“I care,” Whizz said. His caring wasn’t just about the sex either. It was a hell of a lot more.
They all turned to him. He stared at the table trying to find the right words.
“I care about her, and I will not let anything happen to her.”
“I want to meet her. I think you’ve kept her far enough away for now.” Prue sipped her beer. “You can’t keep her locked in your room for the next fifty years. That’s just a horror movie waiting to happen.” Prue stood, grabbing the stick from Zero. “I’ll break.”
Steven sat close as Killer continued to feed his son.
“You care about her?” Killer asked.
Whizz ran a finger over his bottom lip as he thought about his feelings. “She’s been through a lot. I mean when she was ten, they broke a part of her. She can’t have kids because of what those animals did to her.”
“So you’ve both had shit go on in your past and it has set your feelings for now,” Prue said.
“What?”
“You’re both in some way broken, but together, it feels like you’re whole. The club was there to see what happened to you, Whizz. She’s the first woman who doesn’t have a clue about your past. She knows what happened but hasn’t seen it. You’re probably one of the few men who know the truth but don’t see a broken little girl. In a weird kind of way it makes sense.”
Zero started to warn her again.
“You don’t need to worry about me running off or taking it personally,” Whizz said. “I know what she’s saying even if she doesn’t have the best tact about it.”
“Who needs tact? With the damage going through this club, there’s no time for tact. You don’t need tact, Whizz. You always need stone cold facts.” Prue shot a ball, whooping as it went down the hole. “It’s not bad to care about her. She deserves to be loved like other women. What happened to her wasn’t her fault.”
Whizz got up. “I’ve got to go.”
He made his way up to his bedroom, shouting from Hardy and Rose’s room made him stop.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Hardy asked.
“I’m packing. I want out of here.”
“For fuck’s sake, Rose, this was ten years ago. I’ve not touched another fucking woman. I don’t want another woman but you.”
“No, you didn’t want the person I was. I was too damn sweet for what you wanted. I changed who I was because that’s what you wanted. I took my clothes off because you loved it. I changed me.” The tears were in her voice.
Whizz didn’t want to move away, yet the emotion in her voice was hard to ignore.
“I can’t live without you,” Hardy said.
“I don’t know if I can live with you anymore.”
****
Lacey wrapped a towel around her body. Whizz hadn’t brought her any food, and she was getting hungry. She kept the movie playing in his bedroom and made sure it was loud enough to drown out the noise of Hardy and Rose. They were a broken couple. It was hard to listen to them fight as the emotion and pain were raw. She’d never been put in a situation like that. Lacey didn’t know what she’d do if the man she loved cheated on her. Hardy hadn’t just cheated, he’d gotten the woman pregnant. Rose was still heartbroken after all this time.
She used another towel around her head and stepped out of the room.
Whizz stood by the door. He didn’t have anything in his hands, and she was so hungry.
“You’ve not brought any food,” she said.
“What?”
“You locked the door, and I don’t have any food.” She bit her lip feeling like a child instead of a thirty year old woman. “I’m hungry.”
“When was the last time you ate?” he asked.
“Breakfast.”
“I’ll order us some Chinese food.” He pulled out his cell phone, and she stood watching him as he ordered enough to feed an army. When he was finished, he stared back at her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to forget about food. Shit, you must be starving.”
Her stomach chose that moment to grumble. Heat filled her cheeks at the noise. She wasn’t even trying to make him feel bad. Stupid stomach.
Whizz chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. Why do you have the movie on so loud?”
“I don’t want to listen to Hardy and Rose. They’re always arguing, and it’s so sad to hear. Wouldn’t it be easier if one of them walked away?” She grabbed the remote from the bed, pointing it at one of the screens. Lacey didn’t know how he managed to get a television to become part of his computers.
“I’m starting to think you’re right about them.”
The sound of Rose crying followed by Hardy murmuring met their ears. Their argument was toning down. It wouldn’t be long before they would start arguing again. There were clearly a lot of issues between the two.
“It’s hard to listen to.” She voiced her earlier thoughts.
“Yeah, they’re going through some problems.”
“He had an affair. I heard her accusations. It was a long time ago though, right?”
Whizz nodded. “Yeah, before I was part of the club.”
“She’s a little older than me?”
“Yeah. I don’t know how you’re going to feel about this, but Prue would like to meet you. She doesn’t like me keeping you in my room.” He was rubbing the back of his head.
“I’m really sorry for kneeing you in the balls.” She’d spent most of the afternoon thinking about his lips. Lacey regretted lashing out like that. It probably didn’t improve Lash’s opinion of her.
“I deserved it.”
“Not really. You were only speaking the truth. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. It’s just hard.” She licked her lips as her mouth suddenly went dry. He kept staring back at her, and she liked the way his gaze was on her. She held the knot in her towel so she would stay covered. They’d never been naked together. The irony of their relationship—they’d fucked without a condom, and yet she didn’t have the first clue as to what he looked like without his clothes on.
“I don’t want to keep you locked up in my bedroom, nor do I want to keep fighting you.” Whizz gazed down her body.
“If you want I can leave as soon as you’re happy.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Whizz said.