THE NEXT MORNING WE arrived at the bike shop, and Rocket was already there working, and the shop was open. We’d stopped to get coffee at the coffee shop first, and Harley had clearly known Rocket would be here, since we’d grabbed one for him too.
Harley placed it on Rocket’s counter, and Rocket grinned at him.
“Aw it’s like you love me, man.”
“Shut it,” Harley grumbled, as he waited until I was sitting, and eased my chair under the desk, showing me that delicious strength that I loved so much.
“Get to work, baby. The sooner you finish that, the sooner we can get you on my project.”
“What project is that, man? You keep hinting at shit, but you’re not explaining it.”
I hid my smile as Rocket wound Harley up, as he always did, and Harley sighed heavily.
“Club business, brother, as in you’ll know when it’s time for you to fucking know. Got it?”
Rocket laughed easily, enjoying winding Harley up as much as I think it probably bugged my man.My man. He was definitely my man, even if he clearly had some kind of emotional trauma from fathering a child so young. I wasn’t worried at all about that. Okay, pregnancy kind of terrified me, because ugh, it’s all so gross, and I wasn’t the kind to invite pain in for any reason, and then babies, ugh even grosser.
“Stop thinking about babies, idiot,” I hissed at myself, and Harley froze. I hadn’t realised he was hovering over me again, but now I noticed.
“What’s that?”
Ugh. I lifted my hands. “Weird thoughts, you know this. You signed up for it,wow… not your best braining, huh, Harls?”
Rocket burst out laughing again, and honestly, I was starting to enjoy him being around. He was fun, even when he was doing his best to annoy Harley or Grease.
“Not my best braining huh?” Harley leaned close, his lips tickling my ear. “I’m so looking forward to making you pay for all that sass later, baby.”
“Thanks for the coffee, Harls,” Rocket taunted, and I knew without even looking that Harley had just flipped him off.
“That’s VP to you, fucker.”
“Oooooh someone’s getting pissy!”
A customer walked in then, so Rocket piped back down, and disappeared into his spray booth, and I focused on scanning and uploading the last of Rocket’s pictures. An hour later, I was showing him the finished online directory, and even coping with his proximity while he leaned over my desk to check it out.
“This is fucking amazing! Why didn’t I do this before? Oh, that’s right, because I don’t know how to do shit like this. Caroline, you’re a goddess!” His heavy hand landed on my shoulder, and I practically yelped as I wrenched away from his touch, as he cursed. A moment later there was a sharpmovement behind me, the thud-slap of flesh hitting flesh, and a pained grunt from Rocket.
That was followed by apologies from him, over and over, as Harley crouched down beside me and dragged my chair to face him.
“You okay, baby? Hey, just breathe, okay?” I found breathing so much easier with Harley beside me, but I was feeling awful for him punching Rocket, because that was obviously what just happened, wasn’t it?
“You hit him?” Harley grinned, glancing over my head before he met my eyes again.
“He’s fine. He likes it, don’t worry.”
“Prick,” Rocket murmured as he disappeared into the bathroom, and returned with a wad of tissue pressed against his nose.
“He’s really fucking sorry, aren’t you, Rocket?”
The poor man groaned as I watched him nervously.
“Of course I am, and I realised my mistake the second I did it. Honestly punching me seems like overkill. I was gonna apologise.”
Harley clenched his jaw, and looked over his shoulder at Rocket.
“I’m not hearing an apology for my old lady, man. To her face.”
Rocket’s eyes widened in response, and I gasped.
