said as she unplugged the crockpot a few days later. “I’m not asking you to babysit, I just need you to pick Amy up from her friend’s house and drive her to Cassie’s.”
“At eight o’clock on a Friday night!” Lee huffed out a pissed off growl as though she’d asked him to give up a month of his life to stand guard twenty-four-seven over his younger sisters. Oh, how she missed the days of responsible and unselfish Lee where he’d anticipate what help she needed and jump in without argument or attitude. Still, she found it difficult to get mad at the kid. Growing up in the community robbed him of so much. Didn’t he deserve a little fun?
Don’t you?
“Yes. At eight on a Friday night. But that’s it. You have the rest of the night to do whatever it is you do on Friday nights.”
He waggled his eyebrows, and Mak made a mock wrenching sound.
“Gross, Lee. I do not need to know about whatever girl you’re disappointing for the night. Just promise me you’re being safe.” The thought of Lee having sex made her cringe. Wasn’t he just a little boy?
No, he was a man now, and one who hadn’t had any male role models through his late teen years. And shitty ones the beginning of his life. Hopefully, working with Thunder and some of the other club members at the gym would refresh his memory on how to be dependable. Maybe some of the guys could take him under their wings.
His jaw dropped. “Did you just make a sex joke?”
“What?” Her face heated. “Oh, shut up.” Damn Thunder, rubbing off on her.
Oh…there was another joke in there somewhere.
Lee laughed and walked up next to her, where she stood at the counter. He slung an arm across her shoulders. “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”
Thank God.
“But I want it on the record that I’m not happy about it.” He snagged a tortilla chip from the bowl she’d filled a few moments ago.
“Hey!” Mak slapped his hand. “Can’t you wait five minutes? Thunder will be back with Em and Kara, then we’ll eat.” He’d gone on a quick run to the store to grab a few things she’d run out of. The girls insisted on going with him, and he’d been more than up for the task.
Poor guy had no idea what he was in for. Emmie liked to touch everything in the store while Kara tried to add extra items to the cart.
With a grunt, Lee wandered across the kitchen. He rested his back against the refrigerator and folded his arms across his chest. Was it her imagination, or was her brother getting seriously buff? Maybe this gym job would work out after all.
One could hope.
“So, this is like an official thing now?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow.
“What’s a thing?” Okay, she knew full well what he was asking.
“Thunder. You and Thunder.” His voice took on a protective edge.
In the days since she and Thunder had decided to give this thing between them a go, she’d not yet worked up the courage to talk to Lee about it. The only man Lee had ever seen her with had been her husband, and that hadn’t exactly been healthy. She had no idea what reaction to expect from him. At first, he hadn’t seemed too fond of Thunder, but perhaps that had changed with the assist in securing a job he’d enjoy.
“Yes,” she said, propping her backside against the counter. “I’m not sure where it will go, or where it can go, but we are a thing.”
“Hmm.” He pursed his lips.
“Go ahead.”
“What?”
She rolled her eyes. “Say your piece. Since when do you hold back your opinions?”
With a shrug, he stared out the window for a solid minute. As she was about to resume dinner preparation, he turned back to her. “I don’t get it,” he said. “Okay, some of it I get. You had a shitty sham of a marriage to a geriatric. You’re young. You want some hot, wild sex, and I’m sure the biker gives it to you.”
“Lee!” Not where she wanted this to go.
“But he’s a biker, Mak,” he said with true concern in his voice. “I know I’m a dude, but we left one male-dominated controlling-as-fuck situation. Why the hell do you want to stick yourself in the middle of another one? MCs aren’t exactly known for treating women well, Mak.” He was riled now, practically shouting at her as he advanced.
“Lee…” She kept her voice