I pressed my lips together. I wanted it more than almost anything, but… My life was a train wreck. “Can I take a rain check? The timing’s really bad, Ted.”
He brought one of his hands up and slid it behind my neck. “Savannah, life doesn’t wait for good timing. The bad shit happens out of nowhere, and often great shit happens when you least expect it, too, which means you can’t plan for decent timing.”
I stared into his blue eyes. “When did you become so sage?”
He smirked. “Fuck if I know.”
“This isn’t pity, is it?” I asked, and immediately wished I hadn’t.
His face came closer. “Are you shitting me?”
I arched my brows. “It’s a valid question, Punc. I mean, part of me thinks you’re only interested because you wanted to keep me from dancing and then I got beat up, and you’ve been blaming yourself for that.”
He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him. “Savannah, the moment I handed you a contestant number, Iwanted to haul you to the parking lot so you couldn’t dance because I wanted you right then and there. But I resisted—”
“So you could keep your job,” I said.
He closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. When he opened his eyes, they shone with patience. “No, because I wanted to talk to my sister. Not gonna do something that could ruin what you have with her, and I don’t want to have ill will with her either.”
“Really?”
He widened his eyes. “Yes, really. You’ve met Kyra, Dalton, and Nina. They’re the shit. I love spending time with them, and I’m not fucking that up.”
“Okay, I can see that.”
“The night I brought you pizza, I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t have a fuckin’ choice. Today… I got the day off—” A concerned look came over his expression. “Do you work tonight?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then, if you’re willing to give this a shot, I’m spending the day with you, and I want you to spend the night at the clubhouse with me.”
“That sounds like fun, but I should be here at night for Catalina.”
His head moved in a couple of short nods. “Okay. If we’re doing this, then sometime soon, I want you to spend the night with me there, because it’s a big part of who I am now. If you aren’t cool with that scene, I need to know that.”
“Are you breaking the law? I don’t want to become my mom and marry my Dad.”
His gaze sharpened. “Savannah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your Dad, but do you seriously think I’m anything like him?”
I sighed. “No, but you also didn’t answer the question.”
After a brief stare-down, he said, “I would never put you in danger.”
“Punc—”
“Honey, it’s club business, and most brothers don’t share that with their women. Do I break the law? Not really.”
I chuckled. “That isn’t a very good answer.”
“Do you speed?”
“Punc.”
He shrugged. “It’s breaking the law, Smythe. Nobody’s perfect all the time. And there are shades of gray in the world.”
“I hadn’t expected you to get philosophical on me.”
He grinned. “I’m a well-rounded man. To be fair, you didn’t answer my question, are you cool with me being a biker and hanging at the clubhouse?”
