by K. L. Ramsey
“I’d appreciate being able to speak for myself,” Dallas said and damn if she didn’t have the whole hot mom thing down. Bowie saw the appeal of the sexy little blonde and he had to admit, he and Savage seemed to have the same taste in women. If he was going to get through to Savage to drop this crazy idea of the three of them together, he needed to remind him of a few truths.
“You couldn’t have a simple conversation in your own bar because your club doesn’t know about you, man. How many people know you’re bi?” Bowie asked.
Savage shrugged, “A few,” he admitted.
“What would happen if you walked into your bar and announced that you are with me?” Bowie questioned.
“I’d probably be voted out as president,” he whispered.
“You willing to risk that?” Bowie asked. He knew that Savage was proud to be president of his MC from the way he talked about them on their first date. That was something that he wouldn’t willingly give up. Savage didn’t answer Bowie’s question and he knew he had hit a nerve.
“When you were with me, Savage, was I enough?” Dallas asked. Bowie hated how much hope he saw in her eyes and he hated knowing she was about to have her heart broken by Savage’s answer. There was no way he was going to be able to answer her honestly and not hurt her.
“No,” he breathed. “I wanted you to be, but you would have never been enough for me,” he admitted.
“I see,” she said. “Is that why you left me without any word?”
“No,” Savage said. “I was being honest with you the other night when I told you that I started feeling things for you and it scared the shit out of me. I wasn’t sure how to process everything that was happening between us and I panicked and took off. You were the last woman I was with. I’ve only dated men since you,” he admitted.
“And, you think that matters?” Dallas asked. “You left me without a word and I’m supposed to find consolation in the fact that you only dated dudes since you left me?”
Bowie laughed, “She has you there, man,” he said.
“Listen,” Dallas said. “I’m exhausted and I just need some time to process all of this.” Savage looked down at Greer and seemed a little panicked about Dallas taking her home.
“But, we haven’t had the chance to work everything out,” Savage protested.
“Yeah, that’s my fault,” Bowie said. “I’m sorry that I interrupted your—whatever this is. I’ll get out of here and you guys can salvage your night.” He knew he sounded like an ass, but he didn’t give a fuck. He was no closer to figuring out what the hell was going on between Savage and him and now with Dallas in the mix, he was even more confused.
Dallas took Greer from Savage and put her into her car seat. “Please tell Chloe that we said goodbye and we will see her soon. I promised to make sure that you are a part of Greer’s life and that also includes Chloe. I just don’t think I can give you more than that right now, Savage. I’m sorry.” She picked up her diaper bag and the baby’s car seat.
“It was good to meet you, Dallas,” Bowie said.
“You too, Bowie,” she returned. “I hope you find what you’re looking for. I hope you both do.” Dallas waved over her shoulder and disappeared out Savage’s front door.
“Fuck,” he swore.
“What did you expect, man? You suggest the three of us fall into bed together and we just agree? That’s not the way life works for guys like us, Savage. Sometimes, we have to make shitty decisions and hope that we can find some kind of happiness. You need to wake up and realize that being bi doesn’t mean you get to have it all, just because that’s what you want,” Bowie said. He had spent way too many lonely nights trying to decide what he wanted his life to look like. Sure, he wanted the same thing Savage did, but sharing his life with both a man and a woman was never going to be possible. He still hadn’t come out to his own parents. How would he admit he was with a man and a woman to them?
“I’m sorry about our date,” Savage said. “I’m sorry about everything.”
“Me too, man. I’d say to give me a call when you figure out what it is you want, but I have a feeling that she just walked out of your front door. Don’t let her get away again,” Bowie said. “If you truly had feelings for her, don’t let them scare you off again, Savage.” Bowie didn’t wait for Savage to answer him. What could he say that he hadn’t already said? Bowie wanted him to admit that he had feelings for him too, but that would be asking too much. He didn’t want to be told pretty lies and he had a feeling that would be exactly what Savage would be giving him.
“I’ll see you around base,” Bowie whispered. He turned to leave, not looking back to where he knew Savage was watching him. He couldn’t because seeing the hurt in Savage’s eyes would only make him want to change his mind and Bowie wouldn’t do that to himself. He was worth more than that.
SAVAGE
It had been two weeks and Savage hadn’t seen Bowie. He had spent most of his afternoons on base, even on days when he didn’t have tests to run, hoping to see some sign of him. He hated that Bowie was avoiding him, or at least that’s what he believed was going on between them. He had left a dozen or more messages on Bowie’s voicemail and at least double that amount of texts with no return calls or messages.
His only bright spots were the nights he got to pick up Greer from Dallas’ place and take her home to hang out with Chloe and him. Dallas had even been gracious enough to let him have her for a few overnights while she either worked an extra shift or caught up on sleep.
Savage had his lawyers draw up joint custody contracts at Dallas’ request. She was determined to keep things legal and fair for both of them. Of course, that meant that she would have to accept the money that he kept offering her and he knew she could use it. He hated how hard she had to work to take care of Greer and herself. He was hoping she’d let him into her life a little more, but she hadn’t; always keeping him at arm’s length every time they passed Greer off.
Chloe was over the moon about having a new little sister and he loved watching the two of them together. Savage had brought Chloe’s crib up from the basement and when he put it together in the spare room he planned to use for Greer’s nursery, Chloe insisted her sister share a room with her. They had worked out a little routine for the nights Greer was with them and on nights she was with Dallas Chloe complained that she missed her sister. Savage felt the same way about his daughter and her mom, but he’d keep that to himself.
The club had run into some trouble with another local MC. Honestly, Savage found the whole idea of rival gangs to be outdated and even foolish but that was exactly what the Dragons were to his club. Savage Hell couldn’t seem to shake the Dragons and they were causing trouble again.
Years ago, they hurt one of his friends, Cillian James. He was friends with Cillian’s father and when the family moved back to Ireland, leaving Cillian behind, he promised to keep an eye on the kid. Cillian was far from a kid though, but he was still making some pretty questionable decisions. Savage had denied the kid being patched into Savage Hell and that’s when things went bad. Cillian was determined to join an MC and when the Dragons showed him some interest he jumped at the chance to be a part of them, even stealing a car and ending up in jail for grand theft auto. Savage would never forgive himself for letting his friend slip through the cracks—he regretted it still, even almost ten years later.
Lately, a few of the Dragon’s guys had been hanging around Savage’s bar and when he explained that he didn’t want any trouble, that was exactly what he got. Bike tires were being slashed around the parking lot while his club members were inside the bar having a few beers. Two of his guys were jumped and beaten up pretty badly. Savage even received a few threatening notes on the front door of the bar and it was all starting to hit a little too close to home. He worried that whoever was targeting him would show up to his house and go after Chloe or Greer. He called in a few favors with some of the guys and had his buddies, Ryder and Repo, watching Dallas and Greer. He knew
that calling the police would prove to be a waste of time. They didn’t really take what they like to call “shenanigans” between rival MC’s seriously. There was no way he was about to tell Dallas what was going on either. He had just gotten her back in his life and they were working out custody arrangements for Greer. If she knew that she or her daughter were possibly in danger, she’d go into full-on mama bear protection mode and Savage might not see his daughter again. Having the guys keep an eye on them was the best option and one that helped him concentrate on keeping Chloe safe.
His doorbell rang and Savage looked out his front window to find Ryder standing on his porch. He was expecting Dallas and Savage worried he wasn’t going to like whatever news Ryder had for him.
“Tell me they are alright, Ryder,” he ordered.
Ryder held up his hands, “Dallas and the baby are fine. Her car tires are not,” Ryder said. “Someone slashed all four tires and I’m betting it’s not a coincidence.”
“Shit,” Savage growled. “No, it doesn’t sound like a random act. Not with everything that has been going on around here lately. I take it she knows about the tires?” Savage hated that he wasn’t there to watch her himself, but he couldn’t be in two places at once.
“She more than knows,” Ryder said, stepping to the side for Savage to see both Dallas and Greer standing behind him. “Sorry man, but she insisted on coming with me when I checked on her and the baby. I think the cat’s out of the bag on this one, Hoss.”
“Yeah—” Savage looked Dallas up and down as if confirming for himself that she was alright. “Hey, Honey,” he whispered.
“Don’t you ‘hey honey’ me, Savage,” she shouted. Dallas handed him the baby and walked past him into his house. He wasn’t sure if he should be afraid of the angry woman entering his home or amused by her tough-ass attitude she was giving him.
“I think I can take it from here, Ryder. Tell Repo I owe him,” Savage said and turned to follow the curvy blonde who had made her way back to his kitchen. When Chloe realized that Dallas and Greer were there, she squealed and asked if they could watch some cartoons together. Dallas told her that Greer was sleeping in her car seat, but she could sit with Chloe while she watched them. Savage knew Dallas was giving the two of them time to talk and he worried that she was going to do most of the talking. He got the girls settled in the family room and found Dallas pacing his kitchen like a feral animal.
“You want to tell me why you have two of your guys watching my apartment?” She looked beautiful when she was furious, but that was something he’d keep to himself, for fear of having his head chewed off.
“Ryder and Repo were doing me a favor,” he said. “I asked them to watch you and Greer and I’m glad I did.”
“You really didn’t answer my question,” she said. “Why?”
Savage wondered just how much he’d have to tell her to appease her curiosity, but not cross the line and piss her off. “You were in danger and I’m guessing that since all four of your tires were slashed today, you still are.”
“In danger? Who would want to hurt me, Savage?” She peeked her head into the family room to check on the girls and then turned back to wait him out for an answer.
“It’s more who would want to hurt me,” he admitted. “The Dragons have been sending me threats and I knew that sooner or later they’d figure out that you and Greer are important to me.”
“Well, Greer is,” she grumbled. Savage was sick of denying his feelings for her and he wasn’t about to deny what he wanted any more.
“Both of you,” Savage corrected. “I care for both of you, Dallas. I think we already covered all of this a couple of weeks ago,” he said. Savage crossed his kitchen to tower over her and it felt damn good when Dallas leaned into his body as if she craved him just as much as he had been wanting her.
“And I told you why this would be a bad idea,” she whispered.
“Remind me again,” he demanded. “Because, right now, I can’t think of one good fucking reason why we aren’t together,” he challenged.
“Bowie,” she said.
“Fuck,” Savage swore. She was right—Bowie was a damn good reason why he and Dallas might not work out. He wouldn’t deny that he still had feelings for the guy. Hell, he couldn’t get either of them out of his damn head and not having them in his life was driving Savage crazy.
“Have you heard from him?” Dallas asked.
“No,” he said. “I’ve tried to call him every fucking day and he sends my calls directly to voicemail. I’m going out of my mind,” he said. Savage ran his hands over his bald head and didn’t miss the way Dallas looked his body over.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “That sucks, but maybe he just needs some time.”
“It’s been two fucking weeks,” he growled.
“Yeah well, sometimes people don’t do things on your timetable,” she said. “Just be patient with him.”
“Sure,” he said, “how long will I have to wait for you though, Dallas?”
“We’re not talking about me, Savage,” she chided.
“We were until you changed the subject. Don’t think I didn’t notice,” he said.
“Actually, we were discussing why your guys were watching my apartment and why some Dragons are after me.” Dallas cocked her eyebrow at him as if challenging him to disagree.
“The Dragons are Savage Hell’s rival club and they’ve caused us trouble for years now. It comes in waves and things have been quiet for the last few years. I’m not sure what’s changed, but they’ve been slashing bike tires around the bar and even beat up a couple of my guys. I didn’t want to take any chances with you and Greer, so I sent the guys over to your place.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me to keep an eye out?” Dallas asked.
“Because I didn’t want to worry you. Dallas, you already have a lot on your plate and the last thing you need is me adding to your pile.”
“Okay, then why didn’t you just watch me?” She asked.
“Because I had to keep an eye on Chloe and I couldn’t be in two places at once. Sending the guys was my only option,” Savage said.
“No, you had another option. You could have let me in on what was going on. Don’t you think I have a right to know that my daughter and I were in danger, Savage?” Dallas asked.
“When you put it like that, sure,” he said. Savage felt as if he couldn’t do anything right lately. Every decision he made regarding Bowie and Dallas had turned into a shit-show. “Listen, I won’t pretend to know what the hell I’m doing here,” he admitted. “Since going out with Bowie and running into you, I feel like I can’t get myself in check. I seem to fuck up everything and I’m not sure how to fix any of this.” Dallas snaked her arms around his neck, going up on her tiptoes to gently brush her lips over his, taking him completely by surprise. Savage wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, deciding it was now or never. He sealed his mouth over hers, deepening their kiss and she moaned into his mouth, giving his tongue access to find hers. He broke their kiss, leaving them both panting for air.
“It’s been so long,” she whispered, snuggling into his arms.
“How long has it been, Dallas?” he asked. He knew that he was hoping she’d tell him he was the last, but that would be crazy. She was a beautiful woman and he did leave her. She had every right to find someone else but the jealous, selfish bastard in him wanted her to say he was her last.
“Since our last night together,” she admitted as if she could read his damn mind.
“Really?” Savage asked, not bothering to hide his smile.
“Really,” she confirmed. “Not too many guys want to date a pregnant woman, let alone have sex with her. I guess that after I found out about Greer, I focused on her and tried to save as much money as possible before she got here. I was working two full- time jobs and trying to make sure that I was eating and sleeping enough. There wasn’t really time for much else—especially not dating.”
“S
o, no sex?” Savage ran his hands down her back and grabbed her ass, loving the way her ample backside filled his hands.
“Well, not with a man,” she teased.
“Wait, what?” he asked. Dallas giggled and wiggled her ass against his palms.
“I have a vibrator, Savage,” she admitted. “But, that really doesn’t count—it’s not like it’s the real thing. Still, it was enough to get me to where I was going and well, it was fine—for a while.”
“And now?” He asked.
“Now, I think I’m ready for the real thing again.”
“Thank fuck, Honey,” he growled.
“We still have to figure out what you want to do about Bowie, Savage,” Dallas said. She was right—he did need to figure out the whole Bowie situation. But, if he wasn’t willing to answer his damn cell, what was Savage supposed to do?
“We also need to figure out who slashed your tires and how to keep you and Greer safe,” he said. “You trust me, Honey?” He asked. Savage felt as though he was holding his damn breath waiting for her to answer.
Dallas’ shy smile lit up her beautiful face and she nodded. “I do,” she admitted. “These past two weeks you’ve shown me a new side to you that I wasn’t sure I’d ever see. You are a wonderful father to both of the girls and I know that in a pinch, I can count on you.”
Savage flexed his hands into her ass cheeks and smiled. “You can count on me in more than just a pinch,” he teased.
“So, what’s the plan, Savage?” Dallas looked at him like he was her fucking superhero and honestly, she made him feel that way.
“I think we need to get you and the girls out of town for a bit—you know, let things cool down with the Dragons and I think that Bowie might just be able to help with that.” Savage remembered Bowie telling him that he was from a little town in Texas and that he still had a house he owned there. It was his grandfather’s cabin and he couldn’t seem to let it go when the Army stationed him at Redstone.
