Cruz (Dark and Dirty Sinners' MC #5) - Serena Akeroyd Page 0,127
tell was Cruz.
But then, I had to reason, was it lame? Or was this exactly what happened when two people were dating?
I bit my lip at the thought, because I knew Cruz would be beyond stoked for me, and I really wanted to share this with him.
I'd never been that open to any of the few guys I'd actually dated before. But Cruz was different.
Cruz had my back.
He'd have been here today if I hadn't told him to get on with his work as he was drawing up plans for the new clubhouse with Giulia bitching at him over his shoulder.
Only the fact that she was the VP's woman, Nyx's Old Lady, stopped him from telling her to back the fuck off.
Which Giulia was using to her full advantage, of course.
With the store only a hundred feet away, I took off at a run, knowing that's where Cruz would be since I'd forbade him from joining me.
The cops saw a Sinner and instantly, things escalated.
As it was, I kept my nose clean, and the locals knew I had no real affiliation to the Sinners so they cut me some slack.
That would change, though, when people realized Cruz and I were together.
The notion should have gnawed at me, because I was losing a lot by coming out with Cruz, yet, as I headed into Indiana Ink, and saw him, I knew it was right. That it was going to be worth it.
He looked harried. His brows furrowed, his eyes stormy with temper, and his jaw was gritted even as a nerve ticked in it. He glowered at Giulia before he whipped around to look at me as the bell tinkled in the door, and when our gazes collided, his eyes softened, his frown lessened, and he inhaled sharply, like he was trying to calm down.
Not for himself, not for Giulia, but for me.
God, how I appreciated that.
I smiled at him, not a fake one, or an excited one because of the show offer, not even a warm one.
It was loving, the smile I bestowed on him. It had to be. Because my heart did the whole Roger Rabbit thing and went 'kebang' in my chest.
Seeing him, connecting with him... I wasn't sure there'd been a more powerful moment in my entire life.
"What is it?"
Giulia's question felt like it came from underwater, but I blinked a few times, and turned to her, saw from her impatient glower that wasn't the first time she'd asked.
I swallowed. "You know City Ink?"
"The show?"
I nodded. "The show. They asked me to be featured!"
My excitement burst out, and even as Giulia whooped, Cruz was rolling out from behind the desk he'd commandeered to work at, and making his way to me.
I leaped at him, not stopping until he was holding my ass, and as I sank my lips onto his, that sense of rightness just hit me once more.
He was a Sinner.
He was dangerous.
But he was so much more than that.
He was mine.
As I sank my tongue between his lips, thrusting against his, uncaring that Giulia could see, not giving a damn if the entire street was standing outside the storefront gawping at us, I gave him my all.
This man had my heart, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't terrified what someone would do with it, because even as I loved him, I trusted him.
And for someone like me, that meant so much more. He'd probably never understand that, but it wasn't like I needed to tell him, was it? That was the joy of this man.
He already fucking knew.
Twenty-Five
Rex
When I thought of how many of my brothers had lost their parents at a young age, I knew I'd been lucky.
I was nearing forty and my mom had only died eight years ago, and Dad was still here, barely hanging on, but still here.
The thought of losing him was crippling.
The MC didn't exactly rear kids to be Mommy's or Daddy's boys, but I loved my folks. Always had. Respect had been easy, and loyalty too. We were tight knit for a reason, and seeing him here, literally half of him left, I was so far down the tunnel to insanity that I wasn't sure how I'd get back out again if he died like this.
It was one thing for him to perish because of old age, but he wasn't fucking old. Not really. Jesus, it wasn't like he couldn't ride his goddamn bike across the country and lived at the doctor's office.