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“Nope,” he breathed, pulling her against his body. God, it felt good to have her there again.

“Jackhammer!” she shouted as he lifted her off the floor.

She kicked and tried to fight him. “Stop squirming,” he ordered.

“Put me down!” she shouted.

“Give me the fucking keys,” he ordered.

“Go to hell,” she spat.

“Been there, and it’s not that bad,” Hammer said.

Ghost walked over. “Need help?”

“Now you offer to help me?” Hammer asked. “I’ve already caught her.”

“I wanted to see who won,” he said.

“I won,” Hammer announced triumphantly.

Angel twisted in Jackhammer's arms. “You did not win.”

“You're not touching the floor. Feels like winning to me,” he insisted.

“I hate you,” she spat, still squirming in his arms.

“No, you don't,” he said. That shut her up. Jackhammer slowly lowered her until her feet touched the floor, and neither moved. Angel's laughter faded, and his did too. They were suddenly standing too close again. He was always too fucking close to her to make rational decisions. He could feel her breathing and see the tiny flecks of gold in her brown eyes. Jackhammer lifted a hand and brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek.

“You don't hate me,” he whispered.

Angel swallowed. “No, I don’t.” The admission was barely audible, but something tightened in his chest.

“I don't want anything to happen to you,” he breathed.

Her expression softened. “Jackhammer⁠—”

“Hammer,” he corrected.

A tiny smile appeared on her beautiful face. “You're never going to give up on that, are you?”

“Nope,” he said.

“Hammer,” she whispered.

Fuck. Hearing his nickname on her lips did something stupid to him. He leaned closer. “Say it again,” he ordered.

“Hammer,” she whispered, leaning into his body. He kissed her, and it wasn’t like last night. There wasn't any urgency behind it, no desperation, and no promise that the night would end with tangled sheets. It was just a kiss—slow and gentle. The kind of kiss Jackhammer hadn't given a woman in years because that kind meant something. Angel's hands settled against his chest as she kissed him back.

When he finally pulled away, her eyes remained closed for a second, and Ghost cleared his throat. “Not that I don't enjoy watching you two, but there's still a biker death squad looking for our girl.”

Angel opened her eyes, and Jackhammer sighed. “Way to ruin the moment.”

“It's a gift,” Ghost teased. Angel laughed softly as she reached into her shirt and pulled out the keys. She pressed them against Jackhammer's chest.

“You're insufferable,” she whispered.

He closed his hand around them. “I'm driving.”