know.
Sloane: I meant with friends and family, you giant alpha-hole.
Bronze: You say alpha-hole like it’s a bad thing.
Bronze: What story are you working on? What’s it about?
Sloane: It’s about a live-in nanny who gets herself into a lot of debt and has to ask her boss for the money to keep from being arrested and sent to jail.
Bronze: How is that erotica?
Sloane: Because he agrees to loan her the money and let her repay her debt with her body.
Bronze: Sounds hot.
Sloane: Erotica kinda has to be.
Bronze: What happens to the nanny?
Sloane: I don’t know. I haven’t finished writing it yet.
Bronze: You have plenty of inspiration from last night.
Sloane: Oh, I don’t write about my own experiences. I watch porn for that.
Bronze: You watch porn?
Sloane: Yes. Is that a problem?
Bronze: Fuck no! Every man dreams of finding a woman who likes porn.
Sloane: I watch it for work.
Bronze: Best excuse ever.
Sloane: So, uh, random…my brothers don’t know Paige is our sibling. Neither does my dad. If you could not say anything about it, I’d appreciate it.
Bronze: My lips are sealed.
Sloane: Thanks.
Damn it. I was hard from just texting with her. I wanted nothing more than to rub one out and fall asleep, but one glance at my sleeping daughter was all it took to put a halt to my plans. Closing my eyes, I exhaled slowly, intending to get up and start a load of Blue’s laundry before she woke up. But I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until I heard Blue crying a couple of hours later.
The next morning, I woke up an hour before Blue, which was unusual since I used her as an alarm clock. But I knew the reason behind it. I had some business to take care of, and I was apparently more excited about it than I thought.
Once we arrived at the gym, I got Blue settled and started my morning routine. It felt like the few hours before lunch lasted forever. But when the clock struck twelve, I dropped Blue off at the bookstore for her lunch date with Auntie Josie and Uncle Luke. Then, I went to the clubhouse for my own lunch date with Copper.
On most days, a handful of brothers and Old Ladies ate lunch at the clubhouse. When I pulled into the forecourt, I was pleased to see more than a few bikes and cars in the lot, but I grinned from ear to ear when I saw Layla’s car.
I entered the common room and went straight for the food like I always did. But instead of joining Copper, I walked over to Leigh and Layla. Placing my plate on the table, I dropped a kiss on top of Layla’s head and arched an eyebrow at my brother.
His eyes narrowed when they met mine, and he got to his feet. “The fuck are you—”
The words died on his lips when my fist made contact with his deceptive mouth.
Copper roared in anger and started to lunge for me but froze in his tracks when Layla stepped between us—just like I knew she would. “Stop!” she cried. I hated to upset her, but I knew she could make Copper pay for his sins in ways that I couldn’t.
“Move, Locks! Baby Brother’s about to get his ass kicked.”
Judge appeared out of nowhere and managed to take Layla’s place, effectively moving her out of the way without her even realizing it. “What in the hell is going on?” he demanded.
I stepped back with my hands held up. “I’m good.”
“Until I get my hands on you! What the fuck, Bronze?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I held his stare. “You tell me what the fuck, Copper. Explain to me why you took it upon yourself to threaten Sloane and scare her away when I specifically asked you to tell her I’d be in touch with her in another day or two. Better yet, explain it to them because I don’t want to fucking hear it right now!”
With that, I turned on my heels and drove back to the gym to finish out my day knowing that Copper would spend the rest of his day dealing with his angry wife. I also knew a riff with us would eat at him until it was resolved, but I felt like he deserved to suffer for at least a night. Because he stole three months from me.
The next time I heard from Sloane, a few days had passed, and I didn’t know what to think when I read