Six-Gun - Winter Travers Page 0,31

than he had.

One second, Raelyn had been laughing about how I was holding the pool cue, and the next, that asshole had jumped up from his stool and claimed he was going to show me how to shoot. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and tried to bend me over to the table.

The second he touched me, my mind had zoned out and cleared of everything.

I went into survival mode.

My mind couldn’t handle the thought of someone touching me, so I basically just blacked out.

I didn’t snap out of it until I realized Monk was holding me and Six-Gun had the guy pressed against the wall.

“I know you might not feel it, but you’re strong as fuck, Memphis.”

I didn’t feel it. I felt like I was broken into a million pieces and I wouldn’t ever be able to find all of the pieces and shards to put myself back together. “Sure.”

“Doll, you gotta believe me on this one.”

“I do.” I didn’t. Being strong wasn’t blacking out when someone touched you and having someone else protect you. It was fighting back and not letting it happen in the first place.

“What made you finally decide to come out of you room?” he asked.

I looked back at the TV. “I don’t know. I woke up one day and I couldn’t cry about it anymore. I had to get out of here and away from myself.”

“From yourself?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. When I was locked up in here, all I had to do was think about why it happened. How I could have avoided it. Why it was my fault.”

Six-Gun jackknifed up. “Back the fuck up, Memphis.” He looked down at me, outraged. “Your fault?” he growled.

I rolled my eyes. “It was my fault I had put Billie Jean in that position. It wasn’t my fault Jester had…done what he did to me.”

“And it wasn’t your fault Billie Jean decided she was going to go all cop and try to catch the assholes doing whatever the fuck they were doing. You’re not gonna take responsibility for her, Memphis. Everything that happened to you was not your fault. It was not Billie Jean’s fault. The only person who can take blame and everything is fucking Jester and his dumbass friends. That’s it.”

“Mitzy basically said the same thing. She also told me I needed to come back as a badass bitch, too.” I laughed. “I’m sure you’ll get around to telling me that, too.”

He rolled his eyes. “Doll, please tell me you don’t blame yourself.”

I did, but I also didn’t.

I had made the dumb choice to work for Jester for some extra cash, but I also knew that didn’t give him the right to do whatever he wanted to me.

At least, most days I knew that.

“I blame myself for being dumb enough to put myself in that situation, but I know it’s not my fault Jester was such a piece of shit human being. So it’s like fifty/fifty,” I laughed.

“I’m gonna move you, okay?” he asked.

I nodded. Six-Gun could touch me and be close to me without a problem. The fact he still asked for permission was the sweetest thing ever.

He gathered me in his arms and rolled me on top of him. My legs were on either side of his waist, and I was sitting right on top of him. “The view is nice from up here,” I laughed.

Six-Gun rested his hands on the tops of my thighs. “It’s fucking amazing from down here, too.”

I laid my hands on his chest and sighed. “You’re too good to me, Six. I’m windblown and looking like a hot mess from being on the back of your bike all day.” After the incident at the bar, we climbed back on Six-Gun’s bike, and the club continued north for another hour before we turned around and took the long way back to the clubhouse.

I guess taking the long way when you were out on a ride was the normal thing to do.

I liked it.

“Just treating you like I should, doll.”

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel and do now, Six-Gun.” I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead to his. “Part of my brain yells that it’s been three months and I need to start to move on. Then the other part of my brain also yells it’s only been three months and I need to…I don’t. Do nothing. Stay stuck in being sad and crying.”

“Why