Damaged and the Dragon (8 page)

Nick leaned down and kissed the corner of my
mouth. “Can we keep things casual until I’m done enduring your
brothers play their ‘Who has the bigger balls competition?’ If we
survive that, I’ll relax,” he said then whispered, “Hint,
hint.”

Even though I laughed, his worry over Cooper
and Tucker made me worry too. Would they ruin the evening? Would I
ruin it? Would Nick injure himself in those tight jeans because my
tits looked so hot? A lot of unanswered questions awaited us.

In my head, Bailey existed as two people.
One girl was the rich pampered brat who deserved a million times
better than a trailer trash loser fighting his way through college.
She needed a guy who knew how to give her everything she wanted. I
would never be rich. I’d never be a part of her family’s business
or the Reapers Motorcycle Club. Even on my best days, I struggled
to be Dragon rather than loser Nick.

The other Bailey waited for me on the porch
at Vaughn and Raven’s new house. This Bailey was the girl next
door. She wanted a simple life where she was safe and loved. This
Bailey didn’t need pampering as much as to feel cherished. I could
imagine the second girl loving me one day without her feeling like
she was slumming it.

Her blonde ponytail swung wildly as she
hurried towards me. My gaze flickered to Vaughn on the porch. The
Reapers’ enforcer looked odd with his cold blue eyes struggling for
menace against the backdrop of a gaudy bowling shirt. Raven
disappeared inside then returned wearing an equally awful
shirt.

My focus returned to Bailey who watched me
nervously. She always looked at me as if I was withholding what she
desperately needed. Maybe I was, yet it never felt that way to
me.

As a kid, I overheard a lunch aide say I ate
like a guy out of prison, shoving the food into my mouth as if
afraid someone would steal it. After that day, I taught myself to
eat slower, so I’d be like the other kids. Even when I was afraid
someone really would steal my food, I took my time. I wanted to
hide what I really was from the world.

With Bailey, I struggled against the urge to
stare at her beauty. I hungered to kiss her until she couldn’t
breathe. I needed to hold her until she broke free. If I showed
everything I wanted, I’d suffocate her, so I remained in
control.

Careful to hide my need, I kissed her
gently. Bailey melted against me, fitting perfectly in my arms.
Despite how right she felt with me, her clean scent made me crave
another shower. Fuck if it was crazy, but I always felt dirty next
to her.

“
If my brothers hassle you,
I’ll kick their asses,” she said, climbing on the Harley. “Don’t
worry about them.”

“
You don’t worry
either.”

She smiled, but her tension rolled off her
in waves. Bailey remained on the bike after we parked and I climbed
off. She was playing out all the various scenarios, each one making
her frown darker.

My thumb caressed the frown away then my
lips met hers. While I didn’t know what bullshit her brothers might
pull, I knew I wanted this woman and they were the gatekeepers.

“
Let’s do this thing,”
Vaughn said, walking past us with Raven riding on his
back.

Taking Bailey’s hand, I followed them
inside. The left side of the alley was reserved for the Johansson
group. I saw a few families in the alley and a group of senior
citizens. I also noticed wasted college guys near the arcade.

The fuckers spotted Bailey and immediately
walked our direction. I hoped they were old friends, but sensed
they weren’t.

“
Well, if it isn’t Bailey
Bangs-a-lot,” the blond guy said, causing Bailey to glare at him
while his friend laughed.

Rage rushed over me as he sneered at Bailey.
This fucker had used her body like a toy then tossed her aside.
Now, he mocked her. Maybe I was feeling territorial, but I hated
him for existing in the same world as my girl.

Before realizing I moved, I shoved him
against the wall and pressed my forearm across his throat. The guy
struggled against my grip, but I was stronger and angrier. I was
also willing to kill him while I sensed he didn’t have the balls
for a real fight.

“
Let him go,” the other guy
said until I turned my glare to him.

Once he shut up, I focused on the asshole
struggling to breathe.

“
You will apologize then
you will never speak to her again. If you see her coming your way,
you walk away. Do you understand?”

No doubt the shithead wanted to act tough,
but he only nodded. I glared at him, ignoring everyone around
us.

“
I bet you’ve treated women
like shit for a long time and gotten away with it. This time you
picked the wrong girl to mess with and I see you filling a shallow
grave if you ever even look at her again. Understand,
fucker?”

His eyes bigger now, the guy nodded
again.

“
That’s Bailey Fucking
Johansson,” I hissed. “If I don’t kill you, her family will. In
fact, I don’t know if you’ll last the night even if I let you
go.”

After leaning harder on his throat until the
guy couldn’t breathe, I relented and released him. He and his
friend bolted from the alley. I turned around to find Bailey
standing with her brother.

“
You got that handled?”
Cooper asked me.

Still too angry to speak, I only nodded.
Cooper looked me up and down then glanced at the fleeing losers. He
gave me an approving nod then returned to Farah and the others.

Bailey shuffled closer, looking unsure. I
thought she was scared of me. Or worse, she might be
embarrassed.

“
He wasn’t wrong really. I
did sleep around,” she whispered.

“
So did I,” I said,
brushing hair from her face as an excuse to touch her. “What’s your
point?”

Bailey smiled. “We’re different now.”

When I shared her smile, the rage faded
until it was merely a lump in my gut. I leaned down and kissed her
cheek.

“
No one talks to you like
that, Bailey. I don’t care what you did, you deserve
better.”

“
Okay. If things got out of
hand with him, I planned to pull my gun.”

“
And do what you did to
that lamp.”

Bailey laughed and the worry left her eyes.
She was so beautiful when happy. I hated how the fucker knew her
like I didn’t. Even if I still had trouble keeping my walls down
around her, I needed Bailey to be mine.

“
After we’re done here,” I
said softly, “let’s go back to my place and hang out.”

When Bailey’s face lit up, I nearly threw
her over my shoulder and ran to my apartment.

“
Yes.”

For a moment, I couldn’t think. I only
stared into her eyes while she returned my gaze. My feelings were
too intense and I knew I’d ruin what I was trying to create with
Bailey. Standing there, I wasn’t Dragon, just trailer trash
Nick.

Kissing her quickly, I stepped back and the
hypnotic moment passed. Likely sensing the distance between us,
Bailey shrunk before my eyes. Insecure now, she glanced around like
she didn’t know what to do with herself.

I’ve only bowled once,” I said, taking her
hand and walking towards the others. “I’ll need you to instruct me
on how far to stick out my ass when I roll the ball.”

Bailey grinned, but her eyes remained wary.
Tucker shared the same look when I arrived. Cooper was too busy
feeling up Farah’s stomach as she sat on his lap while Vaughn and
Raven were already bowling.

“
Hey, Nick,” Tawny said,
breaking the ice. “Got roped into the crew crap, huh?”

I grinned. “Are you kidding? I love bowling.
Why wait until I’m sixty to get one of those shirts?”

Vaughn glared back at a laughing Tawny then
returned to rolling strikes.

“
Tawny, I have to pee,”
Bailey announced. “Come hold my hair.”

“
Can I come?” Farah asked
with Maddy looking interested in joining too.”

“
Very subtle,” Judd said,
changing seats so he could mock Vaughn easier.

Tawny kissed his cheek then followed Bailey.
“Hey, Raven, are you coming?”

“
No, can’t stop playing.
Our first born child’s name depends on the outcome of this
game.”

Watching Bailey disappear with the girls, I
became very aware I’d been ditched with the Johansson brothers. I
turned to get my bowling shoes and walked as slowly as possible.
Didn’t matter though. I still returned to find the men watching me.
They even had a new one to glare at me.

“
Hey, Dylan,” I said,
holding my orange ball. “You got rid of the Mohawk.”

Lark and Raven’s stepbrother ran his hand
over his bald head and sighed. “Yeah, I’d been thinking about going
the business man route for a while. Kept going back and forth about
cutting it. A few weeks ago, I got drunk at Lark’s place. The
sisters were nice enough to shave my head while I was passed
out.”

Nearby, Raven laughed so hard she had
trouble distracting Vaughn who was still trying to win the game.
Dylan glared at her then shrugged.

“
Gonna let it grow out and
play the average Joe shit.”

“
Good luck with that,” I
said, glancing at the bathroom and hoping Bailey would
appear.

When she didn’t, I walked to an open lane
and rolled the ball. It took out a single pin which was one more
than I expected. A lane away Raven struggled to win against Vaughn.
She bent over one direction. When her ass didn’t do it, she bent
forward and adjusted her tits. A distracted Vaughn missed his
strike with a single pin remaining.

Before I could hear him complain and her
celebrate, Cooper and Tucker appeared next to me.

“
I liked the way you
handled that fucker,” Tucker said, arms crossed tightly. “You
always know how to deal with these losers while looking like a Boy
Scout. A good skill to have.”

Ignoring them, I rolled the second ball and
managed to take out three pins. A new record for me.

“
What’s with the silent
shit?” Tucker asked.

Sighing, I looked at them and frowned. “I
want to be with Bailey. We just started dating, but here I am
jumping through hoops for you two. You do this shit with every
guy?”

“
Most are losers,” Cooper
said. “Most never do the second date thing. They bang then hang. If
they’re lucky, she never mentions it to us and we don’t kick
anyone’s ass. You’re the first boyfriend type she’s
had.”

“
Our family needs good
people,” added Tucker.

Cooper shifted his stance and shook his head
at his brother. “He doesn’t want that life. Nick wants to be a
teacher.”

“
Why?”

“
Who cares?” Cooper said.
“It’s what he wants. Sounds like a nice safe life for our little
sister, don’t you think?”

Tucker’s expression froze and his dopey
brain took awhile to put things together. By the time he figured it
out, I’d rolled a gutter ball, Bailey returned, and Vaughn declared
his wife a cheater.

“
It’s only fair!” Raven
cried as Vaughn threw her over his shoulder and spun her around.
“You’re a better bowler and I want to win. Cheating was the only
card I could play.”

“
Making me think some
fucker was looking at your ass was low, Raven.”

“
So is naming our first
born son Maverick. You’re just looking for trouble with a name like
that.”

Vaughn lowered her to her feet then grinned.
“My boys will be nothing but trouble. They’ll own this town and
chase pretty girls like Scarlet and Lily.”

“
Hey, keep your pervy kid
away from my daughter!” Tucker hollered, looking pissed.

Cooper grabbed his brother and they wrestled
onto the ground. By the end of pounding each other, they were both
laughing. Watching them, I imagined having such an easy way with
another guy. All my life men intimidated me. Even when they were
weak like Danny Boy, I didn’t trust them and never lowered my
guard.

Bailey glanced at where my ball returned to
me then she smiled awkwardly.

“
Having fun?”

“
Not really,” I said,
leaning down to kiss her neck. “When I agreed to bowl, I thought I
would see you bending over more. You can’t imagine my
disappointment.”

Bailey grinned. “I will make it up to
you.”

Her hair looked shiny in the dull light of
the alley. My fingers tingled and I lifted my hand without
thinking. Bailey’s gaze softened as I ran my fingers through the
soft strands.

“
I’m sorry my brothers are
hassling you.”

“
They’re fine,” I murmured
while my fingers moved to her warm skin. “I’ve never been on
display like this and it makes me edgy. I don’t want to lose
you.”

Bailey’s eyes widened just a hint in
response to my words. Or maybe she heard the need behind them. I
wanted her so badly everything else disappeared in comparison.

“
You guys want to get a
pizza?” Tucker asked loudly.

Stepping back, I hated looking away from
Bailey, but we were surrounded. Farah walked over and smiled.

“
You can have them put up
the bumpers, if you want?”

Cooper joined us quickly. “What are we
talking about?”

“
Bumpers,” Bailey said,
walking over to Vaughn

I looked at Farah’s bump. “How is Lark?”

“
Not great. She’s on bed
rest and going bananas stuck at home.”

“
Hey, eyes up here,” Cooper
growled when I looked at Farah’s bump for too long.