“I don’t know if this is such a good idea right now,” he whispered, pulling away. I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
“What do you mean?”
He grinned. “I need to be able to think. I can’t think when I’m with you. You have this effect on me.”
I settled for a peck on the cheek, then leaned against him with my head on his chest. I felt the steady thud of his heart and closed my eyes. Let him be safe, I thought.
“The night my parents died, I had a premonition that something would happen to them.”
“What?” He pulled back, looking down at me.
I nodded. “I knew something bad was going to happen. I felt it in my bones. I tried to warn them, but they laughed me off.” I shivered, remembering how they’d smiled and told me I was silly. I had watched them walk out the door.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I have a bad feeling. That’s all. That’s what’s really bothering me.”
He smiled, brushing my hair back from my face. “You’re just upset. It’s stress. That’s all.” I closed my eyes as he kissed my forehead. That didn’t feel like all it was, not by a long shot.
“Hey, Lance!” I recognized Flash’s voice.
Lance checked the time. “Shit. We have to go.”
I wanted to hold him back, wanted to beg him to stay. But he needed to go. If he didn’t, he’d never know what happened with Rae, why she left Gigi with him. What it meant.
“I’ll be okay. I’ll call you when I’m leaving to come back here. Okay?” He kissed me once, then walked out of the office.
I couldn’t bear to watch him go. I stayed away from the window, not wanting to watch as he rode away. I had the funny feeling I’d never see him again.
Chapter Seventeen
Lance
I wished she hadn’t told me about her premonition.
Not that I believed in premonitions or superstitions. It was all a bunch of bullshit to get people to give money or whatever they were supposed to do. Psychics and fortune tellers, shit like that. It wasn’t real.
Still. I shivered a little when Jamie told me she had a feeling about her parents before they died. I couldn’t shake it as I walked out of the clubhouse.
“You all right, man?” Flash clapped me on the shoulder.
“Just fine,” I said, grinning. “Let’s go find my ex.”
“You sure you’re not a little worn out from all the exercise you got today?” Slate and Jax laughed together.
I glared at them as we climbed on our bikes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means.” Flash winked.
“You, too? Ugh. I thought you were a little more mature.” I shook my head, putting on my helmet.
“Hey, man, whatever. Get it while you can. She’s smokin’ hot,” Jax growled, looking back toward the clubhouse doors. I could imagine what he was thinking about, and I wanted to slap the shit out of him for it.
“Yeah, well, that’s my business. But if you think I’m an old man who can’t handle fucking and taking care of business on the same day, you’re sadly mistaken.” I turned on the bike, revving the engine before pulling out from my spot. The guys followed me. I heard them laughing, even over the roar of our engines. I put them behind me, trying to ignore it.
I was glad they couldn’t screw around with me while we rode. I didn’t need them to laugh and make fun. I didn’t even know how the hell I felt about Jamie. They weren’t making it any easier on me.
She was hot, yeah. Jax was right about that. Anybody with eyes could see it. She was more than that, though. She wasn’t just a body. She had a heart, a good heart. She loved my kid. She was smart. She didn’t take bullshit. I admired her for that.
And she was phenomenal in bed. I couldn’t forget that either. My cock was still getting over her.
Any other woman and I wouldn’t have cared about the jokes. I probably would’ve joked along with the guys. She wasn’t like the other women. Not like any woman we knew or would know in our world. Women like Erica and Traci. The no-name women we slept around with.
I wasn’t comfortable with the way I felt. It was new to me. She was new. What could I bring to her life except more of the same shit I’d been bringing to it since we met? The fighting and the fear and the bad shit she had no idea how to deal with. That was all I had. It was who I was.
If I couldn’t bring anything to her life…what the hell could I bring to Gigi’s life?