She stiffens.
“I don’t like it, and I really don’t like leaving.” Her arms cross protectively. The weight of the fear settling over her. I hate this shit. I brush my fingers over her wrist. “Need to know you’ll call Honey.”
“I’ll call Honey,” she whispers. “But what about you? How do I know you’re safe?”
“Jo, there ain’t nothin’ gonna keep me from coming right back here to you.” I lean over kissing her softly. “I love you, Josie.”
She meets my gaze with tears in her eyes. “You come back, we’re not playing house, we’re moving in together. I have a lease but it’s going to be up in a few months. I know you own your house, but you can move in here with us if you would rather, we didn’t invade your space.”
I smile. “Baby, my space is your space. While I’m gone, you and Justice stay at my house. You got a key on your key chain, I expect you to use it. You got me?”
She nods, biting her bottom lip. “I don’t like this part of club life, but I understand it’s necessary.”
“I’ll be back soon as I can. Until then, you move to my place. And I should have shared this sooner, but it really sounds absurd to explain. Your lease is irrelevant since I own the house.”
She gasps, “what! The fence it was for you.” She seems to be realizing things.
“Yeah. I own the cul-de-sac as rental properties. The house on the other side of you I purposely left empty after Country Boy gave me the short version of the situation with your ex. I needed the circle to be a controlled environment for your safety. The house beside me is an elderly couple with a primary house in Ohio. When the snow gets too much, they come here for a month or two until they are ready to deal with the cold some more.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I’ve always looked out for you out of circumstance and I’m always going to look out for you. Just now, it’s because I am in love with you.”
She reaches up wrapping her hands around my neck and pulling me in for a kiss. “I love you too, Dean.”
I get lost in our kiss and I want nothing more than to take her to bed to make love to her entire body. I can’t though and leaving simply sucks.
Giving Justice a quick goodbye, I don’t drag it out, so he doesn’t overthink it and get upset. Climbing on my bike, I feel her watching me. The engine roars to life under me and she stands in her doorway giving me a soft wave.
Yes, I love her.
Josie
Two days.
No calls. No texts. No sign of Dean.
I tell myself not to overthink it. He’s fine. This is club business. It’s what he has to do.
But that doesn’t stop my stomach from twisting every time I glance at my phone, every time I hear a bike rumble in the distance and wonder if it’s his.
Justice doesn’t notice—thank God for that. He thinks we are house sitting for Dean and loves that it’s a different space for him. He’s happy enough playing outside, riding his bike up and down the driveway like he’s training for the Tour de France. But me?
I need a damn distraction.
I grab my phone and scroll through my contacts until I land on Sara’s name.
An hour later, Sara’s on my couch, Honey’s at my kitchen counter pouring drinks, and I finally feel like I can breathe again.
“You did the right thing calling us,” Sara says, pulling her feet up under her. “No sulking allowed.”
“I wasn’t sulking.”
Honey snorts. “Girl, please. You’ve been checking that phone every five minutes.”
I glare at her, but she just grins and hands me a drink. “Here. Alcohol helps.”
I roll my eyes but take it anyway.
