Page 54 of Iron Will
“Second —!” Laney’s eyes get even wider. Then, she bursts out laughing so hard I think she might pee herself.
“What?” I deadpan. “The first date wasn’t good?”
“Oh, my God,” she gasps, reaching up to wipe at her eyes with her free wrist. “Rourke, I have to hand it to you, I literally never know what is going to come out of your mouth.”
“That’s good, right?” I say, a corner of my mouth lifting.
She smirks back, pretending to be exasperated. “Well, it’s interesting, I’ll give you that.”
“So, you up for a ride?” I ask, sliding my eyes over her. “I see you’re wearing pants today.”
She raises her free hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know. It’s been a long day. I guess so. Are you taking me back to Shooter’s?”
“Nope. Somewhere else. Thought you might like to pay Bethany and Paisley a visit.”
Laney’s gotabout an hour left to work, so I hang out in the front atrium for a while, then go outside for a smoke. She comes out right on schedule, pulling her hair into a ponytail as she walks toward me.
“Are you going to bring me back here to the hospital to get my car later?” she asks, accepting the helmet I offer her.
“Will it be okay here overnight, just in case?”
She cocks her head and gives me a knowing smirk. “What are you suggesting?”
I grab her and pull her close. “I’m suggesting I want a replay of last night,” I growl against her ear. “That okay with you?”
Her answer comes out breathy. “I suppose I wouldn’t mind that,” she teases.
This time, when she gets on the back of my bike, she settles right in. Instead of going rigid with fear, Laney nestles against my back and wraps her arms around my torso. After what happened between us last night, the contact of her body against mine makes me hard as hell, and I struggle to keep my focus on the road.
When I pull us up to the clubhouse compound a few minutes later, I feel her body shift as she looks around, taking it all in. It’s just after six, and our legit business, Ironwood Car and Truck Repair, is just closing up for the day. In the back lot, a couple of the brothers are taking advantage of the warm evening to break out the grill. The smell of cooking meat wafts our way.
“I thought you said you wanted a replay of last night,” Laney says through her helmet once I’ve killed the engine.
“Like I said, I thought you might like to see Bethany and Paisley first,” I answer. “This is our clubhouse.”
“Are they here?” she asks as she climbs off, surprised.
I nod. “Yoda brought them here to stay for a bit after Paisley got discharged. Thought they might do better right at first somewhere with people around.”
Laney frowns. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” she looks at the row of bikes, and nods toward the clubhouse with a frown. “Is this the kind of place a little kid should be?”
“You mean compared to a shitty motel room with memories of her mom’s asshole boyfriend?” I smirk. “Come on. Let’s go inside, and you can judge for yourself.”
I lead her to the front door. Laney steps through, hesitating, like she’s not quite sure what to expect. Tonight the clubhouse is less rowdy than usual, since some of the old ladies and their kids are here for the barbecue. I let Laney look around the big main room, watching her as she takes in the bar, the pool tables in the center of the room, and the big pit toward the back with low, comfortable sofas. Paisley and Bethany are over there. They’re with Bailey, Gage’s old lady, and Bailey’s little girl, Addi. Paisley and Addi are sitting on the large shag rug between the couches, playing some board game or other I don’t recognize.
Bethany looks up and waves when she sees us, and I lead Laney over.
“Paisley, look who’s here!” Bethany says to her daughter.
“Laney!” Paisley cries, flinging herself to her feet. She races over. Laney bends down and gives her a hug.
“How are you doing?” Laney asks.“I like your shirt!” Paisley’s wearing a blue T-shirt with a unicorn on it. Her hair’s pulled up in a matching blue scrunchie thing.
“Addi gave it to me!” she says, turning to Bailey’s daughter. Paisley looks proud as hell. I can’t tell if it’s because of the fancy shirt, or because she’s got a new friend. Probably it’s both, the poor kid.