“It sounds appealing now, doesn’t it?” he replies as he hands me my phone. “All joking aside, you’re going to promise to stay on the compound today, right? Because, darlin’, I can’t worry about you while I’m working, and ZZ sure the fuck doesn’t need to worry either. Please listen to all of us for once. Do as you’re told. I know that’s the last thing that you want to hear, and it’s the last thing I would ever want to ask you. I wouldn’t be practically begging on my knees for you to stay home where you will be safe.”

When his tone takes on a strange high pitch with his last sentence, it pulls at me in the weirdest way. “Are you okay?”

I’m concerned, very damn concerned. For Shadow to show any kind of insecurities, more than freaks me out. Why are the guys suddenly showing me new sides to them? I don’t enjoy being thrown for a million and one loops. It stresses me out.

“I am, Tea, now that we’ve done this.” He gestures between us again. “It’s serious. This thing between us is fucking serious as shit. I wouldn’t risk hurting you with all my bullshit if it wasn’t. You were there. You know exactly how much I tried to resist us getting together.”

No shit, there were so many weird, awkward moments where we both pulled at one another and fought constantly, until the other day. This is definitely a step in the other direction for us. It happened fast, too.

“Shadow, is this your messed up way of telling me we’re exclusive, and you’ll be hurt if something happens to me?”

I’m not making light of the conversation this time. I’m completely serious. He is acting like it will rip him to shreds if I get hurt.

“Darlin’, we’ve been exclusive ever since I fucked your ass bare.”

The little fuckwad. “Way to a girl’s heart, Shadow,” I grumble as I go to stand.

“Tea, stop. You know I was being serious before I went all horny idiot on you.”

It still sucks that he worded it that way, but then I remember who he is, and what he does for a living, and who our family is. These men aren’t filtered, and god forbid someone ever try to muzzle them like they deserve most of the time.

“I know. Oh, and I’ll stay here today. I won’t leave the compound, but please keep an eye on my brother. That bitch has her claws so far deep in him, I ain’t sure he has balls anymore. He’s a pussy whipped bastard because of Sabine.”

When I mention her name, he cringes beside me. Yeah, I don’t like hearing it nor saying it, either.

“Has he been back at all?” he asks, breaking me from my evil thoughts of Winter’s sister.

“Yeah, but he isn’t speaking to anyone. I’ve only known him for a few months. This isn’t like him. I don’t know what else to say.”

I’m disappointed in my brother. For him to go against our father’s wishes is a big deal, and it makes it even worse that he is trying to patch in. He isn’t listening to a patched member. He has repeatedly messed up. I wish I knew what was going through his head. Mace has only wanted to please his newly found family. This goes against all things Breakneck when you’re patching in. I only worry that this will affect their decisions to let him continue to prospect.

“Your dad isn’t happy, Tea. He’s voiced that.”

“I know.” I scoot down on the bed so that my head hits the soft pillows.

Shadow moves closer to me. “This shit is depressing as fuck,” he growls as he tickles me. “Were you the one watchin’ me?”

Ah, hell. “A few times I did.” I gasp as he continues to tickle torture me. “I do believe you were watching me as well.”

“You little shit,” he murmurs as he moves on top of me. “I thought I was losin’ my edge, darlin’.”

Never.

He stops tickling me and gazes down, his face taking on an entirely new expression. “You’re really pretty, Tea.”

Heart failure. I try to turn my head, but he reaches up to grasp my cheeks. “No, I’m serious. You’re beautiful. You’re a natural blonde. You hardly wear makeup, and by some fuckin’ weird, wacky female shit, you’re toned, and you don’t even work out. Women are jealous of you. That I know for sure.”

I stop trying to move his hands from my cheeks, and let my blue eyes stare into the depths of his. They speak to me that he is sincere. He really finds me attractive, and I’m perfect in his eyes, even though I know that I am far from being perfect. “Thank you,” I say through my squeezed cheeks and lips.

He chuckles. “Get dressed. I’m fuckin starved!”

***

Chapter Twenty-Four

Shadow

I know I’m not the only one who is worried about leaving the women. Things seem to go sideways every time we leave. It isn’t until we pull into the parking lot of Euphoria and see it closed that relief flows through me. He didn’t open it, so I know he is in there, waiting on us. We knew he wouldn’t be bold enough to do this where cameras could pick up on all the things that are about to happen. Pulling into the lot is a loud, drastic move on our part, and we don’t give a flying fuck. All the brothers want this shit over and done with.

Each time we are close to a little bit of peace and freedom, it is yanked from our grasps. We haven’t had half a year where we could relax, settle down, and enjoy life. It is exhausting, and I would love to be able to work on engines, smoke, fuck, and sleep, but since I came to the Master Charter, I haven’t been able to do any of those things.