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“Already got one brother going through that shit right now. If he’d introed his woman into the life, things would have gone a lot smoother for him, but the stubborn ass wouldn’t listen and she’s not the kind of chick who’d pull a gun on the craziest man in Manhattan.”
“He told you about that,” I said flatly.
“He did.”
My mouth tightened. “I’ve read the books—”
“What books?”
“The MC romance—”
He frowned. “The what?”
“Books about women who fall for bikers.”
His eyes widened. “That’s a thing?”
“It’s a thing,” I confirmed, amused by his bewilderment. “I know that clubwhores are bitches and that they want a biker to claim them. I know that bikers don’t want them because they give it away on tap. It’s how the books always go—”
“This isn’t a book, MaryCat,” Rex pointed out, still bewildered.
“No, but it’s still people. People want what they can’t have.” I stared him down. “I appreciate the warning, and I want you to know that I won’t pull Digger away from the club.
“Like you said, I’ve already messed around with his world. I want to fit in, Rex. I want to find a place for me.”
“Why?” Rex tilted his head to the side. “You’re designer purses and houses in the suburbs. Not leather jackets and parties in the backyard around an open fire.”
“Can’t I be all those things?”
“People rarely are. You want a bit of rough? That it?”
“Is this you protecting his honor?”
“Maybe. Or it could be me trying to stop a guy I respect from breaking his fool heart.” He pursed his lips. “Don’t get me wrong, I advised him to keep a hold on you if he wants you, but I’m just checking in that you’re worthy of him.”
Though he was pissing me off, I was glad that Digger had someone who’d guard his back.
With that being the case, I decided that honesty was the best policy.
“We don’t love each other. Yet.” Hands balling into fists, I repeated, “I want to fit in. Iwillfit in.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it enough that I want to?” His expression told me it wasn’t. “Because I’d love to be a part of a family. Because Digger’s got one and I crave that sense of belonging.
“Because Manhattan never sat right with me. Because I need more than the confines of life as a mob wife.” I sucked in a breath. “That ride down to Vegas sucked. It hurt my ass, my entire body ached, and I felt like my teeth were vibrating hours after I got into bed, but it waswild.” I didn’t know that my eyes were gleaming. “It was freedom. It was me and him, running from my truth, heading toward a better one. One that was of my own making. It was independence.
“No seat belts tethering you in place, just my arms around his waist. Hair in the wind, me and him on the road, nothing holding us back.
“I don’t ever want to have to ride that far again in such a short space of time, but it changed me.”
Rex scoffed. “No, it didn’t.”
“It did,” I snapped, starting to get pissed at him again. “My life was studies and Sunday church. It was a strict routine and yoga after dinner. It was hiding things in my toilet tank because I knew my father searched my room. It was cameras in places where they shouldn’t be and eyes on me at all times. My phone was tracked, guards watching me whenever I left the house.” I shuddered. “It was a prison. It was cuffs. It waschains. Digger is the opposite of that. He’s,” I finished softly, “freedom.”
He drummed his fingers against the desk. “He gonna brand you?”
“I don’t think so. Not yet. I think he believes, like you do, that I’m not made for this world but I’ll prove to him otherwise.”
