s truck down the familiar road to the trailer park.
I chewed on my nail, feeling anxious. “No reason.”
Jesse didn’t pry, but as we approached the sign to the trailer grounds, I quickly said, “You mind just parking here? My place isn’t too far of a walk.”
Jesse pulled over to the side of the road, saying nothing as he turned the car off and looked at me. I shuffled around in my seat, grabbing at my jacket. I pulled out some gum to chew on, and then I opened the centre console to place my prescription bag in.
“You’re stalling,” Jesse noted, eyeing me curiously.
I paused and sighed. “Yeah…”
“You don’t have to see your folks today. I can take you any other time.”