Fury: Book 2 in the Vengeance MC series (8 page)

“I don’t know how many times I can apologize for leaving you, babe, but I’ll do it every day for the rest of my life if you’ll let me. I was selfish and I fucked up, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t spend every mile I rode away from you thinking about how you were doing and if you’d forgive me when I got back. Every night I went to sleep, it was your face I closed my eyes to. Every morning I woke up, it was your voice telling me to get my ass home and make it up to you. There wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t think of you hundreds of times a day, and that’s what made it so much harder to stay away. But until I got myself sorted, I couldn’t risk being a burden to you, Ave. I didn’t want you to have to deal with my shit at the same time as dealing with your own. You mightn’t think so now, but I was doing what I thought was best. For you, and me.”

I understand that I really do, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less and until it does, I don’t think either of us have anything else to say to each other.

Sighing heavily, I wriggle out from the safety of his arms, take several steps away from him and face him head on.

“I don’t believe for a second you intended to hurt me by leaving, but you did, and I can’t just ignore that and pretend it didn’t happen. You might have had time to sort yourself out while you were gone, but I’m only just piecing my life back together again now, Fury. It’s been a long road to get here, and I don’t need anyone throwing up any more roadblocks, that includes you. I have friends, a job, a therapist, and Blaine, I don’t need anyone else right now. I’m sorry if that hurts you but that’s the truth.”

“What about the fucking douchebag you’re dating then, Ave? What about him? Is he part of your healing, or is he just a bit of fun on the side?” Fury asks, his eyes darkening dangerously until they’re almost black.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask, genuinely confused. The only man I’ve seen more than once who isn’t one of his brothers is, Lawson, and he’s hardly what I’d call my boyfriend.

Deke’s cousin, Lawson arrived in Furnace over a month ago and is yet to go home. I know very little about him other than he is a roofer by trade, likes to drink to excess – too often if you ask me – is charming, kind, and has shown a genuine interest in getting to know me. However, all that aside, I’m not interested in him in the slightest.

One of the first things I noticed about Lawson – this was on the very same day I met him – was that he gave off what I can only describe as a creepy vibe. A vibe I didn’t like and that felt as dangerous as it was worrying. From then on, I made sure I wasn’t in his company alone. Blaine, Bella, Beth, or one of the guys were with me at all times.

“I’m talking about the fuckwit who’s hanging around trying to get in your pants. Don’t play games with me, Avery, Boss, told me about him already.”

“I’m not playing games,” I say shaking my head. “Honestly, I don’t know what he’s still doing here. He said he was in town visiting Deke, but he’s done that and still hasn’t left yet. I don’t go out of my way to see him, Fury. Jeez, I only see him on the rare occasion I’m at the clubhouse, twice at Hounds, and once at the diner when he sat down with me while I was having lunch. We’re not even what I’d call, friends.”

“Why’s Boss saying you and he are dating then? He wouldn’t tell me that shit unless it was true, sweetheart,” he rumbles moving toward me.

“Um, I don’t know where he’s getting his info from, Fury, but maybe Boss might want to look into that because I am most certainly not dating Lawson. Just the thought of going out with him gives me the creeps, let alone actually doing it.” I say, my voice steadily rising.

Fury narrows his eyes at me taking in my involuntary shudder, asking,

“Why does he give you the creeps, Ave? Has he done something, said something to scare you?”

“No. It’s nothing he’s done, it’s just that I get a weird vibe from him that makes me uncomfortable,” I admit.

Obviously, I’ve said too much because if I had any chance of getting Fury to leave before, I don’t now. In fact, now it doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere anytime soon.

Unlacing his boots, toeing them off as he takes up residence in my high-back wing chair in the corner of the living room, Fury pats his knee, saying,

“Come sit down and tell me what’s going on, Ave.”

Oh, boy, I sigh. Seriously, the messes I get myself into when I open my big mouth are unbelievable, and one of these days I’ll learn how to keep it shut or I’ll die trying.

Hearing Avery say she isn’t dating Lawson, and Boss must have his wires crossed is music to my ears. Not that I would have let a small fact like they were seeing each other get in the way of her listening to what I have to say, but I must admit, it makes this a damn sight easier.

“How about I sit over here instead?” she offers blushing prettily. Yeah, I don’t think so.

In three strides, I pluck Avery out of the corner of the couch, swing her into my arms and retake my seat, settling her on my lap when I do. She isn’t happy about it, but I note that she isn’t making any moves to get up either. That has to be a good thing, doesn’t it?

“Now we’ve cleared that up, why don’t you tell me why Boss thinks you and the king of the douchebags are dating?”

A cute little growl slips from her throat as she scowls at me, which has me fighting to hold back a chuckle. Seriously, I forgot how fucking adorable Avery is when she gets riled up, which only reminds me I have to make sure I do it more often.

Her nose scrunches up, her brows pull together causing a deep crease to form between them, she chews on the corner of her plump, pink lower lip, and the sounds she makes are far from unattractive. If anything, I find her even more beautiful when she’s angry. And that’s saying something because I think she’s stunning all the time.

“For the last time, I’m not dating him, nor will I be in the near or distant future. I don’t know about other women, but I can’t just overlook creepy. Weird, sure. Strange, sometimes. But creepy, never,” she shivers.

“Alright, babe,” I chuckle, tightening my arm around her waist, “why don’t you enlighten me on what makes him so creepy then, yeah?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, I don’t think Avery realizes it only draws attention to her gorgeous breasts. I might have been able to concentrate on her face – her mouth in particular – before, but if she keeps this up, I’ll be drooling down her cleavage in no time.

“Well,” she ponders, frowning. “I don’t know if I can explain it, it’s more of a feeling than something he’s done.”

“Try,” I urge, giving her a squeeze.

“Fine, you bossy bastard,” she grumbles under her breath making me chuckle again. “I get that he’s here to visit Deke, but it’s like every time I turn around he’s watching me. When I’m at the clubhouse, he sits next to me even if it is clear that I'm having a personal conversation with one of the girls. I run to the store, he just happens to be there at the same time, every time. It’s as if he knows where I’m going to be at any given time of the day. Like I said, creepy.”

Yeah, she’s not wrong. I’m not surprised Avery feels uncomfortable around him if this is the sort of shit he’s been up to. Fuck, I would be too and I haven’t just been a victim of an attack.

“You’re right to be cautious, babe, and I’m not only saying that because of what you’ve been through recently,” I assure her. “Have you told anyone else about how you’re feeling? Boss, your dad, Sarge even?”

Shaking her head gently side-to-side, she replies,

“I mentioned it in passing to Diesel one of the few times I’ve seen him lately and he said he’d have a word with him, but other than him, I only told Blaine. She hasn’t been around him much but feels the same way. I was going to talk to Boss next week at the hog roast, though.”

Looks like Boss isn’t the only one who’s going to be having a few words with his VP after all. If Avery told him she doesn’t feel safe around Lawson and Diesel didn’t do fuck all about it, you can bet your ass him and I are going to have a conversation. One that starts and ends with me planting my fist in his face.

“Right,” I say placing a soft kiss on her temple. “You don’t need to worry about his creeper tendencies anymore, babe, I’ll sort him out and make sure he keeps his distance from now on.” Changing the subject, I ask, “What about your folks, they been down lately? Your sisters?”

“No. The last time I saw Mom and Dad, they brought Neveah with them but that was, oh, gee, a month ago, maybe more. Dakota’s busy with Cody, so they haven’t made the trip for the last seven or eight weeks. Tucker, well you know him. He’s busy with whichever woman has offered to occupy his dick for the night, so it’s been, at least, three months since I’ve seen him. He promised to make the ride out next week, though, so that’s something.”

Avery’s brother is a class-A fucking dick sometimes. I wish I could spend the time educating him on how important family is, but I have the feeling that it’d go in one ear and out the other with that boy.

I get that he’s done it tough – his Mom was a scheming cunt who tried to pass him off as Saint’s kid when he absolutely was not, and in doing so almost irreparably destroyed a family – but that’s no excuse for him not making the time to come see his sister.

For all intents and purposes, Saint and Tilly adopted Tucker after his Mom went AWOL. For the most part, her absence in his life wasn’t a bad thing – he was better off without her. However, since his Dad (the biological one) if you can call him that, struggled to find a way to connect with his kid, that left Tucker basically parentless, which would be why Saint and Tilly stepped up to raise him.

Not that it changed a great deal. Avery, her older sister, Dakota, and their younger sister, Neveah already considered, Tucker, their brother, so it was simply a matter of him coming to live with them permanently. Which turned out to be a Godsend when Tilly miscarried her and Saint’s fourth child only months after he moved in.

Tucker’s smart, funny, and would do anything to get a laugh which proved to be exactly what they needed. His humor and lightheartedness kept them going when the other facets of their lives were bleak.

Since then, Tucker grew up some. Not a lot, he’s still a kid at heart and as far as I can see always will be, but he’s a hard worker, helps out where he can, and is currently prospecting with Devil’s Spawn. The latter means he’ll have no choice but to be responsible and grow the fuck up.

“You miss them?” I ask already knowing the answer.

“Every day,” she sighs, shifting off my lap and onto the couch across from me.

I’ll let her have her space – physically – for now because I know she needs it, but sooner or later, Avery and I are going to have to discuss where our relationship is going. If it were up to me, I’d be claiming her in front of the club, her friends, and her family today, but if nothing else, I’m realistic.

Avery’s always been outgoing, independent, and headstrong. She wouldn’t take well to not being given a choice when it comes to the direction of her future, and I respect that. Or, I will until she gives me no other choice than to make one for her.

This can only go one of two ways. Either she accepts what we have between us is more than just friendship, or she doesn’t which will be a pain in my ass to prove her wrong, but I’ll gladly do it. Regardless of the outcome, Avery’s mine. Now. Tomorrow. Forever. It’s just a matter of time before she and I are on the same page.

“Where have you been, Fury?” She questions timidly, in a tone I hate.

I’ve noticed in the half hour I’ve been here that Avery’s a damn sight more reluctant to speak her mind than before she was taken. These days, she’ll clam up, bite her tongue, or rethink what she’s going to say not just let it all hang out. If it takes me from now until I take my last breath, I’ll make sure she gets that confidence in herself back. It was one of the many things I loved most about her.

“To Nevada and back, babe, and everywhere in between. Didn’t stay in one place too long, other than the few months I spent in Albuquerque fighting for Leo, that is,” I answer truthfully.

Avery’s met Leo a few times when he’s been passing through town and she’d been visiting at the same time. And because Avery can get along with anyone, Leo has a soft spot for her much to my distaste.

“How is he? It’s been ages since I’ve seen him. Is he still with that woman he brought with him when he visited last time? I forget what her name is.”

“No, sweetheart,” I laugh, “she’s long gone. Probably not a bad thing she is either. Leo’s boys got themselves into some trouble with the law when I was out that way, so he had to cut and run. Not sure he even had time to pack a bag, let alone grab a woman and take her with him.”

Rolling her eyes, Avery huffs,

“You can’t manage to stay out of trouble wherever you go, can you?”

“Nope, it’s one of my many gifts,” I admit ruefully. “He’s all good, though. He checked in the day before yesterday and said he was headed this way after the heat he caught died down, so no doubt we’ll be seeing him soon.” Redirecting the conversation, I prod, “You up to talking about more important shit than what sights I saw and where I’ve been holed up? I know you’re pissed, and I get it, but we do have to talk, Avery. And I was hoping it would be sooner rather than later.”

Watching her face change so dramatically causes the ache in my chest to intensify. I hate that she’s still so upset at what I did, but more than that, I hate I hurt her so badly. If I could do it all over again, I don’t know that I’d do it differently, but I would’ve explained why I had to leave better. That much I know.

“You need to give me a few days to come to terms with the fact you’re back before we tackle anything else.” When I go to interrupt her, Avery puts her hand up effectively shutting me up. “No, don’t speak, just listen. I didn’t say that we won’t talk, I just said that you need to give it time. Not a lot of it, a few days at most, but that’s the least you can do after taking off for so long. I’ll get in touch with you when I’m ready and we’ll organize a time to sit down, but until then, I’d appreciate it if you’d stay away.”

I don’t like the sound of that. Not even a little bit.

“If I agree to this, and I did say if, you’ve gotta know that I’m giving you time not backing off. You know what you mean to me, sweetheart, so don’t think me giving you what you want changes how deep that goes. I might not have been in the right place to do what I wanted before, but I am now.”

“I don’t even know what that means, but I hear you. All I’m asking for is a few days. It’s Friday today, so why don’t we plan for Monday night after I get off work?”

Hearing her put a deadline on it makes me feel a hell of a lot better about giving her space. I don’t like it and I won’t pretend that I do, but at the very least Avery isn’t trying to talk her way out of what we both know needs to happen.

“On one condition,” I hedge.

“And what would that be?”

“That you promise if you need me, for any reason, that you’ll call. It doesn’t matter how insignificant you think your problem is, you promise that you’ll get hold of me.” I know this isn’t going to be easy for her seeing as she’s got no reason to trust me at the moment, but I need her reassurance before I give her my agreement.

Tilting her head, assessing me through narrowed eyes, Avery doesn’t reply for long minutes, but when she does, I feel a weight lift off my shoulders I hadn’t known was there.

“Fine, I promise. Happy now?”

“Very,” I say immediately, grinning at her. Standing up, I order, “Now, see me to the door, babe.”

Stomping her way to the front door, I don’t let her open it. Instead, I place a palm flat against it to which I lean all my weight and grab her around the waist spinning her into my chest.

I’ll admit I should have thought what I did next out better, but I didn’t and I can’t bring myself to regret it either.

Lowering my forehead to hers, locking her gaze with mine, I warn,

“I’m going to give you something to think about while I’m waiting to see you again, sweetheart.”

The recognition of what I’m about to do flares in Avery’s eyes as soon as I finish speaking, but she doesn’t move to push me away, so I take that as my opportunity to dip my mouth to hers and capture her lips in a kiss I’ve been waiting my entire life for.

Avery doesn’t hold back and neither do I. This isn’t a gentle kiss, it’s ravenous, demanding, and all-consuming. It’s a kiss I’ll never forget.