Mine to Take by Lila Fox
Chapter Twelve
The following day, Zoe opened her eyes and rolled over to find herself alone in the room. She tried not to be disappointed, but it was their first morning together. She reminded herself it was one of many.
She rolled out of bed, grabbed her bag, and walked into the bathroom.
After she showered and dressed, she made the bed and went in search of Savage.
There were people who’d crashed out on the sofas and even a few on the floor, and she cringed because when they woke up, they weren’t going to feel very well.
She stopped short when she walked into the kitchen to find Tara and Amelia but also Amelia’s husband leaning against the counter, drinking a cup of coffee. She had to admit to herself that the man terrified her. Hell, most of the people here did, but she hoped with time she’d get used to them. She couldn’t see herself ever get used to Fury or Traeger.
She cleared her throat. “Good morning.”
The two women smiled at her and said hi.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Sure,” Tara said. “We always appreciate any help we get.”
She walked around the island, staying as far away from Fury as she could, and washed her hands. “Just tell me what you need.”
“We’ll need more eggs, please,” Amelia said.
Zoe started scrambling more eggs and watched the other two.
“Has anyone seen Savage this morning?”
The women shook their heads, and then Amelia turned to Fury. “Do you know where he is?”
The other women must have gotten the same vibe because they both stiffened as she did at the look on his face.
“He left this morning.”
Zoe stared at him with her mouth open. He just left her to fend for herself. God, she’d been right. Once he’d had her, it was enough for him, and it made her the worst kind of fool to have believed him.
She looked away. “I see. Do you know when he’s coming back?”
“No, I’m sorry. When he’s in one of his moods, he usually just rides out. He could come back in an hour or a week.”
“Oh.” She turned and concentrated on the scrambled eggs. She knew the others in the room were staring at her, but she had no idea what to say. She felt like a complete fool, and so embarrassed.
Fury walked out, and the three women continued to get breakfast ready.
At one point, Amelia touched her arm. “I’m sorry. What are you going to do?”
“After I’m done helping, I’ll need someone to take me home.”
“I can get that to happen.”
“Do you think I did something to run him off?”
“No,” Tara said. “He’s just running scared. You made him feel too much. My guy did the same thing.”
“Really?”
Amelia wrapped an arm around her waist. “Yes, he did. And mine did something that drove me away. I’ll tell you that story later. You’ve got to know these men aren’t used to women like us.”
“Like us? What does that mean?” Zoe asked.
“We’re good people, and we care about others. Most of the guys came from rough childhoods, and they’re not used to women who want to take care of them. Both Tara and I have become surrogate mothers to most of them.”
Tara laughed. “They even call us mama.”
Zoe smiled. “Do you know about Savage’s childhood?”
Both women shook their heads.
“No, these guys are all pretty private and don’t talk about themselves too much. They also don’t like personal questions,” Amelia said.
Zoe nodded and had to stop talking because men and a few women started coming through the door to grab some breakfast. She enjoyed talking to some of them and caught herself smiling even if she felt like shit on the inside. She reminded herself it was better to find out now than later down the road when she could really get hurt.
An hour later, she wiped her hands on a towel Tara handed her.
“I’m going to go get my bag. You said you knew someone that would drive me home?”
Amelia nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want to stick around?”
“No, I enjoyed meeting you two very much, but if he runs like this every time… Well, I won’t be able to deal with it.”
The women nodded in understanding.
“I’ll be right back.”
After she packed her bag, she took a look around the room. Although it hurt a bit to be abandoned, she told herself she was better off knowing the type of man he was now than later when her feelings were more involved.
She hugged the women and thanked Fury before Bull drove her home.
“Hey, Zoe. Don’t give up on him.”
She turned in her seat to face him. “Bull, he’s the one who walked away, not me.”
“Yeah, but he’ll come back. He just doesn’t know how to deal with the way you make him feel, but he needs someone like you in his life. I’ve never seen him as happy or content as I do with you.”
She sighed and glanced out her window. “I don’t know what to say besides the fact I don’t know how to relate to someone like him, and frankly, with the way he acted today, I don’t even want to try. Hopefully, he’ll find another woman.”
Bull shook his head. “It will never happen. One thing I’ve noticed about bikers, especially my club, a man will only care for one woman, and no other will ever fill her place.”
“You’re trying to make me feel guilty.”
Bull snorted. “Fuck, no. I’m just telling you what I’ve noticed.”
“It won’t matter because I’ll never see him again. I doubt he’ll take a chance.”
Bull smiled. “Oh, I guarantee he’ll be coming for you. Just be prepared.”
She nodded. “All right. Thanks for the ride.”
“Take care.”
“You, too.”
