Gunnar A Motorcycle Club Romance - Nina Levine Page 0,68

his neck tattoo. Reaching out, I trace my fingers over it. I’m surprised he lets me. I know he’s affected by me when he swallows hard and brings his hand up to curl around my wrist.

I meet his gaze. “I figured you’d cover it up,” I say softly.

“I will.” The words crash into me with their force, but there’s something in his eyes and his voice that makes me doubt that will happen anytime soon.

My breathing turns shallow as I move closer to him. Dropping my gaze, I run my eyes over the tattoo again. I’m fixated on it. It’s me on his skin, and the fact he hasn’t covered it up yet means something.

I undo the top two buttons of his shirt. Slowly. So very slowly.

“Mayfair,” he says, his voice low and full of gravel. Oh God, how I’ve missed that gravel. It works its way through my veins, setting me on fire for him.

I find his eyes again as I stand on my toes. “Please don’t stop me.”

He watches me intently, sliding his hand around my waist, not stopping me.

My fingers graze his neck as I wrap my hand around it. Bringing my lips to his skin, I press a kiss to his tattoo.

“Fuck,” he groans, his fingers digging into my waist.

I move against him, into him, and bring my other hand up to his face as I move my lips along his neck and keep kissing his tattoo.

“Fucking hell,” he growls, taking hold of my face and directing my lips to his.

I tell him everything I can’t put into words in this kiss.

I whisper secrets I can never say out loud.

I beg for his forgiveness for every hurt, every betrayal, every ache I’ve caused.

He feels it all. I know he does.

It’s in the way his touch is more gentle. In the way he deepens the kiss rather than forces his hate down my throat. In the way his body moves with mine rather than demands control of mine.

And it’s in the way he looks at me when the kiss ends. Like he used to look at me.

He drops his hands and steps away from me. The turmoil in his eyes slays me.

“I can’t fucking do this,” he says. His voice is filled with a new level of torment. It slays me too. I’ve done this to him, and I will loathe myself forever for that.

“I’m sorry,” I start, but stop talking the moment I see his reaction.

“Stop fucking saying sorry.” His eyes flash with anger. “I don’t need your apology. What I fucking needed was for you not to walk the fuck away. I needed you to trust I could fix things.” He jabs his finger in the air. “That’s what I fucking needed, and you couldn’t give it to me, so don’t fucking try and give me anything now because I don’t fucking want it.”

Before I can say anything else, he turns and stalks away from me. I stare breathlessly after him, every piece of my heart shattering into tiny pieces.

He will never be mine again.

I was born to be Mason Blaise’s girl, and I will never be that again.

23

Chelsea

Alexa: I’m sorry, babe, but I have to cancel our lunch today. Mum’s just been admitted to hospital.

Me: Oh my God, is she okay?

Alexa: They’re running some tests. I mean, I didn’t think she was any worse than usual, but the doctors are saying the cancer treatment is affecting her kidneys. Or something like that. Honestly, I’m finding it hard to keep up and understand everything going on.

Me: Do you need me? I’ll come if you do, but I get it too if you would prefer me not to be there.

Alexa: I love you and I always need you, but not at the hospital. I’ll call you tonight and we’ll reschedule lunch.

Me: Okay. I’m always here if you need to talk. Love you xx

I place my phone down on my desk and think about Alexa and her mum, which then leads me to thoughts of Mason and how he’s coping with all this. Mason hasn’t been close to his parents for a while now, but I imagine his mum being sick would have stirred a lot of emotions up for him. After hearing his phone call with her when he told her he’d come and be with her at the hospital, I know he’s struggling with this; I heard that in his voice.

“Chelsea,” Joe says, coming into the office he had set up for me next to