“The shooting must have been traumatic.”
Nodding, I sighed. “Even before that, she had issues. First, we had plenty of crappy family members back in South Dakota.Then, Nova married a man who slapped her around. I talked her into therapy after the shooting. She claimed she started crying five minutes into the session and didn’t stop until her time was up. I thought that meant therapy went well. She said she could cry at home for free, so she never went back.”
“I tried therapy when I was in college, but I don’t like being told what to do. Whenever each therapist suggested I change a bad habit or my way of thinking, I’d get my back up as if I was under attack. Hell, I once bought a self-help book and couldn’t get past two chapters before I wanted to punch the author for telling me to change.”
Chuckling, I liked how snarly Lula could get. She looked like a damn doll or one of those fashion models that spoke in a foreign accent and never ate. But Lula was more than her good looks, and I was dying to learn more.
Unfortunately, the sound of motorcycles broke our quiet mood. A few minutes later, Pax returned to the house and pointed at me.
“He’s probably already pissed all over like a deranged dog.”
Clint strolled into the room and sniffed the air. “Smells piss-free to me.”
“Don’t take sides against the family, boy,” Pax warned in a menacing tone before smiling at the tiny, blonde woman next to Clint. “Don’t cry, little Ivy.”
“I’m not scared of you,” she casually replied. “Ford said you’re such a softie that you only got to be in the club because he put in a good word for you.”
“That motherfucker,” Pax snarled and rushed out of the house.
Clint grinned at the woman before focusing on me. “You’re here on a social call, I take it.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s why Zodiac didn’t mention you riding to Little Memphis.”
“He doesn’t know I’m here,” I replied sternly. “On account of this being a social call.”
“How long do you plan to stick around?”
I had asked myself these same questions during my ride from Baton Rouge to Little Memphis. Looking at Lula, I hoped she had the answer.
“Exile and I are going to lunch tomorrow, so I can buy him a steak,” she said and gave me a sly grin. “Assuming he doesn’t piss me off, we’ll have dinner. I don’t know what happens after we swap fluids.”
“Glad you saved that for when your dad wasn’t around,” I told her, winning a wider grin from Lula. “I can get a hotel for the night.”
“We’ve got people with spare rooms,” Clint said, already maneuvering me. “I think you should crash at one of their places rather than a hotel.”
“Why?”
“To allow us to keep an eye on you.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“Tricky and his crew won’t like you riding around town. This way, if they start shit, you aren’t facing them alone.”
My ego demanded I shoot down Clint’s idea. I wasn’t scared of Tricky or the LM Jokers. But pushing back felt like a mistake. Lula was sizing up my every move, deciding if I was worthy of more than a one-time fluid swap.
Was that what I wanted here? I didn’t even know this woman. Lula had a daughter and rode with another club. She lived hundreds of miles from my home.Did I really think she would give up everything to be my woman?
And what would I even do with a woman? I lived with my sister and nieces. I was grumpy in the morning. I hated changing up my life. What was I doing here?
Before I could shoot down Clint’s idea, I glanced at Lula. All my questions were instantly silenced.This woman was special, and I wanted her.Nothing else mattered right now.
LULA
I wished Exile could stick around longer, just him and me and our bottles of beer. Maybe I simply wanted a distraction from what happened yesterday, but Exile’s presence calmed me.
But I lived a family-filled life. My dad couldn’t leave well enough alone. It was his job to keep me safe from strangers, and Exile and I barely knew each other.
