“I love a naked chick.” Zayn winked at me.
I handed Angel a smaller package—a pair of earrings I’d found.
“You bikers always want a naked woman full of liquor.” I smiled wide, loving my sassy line.
Laughter met my comment. Even Dare laughed. The sound lifted my heart, and hurt me at the same time.
Jericho frowned, opening his gift. “Where’s my naked lady?”
“You have no trouble finding those, but with that—” I pointed to the buckle “—you can keep your pants up until you get to the bedroom, at least.”
More laughter followed, and I left while they laughed. I needed to move on, or I’d crumble.
It hurt so damn much to see Dare’s smiling face.
“Mama, wait.” Zayn jogged after me.
I turned on the steps. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for the gift.” He kissed my cheek and handed me a wrapped box. “For you.”
I kissed his cheek. “Thanks. I’ll put it—”
“Open it,” he ordered me.
I tore off the wrapping. Inside were a pair of flower earrings, almost a duplicate of my tattoo. “Where did you find these? I love them.”
“I got connections.” His answer was muffled because I hugged him to me.
It was after two before my house emptied. I’d promised Bear I’d come out Christmas day, and refused several other offers, some of which required my using the Jericho line. I closed the door when the last guest left. An exhausted sense of satisfaction filled me. My first party was a success.
There were still bikers in the shop, but they knew the way out. I did a quick sweep, picking up trash and stacking dishes in the sink. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so happy, at least without a man, and by man, I meant Dare. Maybe our Christmases before Mom died, but they were almost like a surreal dream in my memory.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Lila
The holidays passed quickly, and I hit the two-month mark post-Dare, or PD as I thought of it now. My friendship with Avery and Glory had been cemented with a night of hilarious fun on New Year’s Eve. I’d played cards, danced and crashed at their place, nowhere near the blowout the Brotherhood planned.
January brought unusually cold temperatures, and I stayed at home whenever I could. The guys grumbled at having to leave their bikes at home. My Christmas gift flyer created a steady stream of new customers to Marked Man. I spent more of the quiet winter hours exploring the design software. Finally, my need to create art found an outlet where I excelled.
The only downside—my sex life, well lack of one, really. Avery’s brother, Chet, continued his campaign to fix my problem, but I refused. My relationship with the guys in the Brotherhood had suffered because of my breakup. I didn’t want to create awkwardness with my new friends. To be honest, I barely felt the physical spark with Chet anyway.
But I missed sex, with all the intimacy it brought. While one-night stands had never been my thing, it sounded better every night I spent alone.
On Friday, Avery rushed into the shop, excitement shining in her face.
“My God, Lila.” She bounced on her toes. “I have the best news ever. At our merchant’s meeting last night I told them how great your flyer worked for me, and like three people asked for your card. They want to hire you!”
“Me? It’s a hobby.” Excitement fizzed inside me. Someone thought my work was good enough to pay for. And I enjoyed doing it, even more than I loved working at the shop.
“Girl, really? A hobby is not what you got. A passion, but no damn hobby.” She frowned at me.
“I don’t have a card, or a computer—it’s the shop’s laptop.” No way to swing buying one on my own. Disappointment popped the bubbles inside me.
“Please stop with all this negativity.” Avery waved away my concerns. “Those guys are your friends, and they’re laid-back. I bet they’d let you work on the projects on your own time. I mean, how many books can you read?”
Maybe she was right. And I did need another pastime to fill my nights. A little ball of pride settled inside me, glowing and warm.
Avery gave me a quick hug and ran out the door. My mind rolled over the possibilities—my own business, even a side business, excited me. I hadn’t realized how much time my boyfriends had consumed until I didn’t have one.
It was almost closing before I caught Dare alone. I didn’t plan to ask him with Weasel listening.
“Hey, boss.” I’d taken to calling him that because saying his name was too personal.
He turned to me, eyebrow raised.
“I need to run an idea by you, got a minute?” It was the first time since he’d rejected me that we would talk alone.