“Are you her boyfriend?” She held up two of her dolls. “Like Darby and Ken?”
“Nah, just her friend.”
“Then, who’s your girlfriend?”
“Don’t have one.”
Her lips pursed like she didn’t approve of my answer. “How come?”
Before I had a chance to answer, the front door flew open, and Rebecca came rushing inside. She was dressed in casual clothes, jeans with a nice top and jacket, and while she looked incredible, it wasn’t something she’d typically wear to one of her work meetings. I could tell from the distant look in her eyes something was bugging her, but she tried to hide it as she smiled and said, “Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late.”
“Momma!” Cat jumped up and ran over to her with a smile. “You’re home!”
“Yes, finally.” Rebecca knelt down and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry about not being there to pick you up from school.”
“It’s okay.”
When I stood, Rebecca turned her attention to me. “Thank you so much for your help today. It really meant a lot.”
“No problem. Glad to help.”
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” She lifted a bag of takeout. “I stopped and picked up some Chinese.”
“Thanks, but I should get going.” I looked over to Cat. “You try to stay out of trouble, you hear?”
“Yes, sir.”
I winked at Rebecca, then headed towards the door.
She placed the bag of food down on the table and told Cat, “I’ll be right back,” then followed me outside.
Once we got to my truck, I asked, “How did your meeting go today?”
“Honestly, not as well as I’d hoped.”
“Hate to hear that.”
“It’s fine.” Worry filled her eyes. “I’ll figure something out.”
I took a step towards her and said something I’d never planned on saying. “Look, I know we said we weren’t gonna get into any personal shit, but I want you to know that I’d be willing to cross a line or two if the need ever arose.”
“I have to admit, I’m surprised to hear you say that.” Her eyes drifted to the ground. “I was sure that after today you’d be ready to block my number.”
“Actually kind of enjoyed today.” I chuckled as I told her, “Did you know the kid made a doll of me?”
“What?”
“Yep. Drew a beard and a couple of tattoos on a Ken doll, and it looks pretty damn good if I do say so myself.”
“Wow, it seems you made quite an impression on her the other night.” She giggled. “I think it might’ve been the warm milk.”
“Yeah, it was definitely the milk.” Knowing it was getting late, and Rebecca had dinner waiting inside, I told her, “I better get going.”
“Oh, okay.” She raked her teeth across her bottom lip, then said, “Um, before you go, I thought I’d let you know that Cat’s going to stay over at my folks Friday night. If you’re free, maybe we could meet up?”
“Yeah, maybe. I’ll get back to you.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
I opened my truck’s door and was about to climb inside, but before I realized what I was doing, I’d slipped my arms around Rebecca’s waist and had pulled her in for a kiss—and not just any kiss.
This was the kind that quickened my pulse and put thoughts in my head I had no business thinking out there in her driveway, but that didn’t stop me from pulling her even closer. I reached up towards the nape of her neck, clutched a fistful of hair, and gently tugged it back, giving myself access to delve deeper into her mouth.
Her moan vibrated against my lips, urging me on, and it took everything to resist the temptation of taking her right then and there. Knowing I was on the verge of getting carried away, I forced myself to step back and release Rebecca from our embrace. She swallowed hard, then cleared her throat before asking, “What was that?”
“Just doing what I can to make an impression. Hopefully, that one was better than the warm milk.” I winked, then said, “I’ll be in touch.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, I got in my truck, closed the door, and backed out of the driveway. After that fucking kiss, I needed a cold one or two, so I headed towards Stilettos to check in with the boys. When I pulled up, I was pleased that the place was packed—something I was always happy to see, especially early in the week.
I walked in and found all the brothers at their posts, and even though we were practically bursting at the seams, things seemed to be running smoothly. After a brief word with Widow and Rafe, I headed over to the bar. As soon as I sat down, Axel turned to me and asked, “Where did you run off to today?”
“Had something I had to take care of.”
“And did you get it taken care of?”
“I did.”
Normally, he would’ve pushed for more information, but tonight, he simply nodded and said, “All right then. Made any decisions on what we’re gonna do about the guns we got from Coburn’s place?”