Page 89 of Elling & Jackie

Chapter 34

Elling followed Jackieinside the hotel room. She bent over and untied, unstrapped, and toed off her boots. Without stopping to see what he was doing; she walked into the bedroom and took off her shirt.

She wanted to strip away the day, and any reminder of their date, and forget that he brought up wanting to speak to Chief about their relationship.

Grabbing a hoody out of the closet, she pulled the material over her head. Then, she grabbed an elastic and wound her hair into a messy bun.

In her own place. In her old clothes. She expected the incited panic over their conversation to leave her. But, if anything, she was more wound up.

She was still mad.

She was still scared.

She was still confused.

Marching into the main room, she found Elling standing by the door. "I'm going to call it a night. You should leave. We can talk another time."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Suit yourself." She plopped down on the couch and then jumped to her feet again. "You promised to keep our relationship secret."

He nodded once. "I never expected to fall in love with you."

"What does that have to do with meeting my dad and telling him how we feel about each other?" Her body vibrated. He loved her?

Every muscle quaked in frustration over her inability to fix the direction their day had gone. Why couldn't he be happy spending the day and night with her without bringing up her family?

If he was falling in love with her, wouldn't he want to stay together? Going to Chief would be a straight highway to losing each other.

"It's the right thing to do," he said.

She scoffed. The reaction hurt her throat. From rumors, she had a hard time believing any member of Slag Motorcycle Club had a conscious when it came to right or wrong.

"I love you," he whispered.

His blue eyes pooled into liquid. Blinking rapidly, it was her tears blurring him as if she needed to erase everything associated with him.

She was losing him. Couldn't he see that?

Crumbling inside, she opened her mouth to beg him not to tell her family. Nothing good would come of him talking to Chief.

She knew her dad and brothers better than anyone. They would never allow a Slag member to steal her from the family.

"I..." She gasped, unable to express what he meant to her.

In such a short time, he'd shown her what it was like to have all her dreams at her fingertips. His attention had never wavered from hers, and she woke up every morning looking forward to seeing him. Without even knowing, she had put him first in her life, dreaming about the future, and wanting to experience all the goodness that would come with loving him.

She swallowed, unable to see him clearly as the dampness of her tears spilled down her cheeks.

Reduced to sobs, she couldn't figure out if her emotional state came from hormones or her heart breaking. She wasn't a crier until she'd met him.

"I love you, too," she whispered brokenly.

He stepped toward her. Her back bent, and she pressed her hand to her stomach to keep from falling apart.

"I don't want to lose you." Her body weakened. "I just want things to stay the same and have you with me."

He reached her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her head to his chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, hearing his heart pound against her ear. Was it so wrong to want to stay in his embrace forever and nothing change?