The Biker's Fate Chapter 459

Remington

We were home.

It had been a week since we'd left Savannah, and I was healing faster than expected. I wouldn't be able to take my cast off for at least another month, but my face didn't look as though it had gone ten rounds with Ronda Rousey anymore. Alamo was healing perfectly. His liver was fine, and he was giving Jasmine a hell of a time since he didn't want to stay in bed. This was a good sign, considering how scary the whole thing had been.

Merrick had given me carte blanche to decorate his place, as long as pink didn't enter the equation. Luckily, I hated pink, but I loved paisley, so he was going to have to deal with a lot of cream and blue paisley.

He'd promised to take me shopping for a new sofa tomorrow, but tonight, he was at church, so I was home alone.

Well, until Grace showed up.

"Holy shit," she said as she hugged me, leaning back to study my face. "He really got you."

I nodded, closing the door behind her. "Yeah."

"You need to fill me in on everything." She walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine. "Mind if I drink?"

"Go for it."

"Can you yet?"

I shook my head. "I'm still on Vicodin."

"Okay, I'll drink for you."

"Flea drove you, I take it?"

She grinned. "He sure did. Because I told him I planned to get drunk."

"I love it."

"Oh, before I get alcohol amnesia, Cassidy wants to see you dance."

I flopped onto the sofa, grimacing at the leather squeak. "She's seen me dance."

"I know, but now she wants to audition you for her new company."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. When she found out you were coming back, she asked me to set it up."

"Oh my god, that's amazing."

"Amazing enough not to fucking run away again?" Grace challenged.

"So, we're doin' that, huh?"

"You're damn right we're doin' that. I'm ready for your apology now, and an explanation, you can choose in which order those happen."

"Technically, I already apologized."

"But I wasn't ready to accept then. I'm ready now."

I sighed. "I'm really sorry, Grace. I shouldn't have run away like that. My feelings for your brother just totally freaked me out and I couldn't deal."

"Well, next time you can't deal, you still need to call your girl. Hos before bros."

"Okay, honey, I can do that."

"Thank you. Now fill me in on Savannah."

"It was awful," I said. "Vitaly tried to finish what he started and roped his sister into it."

"He has a sister?

I nodded. "Nadia. Total bitch."

"Sounds like it."

I filled her in on everything I remembered, pausing when I heard the locks in the door turn. It was close to eleven and Grace and I watched as our men walked in, laughing at something, then stalling when they caught sight of us.

"You okay?" Merrick asked.

"We're great," I said.

"Yeah," Grace agreed. "Why?"

"Because, darling sister, you look guilty as hell."

She giggled. "I'm tipsy, so, sure, guilty's probably accurate."

Flea grinned, walking to her and leaning down to kiss her. "You drink water in between?"

"Yes."

"You ready to go home?"

She grinned. "Yep."

He pulled her up off the sofa, and after we said goodbye, Flea took Grace home. Merrick grabbed a beer and flopped down beside me, and I settled my legs over his lap. "How was church?"

"Uneventful."

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah, baby, that's good." He set his beer down and took one of my feet in his hands. "How are you feeling?"

"My arm's being a little bitch today. I had to take a pain pill about an hour ago."

"You need anything?"

I wiggled my foot in his hand. "Less talky, more rubby would be appreciated."

He chuckled squeezing my foot. "Okay, baby."

"Grace said Cassidy wants to audition me."

"Yeah?"

I nodded. "Should I do it?"

"Do you want to?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"Then, do it."

"Okay."

He studied me. "You feeling weird about it?"

"Merrick, I'm not a size zero. I have to bind my boobs every time I perform, I've tried to shrink my butt, but nothing ever seems to work."

"You're fucking beautiful, Rem."

I took a deep breath. "I'm not saying I'm not beautiful, honey. Will you listen, please?"

He raised his hands in surrender and nodded.

"Outside of the fact I've eaten like a woman twice my size these last couple of weeks, I am not the 'ideal' ballerina size. I know that. I accept that. I cut weight when I have to, but unless I want a breast reduction, there's nothing I can do about the girls. I'm a hard sell. I have always known it, so I try to work three times as hard as other girls because I know I have stuff to overcome they don't. It's fine, honestly, I'm not being a sad-sack about it."

"Then, what?"

"I'm just feeling a little insecure, I guess." I sighed. "I just don't want her to feel obligated to audition me because I'm yours."

"You must not know the same Cassidy as I do."

"You think?"

"I know." He shifted, settling one of my legs to his right and the other to his left so he could kneel between them, sliding his head under my T-shirt and kissing my belly, careful to avoid the bruises.