A man who agreed to that kind of arrangement had to truly care for the woman, right? Did this mean she should forgive him? Did it mean she’d overreacted when she’d ended them? Did he deserve a second chance?
She didn’t know. She did know he was right about one thing. She was afraid of getting hurt again.
Lex had been hurt a lot, true. She’d forgiven a lot, also true, but this was Dodge and he was unlike anyone else she’d dated. She always believed it wasn’t possible to fall for someone so fast, but she had. When he’d humiliated her, it wrecked her. It had only been a few months, but it felt a thousand times worse than the many times Mitchell dumped her.
“Weead me, please.”
Read me, please. Three words in a row.
Her heart squeezed; warmth spread through her chest, an array of emotions: excitement, love, and most shocking, pride.
Trying to get a handle on herself, she hugged him tight, bent over, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. When she straightened, she met Allie’s gaze, standing a few feet away. Della stood beside her.
“Hey.” Allie wrinkled her brows. “Are you okay?”
God, she’d noticed her watery eyes.
She nodded. “Yeah, fine.”
Since Dodge’s outburst at the cookout, Allie had reached out to her. All the women had. In fact, last Saturday, they—with the exception of Tiffany who was at home with her newborn—had met for lunch.
“Girls’ night soon?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Got to go, but I’ll call you.”
She nodded. After the rest of her students were picked up, she tidied her classroom. Cullen played with a car toy he’d brought. She then graded a few papers and read Cullen a book. Belatedly, she realized she didn’t have a snack for Cul. He was big for his age, and at times, it seemed he had the appetite of a grown man, so she decided to go home. She didn’t want Cullen to see the mess on her yard, granted he may have seen it that morning, but Cullen had to eat.
She packed, locked up, and with Cul’s hand in hers, she walked outside. Parked behind her car, she spotted a police cruiser.
Right. She’d agreed to go to the station. Though she supposed it didn’t matter since Officer Johnson who emerged from the car decided to pay her a visit instead.
“Good afternoon, Miss Millen.”
“Alexa.”
“Ace.”
“I know I said I’d go to the station today, but as you can see…” She glanced down at Cul. “I’m unable to.”
He jerked his head. “You realize you’re in—”
She looked down at Cullen. “Honey, do you want to listen to some music?”
Cullen tilted his head back. Before he responded, she pulled her phone and earphones out of her purse, helped Cul put them on, and played music.
Only then did she address Officer Johnson. “It may seem like I’m in denial about just how potentially dangerous my situation is—”
“What it seems is that you’re not interested in our investigation because your man and his gang are investigating, so then your man and his gang can administer their form of payback. I guess that works for some people, but I’m an officer of the law, Miss Millen. I stand by the law. I don’t condone revenge or payback or make excuses for vigilantes. Like every other criminal, they’re breaking the law. Our system may fail sometimes, but it’s the best we’ve got. The day we start following Hell Ryders’ moral code is the day this country and the world will go to shit.”
She swallowed, mind scrambling trying to process everything he said. So much information, all new to her.
“This, that’s happening to you… We don’t have leads. For the life of me, I can’t figure out who’d do this to a woman like you. It doesn’t make sense. Add a motorcycle gang to the equation and it makes perfect sense. You mess with enough people, someone’s gonna mess with you back, and Hell Ryders has been messing with people for a long time.”
What? She was still at vigilantes and the club… Damn it! Could her life get any more complicated?
Her lips parted wanting to say something, anything. Nothing came out.
“You want to follow the law, you know where to come. You want to play by their rules…” He shrugged. “It’s your decision. Though I will say, a woman like you should be far away from that.”
Officer Johnson climbed into his cruiser and drove away. She unlocked her car and helped Cullen into his car seat. After Dodge texted her and she agreed to watch Cullen that afternoon, Dodge stopped by the school and installed it in her car. How he got into her car, she didn’t know. She hadn’t even known he’d dropped it off until he texted her and told her he’d already installed it.
She drove to her house going over everything Officer Johnson said. The minute she pulled onto her drive, she scanned her lawn. Spotless. The potted flowers and dirt picked up; she assumed thrown out. The front of her house, door, and windows cleaned, two replaced. She lowered her window. The smell of rotten eggs was gone too.
Seeing this, it made perfect sense why Dodge had to work late. She thought it had been a ploy to get on her good side, letting her spend time with Cullen while he wasn’t around. Now, she knew better, and she didn’t like what it meant. He took time off work, enlisted the help of several people—no way he hadn’t considering the mess that had been there before—to clean her lawn and replace her windows. He managed this in the span of eight hours. Why had he done it? To help her out? So she wouldn’t have to?
Resting her forehead against the steering wheel, she released a breath and tried to convince herself she hated what he’d done. She failed because she loved it. She just hated it made her soften. He was so good at that. Maybe it wasn’t about him being good at it. Maybe it was about her being in love and weak.
“Lex?”
She lifted her head and unbuckled her seat belt. “Yeah, honey.”
Exiting her car, keys in hand, she helped Cullen out and headed up her front steps. Inside, she busied herself making chocolate chip cookies, Cullen’s favorite, and not thinking about Dodge.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“So what’s the deal with your girl? She yours—”
One look from Dodge and Hash shut his mouth though his brother never wiped that shit-eating grin off his face.
Dodge was in no mood to deal with him. He’d barely slept and spent the better part of his day cleaning the mess at Lex’s house. Not to mention, he had to find out who was fucking with her. The faster, the better because he couldn’t stomach even the thought of Lex scared and in tears. She’d finally agreed to be his. That meant the promise she made him make her—that he stay out of her life—was null and void, so he could now enlist the help of his club to find out who was messing with her and make whoever it was stop.
Prez, surrounded by the brothers, stood at the head of the table in the room they held club meetings. “Know what you want.”
Not surprising, Dodge didn’t know how, but Prez knew it all. They lived in a small town; word about what happened at Lex’s could’ve gotten around to him easily, but there were plenty of instances where that wasn’t the case.
Prez inclined his head toward Hash. “To get what you want, you gotta answer that question.”
Dodge reared back, gaze raking the room, his brothers, all waiting to hear what he said. Not one did what he should’ve, jumped in on his behalf. Instead, they had a question as if whatever he said would change the fact that he was part of the club, a brother, and deserved nothing but their full support. He’d been with them for years, given them nothing less.
Adrenaline shot through his veins making his heart race. The tension in the air heightened. Then he barked, “Are you all shitting me?”
Dash, his VP, shook his head. “Don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be.”
He took a step toward Dash. “Then why are you?”
“We’re not, but we’re clean. We don’t know anything ’bout her, what she’s involved—”
“She’s a k
indergarten teacher.”
“Listen, brother.” Bud, standing to his left, crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s not from around here. We don’t know who she hung out with before. We don’t know what she was involved with, if she’s running from something—”
Dodge couldn’t do anything but repeat, “She’s a teacher.” Then he looked to his president and VP. Neither seemed swayed by what he said. “I know her.”
Dash cocked his head. “You haven’t known her long.”
He hadn’t, but he knew her, knew her down to her soul. Lex was good, sweet, kind, fucking beautiful.
So as he scanned the room, he pointed out the obvious. “It’s what we do.”
Mellow shook his head. “We don’t.”
Slick cleared his throat. “We get paid for guards and that includes extras, yeah, but we aren’t cops. We don’t investigate—”
He raised a brow. “No?” Sarcasm dripped his tone. “We handled Classy’s ex, Tiff’s stalker then went head-to-head against a street gang for Em.”
Prez’s gaze hardened. “Different. On every level. We didn’t investigate—”
His eyes widened. “Classy’s ex?”
“I paid Doug to handle that.”
He shot his head in Trig’s direction and seared him with a glare. “We went guns blazing when she was kidnapped, Trig. Not long after, we did the same for Em.”
Ripper took a step toward him. Bud’s arm shot out and hit Ripper’s chest, stopping him. Cuss tensed just as Trig said, “They’re old ladies.”
Dodge’s jaw hardened. “We started dealing with Classy’s ex before you’d claimed her.”
“But she’s my blood,” Army, standing next to Trig, added.
“Yeah, and Lex’s my old lady.” He slammed the palm of his hand against his chest. “She’s with me.”
Rake nodded. “So she’s yours?”
He skimmed the room yet again. “You brothers deaf? I just fuckin’ said that.” Then he met Prez’s stare, waiting for a reaction, an explanation.
Finally, Prez inclined his head. “I ask her, she’ll say the same?”
They had to be fucking with him. No way his club, his brothers wouldn’t back him.
He fisted his hands. “Enough of this shit. I’m not playing games. Lex’s—”
“You’re right. This isn’t a game.”
His gaze sliced to Blaze, who’d spoken, then veered right back to Prez. “You ask her, she’ll say the same. She’s mine. What that has to do with her being in danger and needing us, I still have no clue.”
Dash shifted his weight. “We don’t know—”
“We know she’s mine. We know she needs us.”
“There’s a new police chief and that chief doesn’t give a fuck we cleaned up this town.” Prez shrugged. “We wanna stay outta trouble, we gotta lay low.”
Finally, he had a reason. Why it seemed he was the only one who didn’t know, he had no clue. Yet the reason wasn’t good enough. Then again, he’d never find a good enough reason not to protect Lex.
“Had a sit-down with the chief last week.” The muscle in Prez’s jaw twitched. “Today, he dropped in with a couple of new cops.”
Cops keeping tabs on them? The club was clean, but not everything they did was legit. Not to mention, some of the shit they did back when the club wasn’t clean could still land some of them in prison. They didn’t need anyone, especially cops, snooping around. He knew this, and still, he couldn’t help but feel abandoned by his club, his brothers.
He swallowed thickly. “You guys do what you gotta do. I’m gonna do what I gotta do.”
“It ain’t like that.” Dash jerked his head. “She’s yours, she’s part of this club too. We’re brothers; we got your back. It’s as easy as that.”
Prez nodded.
He swung his stare around the room meeting the gazes of his brothers. They had his back. They had Lex’s. He released a breath, and that knot in his gut loosened. “Appreciate it.”
****
Dodge grabbed the knob and turned it. Unlocked. Un-fuckin’-believable. Coming home to find this after the day he had pissed him off.
Would she do something to infuriate him because she wasn’t set on being with him? He didn’t know. But risking herself and Cul was reckless and stupid and wouldn’t make him angry; it’d make him lose his shit. Maybe she wanted him to so she’d have an excuse to dump his ass.
He opened the door, strode inside, and his senses were assaulted, the unmistakable smell of freshly baked cookies mixed with perfectly seasoned meat. She’d cooked for Cul and no doubt for him too. The only woman who could get him so riled in one second then ridiculously blissful the next. She had him by the balls, could make him do just about anything, and she didn’t even know it.
Striding farther into her house, he removed his cut and draped it over the couch then dropped his keys and wallet on the coffee table. Heading into the kitchen, he spotted them. She stood at the stove, turned away from him. Cullen sat on the island just behind her. His boy looked over his shoulder. When his gaze hit Cullen’s, he smiled.
“Dad.”
His heart squeezed in his chest.
It’d been months since his boy called him that, months since he’d called him anything.
He walked straight to him, grasped Cullen under the arms, lifted him off the stool, and hugged him tightly. “Your old man missed you.” Pulling away, he set Cul on his feet. “You save me some cookies?”
Cul shook his head.
He laughed. “No?”
Cul giggled and nodded.
He lifted his head, gaze shooting to Lex, still turned away and stiff. He moved, closing the distance between them. Before he reached her, she faced him.
Her stare hit his chest for a split second before she looked away. “Hey.”
He snaked his arm around her waist and tugged her to him. She planted her hands on his chest, fingers gripping his skin. Her eyes widened and rounded. Maybe she thought he’d kiss her. He had no plans to. Well, not like she thought anyway.
They were a couple, one who didn’t have sex. Fine by him, for now. As long as she was his, as long as he could protect her, he didn’t care because he knew soon she’d realize just how much she meant to him, she’d forgive him, and they’d move on. When she set her stipulation about sex, she hadn’t mentioned kissing. Still, he wouldn’t kiss her if she didn’t want him to.
Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Hey, Lex.”
Her shallow breaths heated his skin. “Hi.”
When he drew away and released her, he smiled.
Again, she didn’t meet his eyes. Strange. She couldn’t be pissed he’d cleaned the front of her house and yard. He’d done her a favor. They agreed to no sex, but she was his in every other way, so she had to accept him handling things for her, protecting her. Maybe it was about the money. He had two windows replaced. No, that didn’t make sense. Even angry, she met his gaze head on, was never afraid to speak her mind. The way she acted like she was…scared, of him.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said to who, he had no clue since she hadn’t looked at anyone.
He turned to his boy. “Cul, go wash your hands and meet us at the table.”
By the time he faced Lex, she stood at the other end of the kitchen pulling mac and cheese out of the oven, his and Cul’s favorite. He had no idea what she did to hers, but it was the best he ever had. Just the smell had him salivating.
With Cullen out of earshot, he cleared his throat. “Lex, babe?”
She placed the mac and cheese on the counter beside the oven and without looking his way said, “Yes?”
“Is there a reason you’re not looking at me?”
She removed her oven mitts and set them on the marble countertop. “We can talk about it later.”
He released a breath, leaned his hip against the island, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Talk about what exactly?”
“We’ll talk about it later.”
He m
oved, closing the distance between them. Only then did her gaze finally come up. Eyes wide met his.
Yep, scared. Of him.
He clenched his jaw and fought to keep his voice level. “No, Lex, we’re not talking about it later. If there’s a reason you can’t look at me, that’s a big deal, so we’re not gonna sit and eat, you not looking at me, me wondering what the fuck I did and how the hell I’m gonna fix it. We’re gonna talk about it now.”
“Dinner will get cold.”
“I’ll heat it up.”
Her eyes lowered, and she whispered, “Cul’s probably starving.”
“Knowing Cul, he probably ate too many cookies. Knowing you, you let him. He’s fine. I’m starved, but I’ll live. So are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
“I think we should talk later.”
“No, babe, we’re talking about whatever it is now. The longer you take, the longer it’ll take.” He paused for a second, the entire time watching her closely. “So tell me.”
Her brows drew together. “Tell you?”
“Yeah, tell me what I did this time.”
“It’s not…” She released a breath. “What does the club do?”
He kept his face blank, ignoring the roll of his stomach.
He should’ve been prepared, should’ve seen this coming. People talked, and they lived in a small town. In fact, it was a miracle she hadn’t heard anything before now. He didn’t need another obstacle. They had enough. Eventually, he would’ve told her, but now wasn’t the time. First, he needed her to be his, completely his.
“So it’s true? You’re vigilantes?”
He had to say something, so he did. “Don’t know what you heard ’cause I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but just so you know people tend to say a lot and most of the time it isn’t true.
“I’ll be honest with you. We aren’t vigilantes ’cause we don’t need to be anymore. Sometime ago, it was a different story. That’s not the case now. The day that shit changes, I’ll let you know.”
Riding Hard (Hell Ryders MC Book 4) Page 23
