“Wasn’t a biker then,” I remind her, while trying to get my mind off her tits. “Just an Army grunt.” My Special Forces background will stay buried for now.
I was attracted to her sister once, maybe it’s not surprising to find my dick twitching at this undeniable beauty sitting opposite me.Been there, done that,I remind myself. I don’t want to be burned by a Mordrake woman again. Though if it wasn’t for history, I’d already be calculating how to get her into my bed for a night.
Luckily, oblivious to my thoughts, she turns her attention to my son. “And Ace, what do you want to do when you leave school? Are you going to college?”
Ace gulps and looks at me for help. We hadn’t yet gotten around to discussing his future. I reckon the kid thinks he’s getting all the education he needs courtesy of Genie and Pippa.Rescuing him, I enlighten her. “He’s probably going to study computer science.”
“Like I couldn’t do that in my sleep.” He scoffs. “I’m well past degree standard.”
Fuck. Ace isn’t wrong, but it’s not what she needs to hear.Raising a brow, I smirk at her. “The confidence of youth, eh?”
Josie had a laugh that used to grate on me. Toni’s? Well, it’s a pleasant tinkling sound that makes me want to amuse her again, just so I can hear more of it.
Ace, though, leans back and stubbornly crosses his arms. “I can hack any database you want me to get into.”
For fuck’s sake, shut up.I mentally try to transmit my warning to him, and, for good measure, lightly kick him under the table. Genius though he might be, he doesn’t know when to keep quiet. I decide then and there that there’ll be no one-to-one meetings between his aunt and him. Fuck knows what he’d tell her.
Toni seems amused by his bragging. “So, could you alter my bank account and wipe out my overdraft?”
Before he has a chance to tell her that he probably can, I place both my hands on the table and stand. “I’ve got to get back to the club. Ace, you ready?”
“Dad!” he protests. “Can’t I stay here with Aunt Toni?”
“Actually, I was going to extend an invitation for her to come back with us.” I raise a brow to the woman who looks so much like Josie, but who, as I’m quickly finding out, doesn’t much resemble her in anything else.
She gives a quick grin. “Visit a biker clubhouse? Now, how can a girl say no to an offer like that?”
Josie would have hesitated, would have been nervous about going somewhere new, when she was on her meds. I could never understand why one minute she was reluctant to do anything which, in her perception, had a little risk attached, and the nextshe was the life and soul of the party. Once I’d found out the diagnosis, it had all made sense. Especially that cringeworthy time when she begged me to stay and not go on a mission – something Uncle Sam wouldn’t have allowed even if I’d had the inclination.
I’d left my son alone with her for months.The thought of what might have happened during those months when they’d been alone had had me crashing to my knees and burying my head in my hands more times than I care to remember. While it doesn’t hit me so hard nowadays, I won’t go back on my vow to keep Ace safe, whatever it takes. And I won’t leave him alone with a woman who might have a hidden agenda, or an illness that could cause her to hurt him.
If she comes back to the club, my brothers will meet her. I value their opinion, and, plied with some drink, any mask she may be wearing might slip. I’d really like Pippa to meet her. She’s been trained to read people. If Antoinette has an ulterior motive, Saint’s woman might be able to ferret it out.
Never mind I actually find her attractive. I’ve already been fooled by one Mordrake female, and I won’t put myself in the same position again. No, I won’t allow a pretty face, sexy body, and legs that seem to go on for miles under that plain librarian-type skirt that clings to her ass and does nothing to hide her shapely thighs, to affect me.
Jumping out of his seat, Ace seems excited to take her back to what is his second home. He holds his hand out to her, and when she takes it, I feel a pang of regret, almost able to imagine him holding the hand of his mother.
What would it have been like if Josie had lived? Oh, I can’t see us still living together. But if she’d continued taking her meds, maybe she’d still be playing the role of his mom, and I’d be just a bystander, the provider, making sure they had everything they needed.
Would she have been able to cope with his autism diagnosis?
And would I have been content to stay on the sidelines? One thing is for sure, I’ll never regret being a hands-on dad, or having to raise him as a sole parent – with the help of my ma, that has to be said.
As we exit the coffee shop, I notice the car she approaches is a rental. It makes me realise I don’t know where she’s come from, or where she’s staying.
I try to rectify the gaps in my knowledge as Ace escorts her to her vehicle. “Where are you from?” I use a conversational tone to disguise my interrogation.
“When Dad and Mom split up, Dad wanted a fresh start. We moved to California, near San Diego, and then moved to Flagstaff when I was in my teens. I still live there now.” She’s happy to give me the information.
“You got a place to stay here?”
“Yup. I’m staying at the motel. Seems it’s the only option in town, but it’s not too bad.” She shrugs. “The rooms are clean, even if they’re not luxurious.”
“She could stay with us,” Ace says eagerly.
Wincing, knowing that my ma is just as suspicious as I am about why she’s here and whether we can trust her stated reason, I try to put it politely. “Your nana likes her privacy, son.” She’s also got a house full of guns, and wouldn’t hesitate to use them given a reason.
“I wouldn’t want to put anyone out. The motel’s fine, and I’ll only be staying a few days. I’ve taken leave from my job, so I can’t stay indefinitely.”
