I asked through a light giggle, “Will I be safe?”

“Fuck no,” he answered and my giggle was no longer light.

Then I whispered, “I’ll come over.”

“That’s what I wanna hear, baby,” he said in his gentle voice.

I didn’t know why I did this dance. For the past week, nearly every night I ended my shift in Wood’s bed. I was not lying, all I wanted to do by the time I got there was crash which was all I did. And he got up and went to work before seven, half the time I didn’t know he left me.

He didn’t seem to mind about any of this. Then again, Krystal had hired two new girls and my constant work would end very soon since they both were starting the next couple of days. I figured Wood was hanging around, waiting for his reward.

“I’ll leave the door open,” he said and he would, he always did.

“I’ll see you later,” I replied.

“Later.”

Then he hung up.

I hit the button on my phone, threw it on the bed, looked at my alarm clock and swung my tanned legs off the bed.

It was time to get ready for work.

* * * * *

My life took another veer the day after Tate’s kiss.

I was on nights so I had all day which wasn’t a good thing because having all day meant having all day to think about Tate’s ride and then Tate’s kiss and, when there was time left over, to think of all the other things about Tate.

So I went about the business of filling up my day so I wouldn’t think of Tate. After coffee and a chat with Betty, I swung by La-La Land for a different kind of coffee drink, another slightly weirder chat (since I suspected both Sunny and Shambles were a wee bit high) and a sampling of more of Shambles and Sunny’s wares (blueberry muffin with those crunchy bits on the top, divine, Shambles might be stoned but he still could bake). Then I walked down to the mechanics to belatedly get my car.

Wood wasn’t around so I paid an older but definitely still cool and sexy lady in the office who had obviously given half of the female population of Carnal their style training. She was biker babe times a thousand and I loved her look so much I told her so.

“Dominic, darlin’,” she replied. “Carnal Spa. It ain’t no spa, he just does hair and manis and pedis, none of that facial or massage shit, but he’s g*y, as in flamin’, so he does great hair.”

She was right. Her hair, dark with fabulous blonde highlights and a wicked-cool cut, was perfect on her.

“Tell him Stella sent you,” she finished.

“Thanks,” I replied, smiled and waved my good-bye.

I was walking to my car when Wood pulled in on his Harley. His wasn’t black, though it looked to be the same model as Tate’s, it was silver.

He rounded my car and parked by it, swinging off the bike and standing there waiting for me in the space between his bike and my car.

“Hey,” I smiled but he didn’t smile back.

I knew why when I got close.

“Saw you ride out with Tate last night.”

I pulled in a quiet breath then said, “Wood.”

He looked away, running his hand along his hair, muttering, “Jesus, Lauren.”

“I –”

He looked back and cut me off. “He’s f**kin’ my sister.”

I felt my body still.

But he wasn’t done. “And she’s married and not to Tate.”

I went back on a foot like he’d struck a blow.

He took two steps toward me, claiming my space.

“You’re new in town but you’ll hear about it. Everybody knows. It’s better you hear about it now rather than later when he plays you and makes you look like a f**kin’ moron.”

“Wood –”

“Those two, f**k, it’s been so long, feels like forever those two been wound up, doin’ stupid shit, causin’ trouble, walkin’ all over people, breakin’ hearts while they went their merry f**kin’ way.”

It hit me.

“Neeta,” I whispered.

He stared at me, his face hard. “You already heard.”

“I saw them together at the hotel before –”

“Bet with you there, he don’t meet her there anymore.”

I felt my throat close.

He got closer and wrapped his hand around my neck. “For your own good, not f**kin’ mine ‘cause what I’m gonna tell you ain’t gonna make me your favorite person and I think you get this, baby, I want you on the back of my bike. But I want more not to see your face lookin’ like I slapped you, like it does right now, so you gotta know it all.”

“Wood –”

His face dipped close and his other hand curled into my waist. “Her name was Bethany, Chief of Police’s daughter. Caught Tate’s eye when he and Neeta were supposedly through, one of the many times they were off. Bethany, though, even though she knew it, lived it like the rest of us, she hoped. It was stupid, everyone knew it was. Tate hooked up with Bethany, they got tight and Neeta blew back into town. She wasn’t back a day, not even an hour, Laurie, before they were at each other. Bethany found out and slit her f**kin’ wrists.”

I sucked in a harsh breath and pulled back against his hand but it just tightened so I stopped.

“No,” I whispered.

“Yes,” he returned. “Her Dad found her and she survived. Moved to Colorado Springs. Neeta got a wild hair and quit Tate. Tate quit The Force, started hunting. Neeta comes back, though, regular and not to see Pop. And everyone knows it ‘cause you can see her car and his bike at Carnal Hotel when she does. She’s livin’ in Crested Butte but she comes to get her Tate fix, regular and often, and even though he knows she’s legally bound to a man in CB, he gives it to her.”

“I don’t –” I started but stopped when both his hands gave me a squeeze.

“This is my sister I’m talkin’ ‘bout, baby,” he said in his gentle voice. “And she’s trash. I’m sayin’ it, my Pop’ll say it. Neeta’s trash. The thing you gotta know before you climb back on the back of his bike is that Tate Jackson is trash too.”

After delivering that line, he let me go and stepped away. I remained silent and we stared at each other.

“Now you know,” he was still talking gentle. “You let that sink in and you make up your mind. You know where I am.”