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He set Kelsie’s helmet on the motorcycle’s seat. “Kels can fill you in. I’m gonna head out there.”
“Wait!” Kelsie grabbed his hand. “Just, um…” She flicked her gaze to Brenna, who shifted and cleared her throat.
“Hey, uh, come on inside when you’re ready. Brooke is making nachos, and Liv’s working on the margaritas.”
“It’s two o’clock,” Ty said with a frown.
Brenna shrugged. “And?” She grinned and walked backward toward the clubhouse. “Take your time,” she said, then winked.
Ty rolled his eyes. As soon as Brenna got in the clubhouse, she’d start the gossip mill, telling the other ladies he was out there drooling over Kelsie.
“You’re meeting up with your brothers?” Kelsie asked, wringing her hands. Her tone was tinged with worry.
“Hey.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. If he lingered, she didn’t seem to mind. “There is nothing for you to worry about right now. Go inside and have fun with the ladies.”
“Will you tell me about it once it’s over?”
Fuck no, he wouldn’t. “Kels…”
“Not everything. I don’t need all the details, but I need to know some.”
The instinct to protect her from anything bad in the world rode him hard. Be it her age or because she’d already suffered so much, he didn’t know, but he had to stem the urge—at least a little. She didn’t deserve to have her life managed around her. She was an adult who knew the darker side of life better than most. If anyone deserved to be an active participant, it was Kelsie.
Well, an active participant from afar, with censored stories detailed enough to help her move on but not enough to contribute to her nightmares or give a misplaced sense of guilt.
“Fair enough.”
“Thank you.”
He wanted to kiss her. Like her brothers would with their ol’ ladies. Before anything big or dangerous, the women were there to share a passionate kiss with their men. This felt like that kind of moment. One where he should gather her in his arms and kiss her senseless so she could think of that instead of what he was about to do.
But it wasn’t his place. It wouldn’t ever be his place.
So, instead of following his gut, he turned and strode away after a nod of goodbye.
“Wait,” Kelsie called after him. She jogged the short distance he’d traversed. “Um… just… be careful.”
Their gazes locked. There it was again. The strong urge to claim her. Once he finished this afternoon, he needed to get away. Maybe ride down the coast and spend a few days on Marco Island drinking and fucking to clear his mind of all things Kelsie.
He ignored the voice in his head telling him he didn’t want another woman. That stupid voice didn’t know anything.
“I will.” He gestured toward the clubhouse with his head. “Go have fun with the girls. Try not to think about all this.”
He nearly rolled his eyes at the unlikelihood of his own advice.
“Okay,” she said, though her tone betrayed her confident agreement.
He waited until she was safely inside the clubhouse before jogging over to the ATVs the club kept for traveling across their vast property. A while back, they’d built a small structure deep in the property away from prying eyes. They’d needed a place to chat with their enemies and host special guests who might never leave the compound.
At least not with a beating heart.
He reached the shack in record time, jumping off the ATV before it’d stopped rolling. His phone rang as he stormed toward the building.
Kelsie?
He yanked it from his pocket, heart hammering, only to see Trina’s name flashing on the screen. Fuck that. He didn’t want to talk to her on a good day, and today was as fucked-up a day as they came. After stowing the phone, he barged into the shack with a quick nod for the prospect sitting watch outside.
“Welcome,” Spec said as he pushed off the wall with a maniacal grin. “Time to get this party started.”
