“Not exactly. She was my mother, and I killed her for all the times she tried to kill me growing up.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nicole
“Right there . . . o-o-oh . . .” Groaning softly, my eyelids fluttered shut in bliss as Bruiser’s fingertips kneaded my crown so, so wonderfully firmly. He sat on my sofa, and I sat between his legs to flop my head back into his lap. His smirk warmed my face, the pleasurable tingles of his hands skittering down my spine and sternum. “Yeah, this is the stuff.”
“I bet it is. You’ve been quiet. I worried I went too far.” Cracking open my eyes to stare blearily at the ceiling, I licked my lips heavily. Bruiser’s voice rolled down my body like a cleansing rain, but his words were sharp and prickly. “It’s been so long . . . I lie about so much. I can barely keep things straight anymore.”
“You don’t gotta lie to me.” Bruiser’s smile suddenly appeared above me, and I blinked hard as he hunched over me. His other hand invaded my hair, and I sucked in a sharp breath as an innocent euphoria flooded my system. Massaging my scalp with both his hands, he chuckled lightly when I closed my eyes again. I had to forcibly work through my next words. “It must be hard . . . to never . . . uh-h . . . I lost it.”
“I know, baby. You worry about people’s feelings now, not years and years ago. The truth is my mom was fucking insane. When I was eight, she shot me. Tried to kill me. And there wasn’t a reason for it. She was just . . . nuts.” Reaching to grab my hand, Bruiser held my palm to his side, and goosebumps swept down my arm. A faded glob of scar tissue tickled my palm, and he dragged my hand up to his shoulder. “I went to live with my uncle, and she came back when I was thirteen and tried to chop my head off. It’s hard to explain, but I think back on it now, and it’s almost funny.”
“Why would almost being killed be funny?” Fingering the long line that marred his perfect, thick hide, I posed my question as a mist of disbelief clouded my mind. Was I really having this conversation? And it was so . . . so easy. “Was she the only one?”
“No, but she was the first. When I think back on it, you’d think it’d be a terrible time for me, but a lot of good shit came from her being crazy. I got into my uncle’s family business, and I was able to get dual citizenship because my biological father was American. I was able to come here and find my place in Warpath. If my mom was sane, I might still be living in a shitty one-bedroom and being beaten for no reason. Or worse.”
“Warpath means a lot to you.” Mine wasn’t a question, but Bruiser nodded with a grumble deep in his chest. Floundering around to face him better, I rested my cheek on his thigh as I caught his eye. “Do you ever have trouble with other clubs? Gangs?”
“Hellraisers has had a beef with us since we refused to join and formed Warpath, like, nine years ago? They thought because we like to ride, we’d be down for that shit. But Spyder and I never wanted anything to do with them. That shit that happened to you was extreme, but it’s a good indicator of what they do. Hellraisers live up to their name. They’ve been causing rippling problems for a while now, for a lot of people. Not just us.” He sat back heavily, and I crawled up to straddle his waist. Bruiser stroked his chin, his thoughts racing in his fierce, blue eyes. “I’m hoping they’ll do something unforgivable to force Spyder into action or involve one of the larger clubs that’ll side with us.”
“It sounds like you’re preparing for war or something.” Shrugging at me, Bruiser slung his arms over my shoulders. Curiosity morphed in expression, and my brows rose in expectation. “What?”
“It sounds like you’re pretty okay with all this shit, baby. You don’t think these are huge red flags I’m wavin’ here?” My ears rang with my sister’s warnings, and I sat back on Bruiser’s knees to frown at him. “You saw it firsthand. This is dangerous shit.”
“Two months ago, I was with a guy because I wasn’t unhappy. But you make me happy, and even if you’re waving red flags. I want to be happy for once.” Bruiser’s brows knit over eyes blazing with tenderness, and a small, faltering smile picked up my lips. “It’s kinda pathetic, isn’t it? I spent until now wanting to make other people happy and not cause any problems for anyone. And then, one thing happened, and everything about me shifted.”
“It’s called growth, and growing is something to celebrate, Nicole. Standing up for yourself is something you may not have an aptitude for, but everyone’s gotta do it somehow, somewhere along the line. It kinda sucks it had to happen at your sister’s wedding, but as long as it gets done . . .” Trailing off, Bruiser shrugged, and I slipped my hands under the neck of his t-shirt to feel his muscles ripple. His palms slid down my back and under my shirt, his callouses scraping my skin. Closing my eyes, I rested my forehead against his and shivered as the intimacy of the moment prickled my eyes. “I missed you, baby.”
“Yeah. I missed you, too, Bruiser. A lot. A lot
