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“It’s all we can do.” He pulled on his wool cap, his mass of red curls all but disappearing. “Hope you enjoy staying indoors and personal bodyguards.” He chuckled. “But I have a feeling you won’t.”
Delphi followed him out of the room. His quick shift from sweet and teasing to annoyed and uptight frustrated her. He lied to her. She had a damn good reason to be pissed. Even though she truly enjoyed spending time with him, telling him outright how she felt wasn’t fair to either of them. They couldn’t be a couple.Ever. It’s better if we’re enemies, not lovers.Her heart disagreed, but she couldn’t ignore the truth of the matter.
The drive back to her apartment was eerily quiet. Only the country music playing over the speakers cut into the silence. Brewer walked her all the way upstairs. Macha took their role seriously, and Delphi almost wished she’d taken back what she said about working with Brewer. He was the only biker she trusted to keep a watchful eye on her, as ironic as that was.
“Be sure to deadbolt the door after I leave,” he instructed, checking the stability of the lock. “One of the boys will be posted outside tonight.”
“I rarely lock the deadbolt. It’s a safe neighborhood.”
Brewer deadpanned and shook his head. “Woman, you’re asking for trouble.”
He started down the stairs, and she couldn’t help herself. “Brewer, wait.”
Pausing on the second step, he turned slightly. “What, Delphi?”
She rubbed her lips together, words suddenly difficult. “Um. You lied to me.”
He frowned. “Yeah, well, so did you. Omission is still a lie.”
Her mouth dried. She hated that he was right. “Yours hurt more.”
“I don’t know about that.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Thanks for putting on a good show at the clubhouse.” He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “For once I didn’t feel like an outcast with my married brothers.”
The truth in his eyes struck her hard. She’d liked flirting with him. Hell, she loved it. She moved closer. “It wasn’t all a show.”
“Then which part was real?” He retraced his steps until he was in front of her. “Was the disdain real, or was the easy way you joked and acted like you cared the genuine part?” He shook his head. “Sadly, I think the real part was you hating bikers and everyone living under the club’s rules. Including me.” He laughed and pushed back his wool cap. “Especially me.”
Before she could stop herself, Delphi grabbed the front of his cut, the leather tough yet smooth against her fingers. “It isn’t as easy as that. I was raised to fear bikers. My family hated bikers, and if Shovelhead’s my dad and he did the things your club says he did, I can understand why. I can’t get over that in one night.”
Brewer cradled her jaw. “I never asked you to, Delphi. I just want to know you.” He placed a feathery kiss on her cheek. “Love you, even, if you let me. I like you. I really do. Spitfire and all. I think we could make it work if we tried.”
Her pulse echoed in her ears. He was so gentle, it physically hurt. She hadn’t expected this from a biker. There was a sensitivity about him that she craved more of. He wasn’t like the other MC men she’d known. He was kind, even if he had an asshole attitude most days.
“But you have to let me in, Delphi. I like our cat-and-mouse games, but not when it comes to real feelings.” His eyes sought out hers, the blue depths piercing straight to her soul. “I won’t force you to do anything, least of all like me.”
“I do like you, Brewer. You piss me off so damned much sometimes, but I like spending time with you.” She sighed, her actions from the night coming back to her in one big rush. “I’m afraid of what might happen if I like you too much.”
He brushed a chaste kiss on her lips, then dropped his hold. “I’d like to find out, but that all depends on you, sweet cheeks. Let me know when and if you do too. Night, Delphi. Sweet dreams.”
Delphi stood in her doorway until his shadow had long vanished from the bottom of the stairs. She wanted to go after him and somehow explain herself. But instead, she locked the door like he instructed and crawled into bed, Brewer never leaving her thoughts.
CHAPTER17
BREWER
“Dolly, has the message been sent?”
The attention of the entire club was fixed on the brunette next to Brewer. She flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder. “Affirmative, Sergeant. Sent.” She waved the phone and lifted her eyes. “Need a read receipt, guys?”
Hawk snorted and Snoopy rolled his eyes. Each one of them was eager to get Shovelhead back in their grips. They’d lost men over the years due to Shovelhead’s disloyalty. Brewer couldn’t imagine the club would let him live. Not after what he’d done to Doc’s old lady, Isa, as well as to his and Dolly’s parents. Only Shovelhead knew the other sins he’d committed. The club was determined to get them out of the man.
Rubble cleared his throat, and the room hushed. He’d be the instigator when the time came for bloodshed. There was no going back when it came to betrayal in Macha. “Keep us updated.”
Giving him a mock salute, Dolly stood and sashayed toward the door. Brewer shook his head. His sister was anything but oblivious to the way men watched her. It was partly why her entrances and exits were overly dramatic. As the club’s madam, she taught the nymphs anything they didn’t already know about enticing men. Dolly was as close to a Macha patch as any other man.
“Now that business is complete, we’ll discuss the protection detail.” Rubble flipped through a stack of paperwork. “Looks like Tater is up for first shift.”
The patches snickered at the man on the cusp of being inducted into Macha. He was tall and lanky, and nothing about him was even close to being shaped like a potato. Nevertheless, the name stuck because he had tripped over loose potatoes and lost his front tooth during his second week on kitchen duty.
