Page 85 of Protected by the Biker (Grim Reaper MC)
I waited for Jace to provide an opening to talk. A grunt or an acknowledgment. A ‘good morning’ or a ‘how did you sleep.’ Anything to show me he wanted some sort of communication prompted between the two of us after all the fuckery that traversed last night. But the opening never came, and I was back to doing what I did for most of our relationship.
I was back to taking the reins on positive, honest communication.
“Last night was fun,” I said.
“I enjoyed it,” Jace said.
“But you know it doesn’t mean anything.”
That was when he turned around, carrying the pan of bacon along with him. I continued to talk quickly so that he would let me finish my thoughts.
“Just because we fucked around doesn’t mean I can forgive you for how you treated me that night,” I said. “That’s… some hard shit to forget. And I can’t. I can’t allow myself to.”
“I understand,” he said, sighing.
“Do you?” I asked.
“Yes. I do, Laiken,” he said. “And I want to explain things. You think I don’t, but I do. I just… don’t know how right now.”
“Are you serious?” I asked. “We fucked one time-”
“Two times,” he said.
“Two times over the course of one night, and you’re already keeping secrets?” I asked.
“It’s not a secret. I mean it is, but now you know there is.”
“I knew there was from the beginn-... Jace? Do you even know why I’m fucking angry with you?”
“You’re still angry with me?” he asked, grinning. “Because I could’ve sworn with the way you were holding me last night that we had made some progress.”
“See, this is why women don’t fuck around with men like you. You think your cock can heal shit like grabbing my arm and tossing me out onto a concrete fucking porch.”
I watched the smirk fall from his face before he set the sizzling bacon on the counter.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said.
“Want some toast?”
“Sure. Got any butter?”
“I want to tell you,” he said as he grabbed the butter dish, “but it’s hard.”
“Letting someone into your life isn’t supposed to be easy,” I said.
“I never said anything about letting you in anywhere. I was only talking about explaining the lies I told you while we were dating.”
“At least you admit they were lies,” I said, murmuring.
“Laiken, there’s a good reason, I promise.”
“What is with you and all the secrets?” I asked. “Are you part of some super-secret CIA black ops team or some shit?”
“Depends. How sexy is that to you?” A slow smirk spread across his beautiful face.
Even though I didn’t want to, I grinned. No matter how angry I got with Jace, he always had this way of breaking down my exterior. That was one of the reasons why I hid myself from him. When we ended, I was three weeks away from graduation. I cashed in my sick days, finished up my work, and only came in to take my final exams. I skipped out on walking with my classmates altogether and opted for them to mail me my diploma. I was on the road to Los Angeles the morning of my graduation, and I didn’t look back. I knew if I did, I would go looking for him. And I knew that if I found him, he would talk me into staying.
Between him grabbing me the way he did and my mother spiraling into endless oblivion, I knew I couldn’t stay.
It would’ve eaten me alive had I stayed.
“This isn’t funny,” I said. “This is serious.”
“I know it is. And trust me, when I can find a way to tell you what’s going on that protects you in the process, you’ll realize how serious I was, too. How serious I still am.”
“Protect me? Do you know who you’re talking to?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said as he looked straight at me. “I do.”
His gaze was stern and unwavering. Usually, I found solace in his eyes. Comfort when I needed it most and understood when I least expected it. But this time his eyes were angry. Silently dripping with a warning call. They were buzzing with unspoken words and fiery fears, and my stomach dropped to my toes as I took a bite of my bacon.
What had Jace gotten himself into?
“Jace? Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yep,” he said.
“Jace, you’re lying to me. What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Laiken. For once in your damn life, I need you to drop it,” he said.
I was about to strike up another fight with him before I heard my phone ringing out. I felt around in my pockets for it, but it wasn’t there. Looking around, I was about to hop off my chair before my phone was slid across the kitchen island and right into my
lap.
“I put my number in it. You know, just in case,” Jace said.
“In case… what? I needed the help of a man I don’t trust?” I asked.
He turned his back to me quickly, and I knew my words had stung.
“Officer Riley.” I jumped down from the stool and walked into the other room to take the call. I looked back and saw Jace staring at me, his gaze hard on my body. I furrowed my brow at him and shooed him away, forcing him to turn back around to tend to whatever the hell it was he was cooking now. My work conversations were nothing he needed to be privy to.
Especially if he was still fucking keeping secrets.
My captain told me to get my ass into work, so I hung up the phone and sighed. I walked to the front door and grabbed my bra from the floor, shoving it into the waist of my jeans.
“I need to go home, Jace,” I said. “Got called into work.”
“Officer Riley,” he said.
“That’s me.” I looked up into his eyes as he grabbed his leather jacket, his stare hardened and his gaze curious.
“Congratulations,” Jace said.
“Just get me home,” I said.
Chapter 17
Snake
Officer Riley!? Fuck. Laiken was a cop? I mean, I knew she had ambitions and shit, but I figured since she was in town she ended up doing something different with her life. But a cop? In town? With the DEA snooping around and shit? What the hell had I gotten myself into? Had I known that shit this morning when I got up, I would’ve never put my phone number in her phone in the first place. Had I known she was a cop, I wouldn’t have messed with her last night. Not one fucking bit. The last thing I needed was to be tangled up with some fucking government-employed asshole.
