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“He says a lot of things,” Vanessa said. “He makes me food because I don’t know how to cook. He enjoys my artwork. He tells me I’m beautiful first thing in the morning…and he tells me he loves me.”
The guys immediately blanched at that last comment, all shocked.
Max was shocked the most.
I didn’t care that she shared that information with all of them. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I loved a woman, and I wasn’t afraid to say it. Men who didn’t wear their hearts on their sleeves were the ones who had something to be ashamed of. A truly strong man wasn’t afraid of anything—even his feelings.
Vanessa turned quiet, picking up on the tension that settled in the room. She pulled her hand away, like she regretted what she said the moment it came out of her mouth.
Shane turned to me, his shock slowly fading away before a grin formed on his face. “Bones is whipped…”
“You’re one to talk,” I shot back.
Shane shrugged. “Yeah, but we established that years ago. Didn’t think this would ever happen to you.”
“That makes two of us.” My arm moved around Vanessa’s shoulders, and I pulled her into my side. “But it has, and this woman makes me happy. So you guys can go ahead and tease me about it, but you’re wasting your time because I don’t give a shit. When this little get-together is over, I’m going to head home with my woman and forget this conversation ever happened. I’ll be too busy with her to think about you.”
Max chuckled before he drank his beer. “Alright, we’ll stop talking shit.”
“So, this is serious, then?” Theron asked. “Is she your second?”
A second meant if something happened to me, the rest of them were responsible for taking care of her as long as they lived. Shane’s wife was his second, and it was understood we would all look out for her if he died. And if it ever came down to choosing him or her, we would always save the woman over the man. Shane was the only one with a second since the rest of us had been more interested in whores and easy lays than long-term relationships. “Yes, she is.”
Max’s smile fell, and he turned serious.
Theron and Shane both had the same expression, understanding the significance of what I said.
There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to kill Vanessa. Now I wanted to protect her from everything in this world, protect her even if I wasn’t living anymore. I wanted the guys to treat her the way we treated Shane’s wife, with nothing but the utmost respect and protectiveness. “I’m glad we got that straightened out.”
I drove back to my place, Vanessa sitting on the middle seat beside me. She slipped off her heels because they were killing her feet. My arm was draped over her shoulders, and she rested her body against mine.
I’d given her my jacket because she was cold—like I knew she would be. The baggy leather surrounded her, hiding her curves in that skintight black dress. Of course, everyone stared at her because of the hot piece of ass that she was, but once my gaze landed on them, they didn’t make the mistake of looking at her again.
“Can I ask you something?” Her legs were crossed, and her hand rested on my thigh. We kept the music off and drove in silence.
I wasn’t angry about anything the guys had said. Everything exchanged in the conversation was true. I was just quiet and brooding because that was how I always was, naturally cold and aggressive. “Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Ask if you can ask. You know I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
She rested her cheek against my chest. “What does it mean to be your second?”
“Do you know what next of kin means?”
“Yes.”
“It’s like that. You’re my second, meaning you’re the most important person to me. If I die, it’s their job to look after you as long as one of them is still living. And if we’re ever in a bad situation and they can only save one of us, they’re supposed to save you and let me die.”
She stilled against me, absorbing my words like a sponge that just soaked up its full capacity of water.
“Shane has a wife, so she’s his second. If he ever goes on a job and doesn’t come back, we’ll always look after her. We’ll protect her with our lives and die for her if we have to. She’s a pretty cool chick, so I don’t mind.”
“I don’t know what to say…”
“There’s no reason to say anything. Those guys are my family, even when they’re assholes. I know I can always count on them. It gives me peace of mind knowing they’ll look after you if I’m not around.”
