“Dex… I appreciate you want to keep an eye on me and the baby, but I really don’t feel comfortable staying with you and your friends,” I tell him, shifting in my seat.

“Was Rake horrible to you?” he asks, his voice hardening.

“No, of course not…”

“Good and neither will anyone else be,” he says. “No one will hurt you. Do you think I would ever let that happen?”

“I’m not going to win am I?” I mutter, pushing my hair off my face.

Dex laughs at that. “You’re a fast learner babe.”

I bite my lip, staying in silence for about ten minutes before I can’t hold it in anymore. “Do you guys kill people? Or do Illegal shit? Is it true you have groupies?”

Dex sighs again, this one long- suffering. “Are you going to be a pain in my ass the whole time you’re living with me?”

I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “Probably.”

“At least you’re honest,” he grumbles. “I’ll tell you what, try and reserve judgment until you meet everyone. Make up your own mind about us.”

“I guess I could do that,” I reply, bobbing my head.

“Either way, you’re staying with us, so you better make the most of it,” he adds, always having to say the last word.

“Is Eric going to come by?”

I know they aren’t close or anything, but how does this biker thing work?

He turns to me then, giving me an odd look. “Do you want him to?”

“Not really,” I reply honestly.

“Good, because he won’t be coming around,” he says. “Are you going to eat your chocolate?”

I glance down at the Snickers bar. “Why, do you want it?”

“If you’re not going to,” he says, eying the chocolate.

“Halves?” I offer, just like I used to make him share as a kid.

“Sure,” he replies with a twitch of his lips. I break the bar in half and hand him the smaller half.

He notices and laughs. “The nice thing to do would be to give me the bigger half.”

“And why’s that?” I ask, taking a bite.

“I’m twice as big as you,” he says.

That was kind of him. “I’m pregnant. When it comes to food from now on I always win.”

His deep chuckle makes me smile. “You always win anyway Faye.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, chewing and swallowing another delicious bite.

“You have a way about you…”

“I think that’s just my stubborn personality.”

“Exactly, you have a strong will. Strong spirit,” he says, peeking at me before staring back at the road.

I stay silent, lost in my thoughts. It’s nice that he thinks that about me. Really nice. Pretty much the opposite of what my mother has always tried to drill into me.

His hand finds my thigh and stays there. My breath hitches at the contact, at his casual affection. I slowly pinch myself, on the underside of my other thigh, to make sure this isn’t a dream.

“Ouch,” I mutter. Okay definitely not a dream. That freaking hurt.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, cutting his eyes to me.

“Nothing,” I reply quickly, turning my head to look out the window.

“I know you think I’ve changed…” he starts. I sit up straighter, interested in what he has to say. “You were just a kid back then…”

“But?”

He glances at me. “I have changed. But for you… I’ll always be that same person. Does that make sense? You have no need to be scared or wary around me babe.”

I exhale deeply, appreciating his words of comfort. “Thanks Dex.”

“How’s uni?” he asks, as his fingers start to rub my thigh.

I swallow hard, finding myself getting turned on by the simple action. “It’s good, actually.”

“Heard you were at the top of your class…”

“Who told you that?” I ask. Has he been checking up on me? Why do I like the thought of that? I need to calm myself down.

“Eric,” he replies in a toneless voice.

“Oh,” is all I can think of to say.

An hour later the car stops. “What are we doing here?” I ask Dex as we wait in front of a gate. A man runs out and opens the gate for us, then Dex parks the car. Several motorcycles are parked nearby. I stare ahead at the building in front of me. It looks more like a warehouse than a house. It’s massive. Silently, I get out of the car and wait for Dex to do the same. I can feel his eyes on me, burning a hole in the back of my head. I wait for him to lead the way, and I follow behind. I can hear music, loud music. It’s about eleven at night, and all I want to do is sleep. It doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to get that chance. Dex looks at me, and I don’t miss the grimace as he hears the noise.

“Should have brought you in during the day,” he utters under his breath, then takes my hand in his and walks me in through the door.

Eyes wide, I freeze and take in the scene in front of me. I step closer to Dex, almost hiding behind him.

About ten men, varying in age and appearance, are sitting around drinking and smoking. Some are dancing. There are a couple of women about as well, scantily clad. Some are dancing, some are making out with the men, and others are…

As soon as I see a couple having sex out in the open, I turn around and walk back to the car.

This is what he wants to bring my child into?

Fuck. Him.

No really, fuck him. He’s selfish. He should have just let me be. If he really wanted to help, he could have sent some money for the baby.

I hear Dex yelling, and the music turns off. I lean against the car, hearing loud voices until it finally quiets down. Dex walks out, looking frustrated, and comes right up to me.

“It’s not always like that,” he says, avoiding my eyes.

I stare up at him, unimpressed. “You can’t expect me to live here.”

“Half those people don’t live here, they just come by for a good time.”

“I don’t want to live in a place people come to for a ‘good time’,” I reply, hands on my hips.

He says nothing.

“Dex,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and lifting my chin up in defiance. He studies me, his blue eyes narrowing slightly, but says nothing. I shift on my feet, his silence making me squirm. His mouth is set in a tight, thin line, and I know he’s far from happy with me. It’s hard not to feel intimidated in his presence, but I refuse to back down. I force myself to look him in the eye and continue.

“Don’t make me stay here Dex,” I say softly, my gaze darting to the front door in apprehension.

He pulls out a cigarette, lights it, and takes a draw, taking two steps away from me as he does so. So I don’t have to breathe in the smoke? I have no idea.

“Do you trust me?” he asks quietly.

“What?”

“Faye. Do you trust me? Yes or no?”

I stare into his clear blue eyes. “Yes, I trust you.”

His expression softens at my admission.

“Come on then, let’s get you to bed,” he says, tilting his head towards the door.

I still don’t move.

“You let me in, you’re carrying my child. What choice do you have?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at me. “You have no other option Faye.”

He doesn’t look smug as he says it. Just like he’s stating a fact.

And I hate that he’s right. Where else am I going to go?

I have nowhere, and no one left to turn to.

I lost everything in one night. Over one mistake.

“Get inside Faye,” he says, turning around without looking back.

My eyes dart from his car back to him. Rake isn’t even here yet with my car.

Do I really have a choice?

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.

Then I follow the Dragon into his lair.

Chapter Five

The place is cleared out when I re-enter, but I can still hear laughter, so I know they’ve just moved their party elsewhere in the clubhouse. I appreciate it. The whole place is huge inside. I follow behind Dex, taking in every detail. I sigh when I come across a wall full of mug shots. We pass the party room, a kitchen, and a large living room, until we come to a stop. He opens the door, turns on the light, and waits for me to enter.