daddy before. You must be something special.” He kind of sniffed at her, as though he was a dog checking out the competition. “In fact, Scribe’s never been the kind to stick with one girl for more than a few days. And then he goes and finds some chickadee from outside the family.”
“I don’t think he meant anything by it.”
“Scribe’s a good boy. Been part of this club since he was big enough to sit a hog between his thighs.” Butch flicked a fingernail against Nola’s cheek, making her flinch. “Make sure you don’t get any ideas about him leaving the club. Cuz, once a member, always a member. You get it?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
He nodded. “Don’t forget it.”
He walked away, calling out to someone else as though he hadn’t just threatened Nola- as though handing out threats was a daily thing with him. Routine. Meaningless.
And it probably was. To him. But Nola’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Chapter 5
Scribe was tense when he came out of the house, and that tension didn’t subside as they rode his bike back across town. He drove so fast that Nola was holding on as much for her life as for the chance to touch the man she was quickly falling head over heels for. She was almost relieved when he stopped the bike at their usual spot by the lake.
“What’s going on?”
Scribe climbed off the bike, throwing his helmet into the sagebrush that grew just off the road. He walked to the water’s edge and squatted, staring out into the darkness as though he could see the secrets of the night if he stayed still long enough.
Nola climbed off the bike and slipped her helmet into its little compartment before joining him. She sat with a few feet between them, tucking her arms around her knees, and waited. He glanced at her once, but ignored her for a while as he continued to just stare into the dark. Finally, he fell back onto his hindquarters, cursing quietly under his breath as he stretched his legs out in front of him.
Nola ran her hand over his thigh, pressing her fingers into his muscles in an attempt to loosen them. They couldn’t feel good after holding that squat for so long. She moved closer to him, her hands still working, but then he brushed her away and jumped to his feet.
“I should take you home.”
“Why?”
He didn’t answer. He stomped over to the sagebrush and started kicking his way through it, looking for the lost helmet. Again, he cursed under his breath, whispering words she’d never heard anyone utter, even him.
“What happened, Scribe? What did Bear say to you?”
“Nothing you would understand.”
“So we’re still compartmentalizing?”
Again he ignored her, turning away from her as he continued his search.
“You’re an asshole, you know that? I thought you took me there tonight because you wanted to be with me. But I guess I was wrong. What, did I not meet your friends’ standards? Would it have been better if I’d gone in there topless?”
His head jerked in her direction, but for a third time he refused to answer her.
Nola spun on her heel and walked away. She couldn’t imagine getting on that bike with him again. Not now. Why would she want to be that close to a man who couldn’t tell her what it was that had him so angry? Was it really that complicated? Was it so hard for him to let her in? She thought they were headed down a road that would lead to something…well, she really hadn’t thought that much about it. But she wasn’t rushing off to meet him with the sense that this was something temporary.
Was he?
“Where are you going?” he demanded, his voice right over her shoulder.
“I’m walking home.”
“You’re twenty miles from your house.”
“I don’t care.”
“Nola.” He grabbed her arm and made her turn. “Don’t do this.”
“Why? You’re in such a hurry to get rid of me. What difference does it make?”
“I don’t want to get rid of you. In fact, that’s the last thing I want.” He drew