“You were teasing?”

“Partly, yeah,” he answered.

“What’s the other part?”

“No woman has taken that kinda time with me.”

“So you liked it,” I stated hopefully.

His lips touched mine then slid to my ear where he said, “Yeah, baby, I liked it. And you can do it again. But, I’m just sayin’, I like to be the one who plays.”

“Oh… kay,” I said hesitantly because I didn’t get it.

“I like making you catch fire,” he went on.

“Okay.”

“And I like control.”

“Okay.”

“And I don’t like losin’ it.”

“So you didn’t like it.”

“Babe, I liked it.”

“But Tate, I don’t get it.”

He rolled us to our sides again and stated decisively, “You will.”

“I will?”

“Once you come fully into your biker babe, Ace, you’ll get it.”

I still didn’t get it but now he sounded amused so I knew he wasn’t angry and I was too sleepy to try.

I snuggled into him and muttered, “Well, I liked it.”

“I got that,” he muttered back.

I felt my brows draw together, “You did?”

“Babe, you were drippin’ wet when I got my hand between your legs.”

“Oh.” Well that explained that.

His hand slid into my hair and he gently ordered, “Sleep for me, Laurie.”

“Okay, Tate.”

“Sweet dreams, baby.”

I closed my eyes and snuggled closer. “You too, Captain.”

For some reason, his hand suddenly twisted in my hair, it didn’t hurt at all but there was something intense about it and my eyes opened.

“You’ll have sweet dreams?” he asked quietly and sounding like he cared, a lot.

God but I loved this man.

I felt my mouth smile and I pressed even closer.

“I’m a good girl, I always do what I’m told.”

His hand left my hair so both his arms could wrap tight around me.

“Love you, Ace,” he murmured and my stomach melted.

He said it. Right out.

He said it.

“Love you too, Captain.”

He kissed the top of my head and, in return, I kissed his chest.

Then I fell asleep and had sweet dreams.

Just like I was told.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Unpack

For a month and a half, nothing big happened.

Well, big things happened. I should say nothing mammoth happened.

* * * * *

The first big thing to happen was that Tate didn’t take Jonas back to Neeta.

This pissed Neeta off. She also blamed me for it. I knew it three days later when Tate had been called to go round up a fugitive from justice and therefore was out of town.

Even with more information, nothing had moved in the May-December case. Tambo told Tate that all the residents in the neck of the woods where Sunny was attacked didn’t fit the profile and every last one (not that there were many) had alibis.

This didn’t make Tate feel elated he had to go out and hunt down a fugitive. He didn’t like leaving me and his son when a murderer was on the loose. But he also had bills to pay and mouths to feed so he set up a posse of semi-bodyguards who drove me to work, took me home, stayed with Jonas when I wasn’t around and only left when they knew that I’d set the alarm. This posse included Pop, Dalton, Jim-Billy, Ned and even Wood. Once Tate set this up, away he went.

It was the very day he left when they came to Bubba’s when I was at work.

Three skanks, only one of them mildly attractive and one of them was overweight but dressed like a skank showing lots of skin. I tried not to be judgmental, to each their own, but really, exposing that amount of flesh when there was that amount of flesh to show was just plain wrong.

I knew they’d lived hard and rough and I could tell that by their faces and their attitude.

Twyla had squelched her own attitude enough to have been released from day duty (but only if I was working with her) so she and I were on nights and it was closing in on eleven. Dalton was behind the bar and Krys was back in the office when they came through the door.

I was standing at the bar in front of Dalton and he was completing an order when he looked over my shoulder, clocked them and muttered, “Fuck, Laurie, get behind the bar.”

I looked over my shoulder at them too, then at Dalton and asked, “Sorry?”

“Behind the bar,” Dalton repeated.

“You! Bitch!” I heard shouted and I looked back at the women to see they were advancing on me.

Like she had magic, Twyla appeared at my side.

The three stopped in front of me and the heavy one looked me up and down and stated, “What’s the big deal? She ain’t all that.”

Then the somewhat attractive one declared, “We’re here for Neet.”

“Oh my God,” I whispered, staring at them and figuring out who they were. “You’re Neeta’s posse.”

“Damn straight,” the non-descript skank confirmed like she was proud of this insane fact.

“You got a problem?” Twyla asked, moving slightly in front of me.

“Not your business, dyke,” the somewhat attractive one returned.

Oh no.

As Twyla’s entire body puffed up in affront, I quickly moved in front of her as Dalton made it to my side.

“Maybe you should just go,” I suggested.

“And maybe you should just leave Tate, bitch,” the somewhat attractive one ordered, definitely the voice of Neeta’s Crew. “He’s personal property, you get what I’m sayin’?”

“Are you serious?” I asked, thinking the whole thing was funny. Personal property? Had I been hurtled back through time to junior high?

“Deadly,” the somewhat attractive one leaned in and hissed and she looked serious.

“I’m not leaving Tate,” I replied only because they seemed to be waiting for my response. “And you all coming in here for Neeta is absolutely ridiculous. I mean, really?”

“You’re tryin’ to turn her boy from her,” the non-descript one alleged.

“Hardly,” I retorted.

“Carmen, maybe you should –” Dalton started to say to the mildly attractive one.