Hansel 7

Hansel 7
Gretal

Shower, clean clothes and coffee.

In that exact order was what I needed and then I needed to be on the road. I had promised that I would be staying for the weekend. Everyone had expected me to stay and catch up but after last night I just couldn't stand the thought of facing Hansel again.

When I had snuck into his room, the last thing I had expected was for him to tell me no. Hansel never said no to getting sweaty with me. Or at least he never used to.

Why couldn't he understand that we were no good together as a couple and just let me go? I couldn't be in his life and watch him fuck his way through every woman in a ten-mile radius on a regular basis. And that's what he would do if I gave him another chance. 

As far as I knew he had never been with another woman when we were together but it had only been a matter of time before he did. I had just left before that could happen. I had ridden away before he could break my heart more than his words had. 

Climbing into his bed had been a mistake, and not even one I could blame on alcohol. I hadn't been drunk last night. I had just wanted to be with him. I still wanted to be with him, which was the reason I had to leave.

I had a job to do. One that I wasn't particularly keen to do but I would do it as a favour to Fang, I would do it for those women as well. They deserved someone looking out for them even if they weren't around to see it. 

No one else was awake or sober enough to say goodbye to so I didn't bother pausing before heading out towards my bike. Hansel would be pissed when he woke up and I wasn't there but I knew he at least expected me to be gone when he woke up. 

It was easier to go now and sidestep the awkward goodbye. And it would be awkward. My husband wanted me back. Back in his life, back on his arm and back in his bed, and he was too tempting to stay around.

I would throw myself into the job given to me, and once it was done I would carry on my regular work. And I wouldn't come back. Being in the Savage Sons territory was too hard, being close to Hansel was almost impossible. 

“Gretal?”

I turned, just metres away from the gleaming blue paint of my bike. Plastering a smile on my face, I greeted Pope like an old friend because that's exactly what he was. “Hey Pope. I didn't expect you to be awake.”

More likely I had hoped no one would be awake.

“I haven't been to sleep yet.” Pope's dark eyes took me in, and the smile on his face faded into nothing. “You're leaving?”

I didn't say anything; I couldn't deny it. 

“And you weren't even going to say goodbye?”

I frowned. I couldn't deny that either. Instead, I just shrugged. “I thought it was best. You know I'm not one for long emotional goodbyes.”

Pope's laugh was mocking. “Yeah we all know that. Hansel most of all.”

I started at his words. What the hell did he mean by that? But I didn't have to ask because I already knew. 

“I thought seeing you and Hansel together that you two might be...”

“No,” I cut him off. “Me and Hansel aren’t…”

“Because of you and Gio?” Pope shook his head. “Everyone saw you leave with him, Gretal. What the hell are you thinking? Sleeping with Gio when Hansel was right there? I've always known you were cold, but Jesus.”

Pope thought I was sleeping with Gio? And if he thought that then so did everyone else. Part of me wanted to laugh at how ludicrous it was. But in a way it was perfect, it made me shudder, but it was the perfect cover story. 

“Don't judge me, Pope. Not you. You're not exactly a boy scout.”

Throwing back his head, Pope laughed. “No I'm not, but Sylvie is fine with it as long as she is involved. I'm not judging you, Gretal. All I'm saying is that you could have chosen someone else. Someone who doesn't have a giant stick up his designer covered ass.”

For a second, I stared at him. It wasn't the first time he had made his interest in me clear in the last twenty-four hours. I had known Pope and his old lady Sylvie for years. And never once had he tried it on with me. I had never known him to disrespect his wife so blatantly. 

Men were all assholes. 

All of them

“Someone like you?” I needed him to say it out loud. 

“Maybe, Gretal. I think we could have fun together. But someone other than Gio, anyway. You can do better.”

I bit back the urge to tell him Sylvie could do better. “I'll keep it in mind, Pope. But it won't be today.” Or ever, I added silently. “I need to get going.”

“Work?”

The way he said it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Pope was creeping me out. Not by what he was saying, but by how he was saying it. I had a sneaky suspicion that he was trying to find something out rather than truly hitting on me. Gio and Fang would want to know. 

“Yeah,” I finally answered him with a shrug. “Was good seeing you, Pope. Hopefully I get to see you again soon.”

Pope's rough fingers brushed against the back of my hand. “I hope you do as well.”

Something was going on with him, and I was going to find out what it was. 



I was maybe five miles outside town, and my nerves were finally starting to calm down, when a bike overtook me and slowed. Being on the open road always did that. It gave me time to clear my head. My brain focuses solely on the road ahead of me and the powerful machine between my thighs. 

I frowned. I had been so caught up in just being present that I hadn't even heard it approach. It wasn't until it was ahead of me that I knew it was there. One of the Sons had followed me. For a second, I thought it might be Pope, but one quick glance at the bike and I knew it was someone so much worse than him.

I recognised the Harley. The sleek black paint and shining chrome. The heavy machine would have been too much for me to handle but it was no problem for Hansel.

My soon to be ex-husband had chased after me. 

There would be no quiet escape for me this time.

Slowing, he motioned with his hand for me to pull over. I didn't want to, but if I didn’t then he would just chase me until I did. It would be better to get this over and done with.

Swinging myself off the bike, my boots sank into the wet grass on the side of the road. I waited for him to do the same.

“Take your helmet off, Gretal.” There was no hello from my husband, only a growling command that made my insides flutter with unexpected need. He stalked towards me, all barely contained rage and sex appeal. And he oozed sex appeal. He always had. 

Not giving me a chance to do anything, two big hands tugged it from my head. My blonde hair was in disarray. 

“Why did you fucking sneak out of my bed like a thief in the night, Gretal?” Idly, he smoothed one hand down over my wayward locks, flattening them back down. Just like he always used to. 

“I didn't sneak out. I left. There's…” The words died on my lips as his head lowered angrily over mine. 

His face was furious but his lips on mine were unbelievably soft. With a sigh, mine parted under his. 

This was the reason I had to leave. Why we couldn't be around one another.

“I love you, Gretal. You drive me crazy, but I love you.” He broke away, thrusting his hands deep into his pockets. “You should have woken me up to say goodbye.”

“And what good would it have done? I'm not staying, Hansel. I have a job to do.”

“I wasn't going to ask you to stay. I know you have a job to do. I hate it, but I respect you enough to realise you need to help those women.” Hansel's hand tightened around my waist, bringing me against his chest. “I'm asking you to come back.”

Whatever I wanted to say died on my lips as I breathed just one word. 

“Hansel.”

“I'm bad without you, Gretal. Totally fucking lost. All I'm asking is for one chance to make this right between us because without you I feel like I'm sinking, drowning. Do what you need to do but come back to me at the end of it.”

I wanted to, God I wanted to. 

And if I was honest with myself, I was lost without him as well.

“Just think about it, ok?” Again Hansel kissed me, and this time there was nothing gentle about it. He conquered me with his lips. And I was powerless to do anything but kiss him back. Growing up, I had always thought Hansel was my future. Now as a grown ass woman I could only hope he still was. 

“I'll think about it, Hansel. But things need to change. We can't go back to how we were… We…”

He silenced me with his lips. Right there on the side of the road, the world drifted away, until there was nothing but me and him. Just it always was.