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Max’s gaze narrowed, and he grunted. He definitely didn’t like that idea.
“Yeah, right. That would be smart. Not. Even if I could play that game, getting a woman to fall for me under false pretenses is not my idea of the way to start a great relationship.” He nodded toward Tessa. “It took you some time to convince Tessa to see through your big bad biker facade before she’d date you.”
Clutch shrugged. “I suppose so. But I have a theory that when she looked through my big bad biker facade and saw that the real man was a scruffy, big, bad biker, she decided she kinda liked it.”
“Times two,” said Jett with a grin.
“You boys have no idea,” Tessa laughed. “The biker stuff is window dressing. When I look through a man’s facade, I see into his heart.”
Rafe laughed. “Now that sounds scary.”
“You better believe it. So scary that I need a drink. And since we’re here, conveniently located in a bar, I expect one of you two gallant men to buy a girl a beer.”
She said that to her lovers, but Rafe spoke up. “I’ve got the first round, Clutch. I think I need to make amends to the lady. She always makes me feel like it anyway.”
“It’s a skill I need for dealing with bad boys,” she said. Tessa nodded at a woman standing near the bar. “While you’re getting our drinks, maybe you can ask Vanessa for some tips on talking to a real woman,” Tessa teased. “Even Slash’s old lady doesn’t take any biker crap seriously either.”
“Your teacher lady seems to be enjoying tormenting me, Romeo,” said Rafe to her other lover.
Romeo nodded. “It means she likes you. But you’re on your own. There ain’t a damn thing I can do about it. If you’re going to stray from relying on tried-and-true biker babes, you’d better get used to the way these independent females take charge.” He slipped his arm around Tessa’s waist and pulled her close as Clutch nuzzled her cheek. “It kinda grows on you.”
“I’m sure it does.” Rafe realized that most of his friends in the club were finding themselves drawn to strong women. There was a sea change going on in the club. The guys were taking a longer view of the world, which was why they liked him being treasurer. Perhaps it was that they were choosing a different kind of woman, who was doing what Tessa said, and seeing into their hearts. They certainly weren’t falling for the cliched image. No wonder he and Max both liked Simone.
Maybe he and his friends were just looking for relationships that were more serious, more solid, and that changed them. Whatever was going on, he rather liked the trend. Seeing his friends with strong women gave him hope in his attempt to stir some interest from Simone Durand.
He pictured himself walking in this place, his clubhouse, with Simone beside him. He imagined introducing her around to The Road Kings. That would be a time. The idea made him smile.
The smile melted from his face when he imagined Max’s reaction. His friend might not say anything, but he’d withdraw. He’d go from the silent type to practically a statue, and Rafe knew it would cause a schism between them.
It was time to have that talk.
Max nursed his beer,not really in the mood to drink. He’d stowed his laptop but still sent an occasional message to Danielle between interacting with the others. He missed his little sister, and he wasn’t ashamed about it. He just didn’t tell her, ‘cause it wouldn’t make her finish school any faster.
At least their ma’s life insurance covered the price of school. That was one less worry on his mind, though he hated that Danielle had a part-time job as a barista on the weekends for her spending money. He wished he could support all her needs, but it wasn’t realistic with his current prospects.
Which was part of the reason he’d asked Rafe to teach him about computers, hacking, and even a straighter pursuit of wealth, like investing. He was still having trouble figuring out the Wall Street shit, but he felt like he’d come home when he was dealing with ones and zeros. His dyslexia rarely reared its ugly head when he was coding. It was like his brain shifted, and he was freed from the restrictions that had made academics so hard before.
He looked up when Tessa said, “Bye,” realizing the three of them were heading off. He imagined they were heading home. He thought they lived at Tessa’s place, but he didn’t remember.
The thought of the three of them going to bed together sent an ache through him. It wasn’t anything like lust. More like envy. They’d found a way to be happy as a triad and make it work. He would have sworn it was impossible before seeing their relationship and the one Slash and Choirboy had with their old lady.
“We should talk,” said Rafe, sounding a bit abrupt.
Max blinked. It must have been serious, because Rafe was one to dance around a subject before finally landing on it. “About what?”
“Simone.”
He frowned. “Why do we need to talk about a waitress we barely know?”
Rafe snorted. “Don’t play dumb. I know you pretty well, man. You take stoic to a new level, but it’s plenty fucking obvious to someone who knows you that you’re into her.”
Max’s mouth was dry, prompting him to drain the rest of the beer he’d been sipping in one go. “No.”
“Yeah. What’s the point in pretending otherwise?”
He shrugged. “You’re obviously interested, and she seems to like you. What would be gained by pining after someone else’s chick?” He winced at describing her that way, as though she wasn’t anything special and meant nothing to him. Considering he barely knew her, she shouldn’t mean as much as she did, and she shouldn’t keep crossing his mind—especially when it was clear Rafe intended to pursue her. “There’s no need to tell me to back off, man.”
Rafe blinked, looking flabbergasted. “I… what? That wasn’t my intent at all. I just wanted to see if you’re feeling drawn to her too.”
