Love That Defies Us (The Devil's Dust #2.2)(14)

“We will be back early tomorrow. He will have a blast with Bobby. We need this, Firefly,” Shadow whispers into my ear. I nod and pull away reluctantly; I know we need this time to ourselves. Before walking out, I give Zane one last look and see Shadow giving him a kiss on the forehead, whispering something in his ear before meeting me at the door.

The sky is covered in a blanket of dark gray clouds, the wind blowing with an arctic chill as I make my way out of the club. I notice Shadow’s black Mustang parked out front, its motor purring in the idle position.

“Warmed it up for you, babe,” Shadow remarks, grabbing my bag from my hand.

“Where are we going?” I ask, climbing into the seat. Shadow walks around to his side of the car, ignoring me.

He drives onto the main street and then to the freeway, the car vibrating as he accelerates. I love this car; it’s so masculine, plus Shadow looks delicious behind the wheel. I look out the window as we drive past businesses and streets, thinking about last night. It was a disaster; just another hurdle living the life in the MC world tests us with. I know I am more than capable of living this life; a darker side of myself has proved that on many occasions. I don’t like that piece of me, though; in fact, I have tried to hide it as much as I can the last couple of years. But in doing so, it hasn’t made me happy, hasn’t made me feel like I am in control of myself. Concealing a piece of myself, which makes me who I am, is like trying to pour water into a broken glass. It’s pointless; it will uncontrollably seep out and eventually leave me empty and broken.

“What happened with Charlie?” I ask, looking at the passing trees from the window.

I hear Shadow shift uncomfortably in his seat, clearing his throat. I can tell it’s not a topic he wants to discuss with me. I should leave it at that, but I won’t.

“Did I really cause Charlie his patch?” I question, taking my gaze from the window to Shadow. He takes his eyes off the road and looks at me angrily, his dark eyebrows pinning me in my seat as his lip curls upward.

“No,” he replies quickly, his tone fake. I narrow my eyes, making him look back at the road.

“Ok, somewhat yes,” he admits. “He should have had a better eye on the president’s daughter, and taken responsibility for his f*ck-up when he was a prospect.” I close my eyes and turn my head downward. I feel responsible for Charlie’s psychotic break. He killed so many people. Why? Because of me costing him his patch?

“Not patching him in was the best decision the club made, Dani,” Shadow remarks, interrupting my thoughts. “You being kidnapped by his negligence was a blessing in disguise. Charlie was not a stable person; he couldn’t have handled the MC life. Doing some of the things which are required of a member would have broken him quickly and if we would’ve patched him in, it would have put a lot more at risk.” I nod in understanding. Who knows what would have set Charlie off after he was already patched in. Or what information he would have on the club, and what power he would have using his patch as leverage.

Shadow reaches over and grabs my hand, kissing my knuckles, his blue eyes staring at me sincerely.

“You know I love you, Firefly?” Shadow asks. I smile and squeeze his hand.

“Yeah, I do,” I respond, smiling. We have been through Hell and back and survived it all. That’s how I know what we have is real. The world keeps testing us, trying to find our disadvantages, but it won’t. Where I am weak Shadow is strong, and where Shadow is frail I am resilient, making us unbreakable.

“You better,” Shadow says arrogantly, making me shake my head with a smirk.

After a long drive, we pull up to a house made of dark-green sandstone with a dark-brown roof. I squint as I survey the house more. I can see the sandy beach lying behind the house, along with glimpses of what looks like the ocean. It’s a beach house. Actually, it’s the beach house Shadow took me to when we first got together. I take my gaze away from the house and look at Shadow.

“Really!?” I squeal excitedly. Shadow and I really connected when he took me to this place, things we tried so hard to achieve finally reached by isolation in the walls of sandstone.

Shadow laughs and shuts off the engine. I climb out of my seat, which takes longer than it should, and look at the house. Even in the winter it is still amazing, its foliage of green barely standing amongst the walls from the cooler weather. The smell of salt is in the air, and the sound of waves is welcoming.

“Here.” I look over and see Shadow holding a silver key. I grab the cold key and look at it, puzzled.

“Why did you give this to me?” I ask, looking back at Shadow who is grinning wildly, his hair blowing in the cool wind. Man, he’s sexy.

“Because it’s the key to our new house,” Shadow says calmly, shrugging.

I look down at the key then back at him.

“Our new house?” I ask confused.

“Our new house,” Shadow repeats. I look toward the beach house and back at Shadow again. I have looked at a dozen houses over the last couple of months and have found nothing Shadow was interested in. I thought for sure I would be stuck in his apartment forever, stuck in his ways. I look back at the house. It’s far from town; the kids and I can play on the beach any time we want. It’s perfect. This is our house. He bought me a house for Valentine’s Day.

I sob, a big ugly gasp escaping my mouth.