Blood & Rust (Lock & Key #4) (15 page)

“Nina got here with her bodyguard, Led, both of them acting like they’d expected the welcome wagon,” Grace said. “She’s some national officer’s sister-in-law from a Flames of Hell chapter in Ohio. She and Butler got together out there, and now—”

My heart slugged in my chest.

“Now, they’re here,” I breathed.

Butler and Jump exchanged words. Jump turned abruptly, his long braid flipping off his shoulder, and charged back inside the clubhouse. Taking his arm, Nina led her old man inside, the Flames of Hell biker following them.

My gaze was glued to the doorway of the club through which Butler had just now disappeared.

Now, he was a different Butler than the one I had gotten to know the past day and a half. Vastly different.

Good-bye, Butler.

Was this why he hadn’t wanted to have sex or do anything more than touch me? So that, technically, he wouldn’t be a cheater? So that I wouldn’t have to feel too bad about it once I found out the truth?

No penetration, no oral contact on private parts. No orgasm for him. No guilt—sort of.

How very Bill Clinton.
“I did not have sexual relations with that woman!”

Smart. Neither of us would have to lie. I wouldn’t want to be dragged through adultery court at the One-Eyed Jacks, that was for sure, or hunted down by his old lady in a fit of jealous biker woman rage. No, thank you. Clubs had rules, and I certainly didn’t want to be involved. Not to mention, the old lady in question was from another club and had brought backup with her.

I tore my gaze away from the clubhouse.

“Shit, he did
not
look happy to see her though, did he?” The sudden tension in Grace’s voice disengaged my reverie. “Not at all. She’s young, too. What the hell has he gotten himself into this time?”

“Maybe what she has to offer him in the bedroom is so extraordinary that he put a ring on it.”

Grace glanced at me. “They’re not married, just—”

“Oh.”

“I’m not liking this,” she murmured.

My heart plunged and dragged through sludge. “It’s not for us to like, is it?”

I really wanted to go now. Get the hell away from here. Away from all of them.

Away from Butler.

Away from my daydreams that had no place in reality.

I shifted my weight and pulled my thin shawl jacket around me.

Last night’s thing with Butler had been about him feeling sorry for me. He wasn’t attracted to me.
How could he be if he’s hooked up with Miss USA over there?
No, he had touched me because we had gotten along, we’d had a laugh, I had been there in the same bed, and, yeah, why the fuck not?

Whirring loopy feelings went off inside me, ugly feelings I needed to slice, dice, chop up, and throw away.

Lock strode toward us with my niece in his arms. Becca clapped her chubby hands together and babbled loudly at the sight of me. An intense contrast with Lock’s dour expression.

I leaned into Grace. “Your hubs doesn’t look too happy. You need to talk to him before we leave?”

“Hey, Tania. Good to see you,” said Lock.

Becca reached out to me.

Thank God for you, my little puffball.

“Thanks. Good to be back.” I took Becca in my arms and squeezed her, kissing her face over and over again. “Hi, Becs. Hi-hi!”

She leaned her forehead on mine and giggled, drool sputtering out the side of her mouth. “Tah-nee!”

“Yeppers, I’m back!” I kissed her nose, her cheeks, her chin, and she giggled again.

This was why I was back. Family. Reconnection, rebuilding.
This
was real. The scent of apple juice and baby shampoo. The tug of my niece’s fingers in my hair.

Grace wrapped her arms around her husband and peered up at him. “That was interesting, huh?”

Lock scoffed, brushing her mouth with his. “You two headed to Tania’s?”

“Yes. Can you swing by and pick me up later this afternoon?” asked Grace, smoothing a thick strand of his ebony hair behind his ear.

“I’ll be done by then. I’m not sticking around here for the sideshow.”

GRACE HELPED ME UNPACK
my car and get my stuff into my old room in my mother’s house. The artwork I’d unload in the garage later on. We fed Becca, and she went down for a nap right away.

Grace and I toed off our boots, and we finally stretched out on the sofa and enjoyed tall glasses of iced tea.

“How was Butler when you saw him yesterday?” she asked.

“He seemed good, but he definitely didn’t mention being in a relationship.”

“My brain is still whirling about that.”

“Why? He’s hot. She’s hot. End of story.” I swallowed more iced tea, but it tasted flat and watery. “He came on a pick with me.”

“He did?”

“He was very helpful and interested. He even found that antique bicycle for me. We had dinner, talked.” I shrugged. “It was nice.”

Grace laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m having a hard time imagining the two of you spending a
nice
time together and enjoying it.”

“I know. Years ago, I was a jerk to him, and he was always a jerk right back. But we’ve both grown up since then.”

“I’m glad.” She put her glass back on the coffee table. “You stayed at a motel last night?”

I went back to my tea. “Yeah, so many tourists around. The place was hopping.”

What would she say if she knew what had happened?

I’d never told Grace about me and Butler at her wedding years ago, and I was just too tired and stressed out right now to get into the latest development. He belonged to someone else. And that someone else was a sexy twenty-something girl who was definitely old lady material.

My body seemed to have its own memory of events, no matter how my brain tried to shut it down. My flesh remembered the press and stroke of his fingers, sending a jolt right through me, and I crossed my legs, squeezing them together. Butler’s sexy murmurings seared me fresh. His smoky tone of voice, his raw words, his gentle caresses, which slowly, slowly had become more and more intense.

My grip tightened on my cold glass. There had been more carnal sensuality, eroticism, and intimacy in those brief moments with Butler last night than in a long number of years with Kyle.

“Tania? You seem really tired. Why don’t you go lie down? We can talk more tomorrow.”

I sat up. “Oh, I’m fine.”

“Divorce going through? Obviously. You’re here—”

“It’s going through. And don’t say,
I’m sorry
, because I’m not sorry. It’s a good thing.”

“I’m glad for you then. I really am. I’m just so happy that you’re back in Meager with me.”

“Me, too, Grace.” I sank back into the sofa, bringing my cold glass to my chest.

“You are really distracted. What are you thinking about?”

“Touching,” I blurted out.

“Touching what exactly?” Grace asked, a hint of a smile on her lips.

She wasn’t sure if she should laugh or give me a hug. Neither was I.

“Men and women touching,” I replied, adding a wicked smile.

“Ah, there is nothing like someone touching you. No, correction—someone
you want
to touch you. And badly.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely. Here’s to that!” I raised my glass of iced tea in the air. “Oh, by the way, biker lady, there was a little incident with a member of the Broken Blades when Butler and I stopped for dinner on the road.”

I told Grace about the encounter at the restaurant.

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. It wasn’t fun, but Butler handled it swiftly. Of course, that must have been nothing for him. My brother’s name seemed to be my bonus ticket out of that mess. Imagine that.”

“I don’t have to imagine.”

We shared a look.

“No, you don’t, do you?”

“Change of topic.”

“Yes, please.”
Enough about men.
I drained my glass.

“Are you still interested in opening a store here in town?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I think I’ve found a great space for you. Dillon’s is up for rent.”

“The old five-and-dime smack in the middle of Clay Street?”

“Yep. Right in the center of town.”

I sat up. “But Dillon’s is a huge space, isn’t it?”

Grace got out her cell phone, her finger sweeping over her screen. “The owners are about to divide the store into three separate retail spaces for rent. Brick walls, wood flooring, pressed copper ceiling from its turn of the century days as Meager’s one and only General Store.”

“I remember.”

“I think you’re going to love it.” She held her phone out to me.

I peered at the photo, and my muscles tightened. A bell tolled in my distance, the sound unmistakable. “I want to see it now.”

“That’s enthusiasm.”

“That’s determination to do what it is I really want to do for a change.”

“Amen, sister. By the way, Miller has most of his brother’s stuff in a new storage facility that the club just built on the property, so you can come over anytime you want and start going through it.”

“He agreed?”

“He’s thrilled.”

“Oh my gosh! Terrific! Okay, first thing tomorrow, let’s meet at Dillon’s and check out the space together, and then you can show me Wreck’s stuff in the storage unit.”

“You sure you don’t want to take a day or two to relax and—”

“Hell no.”

“Whatever you say. Sounds like a plan then.”

Yes, it was a mighty good plan. I would focus on me, getting my business off the ground.
Yes, yes, yes.

The front door shoved open.

“We’re home!” Jill exclaimed as she stood behind my mother, who used her walker to slowly and carefully maneuver herself into the house.

“Hey, you two!” I darted over and hugged my mother. “How was physical therapy today?”

“It was a pain in my ass.” Rae kissed my cheek as she squeezed my arm with her free hand. “Good to see you again, baby.”

Jill slid her sunglasses onto her head, pulling back her wavy strawberry blonde hair from her freckled face. She held up a familiar white bag with the Meager Grand Cafe logo on it. “Rae made me promise to stop on the way home and get her a cappuccino and doughnuts.”

I hugged Jill and turned to face my mother once more. “Rae, you know what the doctor said about your cholesterol.”

“I know what he said, but that’s what those pills are for, aren’t they? I need a treat after all that torture this morning.”

Jill raised her hands in the air. “I tried to talk her out of it.”

“That therapist boy is so pushy,” Rae continued, smoothing a hand through her sleekly bobbed jet black hair. “Putting me through the ringer like that. Honestly.”

Jill laughed. “Aw, Rae, Matt’s pretty sweet to me.”

Grace steadied the walker as I helped my mother into her reclining chair.

“I’m glad someone’s getting something out of those visits. Sure isn’t me.” Rae let out a deep sigh as she pushed the button on her electric chair. The reclining motion went into full swing, lifting her legs up and out. “Ah. My cappuccino, please.”

Jill opened the bag and removed a coffee cup for herself and handed another to me, along with a glazed doughnut wrapped in waxed paper.

“Go ahead, Mother, have your poison,” I muttered, taking the coffee and doughnut from Jill and handing them to Rae.

“This is my only vice, Tania.” Rae took a sip of her coffee. “Yesterday Jill did lots of food shopping at that new health food store co-op and got us all sorts of grass-fed veal and buffalo meat, free-range chicken, brown rice, strange greens, and milk that isn’t milk. Didn’t you, honey?”

“Yes, I did,” said Jill. “I’m going to go start on that chicken cacciatore you showed me how to make. Grace, are you staying for dinner with us?”

“No, Miller is coming soon to pick me up. I’ve got braised beef that’s been in the slow cooker since this morning. I’m going to make some homemade mashed potatoes once we get home.”

“Oh, yum, that sounds good,” said Jill, absently rubbing her curved belly. “Shoot, I’ve got to go take my iron pill.” She darted into the kitchen.

“Have half this doughnut, Jill!” said Rae.

“No way!” Jill’s laughter rose from the kitchen. “I gained a lot of weight with Becca, and it was hard to lose, so I’m determined not to overdo it this time around. A glazed doughnut? Evil!”