“Some did, though,” he mutters, absently touching my waist.

  As I pull back from him, I notice something. “You have blood on you. Do you want to go and clean up before we do anything else?” I’m not really in the mood to go and sit at a fancy restaurant after everything that has just happened anyway. I feel like having a steaming hot shower and curling up in bed with soup or something.

  “Yeah, maybe we should move date night to another night,” he says, exactly what I was thinking. “Come on, let’s go back to the clubhouse.”

  We get on the bike and ride back the way that we came.

  A lot slower, this time.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After my long, hot shower, I leave the bathroom in a towel, another one wrapped around my hair. I pretend I don’t notice him watching me. “Shower is free.”

  “Thanks,” he says, standing up from the bed, bloody T-shirt gone and nothing but smooth skin and muscles left in its place. “I ordered us some food in.”

  “Sounds perfect,” I reply, eyes lingering on the indentation under his pecs, and down farther to the vee right underneath the top of his jeans.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Sky,” he rumbles, walking past me and into the bathroom. I turn to catch an eye of his muscular back before the door shuts. I never even knew backs could be sexy, but boy, they can.

  My body starts to overheat, and I feel a little clammy. After sliding the towel off my body and onto the bed, I change into the T-shirt he left for me to wear as I hear the shower turn back on.

  We haven’t really had a talk about my lack of experience in the bedroom, and I know it’s something that is very different about us. He’s older and has slept with plenty of women, while all I’ve done is kiss and had a few hands go wandering. While I’m not embarrassed about the fact that I’m still a virgin, I know it’s just a reminder of how young I am. Still, if he wants me he’s going to have to deal with whatever I come with, and me the same with him.

  I’m sitting on the bed going through my phone when Saint walks out in his towel, and I can’t help but stare at him. I may be drooling and I really don’t care. He shakes his head at me, but the little smile on his mouth lets me know he likes the way I look at him.

  “What?” I ask, not ashamed in the least. “You are sexy.” Feeling bold, I add, “Can I touch you?”

  I know it may sound like I’m inviting him to bed, but I genuinely just want to touch him. I’ve imagined touching him for years and here he is, with us in this weird limbo place. I figure it’s worth the ask.

  He stays still, so I move toward him and reach out to touch his shoulders and the soft skin there, then his hard biceps, then down his chest and ripped abs. He is all muscle, and I could touch him all day, the concept so foreign to me.

  “Any farther and you’re gonna be in trouble, Sky,” he says in a husky tone, eyes locked on mine.

  Now would probably be the right time to tell him.

  “I’m a virgin,” I blurt out, anticipating his reaction. “So you’re going to have to take it slow with me.”

  Blue eyes widen, and his fingers reach out to touch my face. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on, and you’ve managed to get to your twenties a virgin? You’re a fucking unicorn, is what you are.” He rests his forehead against mine. “You control the pace, Sky. I want you, but I’m not going to rush you. We can go as slow as you want to.”

  He kisses me then, a sweet, gentle kiss. The kiss of a man who is going to enjoy the journey instead of rushing to the end. The thing is, I’m more ready than I let on. I haven’t stayed a virgin because I wasn’t ready for sex; I stayed one because no one was Saint, and now that he’s here and he’s said exactly what I want to hear, I don’t think I’m going to last long without wanting him to be the first man inside me.

  “You’ll wait for me,” I ask, smiling against his lips.

  “You’re worth it,” he replies. “You know you were the only one who ever understood me, even back when we were just nothing but friends and I was a prospect. You always said just what I needed to hear.”

  “You can be pretty closed off,” I say gently, placing my palm on his chest. “You know you can trust me, right? You don’t need to have your walls up around me.”

  “I know,” he whispers.

  “What did Hammer say about us?”

  “That if I hurt you he will skin me alive,” he admits, cringing. “But he knows that we’ve always gravitated toward each other. I don’t think anyone is surprised, to be honest. If anything I think I’m more surprised than anyone else.”

  His hand roams down the back of the T-shirt I’m wearing until it rests on my ass. “Are you wearing any panties?”

  I shake my head.

  He makes a deep sound in the back of his throat. “You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”

  “I feel like you’ve had enough easy,” I tease, stepping back and winking at him. “Time for a bit of a challenge for once.”

  “You’re making a lot of assumptions here, Sky,” he murmurs, gaze on my thighs.

  “And are they true or false?” I ask.

  He laughs out loud. “True, but still, you don’t need to call me out on it.”

  Picking me up, he throws me back on the bed, his T-shirt going up in the air and flashing him before I can pin it down, making me squeal.

  Saint simply laughs, our eyes cutting to the door as someone knocks.

  “Stop giggling away in there!” Hammer shouts out. “The food is here!”

  We laugh harder.

  * * *

  Saint makes me wear a bra and jeans under his T-shirt before he lets me leave the room. When I enter the kitchen and see everyone, I can understand why. Temper arches his brow when he sees me, glancing between Saint, me and Hammer before shaking his head in an “I don’t even want to know” manner.

  “Hello, Temper,” I say cheerfully, sitting down and glancing around the table. “Dee,” I say in a less excited tone. “How are we all?”

  Dee just laughs and Temper throws a chip at me.

  “Not quite the date night I had in mind,” I say to Saint, who grins and kisses my cheek. “I’ll make it up to you later this week. I didn’t plan on getting covered in blood before we could even have dinner.”

  “What happened?” Temper asks, and Saint recaps our night for him.

  “Sky was amazing—she gave one of the men CPR and literally saved his life. She was solid.”

  “I was terrified, but I knew panicking wasn’t going to help anyone,” I admit. “And the feeling of saving someone was exhilarating. Like I would have done anything to save that man. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  I glance around the table to see all the men staring at me. “What?” I ask.

  “Your eyes just lit up,” Hammer says, sitting back in his chair. “Maybe you’re meant to be a doctor or nurse, or a paramedic. I know you were up in the air about what you want to do, but I think this might be your calling.”

  “Yeah, and we could always use a doctor around here,” Temper adds, smirking. “Someone is always getting hurt, or shot, and no one wants to go and see a doctor and have to explain that shit.”

  The men all make sounds of agreement.

  “Don’t try and make this about you,” I tease, sitting back and contemplating Hammer’s words. He might be right.

  Saint agrees. “You have it in you, if that’s what you want to do, Sky. Honestly, you surprised me tonight. Most people freak out and panic in situations like that.”

  Interesting. Could I see myself in the medical field? The excitement that fills me at the thought says yes. It’s about time I did something with my life—working in hospitality isn’t my calling and I’ve always known that.

  “I’ll have to look into it,” I say, smiling wide.

  “And don’t worry about money,” Saint says to me quietly. “I’ll cover anything you need.”

  I open my mouth to object, but Hammer interrupts me. “Money isn’t an issue, Skylar. Find out what you want to do and enroll in it. And you can even quit the job at the seedy bar too.”

  “Yeah, or I’ll be in there more to check on you, and you know how that went the other night,” Saint adds, chuckling to himself.

  “What did we miss?” Renny asks, looking between us.

  I sit there red-faced as Saint tells them the story about his cousins and me being jealous, thinking that they were random women trying to hit on him.

  “Very funny, guys. Just wait until the tables are turned—I bet it won’t be funny then,” I tell them all, huffing.

  “It will still be funny, actually,” Temper adds, shoving a chip dipped in salsa in his mouth. “Watching Saint beat the shit out of someone and get arrested is pretty amusing.”

  “What?” I ask, confused.

  “How do you think he got arrested the first time?” Dee adds, shrugging. “He lost his temper.”

  That’s right. Saint told me this at dinner, although apparently it was seriously downplayed. “Temper, maybe you and Saint need to swap road names,” I mutter.

  This is what Logan meant. This is everyday life for them, and I knew Saint went to prison, obviously, but hearing them play it off like that and turn it into a joke is hard to listen to.

  And the question is, will it happen a second time?

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Who did you attack that got you locked up, Saint?” I ask the next morning. We had spent the rest of the night watching a movie and then fell asleep cuddling. And now that the sun is up, I realize we have to have this discussion. I can’t not ask.

  He sighs deeply and rolls over to face me. “I got drunk and was out at a club, and I got into a fight. They arrested me. I told you this. I accepted the plea deal, did my time and now I’m out.”

  That doesn’t answer my question.

  “Does stuff like that happen often?” I press.

  “No,” he replies quickly. “Sometimes other shit happens, though. I’m not a saint, Sky.” His lip twitches when he realizes what he just said. “I mean, I’m a biker, and you know sometimes we get into trouble, and it’s not always my trouble. I protect and defend all of my brothers, just as they do with me. You know all of this.”

  “I do, and I guess I just want to know exactly what I’m getting myself into,” I admit. “I haven’t been here, and when I was, you guys never let me see the bad. I don’t know if you getting into a fight is a common occurrence or not, so I’m just asking so I know what to expect.”

  “Are you thinking you might not be able to handle this before anything has even happened?” he asks me quietly, tucking my hair back behind my ear. “I’ve only been arrested one time. It’s not an everyday thing, and I’m not going out there looking for fights. I am able to control myself, but yes, that time I was drunk and lost my shit, and I have paid for that. I have no desire to go back to prison for anything. I didn’t have anything to lose before, and now I do, okay?”

  “Okay,” I breathe, considering his words. “And no, it’s not that I’m not going to be able to handle whatever happens, I just want you to be honest with me, that’s all. I don’t like hearing information from the other people; I should hear it from you. I might not be a professional at relationships, but I know that communication is key.”

  He looks away from me, then sits up and stares ahead. “Yeah, you’re right. Communication. Loyalty. Honestly.” He turns back to me. “I want all of this with you, all right? I’m not fucking around here. You mean something to me. You always have. You’re not just another woman.”

  “Good, we’re on the same page then,” I reply, pulling him back down and onto me. “Tell me something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Anything,” I whisper.

  “Okay.” He thinks, laying his head on my chest without putting all of his weight on me. “I had a dream last night, and it was weird. We had a son together.”

  “That’s an interesting dream to have,” I whisper, smiling to myself.

  Saint goes quiet, and I run my fingers through his hair.

  As much as Logan’s words had truth to them, I know in my heart he is wrong.

  And I’m going to prove it.

  * * *

  I find a two-year degree program in paramedic training. I looked into nursing and even becoming a doctor, but that would be something I need to dedicate my whole life to, and I’d have to be willing to move to wherever I’m needed. I think working in paramedics I’d enjoy being on the go and the adrenaline of being the first at different scenes instead of being stuck in a hospital. Something new every day.

  I’m glad Hammer said money isn’t an issue, because the paramedic program is almost ten thousand dollars in fees. Although compared to going to med school, that’s basically nothing.

  “So you’re serious about this?” Logan asks as we sit and have a coffee in front of the TV. “I think it’s pretty cool.”

  “Yeah, I think so. I’m really excited about it, actually,” I tell him, blowing on the hot liquid. “I feel like maybe it is my calling. Nothing else has got me motivated like this. Normally I’d just check out the courses, do the research but then do nothing about it.”

  “Are you going to enroll?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to go in this week. There’s a month before the next program starts, so I have time to sort everything out. Hammer and Saint want me to quit the bar, but I don’t think I’m going to. I need my own money; I don’t want to rely on them for everything.”

  “Probably smart,” Logan agrees. “I spoke to Mom. The entire time she was asking about you and whether you tried to see Hammer.”

  “What did you say?” I ask, rolling my eyes at how nosy she is.

  “I told her I had no idea, that you got a job and work a lot,” he says, shrugging. “If I tell her about Hammer and Saint, she will probably drive straight here just to stir shit up.”

  “What, and bring Neville? Hammer will chew him up and spit him out. And he’s a nice guy—he doesn’t deserve to be dragged into Mom’s shit,” I admit, feeling bad for him.

  “She could come here without him. She’d just say she wants to see you,” he replies, pausing and then adding, “But yeah, he’d definitely try to tag along. He’s a bit of a stage-five clinger.”

  “Or he’s just smarter than we give him credit for and doesn’t trust leaving Mom alone,” I mutter, taking a sip from the Harry Potter mug, then putting it down on the coffee table in front of me. “I should have just answered the phone because now she’s going to know something is up. I shouldn’t have to play these games with her, though. It’s bullshit.”

  “She’s never just going to accept that you are back in the MC life and she’s not,” Logan concludes, running a hand through his hair. “She hated that she got dumped and lost everything, all her power. No more connections, money, nothing. She was suddenly just a normal woman with a heap of kids and no man again.”

  “She needs to let it go,” I grumble, picking up my phone and smiling when I see there is a text message from Saint.

  I miss you. What are you doing tonight?

  Working, I type back, then add, And no, that wasn’t an invitation for you to join me.

  What a shame, I wouldn’t mind one of those kisses again, he instantly replies, making me laugh out loud.

  “You have it bad,” Logan says, shaking his head at me. Sabrina comes into the room and cuddles up next to him.

  “So when am I going to meet this man of yours?” she asks me, kind brown eyes curious.

  “I don’t know,” I tell her. “Next time he picks me up I can bring him in and introduce you.”

  “Sounds good,” she replies, perking up. “I’ve heard about the Knights, but I’ve never met any of them. I know Logan speaks to their Hammer on the phone, but that’s all the fun we get around here.”

  “Probably for the best,” I mutter, and Logan makes a sound of agreement. “Logan, remember that birthday party Mom threw for you in the clubhouse?”

  “The one I never turned up to?” he asks in a dry tone, nodding. “Yeah, I remember. I told her I didn’t want a party, especially not there, I just wanted a dinner with the family, but she went and did the party anyway. Not really my scene, so I said fuck it and decided not to show. I spent the night with Sabrina instead.” He turns to her and says, “Remember? You took me out for the quiet dinner I originally wanted.”

  “Yeah, and your phone kept going off with everyone asking you where the hell you were,” she says, amusement in her eyes. “That was such a long time ago. I think we’d pretty much just met and weren’t even exclusive then.”

  “Wow, I thought the whole nonexclusive thing was just with modern dating,” I muse, laughing when Logan sends a glare in my direction.

  “I’m not that old, thank you,” he replies, softening as he looks back to Sabrina. “But yeah, we were just casual when we met. I wasn’t really looking for a relationship. I had so much family drama going on and wasn’t in the best place, but I couldn’t let her pass me by. She’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of woman, so I had to man up.”

  “That’s a bit cute,” I whisper, chin resting on my palm and watching the two of them. “And you guys have lasted for so long. If I need relationship advice, I’m coming to the both of you.” I pause, and then amend, “Well, maybe just you, Sabrina. I don’t think Logan wants to know too much information.”

  Sabrina laughs, shoulders shaking. “I’m always here if you need advice or someone to vent to. It’s actually nice having another girl around. I’m an only child, and before you moved in it was just your brothers randomly dropping in with alcohol and eating all of our food.”

  “I’m still eating all of your food,” I point out, grinning. “Speaking of, I want to take you both out for dinner to say thank you for letting me stay here, and for being the family I always wanted, pretty much.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “I want to.” And now that I’ve made a little money from working, and with tips, I can afford to.