I step closer. “Don’t apologize for trusting your gut.”
She looks up at me then, eyes big and uncertain. And something inside me cracks open all over again.
This woman has no idea how much space she’s taking up in my chest already.
We get her settled in my room—one of the private ones set aside for officers even after retirement. It’s not fancy. Bed, dresser, old TV, a couple of photos tucked in the mirror frame. A sanctuary of sorts.
She runs her fingers over the leather jacket hanging on the wall. The patches. The weathered Hellions logo.
“You were President?” she asks softly.
“For a time.”
“Must’ve meant something,” she says.
“It did,” I admit. “Still does.”
She studies the patch, tracing the edge with delicate fingers, then looks back at me.
“What made you retire?”
“Needed a different life,” I say. “One with quieter mornings. Less responsibility. Fewer decisions that ruin men’s lives.”
“And they still respect you.”
“Respect doesn’t go away when you step down. Neither does the responsibility.”
Her expression warms. “You’re a good man.”
I look away because compliments like that do things to me I’m not prepared for.
“Tired one,” I correct. “Not always good.”
She smiles like she knows better.
Later, we go back to the hot rod shop so I can finish work I abandoned earlier. Holley sits on a stool watching me, legs swinging, hair messy from the ride, hoodie sleeves rolled twice so her hands peek out.
She looks comfortable here.
Too comfortable.
The guys drift in and out.
Sparx leans in the doorway. “So you’re Stud’s girl, huh?”
Holley opens her mouth to protest, but I don’t give her the chance.
“She’s not anyone’s girl,” I say, voice sharp enough that Sparx lifts his hands in surrender. “She’s a guest.”
Holley’s brows knit at that, but she doesn’t argue.
When he leaves, she asks quietly, “Is it bad for them to assume I’m yours?”
I grip the wrench a little tighter. “Not bad. Just inaccurate.”
She flinches—not visibly to most, but I know her now. Enough to see the small contraction in her shoulders.
“I didn’t mean—” I start, but she cuts me off softly.
