“Sorry?”

“What’s that say about me?” he repeated.

“Honey, I don’t understand the question,” I whispered.

“Babe, honestly?” he asked.

“Yes.” I was still whispering.

“You’re standin’ there wonderin’ what the f**k you got yourself into after gettin’ yourself outta that jacked up situation with your ass**le ex. After makin’ two piss poor choices in the women I let in my life, what do you think I’m thinkin’?”

I couldn’t be sure but I thought I knew what he was thinking.

“I’m not Neeta,” I said quietly.

“You’re your own brand of trouble, I know that and you’re still right here,” he told me and I felt my heart start beating faster.

“But I’m a good girl,” I whispered. “I’ve always been a good girl.”

“Laurie, you strut up to a f**kin’ garage, all tits, ass and legs. Jesus, if you had a fishin’ pole, you couldn’t’ve hooked those boys faster.”

“I needed my oil changed,” I reminded him.

“Wood didn’t come out first, babe, no f**kin’ joke, the rest of those boys woulda fought to change your oil and bring you margaritas while they were doin’ it.”

“That’s crazy,” I breathed.

“Ace, hello?” he called. “I was f**kin’ there.”

“Tate,” my voice was stronger, “I needed an oil change.”

“Yeah, there it is,” he shot back, “your own brand of trouble.”

“I don’t understand what you mean!” My voice was definitely stronger since I was semi-shouting.

“What I mean is, two months ago I scraped off the bitch who’s been ruinin’ my goddamned life for over twenty years. The next day, the next f**kin’ day, you’re in it. You’re totally clueless, wanderin’ through a biker town like you’re in Disneyland. And, I’ll repeat, the day before I met you, I scraped off the woman who I spent two decades with, a different kinda clueless woman who lived in her own head.”

I felt my head twitch.

“I’m not clueless,” I whispered.

“You’re clueless and you’re lost,” he returned.

“I’m not lost either,” I told him.

“Lauren, you live in a hotel.”

“So? It’s home!”

“You can tell yourself that, babe, but a hotel is not home.”

I switched topics because he kind of had me there.

“And I don’t live in my own head.”

His face changed, his voice changed, everything changed when he spoke again.

Everything.

The whole of Tate.

I watched it and it was so dazzling all I could do was stare.

“Honey,” he whispered, using an endearment he’d never used on me in a voice he’d never used either, a voice that was quiet and sweet and the expression on his face was so tender it made my heart turn over, “you’re so deep in your head you can’t even sleep.”

I felt my lips part and I kept staring at him.

Darn it all, he had me there too.

His arm left my back so his hand could curl around the side of my neck.

“This is what we got. You got burned by that ass**le ex of yours and I got played by Neeta. We hooked up after that, for me right after that, and here we are. So what’re we gonna do?” he asked.

“I…” I cleared my throat, “I don’t know.”

The pad of his thumb pressed my jaw up as his head tilted down and his face got close.

“I ain’t Brad and you aren’t Neeta,” he said softly. “I also ain’t perfect and neither are you.”

He was right about that too.

“No,” I agreed quietly.

“So we find out about each other and who we are together.” His forehead dropped to touch mine. “I’m gonna piss you off ‘cause I can be a dick. That’s who I am. And you’re gonna piss me off ‘cause, babe, you got attitude. That’s who you are. And that’s who we’re comin’ out to be together. And I’m all right with that because, with what I had before, even when you’re a bitch, I like it. But when you’re not, it’s a sweetness the like I’ve never tasted.”

Oh.

My.

God.

I felt tears sting my eyes and my fingers curled around his biceps to hold on.

“Tate,” I whispered.

“So, I’m not takin’ you to the hotel. We’re sittin’ out on the deck and havin’ coffee. Then I’ll make you breakfast. Then we’ll f**k in bed, then f**k again in the shower, then we’ll go to work. Then I’ll take you for your swim. Then we’ll f**k in the shower at the hotel. Then I’ll feed you and we’ll probably f**k in my bed again.”

“That’s a lot of, um…”

“Maybe I should rephrase, some of it’ll be f**kin’, some of it’ll be me makin’ you come.”

I felt and heard my breath snag as my hands moved of their own volition. They uncurled from his biceps and started to press under his arms to wrap around his back.

“I usually eat before I swim,” I found my mouth informing him.

I watched his face relax and his fingers slid into my ponytail and twisted gently. “Works for me.”

Then his mouth came to a hairsbreadth away from mine.

“Okay,” I breathed as my eyes started closing.

“You over your snit?”

My eyes slowly opened and that disquiet I felt last night reminded me of its existence.

Then I whispered, “We should talk about Wood.”

His lips touched mine. “You got Neeta today, baby, Wood can wait until later.”

“But –”

His arms pulled me deep into his body. “Only so much of those two I can stomach in a day.”

“Tate –”

“You gonna finally kiss me good mornin’ or do I have to kiss you?”

I felt a flurry in my belly.

“I should probably kiss you,” I said softly because I probably should. I’d been a bitch again and I needed to make it up to him.

“You got a second, Ace, then I’m takin’ over.”

“Tate –”

“Time’s up,” he said, his head slanted and Tate kissed me good morning.