“Why are you talking about us like we’re not here?” Ty asked.
Allie’s gaze shot to her brother. Mocking anger, she smirked. “Because we’re ignoring you.”
He let out an exasperated sigh, threw his hands in the air then took a seat. “Don’t get what the big deal is.”
“The big deal is you can’t… Never mind.” Tina had a point. No matter how many times she explained, he wouldn’t understand. Still, it peeved her. “I may decide to go on a road trip Sunday.”
Tyler shot out of his chair. “I won’t let you leave.”
Jace’s gaze shot to Ty. He tensed.
“Oh, yeah? How do you plan to do that?”
“Easy. I’ll sleep on your couch.”
Damn. He could even if she didn’t let him in. When she moved in, she gave him a key. “I’ll change the locks.”
His hands turned to fists. He clenched his jaw. She grinned.
“
Allie.
” He pronounced each syllable, his tone firm.
“Fine, I’ll go, but I’m not going because you want me to. I’m going for Tina.” His narrowed eyes didn’t soften, so she smiled and added, “There’s a big teddy bear underneath that temper.”
He fought a smile for several moments, and suddenly, he burst out laughing. “Don’t say that in front of the guys.”
She turned to Tina, whose mouth hung open. Tina shook her head. “Can’t believe it. Never seen that…” Her eyes filled with glee. “You’re amazing, and you
have
to teach me how to do that.”
“Shit,” Jace muttered under his breath.
Her smile widened. “I’ll teach you everything I know.”
Chapter Twelve
Allie dreaded the cookout for no apparent reason. Jace would be there, but apparently the sexually liberated women wouldn’t, or so she heard from Mia and Lynn. Despite having moved, they remained her allies.
She hadn’t told them about her encounter with Jace, but they knew something happened. Mia told her the next day Jace had been looking for her. Mia, smart and borderline psychic, knew something happened. Luckily, she hadn’t pushed for details. Luckily, because Allie couldn’t force herself to repeat it.
When Tyler showed up at her apartment Sunday, she attempted to hide her nerves, the best she could. Of course, though, her brother, being smart and in tune to her, sensed it.
“Allie, you gonna tell me what’s up?”
She walked past him. “Nothing.”
He gripped her elbow, tugging her around. “I’m not stupid, Allie. I notice shit, and I sense shit, too, probably the reason I’m still alive. So I know some shit’s going on, and I wanna know what it is. One of the guys make you feel uncomfortable?”
She hated lying to brother, hated being put in the position to lie to him, but she would. Tyler and Jace were close, closer than he was with any of the other guys. It had something to do with them serving together, and she wasn’t willing to risk their friendship because of her.
She was extremely, utterly, and undeniably attracted to Jace, and it wasn’t either of their faults, but her brother would kill for her. One slip and she could destroy the relationship they’d build over the course of seven years; years she hadn’t been around. While she lived in New York, living lies, Ty built a life for himself. She wouldn’t destroy it, even if Jace deserved it. He didn’t, not in her eyes.
“Don’t tell me if you don’t want to. I’m not gonna be Dad. I’m not gonna force you to do shit you don’t want to do. So if you don’t wanna come, then don’t. But I know some shit happened, and I wanna know what it was. But again, I’m not gonna force you to tell me ’cause I know you.
“I know you love me, and I know you don’t wanna fuck up shit between me and my brothers, but
you’re
important. You’re more important to me than any of this shit. In a fuckin’ second, I’d throw this away for you, Allie, only for you, ’cause you’re my blood and my sister and ’cause I know how my brothers are. You gotta tell me, and I can make it better. If I can’t, I’ll fuckin’ leave this shit behind, and we’ll go. You and me. It doesn’t mean I don’t fuckin’ love them, the club, and this life I’ve built. It just means I love you more.”
Her heart clenched. Why was he so good to her? She couldn’t understand how her brother had become this amazing man when their father was such a dick.
She shook her head. “Ty, I’m fine. I promise.”
His eyes scanned her face, and then he released a breath. “When you’re ready to talk about it, come to me. We’ll talk. Just don’t lie, Allie. Right now, you’re lying.”
“Did you ever think maybe I want to build my own life, Ty? The club is your life. I moved here…after everything…to be close to you, but I have to find my own way like you did.”
He paused for a second. The tension in his shoulders dissipated, and he nodded. “I get it, just wish you’d figure that shit out under my roof.”
She smiled then bit the side of her lip. “Let’s go or we’ll be late.”
Ty drove his SUV to the compound and parked around back beside the slew of bikes and cars. She pulled herself out, and they walked the distance to the back gate. It was sunny and hot, and she wore a pair of shorts and a white shirt. He opened the gate for her, and she strode through, finally summoning the courage to look up. Her eyes gravitated to him.
Jace looked good, wearing a pair of faded jeans and his cut. He stood beside the large grill with a beer in hand, talking to Stone, who manned the grill. She forced her eyes away and spotted Tina and Della walking toward her. She smiled.
“Hi, Allie,” Della said, giving her a hug.
“Hi, Della.”
Della turned to Ty. “Hi, Ty.”
Tyler kneeled in front of her and opened his arms. “What? I don’t get a hug?”
Smiling, Della wrapped her arms around Ty, embracing him, too.
She shifted her attention to Tina. “Hi.”
“Hi, glad you could make it.”
She rolled her eyes playfully and spared a glance at her brother. “Like I had a choice.”
Tina laughed.
They took seats on a picnic table. She perused her surroundings. Besides Stone, Jace, and Blaze, she didn’t see anyone else. The double doors in the back of the building opened. Several others drifted out including Mia, Lynn, and much to her surprise, Tiffany, headed for them. Lynn took a seat across from her. Mia sat beside her. Tiffany took a seat next to Tina. They chatted for a while, Allie fighting the urge to look in Jace’s direction.
Stone whistled, then nodded to Mia. She stood. “My cue. Gotta get the sides.”
“I’ll help.” She wanted to get away from the heat and Jace.
They headed inside to the kitchen, bumping into Dash and Cuss who were headed outside. Each of them grabbed a side. They had it all: macaroni salad, bean casserole, roasted potatoes, mac and cheese, and cole slaw. Outside, they set the sides and buns on the picnic table beside the grill and cooler, and then Stone began assembling the burgers and hotdogs.
Everyone crowded the area. Allie decided to wait and headed back to the table where they’d been sitting. She spotted Cuss sipping a beer, his eyes intense and focused behind her. She turned and spotted the object of his affection—Tiffany. Warmth settled in her chest. He looked at her the way every woman wanted to be looked at, like he lived and breathed for her and her alone.
She took a seat next to him, grabbing the beer she left on the table that had since gone warm.
He spared a glance at her. “Hey, Classy. How you been?”
She shrugged. “Good, and you?”
His gaze still intense and on Tiffany. “Good.”
“All you have to do is look at her.”
He straightened, his upper body turning to her, and then his sapphire gaze pierced hers. “Come again?”
“Tiffany. All you have to do is look at her.”
His eyes widened, but he didn’t say a word.
“Don’t look at me like that. You know what I mean.”
Shaking his head, he chuckled. “No, I don’t.”
“Are you fishing for a compliment?”
He gave her a level stare. “Really don’t know what you’re gettin’ at, Classy.”
“Okay, well…all you have to do is look at her. If she’s looking at your eyes, she won’t be able to look away.”
He drew away slightly, his eyes scanning her face, and then he smiled. “Can’t believe you just said that.”
She took a sip of her warm beer. “I’m not telling you anything you shouldn’t already know.”
His eyes darkened. “Bikers got reps, and she’s like you. She—”
Her brows furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“She’s class like you. Her parents got money. She went to college, graduated top of her class. I barely graduated from high school, didn’t go to college, and I gotta record. I ain’t worth two looks from her. She dates clean-cut, pretty boys with college degrees who don’t fuckin’ curse.”
Her chest clenched. “Cuss…” Having no idea what to say to that, she hesitated. Her eyes instinctually gravitated to Jace, who handed Della a hamburger. She then managed to tell a truth. “All a woman wants is to be loved, really loved. If you think you can love her, treat her with respect, and not cheat, she’d be a fool not to take you up on the offer.”
He hesitated. The whole time, his gaze on her. Finally, he shook his head. “You’re somethin’ else, Classy. Don’t even want to call you Classy. Feel like it should’ve been somethin’ else, somethin’ that means more, ’cause, babe, you ain’t nothin’ like you appear to be.”
She smiled.
“It’s a fuckin’ sweet thing to say. The sweetest thing a woman like you can say to a man like me, but I don’t believe that shit for a second.”
He looked away from her, then went to take a pull of his beer. She placed her hand over his arm, stopping him. He turned his head, and his eyes hit hers.
“I didn’t say it because it’s sweet, Cuss. I said it because it’s the truth. I’m not going to lie to you. Yes, there are women who want a man with a college degree, money, and whatever else, just like there are women who’ll spread their legs just because you wear a cut. I won’t pretend I know Tiffany well because I don’t, but from what I know about her…the way she acts and talks, the fact she works at a daycare, and is here means she’s not one of those women. There’s also a reason she’s single, why it hasn’t worked out with any of those college, pretty boys. Are you going to let her get away?”
He swallowed, holding her stare. “You don’t know the whole story. It’s fuckin’ complicated.”
“You’re right. I don’t, but I saw you looking at her. Every woman wants to be looked at like that.”
His jaw clenched, eyes narrowed. “Fuck,” he hissed.
She supposed a biker didn’t like to hear he’d been staring at a girl with his heart in his eyes.
She jerked her hand away from his arm. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“Fuck, Classy.”
She began to shift away. “I’m sorry—”
He grabbed her wrist firmly, holding her still. “How was I lookin’ at her?”
She swallowed, unsure if she should tell him. “It may make you angrier.”
“Tell me.”
“You looked at her like…” She meant to say like he loved her, but felt it may be too much for him to handle. Instead, she borrowed Jace’s words. “…like the sun rises and sets on her.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I saw it—”
He shook his head. “How do you know every woman wants to be looked at like that?”
She hesitated. Looking away from him, she whispered, “Because that’s how I want to be looked at.”
His eyes widened. They held each other’s gazes for a long moment.
“Cuss? What the fuck?”
God, her brother sure knew how to pick the best moments.
Cuss released her and stood, facing Ty. “Nothin’, brother. Just talkin’.”
“We’re having a conversation, Ty,” she said, simultaneously.
Tyler fisted his hands, and then his eyes sliced to her. “Yeah, so why do you look like someone killed your puppy?”
Her eyes narrowed. She stood, closing the distance between her and her brother. “Never had a puppy, Ty.”
The muscle in his jaw jumped.
“Cuss has been nothing but nice to me. If you pick a fight with him, I’m not talking to you.”
His lips twitched, fighting a smile, and then he chuckled. Why this amused him, she didn’t know. She stared at him blankly.
Once he sobered, he said, “You can’t go a week without talking to me, Allie. Stop fooling yourself.”
Damn. He was right. When he’d been in the military, the longest they’d gone without speaking was a month, and those months were the worst. She worried constantly. When he got out, they talked two to three times a week.
She smirked. “Try me.”
“I’ll try not to. Now, go get food.”
She smiled and walked away.
“Miracle.”
She spun and met Cuss’s gaze.
“That’s what I’m gonna call you.”
Her smile widened.
Chapter Thirteen
True to custom, Trig spent Saturday with Della. He took her to the park, and then they watched a movie. Now, they were headed to dinner at Anthony’s.
Arriving at the restaurant, he parked, helped Della out, and headed to the entrance. They walked inside, hand in hand, and he instinctually scanned the restaurant, stopping dead when he spotted her.
Allie. She sat in the far corner, facing the entrance. Her hair loose around her shoulders and styled in curls. Wearing a blue top, a genuine smile spread across her lips.
Without thought, he took a step in her direction. She stood, and he realized it wasn’t a top, but a dress that fit snugly against her frame.
His view of her was blocked a second later when a blond-haired man sitting across the booth from her stood.
His chest tightening and stomach knotting, Trig stopped dead in his tracks. Fuck. She was on a date with a pretty boy with class, like her. He didn’t need to see the man’s face to know it.
Jealousy flooding him, his whole body tensed. He tore his gaze away, wondering if this was how she felt when she caught him with a tap.
No, it felt worse, much worse. He hadn’t caught her sitting on the guy’s lap with his hands on her ass. Still, he’d paid double. It hadn’t been enough to see her at the cookout in tiny shorts sitting close to Cuss with her hand on his arm. He meant to talk to her, but after seeing that, he lost the will along with the courage. She made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with him. She hadn’t even glanced his way. Now, he caught her on a date, and still, it fucking hurt.