Page 130 of Homecoming

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

The way her cheeks colored, faintly, he thought she must be remembering last night. His hands wanted to feel the silk of her hair again – the silk of her skin, untouched, still, because he’d been too eager to go farther than assaulting her with kisses.

“Did Ava call you?” he asked.

“Maggie sent Kris up to get me, actually,” she said. “We’re neighbors, you know.”

“I know.”

“Roman followed us in.” Her smile looked rueful. “I’ve never had the personal Lean Dog escort experience before. Kinda exciting.” But her eyes were full of worry, and he thoughtexcitingwas actuallyscary.

He nodded. “Maybe you can hang out with Ava today. And then tomorrow, I can escort you to work. Or one of the prospects…” He trailed off when he saw her brows draw together. “What?”

“It’s nice that you’re worried. But I was honestly shocked to be included in all this.” She gestured to the room around them. “You and I just – I mean, I’m not–” Hesitance, now, when she’d been so firm the day before yesterday in telling him that he didn’t really want him. “I’m not an old lady,” she finished with an uncertain shrug. “I don’t expect to use up valuable club resources.”

He frowned. “It’s not about labels.” The words came out sharper than intended, but stress was making him firmer, he found. “You’re important to people in the club – you’re important to me. That means you need to be protected.”

She blinked. “No one even knows I’m–”

“Leah, these guys killed a high school kid and laid him out like a freak piece of art. They’re smart, and they’re not letting any kind of moral code stand in the way. If they’ve tailed us, or followed us, or spied on us with cameras or something, they’ll know about you.”

Her lips parted on a soft “oh.” She swallowed, and he reached out, sorry that he’d snapped, to lay careful fingertips against her arm.

“I’m not trying to scare you,” he said, softly. “But – I’m scared. I – nobody – wants to risk anything happening to club family. We couldn’t live with that.”

She took a breath. “What about my parents?”

“I…”

“Are they in danger, too?”

He didn’t know, and he could tell that she read that doubt in his face. Which wasn’t at all acceptable; he couldn’t pull her into this world with him, put a target on her back, and then not have the answers she needed.

He schooled his features, and lifted his shoulders, forcibly gathering his resolve. “I’ll talk to Ian about getting them security,” he said.

Her brows went up. “Ian?”

“He’s buying the building, right? That shop is his investment, now. He’ll want to protect it, and that means protecting your parents.”

Slowly, a smile dawned. “Listen to you. All strategic and stuff.”

His face heated. “I don’t want you to worry. You and your parents will be safe.” A lump formed in his stomach when he remembered that he’d said the same thing to Jimmy Connors, currently cold in a morgue drawer.

She sighed. “Let’s hope so.”

Ditto. “I’ve got to run,” he said apologetically. “I’m supposed to…”

But she was already nodding, face full of understanding. “Of course. We’ll talk later.”

He ducked down to kiss her, one quick, soft press of lips that left his stomach jumping in a new way, and left her blush a shade deeper.

He went to talk with Mercy, because, despite his size and sometimes-sinister look, he was the easiest, most sociable, and best able to set young people at ease. Mercy agreed to tag along to the school, and Carter went to his dorm to make sure he was properly armed and equipped.

He was headed back to the common room when he almost ran into someone coming out of the kitchen. It was Jazz, and the moment he recognized her, his stomach flipped.

“Hey, honey,” she said, breezily, hand propped on her hip as she surveyed the crowded common room. “This is wild, huh? That poor kid. And inmy bar! Holy hell.”

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