“Would you like me to push the chair or your boyfriend?” the nurse asked.
Savannah blushed. “Oh, he’s—”
“You handle it. I’m guessing you know the most direct route,” he interrupted.
Not only was it none of the nurse’s business, but he also wanted Savannah to be a little off-kilter.
The nurse nodded. “You’re right.”
They made their way downstairs in silence.
“You want to hurry ahead and pull the car around?” the nurse asked.
Punc shrugged a shoulder. “I parked at the front.” That earned him a glower. “Sorry, but I knew she’d be gettin’ out.”
Ten minutes later, they were in his Honda CR-V and speeding along I-10.
“Why… never mind,” Savannah said.
He kept his eyes pinned to the road. “Why what, Savannah?”
She huffed out a breath. “I don’t understand why you let the nurse think you were my boyfriend.”
He fought off a grin. “I figured it didn’t hurt anything since you won’t see that woman again.”
After a moment, she nodded. “All right. That’s good because Turk made it pretty clear, dancers don’t date customers or staff.”
“Did he?” Punc asked.
“Yeah, but you know that.”
His fingers drummed on the steering wheel. “I know how much they make it clear to the rest of us.”
He felt her eyes on him, but kept quiet.
She hesitated so long, he wondered if she was going to let it go. Then she asked, “Why do you sound so bitter? Do you wish you could pursue something with Heaven?”
He choked back a laugh. “No. Why would you think that?”
She scoffed. “Your bitter tone for one thing. The way Heaven flirted with you and looked at you in the hospital room for another.”
They had exited the Interstate. While they waited at a traffic light he speared Savannah with a look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about with Heaven. If she was flirting with me, I missed it.”
“Oh. Then why so bitter?”
Traffic moved and he faced forward to concentrate. “Not bitter, but I want more than that taste we had on Wednesday night. Our timing is bad. Under other circumstances, I’d tell the brothers I don’t give a damn about the rules. But, shit isn’t right at Platinum’s, and I don’t want to cause another problem for the club.”
“Oh,” she said in a small voice.
“That doesn’t mean I’m staying away from you. Someone has to make sure you’re safe. Now, I walked in on the last bit of this ‘plan’ Desiree mentioned. Are you coming to the club tomorrow?”
She nodded. “Yep, in the afternoon.”
“Keep your guard up.”
From the corner of his eye, he caught her stare. “The police came by my room early this morning. They said it was a robbery gone wrong.”
He pressed his lips together. “Right. That doesn’t change the fact it’s better to be safe than sorry, and you and Cat are living alone in that house.”
