Sadly, T.A. could understand the flip side too. Dalton wanted to be left alone and handle his grief in his own way. Grace had told Killyama how close her parents had been before Oceane’s death. It had to be hard on him seeing other couples and be confronted with the memories of the years he had been with his wife as a constant reminder of what he no longer had. With the holiday being so close, it had to make it a hundred times worse.
Losing someone so deeply loved could send you on a search for someone else to fill the heartbreaking void; or set forth on an opposite route, determined to spend the rest of your life alone.
So far, from what Grace had told Killyama, Dalton was determined to do the latter. She felt her stomach roll at the thought of the woman who would be lucky to change his mind. And some women would try. Dalton was famous, screamingly sexy, and one fine-looking man.
He looked like a man in his late thirties, compared to most men in their fifties she knew. Hell, Bear had been in his early thirties, and she hadn’t missed that limp noddle; he thought was the cat’s meow. Between the beer, ’roids, and pills he’d been constantly popping, she was going without more than hitting a homerun. It would have been easier to raise the Titanic with one hand than get a rise out of his limp dick.
The best day of her life had been when he took off running to avoid going to jail for nearly killing Lucky. If he hadn’t left most of his shit at her apartment when he took off, she would have been even happier. But a girl couldn’t have it all.
“Don’t joke,” T.A. whispered to her out of the corner of her mouth. “I thought about it.”
Sex Piston moved closer to her, so they could talk without anyone overhearing. “Why didn’t you?”
“I promised you that I wouldn’t make a slut of myself anymore.”
She raised finely arched brows at her.
“Bitch, don’t let me stop you. I didn’t want you making a fool of yourself with those low-class fuckers you’ve been doing. I would do Dalton fucking Andrews if I weren’t married. Damn, there isn’t a woman in this room who hasn’t imagined fucking him after watching his movies. Shit, when Stud wants to watch his movies, you think I complain? Hell fucking no. I tell him to put that bad boy on! I can watch a little Dalton fucking Andrews anytime he wants to before going to bed.”
T.A. had to press her lips together to keep from laughing at the way Sex Piston’s head was bopping around to make her point. Stud was watching them suspiciously, as if he knew what his wife was talking about.
“Be careful. Stud will hear you,” she warned.
“Pft! You think he don’t know? I’ve had him rewind the scene where he’s running down a street to jump on the back of that tractor trailer fifty times. Damn, I might watch it tonight when we get home. Just do me a favor, if he isn’t any good, don’t tell me. I don’t think I could live with it if he isn’t.”
T.A. looked at her like she was crazy. “Like I’ll get a chance to know. I wouldn’t be his type in a million years. You know how beautiful his wife was. Besides, he’s not ready to do another woman yet.”
“How do you know? Can you see what he’s thinking? You’ve never been afraid of going for it. Don’t you fucking stop now. Your ass might not be on a runway, but you’re hot. I would do you if I were a dude. If Stud didn’t love me so much, he would too.”
“Really?” T.A. sent Stud a smoldering glance.
“No, I was joking. But he might if I were dead, and I told him to in my will.”
“Aw, you did that for me?”
“Bitch, get over yourself. I’m not going to die anytime soon, and if I do, I plan to take him with me. You think I’m going to leave him for you or some other bitch? Hell fucking no. There’s no ‘Till death do us part.’ That motherfucker is going with me.” Sex Piston gave her a dirty look. “I was just trying to give you some encouragement, not hand my man over to you on a silver platter.”
“If I died, I would leave Dalton to you in my will.”
“You don’t have him yet. When you do, we can talk.”
“Okay,” she said, turning to leave.
“Where you going?” Sex Piston snapped.
“I’m going to go get him.”
9
The kitchen was filled with the Last Riders, but T.A. didn’t see Dalton in the midst of the bikers lounging around the table, nor in the den to the side. Moon gave her a shake of his head as a warning she wasn’t allowed to go down to the basement, where she knew some of the bikers liked to hang out. Backing off, she went to the dining room, coming out back in the living room.