Wayward Soul (7 page)

I can
’
t help but giggle.
“
You
’
ve really upgraded, Gun,
”
I say, my back still to him.

He leans in and I can feel his breath on my neck. His lip is grazing my ear.
“
Well, beauty, not many girls are as classy as the one I
’
ve been missing from my bed.
”
I shiver.
“
But we know I
’
m not a saint, and my sinner is craving a release. I
’
m thinking a certain little redhead is craving the same thing.
”

His tongue runs along my ear. Holy shit. How does he do this to me? My panties are soaked and I want nothing more than to fuck him right here, right now.

“
I can help whoever is next,
”
the clerk says.

Gunner pushes me forward and walks to the register with me.
Fuck
, I think as he takes the items for Anslie from my hands. I got as many tests as I could find. Throwing his box of condoms on the counter, he gives me a weird look.

The guy at the register laughs as he looks at our items.
“
If those tests are positive, I would say you wasted your money on the condoms.
”

I can feel Gunner tense beside me. I know he
’
s going to want to ask me about what I
’
m buying.
“
Yeah, well, you can never be to fucking sure,
”
he mutters to the clerk.

As soon as he pays, I grab the bag and make a dash for the door, getting bumped from behind by Gunner, who had run after me. Once we stumble out of the doorway, I see Brant leaning up against his bike. How could he show his face here after leaving my best friend like he did?

Forgetting about Gunner and the bag, I make my way to Brantley and slap him. His head jerks to the side and he looks at me in shock. Hell, I
’
m in shock, too! Gunner wraps his arms around me and pulls me away.
“
What the fuck was that about?
”
Brantley grumbles, rubbing his cheek.

“
Fuck you, Brantley!
”
I yell.
“
You fucking deserve that and more for what you did to my best friend! You fucking
broke
her!
”
I can feel my face heating and I
’
m so mad, I
’
m shaking.

I try to break free of Gunner, but he tightens his grip and whispers in my ear,
“
Beauty, I need you to calm the fuck down.
”
I keep wiggling around for a few minutes, starring daggers at Brantley. Gunner tries again.
“
Casey, calm the fuck down.
”
His hand is resting on my stomach now and it brings me back to the reason I
’
m here in the first place.

I can
’
t tell Anslie
’
s secret to Brantley, no matter how much I think he should know.

I finally relax and Gunner releases his grip on me, then spins me around and whispers,
“
We are going to talk about what
’
s in that bag, but give me a second.
”
I just nod and wait for Gunner to talk to Brantley.

I already know he thinks I
’
m pregnant, so I want to be able to give him peace of mind. It
’
s the least I can do after chasing away his pussy for the night. I smirk to myself. Nasty whore, zero; Casey, one.

Chapter Ten

Holy fuck! I thought she was going to go crazy when she saw my cousin. I know she
’
s pissed about what he did to her best friend, but I can
’
t let her hit him. He just got promoted by the club so he is still ranked higher than I am. I release Casey and walk over to my cousin.
“
Sorry, brother,
”
I say.

“
Don
’
t worry about it. I get it. I hurt Anslie, and Case is just protecting her friend. That's why I
’
m not gonna go anywhere near her. I just needed to talk to you.
”

I motion for him to walk with me. When we get far enough away so Casey can
’
t overhear us, I motion for him to start talking. He kicks the ground with his boot.
“
I
’
m not here to start shit. I
’
m not even mad Case hit me. I deserve it and a whole hell of a lot more. Fuck!
”
I watch him run his fingers through his hair.
“
I love her so fucking much, I
’
m letting her go. If we find each other again, we
’
re meant to be, but this is probably for the best right now.
”

I look him in the eye. I can see the hurt and anger coursing through him. He
’
s fighting with himself over this.
“
I won
’
t let you continue to hurt her. She deserves the world, cousin. I know she
’
s it for you, but I agree with you right now.
”

He looks like he wants to say something else, but thinks better of it.
“
Just keep an eye on my girl. Make sure she finds someone who makes her happy. I don
’
t think I could take it if someone else hurts her.
”

I nod.
“
We
’
ll keep an eye on her. Don
’
t worry.
”

I am trying to pay attention, but I keep thinking about what Casey was buying at the pharmacy. Is she pregnant?

I miss whatever else Brant tells me, so I just nod. I turn and see Casey looking down at the ground. She looks nervous. Turning my attention back to Brant, I reply,
“
I
’
ll see you soon, man. Don
’
t worry. I
’
ll keep a few prospects on her to make sure she's okay.
”

He nods.
“
Thanks, cousin.
”
We hug and he hops on his bike, taking off into the distance.

I walk back over to Casey and wrap my arms around her. I feel her stiffen and I can
’
t help but think maybe she wants nothing to do with me. If that
’
s what she really wants, I
’
ll give it to her, but if she's pregnant with my kid, she
’
s got another thing coming. There is no way in hell I
’
ll let her raise my kid with some other asshole.
“
Beauty, let's talk about what's in that bag, yeah?
”

She looks anywhere but at me. I grab her chin with my thumb and forefinger, forcing her eyes to meet mine.
“
It
’
s not what you think,
”
she whispers.

"Come on. Let's go to Black and you can take the test there." I grab her hand and pull her with me down the empty street.

After a few steps, she releases some of the tension is in her body. I pull her into my side and we continue the walk to the club.

When we get inside, I lead her to my office and my private bathroom. I kiss her head and she walks into the bathroom with the bag. After the longest five minutes of my life, she walks out with the stick in hand, shoving it at me. I hold my breath and look at it. I don't think that I have ever been more scared in my life. This woman can change my life in the blink of an eye.

I focus on the stick in front of me. Negative. Shit. I don't even know if I'm relieved or sad. Part of me wanted to have her pregnant with my kid. The other part of me is happy I won't be a dad yet. God knows I'm not ready for that sort of responsibility.

Looking into her eyes, I can see she is still nervous. The tears are pooling, but she tries her hardest to keep them from spilling.

Deep inside, I know this is the end for us. She's not pregnant, so this is her way out.

"Gun, I don't know what to say."

I shake my head. I don't think I have ever been the one on this end.
I'm
typically the one telling the girl I don't want to see her again, but the roles are reversed today. "Don't, beauty. I... You don't have to explain anything."

I turn and go sit in my chair. I feel like I got the wind knocked out of me. Most guys I know would be happy if they found out they weren't having a kid, but I
’
m somewhat disappointed. Part of me really wants to see her with my kid growing inside of her.

Her voice is so soft, I almost miss what she says next. "Gun, I'm sorry. I have to go..." She trails off. I swear she was going to say more, but stopped herself.

She turns and heads for the door. Right before she walks out of my life, she turns around. "As much as I wish I could stay and be with you, I can't do this." I watch the tears streaming down her face for a second before she turns and runs out of the club.

Fuck. The only girl I have ever cared about just walked out of my life.

I can't help but think things would be different if she was carrying my kid. I know for certain she would not be walking out that door because I wouldn
’
t let her.

Chapter Eleven

My heart is pounding and I think I'm going to be sick. I can't believe I just left Gunner. I feel like my heart in breaking all over again. The look on his face when he read the stick was probably the saddest thing I've ever seen. He secretly wanted me to be pregnant with his kid. Part of me wanted that, too.

I wish things were different and I could stay with him. I just don't feel like things would work out. He loves the club and the Wayward Saints way too much to have me in his life.

The look on his face just about killed me. He looked disappointed about me not being pregnant. As much as I want to be with Gunner, I know that the club will always be his first love. For once in my life, I want to be someone
’
s first choice. Right now, at this point in his life, I know I would never be his first anything.

I run halfway home, then walk the rest of the way. My tears are dry when I finally get to the apartment. Before going inside, I wipe my face and add a little cover-up that I keep stashed in my purse for emergencies. I plaster a smile on my face and walk inside, holding the bag with the rest of the tests I bought.

"Hey, bitch! I got you a test!" I yell when I walk into the apartment. I walk into the kitchen and wait for Anslie to come out of her room. I grab a glass of water and sit on the barstool. Anslie comes into the kitchen and I give her my best
“
You better take this test and not complain about it
”
look. She doesn't even question me, for which I am thankful. I would probably break the mask I put up after seeing Gunner.

Watching Anslie take the same walk I took in Gunner
’
s office is nerve-wracking. I wait a good twenty-five minutes before making my way to the bathroom. I want to give her enough time to deal with whatever the answer is. When I walk in, she is just staring at the stick. I grab it out of her hand and look at the proof. My hand goes to my mouth.
“
Oh fuck, Anslie. What are you going to do? You know I'll be here for you no matter what, right?"

She looks at me with a sad smile. "Yeah, I know. I'm going to keep the baby." She wipes her eyes, gets up, and walks out of the room.

I hear her bedroom door shut with a soft click. I can't imagine what she is going through.

Over the next few days, I go back to partying and staying out all night. It's the only way to keep Gunner off my mind. I make sure to avoid Black at all costs. I have gone home with a different guy every night, and I am pretty sure I should buy stock in Trojan condoms.

I've been trying to get Anslie to go out with me, but she is always saying she doesn't feel good. She is barely even showing and I think it would be good for her to go out. When I finally get her to agree, I am ecstatic. The only bummer is that Charlie and Stephan want to go to Black. Charlie works there so that's his place of choice when he's not working. I try not to make it known that I really don
’
t want to go there. I shower, shave, and prep my body for a night of sexiness. I know I am going to go home with someone tonight. I just don't know who yet.

I pull on a red cocktail dress and pull on my favorite black pumps, then put on my makeup and curl my hair. Once I am ready, I make my way out into the living room to wait for everyone else. When the doorbell rings, I let Charlie and Stephan in, then lead them into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels off the shelf.

Stephan takes the bottle and pours four shots. Just as we are about to down them, Anslie comes out of her bedroom. I watch her and Charlie almost collide in the hallway. He looks her up and down, licking his lips. I move to walk over there, but Stephan stops me. "Leave them be. He likes her."

I shake my head. This isn't right. I want her and Brantley to figure things out for their child's sake. Still watching them, I see her say something to him and blush. When they make their way to the kitchen, I watch their body language change. She looks relaxed. I know some stuff went down between them, but Anslie is the type to forgive and forget. She won't hold what he said at the club against him.

She walks to the fridge to get a water. Stephan passes Anslie a shot, but she declines it, looking nervous. "Oh, come on. Have a drink with us."

"Sorry. I can't drink,
”
she says, grabbing a water.

"What? Why not? You pregnant or something?" he laughs.

Anslie looks over at me and I shake my head. She doesn't have to tell them anything, but she nods. Stephan mutters that he's sorry, and Charlie walks up to her and starts talking to her in hushed tones.

When we finally get to Black, I feel Gunner
’
s eyes on me as soon as we walk in the door. I was hoping he wouldn't be here tonight. I order a shot and instantly down it. Gathering all the courage I have left, I drag Anslie to the dance floor and spend a majority of my time bumping and grinding with Stephan.

Stephan has a great body, but he is too clingy for my tastes. He's wanted to be in my bed for weeks, but I kept turning him down. I am only looking for fun at the moment. I don
’
t want any sort of relationship, so I keep him at arm's length.

I wiggle my hips around, then bend over and grind against him, feeling his hands slide down my ass. He grips my hips and yanks me back into his body. After a few songs, the guys go to the bar to get drinks, which leaves Anslie and I to dance together.

Out of nowhere, I feel a familiar body against me. I hate that Gunner affects me the way he does. I turn to see Anslie has a weird expression on her face, kind of like she
’
s unsure of what to do. I never really told her about Gunner and me. She still thinks we only had sex that one night.

When he spins me to face him, I lose my breath. He's still the most handsome guy I have ever seen. All I want to do is drag him into the back and have my way with him, but I know I can't. I was the one who ended things, so I need to keep up my strong fa
ç
ade.

His lips lower to my neck and I feel his warm breath. He presses small kisses up my neck and I instantly get wet. His body still feels like it did the last time we were like this. "Beauty,
”
he breathes in my ear, "I hate seeing you in another man's arms. It should be me and you." His lips trail back down and he presses his erection into my stomach.

"Gunner, I can't,
”
I whimper.

His stance changes and he releases me. I see a sad smile on his face as he turns and walks back into the crowd.

I feel like my legs are going to give out. Stephan walks back to me and pulls me into his arms. "Who was that fucking dick?" he sneers.

His jealously makes me mad. I
’
m not his, so it shouldn
’
t matter. "He owns this place,
”
I say in a small voice.

I force all thoughts of Gunner out of my mind and spend the rest of the night having fun with my friends.