Kid: Cerberus MC Book 2 (27 page)

My headache when I wake up is otherworldly. The incessant pounding and the rolling in my stomach are my punishment for acting the way I did last night. I sit up hoping the new position will help settle my stomach; it doesn’t. The sunlight reflecting off of a silver box on the pillow beside mine catches my eye.

I pick up the small, unassuming box and turn it over and over in my hands. I know Kid had to have left it last night. I know the placement on the pillow he slept on so many nights was intentional. He wants me to picture him in my bed. It would be a genius plan if I didn’t think of Snapper being in
his
bed.

I open the box just as my bedroom door opens. Emmalyn walks in carrying enough food to feed an army.

I look away from her and back down to my gift. Inside the box is a beautiful silver heart inscribed with “forever yours”. The sight of it and his declaration makes me cry.

Em sets the plate down on my bedside table and reaches for it. “Let me help you,” she says softly pulling the necklace from the cardboard insert. Against my better judgment, I lift my hair and allow her to encircle my neck with the dainty chain and charm.

“It’s beautiful,” she says taking a step back and looking it.

I give her a weak smile and tuck it behind the fabric of my t-shirt.

“I brought everything Diego says is good for a hangover.” She points to the plate piled high with food.

“I’ll puke if I try to eat.”

“You’ll puke if you don’t,” she insists picking up the plate and placing it on my lap.

I look down at the greasy eggs and bacon sitting beside a fluffy stack of pancakes.

“This first,” she says holding out a bottle of water and a few Advil tablets.

I pop the pills and wash it down with a huge gulp from the bottle she offered me.

“Eat,” she says.

I lift the fork and begin to do as she says. I’ve never been drunk before, so I take her word for it.

“After you eat, you have to go out to the kitchen.” I give her a sideways glance. “BT and Aviana are leaving shortly. It’s tradition to see everyone off when they leave.” I shake my head at her insistence. “You can’t fuck with tradition.”

“Fine,” I mumble around a bite of heavenly eggs.

“After that you’re more than welcome to come back and take a nap, but not for long. I have errands I want to run later, and you’re coming with me.”

I know we won’t have to take one of the guys with us since Kincaid is back at the clubhouse, and getting out of here for a while is just what I need.

I tried the whole breakfast thing with everyone, but couldn’t force myself to stay longer than a few minutes. Kid somehow managed to go from a pained expression I’ve seen on his face the last couple of days to pissed off. I don’t know if it was because of me or that Snapper was in the room hugged up on Itchy. I didn’t stick around to find out.

“Where exactly are we going?” I ask climbing into the passenger side of the SUV a few hours later. My head still hurts, but I feel much better than I did before my three-hour nap. It’s now late afternoon, and I can’t fathom what kinds of errands she has to take care of.

“Here and there,” she says noncommittally from the driver’s seat.

I’m lost in thought as we drive through town. It’s not until we pull up outside of a familiar house that I turn and glare at her.

“What are we doing here, Emmalyn?”

“Someone has to water the plants while Dom is gone. Diego asked if I could do it.”

“You don’t even water the plants at the clubhouse,” I mutter.

She shrugs and turns off the engine and climbs out of the truck. I follow her because she took the keys and it’s hot as Hell outside.

I follow her through the house but head out back to the dock. The ducks see me making my way down the path and anxiously begin swimming toward the end of the dock, quacking in joy. I don’t have a sleeve of crackers like the last time I was here with Kid. The ducks soon realize I’m empty handed and go about their business.

I lean back on my hands and let the warmth of the sun wash over my face. I hear footsteps behind me on the wooden dock.

“You ready to go?” I ask Emmalyn.

“I just got here,” a masculine voice returns.

I peer over my shoulder, not at all surprised to see Kid walking toward me. I’m going to kill her. I knew this was a damn setup the second we pulled up outside of Dom’s house; I could feel it in my bones.

He’s carrying two cups, which I know will contain half chocolate and half strawberry shakes from the diner. He offers me one, and I take it graciously. The cold will help combat the heat.

“Thank you,” I say as he squats down and sits beside me. His thigh is touching mine, and I don’t for a second consider moving it.

“And thank you for the necklace,” I say pulling it out from behind my shirt.

He nods and turns his eyes back to the water that’s rippling softly from the light breeze.

“Let me guess? Em had something come up and had to leave.” I look over at him.

He smirks and nods his head.

“And you’re my ride home?” He grins bigger.

I chuckle because I fell for their trap hook, line, and sinker. I take a long pull on the milkshake and look out across the lake. It’s so peaceful here, almost peaceful enough to forget about the pain I feel in my chest at his nearness.

“We probably dodged a bullet,” I say quietly.

“How is that?” he asks shifting his weight, so more of his body touches mine.

“I lied to you when I told you my parents died from carbon monoxide poisoning. For the longest time, I believed they’d been murdered. I came home from that sleepover, and they were lying in blood on the living room floor. Protective services allowed me to believe that. My caseworker never lied to me; she just let me believe what I thought I saw.”

The tears begin to fall just like they always do when I think about the day that turned my life upside down. Kid scoots even closer to me and places a tentative arm around my shoulder.

“I found out years later while snooping through my case file that it was a murder/suicide.”

Tighter he holds me.

“They just had that shit written in your file and left it where you could read it?”

“Worse,” I say. “They had a scanned copy of the suicide note in full color, blood and all, in that file.”

“Fuck,” he mutters more to himself. “How is that dodging a bullet?” he asks softly against the top of my head.

I remain silent. Saying the words out loud is much harder than the truth bouncing around in my own head. He allows my contemplative mood for a bit, but true to Kid form it doesn’t last forever.

“Tell me,” he begs.

“The note said my mother had discovered my dad was having an affair. Had been for a while. It said he had a whole other family. When she confronted him about it, he used the opportunity to tell her he was leaving her. He was going to desert us and go take care of his other family.”

I wipe my eyes with my hands before continuing. “She wasn’t going to let that happen. Her note said she didn’t mean to shoot him.” He stiffens beside me. “She never even mentioned me in the letter. Just that she was angry that he cheated, and she killed him; then she turned the gun on herself.”

“Oh, Sweet Girl,” he says and wraps both of his arms around me, so I’m fully in his embrace.

“She felt like she owned him, that his life was hers to take, so she did.”

“Were you so angry at me that you wanted to do the same?” he asks. “You wanted to kill me because of what I did with Snapper? Because believe me I wanted to kill myself when I remembered what I did.”

I shake my head no and wiggle out of his arms. “That’s the difference, Kid. I don’t own you.”

He reaches up and cups my face in his hand. “That’s where you’re wrong, Sweet Girl. You do own me. Every inch of my soul belongs to you. I love you with every fiber of my being.”

I shake my head no again. “You can’t love me. Nobody does.”

Her anger and fear run bone deep from the mistakes her parents made, from the life she’s had to endure since their deaths. She believes love is a poison, only good until it’s not, only beneficial until someone fucks up so bad it destroys them. Until someone does exactly what I did to her.

I pull her to my chest again and hold her, even as she struggles to get away. Eventually, she calms and cries into my shirt.

“I’ll die before I hurt you again, Khloe. I swear on every living cell in my body that I would’ve never done this had I remembered you.” She sniffles again but doesn’t say a word. I can feel her withdrawing from me again, and it tears my heart apart. “Can you forgive me?”

“What about next time?” she asks, her voice muffled by the fabric of my clothing.

I force her to sit up and look in my eyes. “Sweet Girl,” I say softly. “There won’t be a next time.”

She cuts her eyes back out to the lake, avoiding my gaze. “You don’t know that.”

“Then next time you don’t listen when people tell you not to approach me. You come up and drag me away.”

Her spine stiffens, and she turns her anger back on me. “Don’t you dare blame this on me. I did what the doctors instructed everyone to do. I didn’t want to make things worse for you. I didn’t have the right to stop a grown man from making his own, although extremely misinformed, choices. Do you know how hard it was for me stand there and watch you walk out of the fucking room with that woman? It gutted me.”

“I know,” I say reaching out for her.

“No you don’t, Kid. The sight of you holding her hand and walking her to your room, her answering your door half-naked plays on a constant loop in my mind.”

“I’m not placing any blame on you, Khloe,” I offer. “You said you didn’t have the right to stop me. I’m telling you right here and now that you do have that right. I’m not kidding, Khloe. Just like that necklace says.” I touch the silver heart hanging at her throat. “I’m yours, forever. Never doubt that.”

I see her soften. The tears that are falling now have little to do with the horrid memories of her parents and my betrayal. She’s looking at me with love for the first time since I returned from Vegas.

I run my thumb down her jawline. “I never would have left you if I’d had a choice.”

I lean in toward her mouth but stop just shy of my lips touching hers, giving her the chance to tell me no. Her eyes dart to my lips and back up to mine. I don’t see an ounce of hesitation when she leans the rest of the way in and places her lips on mine.

I can’t help the sharp intake of breath at the feel of her lips willingly on mine. She moans softly at our connection, and I use the opportunity to slide my tongue between her parted lips. Our mouths don’t duel or fight each other; rather our tongues dance in perfect synchronicity.

The sun has fallen below the horizon, leaving us in a romantic haze of sorts. I couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop to our reconciliation. Her hands dive into my hair at the nape of my neck, occasionally tugging at it. The burn at the follicles shoots straight to my cock, even though this isn’t about sex. This is about love and hope for a future together.

“Khloe,” I admonish when she climbs over me and straddles my lap. She pulls her shirt over her head and throws it to the dock.

“Touch me,” she begs.

I shake my head no. “That’s not why I’m here. I didn’t say all of those things so it would lead to this.”

“Do you want me?” she asks softly, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment at my refusal.

“More than my next breath,” I answer honestly.

“Then touch me,” she says again before covering my mouth with hers.

I reach behind her and deftly unsnap her bra, feeling her magnificent breasts fall heavily against my chest; the heat from her skin immediately soaking into my shirt. Never taking my mouth from hers, I reach between us and knead them, loving the way her nipples harden at my touch.

She whimpers against my mouth, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m the first man to touch her like this. The thought thrills me and terrifies me at the same time.

Her hips begin to rotate against mine. My cock weeps at the sensation of her body finally touching mine this way.

“Fuck, Khloe. Stop.” I gently pull my mouth from hers and calm her hips with a firm grip on her thigh.