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On my side of the bed.
But she was there and that was what mattered, at least that was what I told myself the next day—and the day after that. But on the third day I came home and couldn’t find her. Again.
“Rocky!”
It wasn’t like my place was huge; it was just four bedrooms, two floors with a front and back yard so it wasn’t like she could be lost. She had to be gone.
“Damn woman,” I grumbled as I went to the bedroom we now shared, not that anything remotely sexual was going on, and found it empty.
Ready to blow my lid, I pushed open the guest room door and was met with the back of Rocky’s head and a mostly bare back thanks to the shirt held together by nothing more than a few strings. She didn’t hear me with her earbuds in and I took advantage of the moment to watch her.
Rocky was a beautiful woman, a bit too bohemian with her wild red hair and colorful wardrobe that reminded me of those sexy Woodstock chicks from the sixties. She bopped her head to the beat, humming along as her hands made quick movements around the white fabric covered with double-stemmed cherries.
Though she still seemed upbeat, everything about her had been subdued since I’d tracked her down just past the Nevada border. She turned, gasped and nearly fell off the tiny fucking stool that I knew wasn’t mine. “What the fuck?”
I stood up straight. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“For fuck’s sake, Lasso. You damn near gave me a heart attack!” She scowled up at me, waiting for an answer. “Well, what’s the problem?”
“I didn’t know where you were,” I admitted, owning up to the fact that I sounded like a pussy-whipped asshole.
“You thought I was gone, didn’t you? Well I don’t know what to tell you. I guess you’re just gonna have to trust me.”
I scoffed at that. “How in the hell can I trust you? You already ran once.”
“I didn’t run, I left just like I told you I would when I landed on your doorstep. And I’m not asking you to trust me. Either do, or don’t. I don’t give a fuck.” With her arms crossed, she was a beautiful picture of defiance.
“Trust is earned.”
“Or it’s taken by force,” she shouted, standing and damn near stumbling over the billowy skirt that was tangled up in her tiny blue stool. “I’m here Lasso. I don’t want to be but I am so I don’t know what in the hell else you want me to say or do, but I’m here. You won. Get over it or whatever, but I have work to do.”
“No, you don’t.”
I don’t know why in the hell I was being such a dick to her, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. Trying to pull the fabric from her hand proved difficult because Rocky was stronger than she looked, and she was pregnant so I didn’t want to risk hurting her. My gaze narrowed at her triumphant grin. “Working is an unnecessary risk right now.”
“And it also happens to be how I make my living, at least until I get settled somewhere, so I’m not stopping.” There was a fear in her eyes, one I’d seen on women and children in the desert. It was wild and ready to pounce at the first sign of danger.
I crossed my arms and leaned on the doorjamb. “Are you okay? Have you gotten any more messages from Genesis?”
“No.”
I believed her, which meant she was in denial. “And why do you think that is, Rocky? Do you think he just gave up?” She opened her mouth and I pushed off the wall and got in her face. “Or maybe he just has other people buying shit for him from you so he can see where you are? Or maybe they keep placing orders so he can make sure you’re still in the same place.”
I saw the moment real fear flashed in her big green eyes. Then resignation. “Shit. I never gave him credit for being that smart.”
“Survival means being smart, Rocky. The prick may not be a genius, but he runs a criminal organization and he’s managed to avoid jail time so he’s no idiot.”
She nodded, but the way she nibbled her plump bottom lip told me she was more afraid than she let on. “He wouldn’t have gone through the trouble. Would he?”
“Is it worth the risk? I can cover you until this blows over and you get back on your feet.” It was an offer I never thought I’d hear myself make to any woman but that was probably because of all the moneygrubbing socialites my mama had thrown at me before I ducked the hell out of Rose Petal.
“No offense Lasso, but I can’t risk all of my baby’s stuff being confiscated because of your dubious earnings.”
I had to laugh before I remembered that Rocky didn’t know about my family; most of the club didn’t even know.
“Dubious? I work in a tattoo shop owned by one of my brothers, in addition to a stake in several dispensaries, whorehouses and the biggest, baddest gun range in Vegas. It’s all legit. Feel better now?”
She shook her head, looking even angrier now than before I tried to soothe her fears. “No. I don’t like this. We’re practically strangers and we don’t trust each other. I won’t take any money from you. Nope. Not happenin’.”
