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The coffee machine beeps, and I get busy making coffee. Lore clad in one of my old T-shirts looks sexy as hell. She sits at the dining table, watching me work.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Frowning, I pick up the cups and sit next to her. “Club business.”
Lore holds her hands up. “Who am I going to tell?” I shake my head at her as sharing club business isn’t something I’ve ever done. “Is it bad?” Lore asks.
“Yeah.”
A subtle tension settles over her. The lines around her eyes tighten, and her brows furrow ever so slightly. Lore’s lips, once at ease, now press together, forming a thin line. The unease in her gaze becomes apparent as she averts her eyes. With a gentle touch, I place a finger under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet mine.
“What are you thinking?” I ask, wanting to know but also worried about what she’s about to say.
Lore smiles, but it’s one that doesn’t reach her eyes. She picks up her coffee cup and takes a sip. Her hand closes around mine, and she lightly shakes her head.
“The not knowing is worse than knowing. Club life and all their secrets were never for me. I want a partnership. I want to come home and bitch and complain about my employees, the shitty customers, or the fact it rained all day, and no one came in.” Lore pauses, and once again, I lose her eyes. They are focused on the table, where our hands are locked together. “I can’t have that with you, not while you’re in the Savage Angels.”
It feels like a blow to my chest, knocking the breath from my lungs. My grip on her hand reflexively tightens as if I could hold onto her through sheer force of will. But she is slipping away, and there is nothing I can do to stop it.
Forcing out a laugh, I pat her hand. “This wasn’t going to be a long-term thing, Lore. When Tobias is out of the woods, you’ll go home, and I’ll stay here. Can’t we, for now, just have this? Just you and me, having fun, enjoying each other and being in the moment?”
Lore takes a moment, her gaze shifting from my eyes to the intertwined hands resting on the table.
“I know,” she finally whispers, a hint of sadness in her voice. “It’s just hard not to get attached.”
Lore’s admission is like a strike to my heart. Never in my wildest dreams did I think she’d want to pursue a real relationship with me. A fling, at best, was all I had dared hope for, but now the possibility of something more lingers in the air.
“You could stay,” the words tumble from my lips.
But she shakes her head. “No, I can’t. The MC life isn’t for me… never really was.”
“Right.” I nod. “But we have right now, yeah?”
Lore bites her lip, hesitating for a moment before she says, “Yeah, we can.”
Yet, in that moment, a subtle shift occurs. I sense the reluctance in her response, a hint of distance that wasn’t there before. It’s as if a fracture has occurred, and though she’s agreeing to be with me, I feel the undertow of her emotions pulling her away. In her eyes, I read a truth she hasn’t voiced—Lore has already made up her mind, and this night we shared now carries an expiration date.
Chapter Twelve
LORE
Walking into Tobias’ room at the hospital, I’m stunned to see Mel Carter holding his hand and talking quietly with him. It’s been years since I’ve seen her—she broke his heart when she left. When she sees me, she stands, and I notice she’s lost a lot of weight and is perhaps a little too thin. Her once wild hair is tamed into long, black, loose curls held back on one side with a bejeweled comb.
“Lore, how are you?”
She was always polite, and I know she loved my son. After my exchange with Dirt, I now understand why Mel couldn’t stay. She hated his lifestyle. Mel didn’t like him being around the strip clubs and the MC, mirroring how I feel about Dirt now.
“I’m good.” I point at Tobias. “Except for the heart attack this one is trying to give me. How about you? You look great.”
“Told you,” Tobias agrees with a smirk.
Mel blushes and waves a hand in his face. “Shut up.” She moves around the bed and hugs me. “I’m good too.”
“Still working for the church?”
Mel pulls away from me, shaking her head. “No, not for some time. I went private.”
“More money?”
