right, find out what she knew about Tony, and come up with a plan. Instead, I’d gotten balls deep inside her and decided she wasn’t leaving my bed.
I heard a chatter behind me and saw my two ferrets -- Bandit and Pirate -- on their hind legs watching me. I paused to give them a scratch. My brothers gave me shit for having them as pets. I’d gone with Forge to the pet store to pick up food for the stray cats that kept wandering into the compound, only to overhear someone trying to dump their ferrets at the store, claiming they couldn’t keep them anymore. I’d had them three years now, and they’d been a few years old when I’d gotten them. They wouldn’t live forever, but I’d done my best to give them a good life while I had them.
“You two stay out of trouble. No snooping in her bag!”
They chattered at me again, either in agreement or the ferret version of laughter because I knew they’d damn well do as they pleased. Especially when it came to stealing shit. Anytime something went missing, I usually found it in their hoard.
I cranked the hot water until steam billowed from the glass stall and stepped under the spray. Not once in all my life had I ever lost my cool and gone bare with a woman. Until now. My high school sweetheart had ended up pregnant, but only because the condom broke. I thought about Lo and wondered what she’d think of all this. Even before she’d found out about the baby, I’d planned to hold onto her for life. I’d even worked my ass off to buy her an engagement ring right before graduation.
No one knew about her. Not here anyway. The only people who’d been part of my life back there were either dead or we’d lost track of one another. I leaned my head against the wall as the water pounded my back and thought of her sweet smile, and her gentle nature. I’d never known a woman like her and hadn’t been looking for one.
I’d thought Charlotte was my second chance at happiness, but I’d been wrong. She’d wanted no part of this life, and I couldn’t blame her. It had hurt like a bitch when she’d left, but I got it. She didn’t feel safe, and I couldn’t promise she’d never be in the line of fire again. Someone had used her to get to the club, and I knew damn well any woman one of us claimed could face the same thing in the future.
But Lyssa knew the score. She’d been raised in this life. Hell, she’d strolled into my clubhouse bold as brass and kissed me. While there had been some club whores who’d done that, they’d all been after something, like status. With Lyssa, she’d just wanted to make a point with the guy who wouldn’t stop chasing her. The fact she picked me out of everyone else admittedly stroked my ego. Any of my brothers would have helped her if she’d asked.
My thoughts drifted back to Lo. My kid would be older than Lyssa by now, if he’d lived. Instead, Fate had been cruel and stolen not only my son but my wife too. And yeah, I’d married Lo first chance I’d had after graduation. The sharp pain I’d once felt when I thought of her tombstone -- Loretta Bradshaw, Wife and Mother -- had lessened over time. I’d always miss her, and some part of me would love her until I drew my last breath, but I knew she’d want me to live my life and not wallow in self-pity.
A small hand pressed against the center of my back and I glanced over my shoulder. I hadn’t even heard Lyssa enter the bathroom much less the shower. I needed to get my head on straight if I was going to keep her safe. I turned and wrapped my arms around her.
“Everything all right?” she asked.
“Yeah, just taking a trip down memory lane. Not the happy kind either.”
She kissed my chest, then went up on her tiptoes. I leaned down and let her kiss me. It was soft and sweet. The kind of kiss you’d expect from a woman who didn’t have much experience, and for some reason, the quick brush of her lips against mine turned me on far more than getting down and dirty with any of the club whores ever had.
“I’m not taking this to the table,”