Studying me, Exile stated, “You still haven’t explained why we’re here.”
“This place is linked to me. It’s where people who mess with the Little Memphis club got buried. I come here occasionally to think about Wolfman somewhere underneath all this gravel. After Pax claimed Bebe, I grew up with a middle-class childhood. But before that, my life was precarious. I wanted you to know I’m more complicated than the lady in the business suits. I come from rough stock like you do. I know your dad was a monster. Now, you know mine was, too.”
“I get it. You’re tough.”
“No, I’m not tough like a lot of the women in my club. But I am scarred inside. I think you are, too. But people look at you and see the healed wounds. They get that you’re hard. But people can’t see that with me. I need you to be able to acknowledge everything I am, not just the pretty parts.”
Exile glanced around, clearly disturbed over the mention of his dad. He took two very long minutes to settle into what I was saying.
“I don’t think Jarred and I were ever going to last,” I explained, and Exile immediately snarled at the mention of my ex-husband. “We were too similar. He’s better with Alani. So, even if he had understood me, I don’t think it would have changed anything. Yet, I was always bothered by how he saw me as the good girl with the degree and refused to acknowledge all the ugly stuff hiding inside me.”
With Exile’s walls so high up, I wasn’t sure he could even see me anymore. I took his hand and let my thumb stroke his palm.
“I’m more than grateful to you,” I whispered and shuffled closer. “I feel like you’re special. I want to be special to you, too. But I also need what we share to be real. I would assume you also want me to see the real you.”
“Yeah, I do,” Exile said and rubbed the back of his neck while looking around. “But I don’t like talking about my dad.”
“I know what I need to know about him. Now, you know about Wolfman.”
“I never would have realized you weren’t Pax’s kid. You look just like your mom. Sabrina does, too.”
Smiling, I squeezed his hand. “Do you like Japanese food?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I do. You trusted me with the beer. Let’s see if I can win you over with my food choices, too.”
Exile mimicked my smile and lost his annoyed edge. We returned to the SUV and headed to lunch. With his presence calming my earlier moodiness, I pushed aside every problem in the world and focused on the heat bubbling in my belly for this one particular man.
EXILE
Lula was a woman with expensive tastes, while I was a guy who tended to keep things simple. But like with the beer, her posh choices had their benefits. The Wagyu steak melted in my mouth, actually making me moan with pleasure.
Smiling at my reaction, Lula scooted closer in the booth. Her proximity and sweet scent instantly made my dick hard. I struggled to keep my mind off fucking. Lula lit my nerves on fire, but I wanted more than fucking with her.
“Does Dillon like school?” I asked after we finished our meal and admired each other.
“Yes, she’s always been a great student.”
“Does she miss her dad?”
Lula considered my question before replying, “She’s accustomed to our living situation.”
“And that doctor ex, he got remarried, right?”
“Yes, to Rock’s sister. They have two kids.”
“Did you ever consider having more kids?”
“No,” Lula said immediately and sized me up. “But I also had zero interest in dating.”
“Then, why are you here with me?”
Lula’s lips curved into a seductive grin. “You know why.”
I mirrored Lula’s smile. “I don’t date, either.”
“I know how bikers are.”
