the earth-shattering experience in the hotel room at the forefront of my mind.
I try not to think about the way we’ve unleashed ourselves on each other every day since then, having the house to ourselves, fucking like animals standing up, lying down, me on top, him on top, every position we can think of—so much so that we had to take a break, our bodies punishing our zealousness.
Now it’s time for us to tell Fiona what’s going on.
We agreed on it early today.
“She has to know, Sadie,” Saul whispered, stroking his hands through my hair as we lay nakedly in bed together, both of us sweaty and contended and sex-sore.
I’m still sex-sore as I sit here, my center aching nicely, in a way that makes me feel wanted. The sex has me feeling like a different person, wanted in a way that I never dreamed I would be, or even deserved.
“So you had fun, then?” I ask, realizing I’ve just been sitting here like a weirdo.
“Yeah,” Fiona beams. “I networked the shit outta that hotel venue room, honestly.”
“I’m proud,” I smile.
“Me too,” Saul says, genuine affection in his voice.
Fiona leans back, looking between us. Perhaps that’s a giveaway right there, the fact that when we came and sat down, Saul and I sat on the same side out of habit, since we’re so used to being fused together now.
“Um, okay?” she murmurs. “Why so intense, guys?”
“Well, there’s something—”
“Sorry,” I interrupt, panic rising inside of me like a crescendo. “Saul, do you mind? I need to use the bathroom.”
He tilts his head at me. “Sure,” he murmurs, sliding out of the booth and then stepping aside.
I hardly know what I’m doing as I walk through the diner, rounding the corner to the bathrooms and then – on a cowardly whim – head for the exit instead.
I burst out into the cold and place my hands on my hips, sucking in the icy winter air. I walk away from the diner, into the deeper darkness of the parking lot.
I try to get my breathing under control.
This is it. Oh, God, this is where it could all go wrong.
I promised Saul I’d be brave, but it turns out it’s easier to be brave in the bedroom than it is when facing down your best friend.
Facing her down with news that could emotionally scar her for life.
What have we done?
But I wouldn’t take it back.
I know that with an iron certainty.
So what the heck am I supposed to do?
“Look here, fellas,” a voice says from behind me.
I flinch and turn, realizing that in my anxiety I’ve walked right to the edge of the lot, near where it runs down into a ditch and then across some snowy fields. The stars and the moon are hidden tonight, giving the world an eerie quality.
My eyes move to find several men sitting on the hood of a car parked down in the ditch, a big off-roader with the lights turned off. I feel my blood begin to freeze as their eyes turn on me … there’s at least seven of them, big burly men with heavy jackets and boots and jeans. They wear leather jackets, I see as they get closer – like a mass, a single organism – a skull and bones emblem on the breast.
A biker gang.
The man at the head of the group is at least as tall as Saul and just as wide, a big bull of a man with more tattoos and piercings than I can count. His bald head is exposed to the swirling snowfall, but he doesn’t take any notice.
“Didn’t expect you to just come wandering over, darling,” he drawls.
“I don’t want any trouble,” I say, spine-tingling as the men begin to spread out.
“Nah, neither did we,” the bald man says. “We just wanted to rehome some poor doggies and make some money doing it. But then your friend in there got it into his head to be a hero.”
I gasp, remembering the story of how Saul got Jasper.
He freed him from a cage, a cage owned by criminals … are these the men?
“I thought you were in prison,” I gasp.
“Aww, how cute,” the man chuckles. “It seems you know who I am. Don’t matter. I’m sure there’s lots we got to learn about each other yet. Why don’t you come with me, darling? I’ll treat you better than that wannabe white knight in there.”
“Saul’s twice the man you’ll ever be,” I hiss, my hackles flaring at the insult.
The man