Page 12 of Bowser (Dragon Riders MC 2)
I nodded. “He did, yeah. He picked up the tab on my drinks and we talked. He didn’t overtly flirt or make any sexual advances. It was just a good conversation with lots of booze. And that booze tumbled me right into his bed.”
“Ah.”
“He promised me all sorts of things. A new life in a state that wasn’t so busy. A job where I could work whatever hours I wanted and make whatever kind of money I needed. He promised me a place where I could stay until I found my own spot. He promised me this life I never thought was possible for a girl like me. So, when I got on the back of his bike, we took a cross-country trip. From California to upstate New York. Painting the states we blazed through whatever color we wanted.”
“Sounds like a magical trip.”
I tipped back the rest of my drink. “Until we got here, at least.”
“I’m so sorry, Hope.”
I shook my head. “It’s my fault. I let another man trick me into some sort of perfect life a girl like me isn’t meant to lead. I don’t do commitment, you know? I don’t do ‘planting roots.’ I don’t do any of that good girl shit my sister does. It’s just not for me. I like being free. I like traveling. I like seeing new things. I like living on the edge, and I sure as hell enjoy the rush. It’s just who I am.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
I shrugged. “Maybe there is, at least. Now. I mean, look at what it got me? I hopped on the back of a stranger’s bike and took a cross-country trip only to be forced into sexual servitude. My own lifestyle put me in that position. My own lack of regard for my life put me in that place. I have no one to blame but myself.”
He leaned forward. “That’s not true, and you know it. You were forced into that contract at gunpoint, weren’t you?”
I blinked back tears. “Essentially, yeah.”
He reached across towards me and settled his hand on my knee. “That wasn’t your lifestyle. That was Skeleton. He took advantage of you.”
“And I let him.”
“You were hurt, Hope. You were grieving, and he saw an opening with that.”
“I could have not taken it.”
“Look at me.”
His voice was harsh, and I did exactly as he asked. But it didn’t stop me from asking the one question that kept me up most nights and pinned me down most days.
“What if it happens again?” I whispered.
He sighed. “I’d never let that happen. Ever.”
“But what if it does?”
“It won’t.”
I shook my head. “How can you be so sure?”
He squeezed my knee. “Because so long as I’m here, you’re under my care. And I promise you with all that I am, that you’ll never find yourself in a position even remotely similar to that one ever again. Okay?”
I trusted him, and I hated that.
“Okay,” I said softly.
He nodded. “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page, then.”
I abandoned my drink on the table. “So, you said something about steaks?”
He grinned. “I have one question for you, then I’ll start cooking.”
“Okay. What’s up?”
“Why don’t you ever talk to any of the other guys?”
I blinked. “Come again?”
“Ash and I talk in order to recap our time here providing security. And I’ve noticed that, while you talk to me, you don’t ever come out to talk to him. Or any of the other guys, for that matter. Is there something happening that’s making you uncomfortable?”
“I, uh… well, no. Not—not that they’re doing, anyway. Has someone been complaining about me?”
“No. Not at all. In fact, they all keep saying that you’re the easiest detail we’ve ever had.”
I giggled. “I’ll take it then. I don’t like being a burden to other people.”
“I just wanted to make sure none of them were making you uncomfortable.”
“I didn’t say that, now.”
His eyes hardened. “Are my guys making you uncomfortable?”
“Nothing like that, no. I just—”
“Hope, whatever it is, you can trust me. You can tell me what’s on your mind and it never leaves the two of us. Ever.”
“Promise?”
He nodded. “With everything I am.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “I feel… responsible.”
“For what?”
I had a hard time keeping my tears at bay. “For all of this. For you guys. For being such a—such a bur—a bur—”
“Hey, hey, hey. Hope. It’s okay. I promise.”
I buried my face in my hands. “I feel responsible for dragging you guys into this. My sister. Everyone. And I feel like such a burden all the damn time.”
I felt his arms drape around me. “Come here. I’ve gotcha.”
“And I don’t want to impose on anyone else because we always talk and that’s enough and I just—”
He pulled me close. “Shh-shh-shh-shh-shh. I’ve got you. You’re safe. And you’re certainly not a burden.”
