Chapter 19
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Willow
“Max?” I say when I meet him at Haze’s door. “What are you doing here?”
I glance at his duffel bag over one arm, his sleeping bag in the other, his headphones around his neck, and a lopsided grin on his face. “It’s the Heartbreak Hotel, big sister, you wanna join the club?”
“Wait, you’re staying here?”
“Uh, for a little bit, yeah.”
“Did Haze say it was okay?”
He frowns. “No, I thought I’d just break in and hide out in his spare room and hope he didn’t notice I was there. I could add breaking and entering to my rap sheet, that’s one I haven’t been charged for yet.”
I punch him on the arm. “Very funny.”
“Was I interrupting a romantic evening?” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“No, I was, um—”
“Sis, just cut the shit, will you? I know you guys are gettin’ it on. Don’t need no Marvin Gaye tune playin’ to see what’s going on between you two. Can I just ask you to keep it down though? These headphones are noise canceling but I don’t wanna test the theory.”
I wince. “No, you didn’t just say that.”
“What?” He feigns innocence, moving before I can swipe him again. “Why am I in trouble for that? You’re not gonna say it’s not like that, are you?”
“It isn’t like th—”
He holds up a hand. “Don’t sis. You don’t lie very well.”
I sigh. “Shut up and let’s get inside. I haven’t got all night.”
“Are you sure about that?” He piques a brow and I slap him upside the head. “Ow!”
I follow him to the front door. Haze has a house, which is something I didn’t expect.
I pictured him more of an apartment style guy, but I guess there are still some surprises with the old ball and chain I didn’t know.
The garden leaves a little to the imagination, but nothing a gardener couldn’t fix. He clearly doesn’t have a green thumb.
“So, how’s everything going? You bustin’ some chops in that hot seat of yours?” Max asks as I make a mental note to tell Haze some of his potted plants look like they’re in dire need of a good watering.
“I’m doing my job, if that’s what you mean.”
“Haze annoyin’ the shit out of you yet?”
“You could say that.”
“You know Dad’s gonna freak when he hears you’re gettin’ back together.”
Since there’s no point in continuing to deny it, I don’t correct him. “Dad is gonna have to deal with it like an adult, just like he did all those years ago. I don’t have time in my life for Dad to be spewing his usual bullshit.”
“Hard ass. I like it.”
“Max?” I ask as he turns to look down at me as his hand forms a fist, about to knock on the door.
“Yeah?”
“Are you happy now? At least some of the time?”
Sadness crosses over his face. He’s always been troubled.
My brother is always in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Multiple places, multiple times. Trouble seems to find him easily.
I’m not saying he didn’t cause half of the trouble he got into, but he was also pretty unlucky with the law, and some of the situations he found himself in.
Kind of ironic really that I became a cop.
His face softens. “Yeah, I am.”
I place a hand on his shoulder. “You can trust me, Max. I know we’ve had our ups and downs, but I’m here for you, no matter what. Okay? You can talk to me.”
“Jeez, sis, you’re gonna make me cry,” he laughs. “Since when did you get all sentimental?”
“I just want you to succeed and be happy,” I state that last part again — happy.
It never worried me what Max does for a living, not back then, or now.
Would I prefer him to not be a Hellion? The answer is yes, but that’s not my choice to make.
I don’t know as much about that MC as I do the Rebels, but I plan on making it my mission to find out.
I’ve heard things about Bane — some good, some not so good.
My brother is a big boy, but that doesn’t mean I won’t look out for him.
It also doesn’t mean that he can’t be easily led.
He can. Which is why I want him to know he can come to me.
I’m his big sister, not just the police captain.
I can listen… At least, I can try to listen and not judge.
It’s hard when I want to drag his ass over hot coals half the time in order to keep him out of jail. But he seems happier, lighter.
“I am happy, sis. I know you think I ran away for a couple of years, and maybe I did, but you wouldn’t have liked me back then.
I needed to go to jail to have some sense knocked into me,” he says earnestly.
“I made some bad choices, and I take full ownership of that. When I got out, I literally didn’t have a dime.
I met one of the Hellions in jail, actually, Radium, he’s Hornet’s little brother. ”
I roll my eyes. “Please explain how they get their names… Actually, hold that thought, I don’t want to know.”
My brother chuckles. “It was the best thing for me, sis. Trust me. It was Radium who suggested I get into mechanics. He drives trucks for a living, kinda like Rock but he also enjoys demolition—”
“I hope to god you’re talkin’ about demolition derby or something.”
He rolls his eyes. “You’re always thinkin’ the worst.” He raps his knuckles on the door, then slings an arm around my shoulders. “And I appreciate what you said. I’m here for you too, no matter what: any hassles, inconveniences you need dealin’ with, a dead body—”
“Funny,” I say. “Really funny.”
A few seconds later, Haze opens the door. His eyes meet Max’s, then lower to me. He clears his throat. “Two Sinclairs in one day, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“You can cut the crap, H,” Max says, barging his way in. “I know about you two, and Willow knows about our arrangement. Nice digs.”
Haze stares at me as I thumb over my shoulder. “You’re not a good gardener.”
“Hello to you, too.” He leans forward, kissing me on the forehead. That move alone invokes memories. It used to be my comfort thing, and I’ve forgotten just how much I’ve missed it until this very moment. “How was your day?”
I glance up at him. “We’re really gonna ask about each other’s day?”
He shrugs. “Why not?”
“Because it wouldn’t interest you, for one—”
“Everything about you interests me.”
“Second.” I hold up a finger to stop him elaborating. “We’re supposed to be taking things slow.”
“Asking about your day isn’t takin’ things slow?”
“Not with that look in your eyes.” I steel him with a narrowed gaze. “I know what that look is all about.”
“I’m a lover, not a fighter, what can I say?”
“Are you going to let me in, or stand there blocking the entrance? You hiding something back there?”
“Only your brother,” he laughs, stepping aside. “But that isn’t much of a secret.”
“I thought Nova was staying with you?”
“She was, but then I apparently cramped her style, so she’s renting a room from Payden.”
“Oh,” I say. “That was nice of her to take her in.” Nova is a wildcard, at best. Though she seems to have turned her life around, a lot like Max.
I still see that wild streak in her whenever we cross paths.
I just hope she doesn’t screw it up because the Dawson boys have done a lot to get her back on her feet.
“There’s not many I can say are a positive influence on my cousin, but she’s one of them,” Haze says. “I thought she would’ve split by now, but I’m pretty proud of her for stickin’ around.”
“Would that have something to do with a certain pretty boy called Sawyer?”
Haze frowns. “No, why? What have you heard?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Willow.”
“Don’t Willow me. I said nothing. Just if I were single and working under the same roof as him, I’d probably be all over those dimples.”
“What is it with dimples?” He throws his hands in the air. “For the record, Sawyer might be a pretty boy, but Nova would scare the shit outta him.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second.”
He closes the door, then jogs in front of me. “But seriously, if you know somethin’, I need to know.”
“Why?” I ask casually. “They’re both adults, she doesn’t have to ask your permission.”
“You think callin’ another man pretty in front of your husband isn’t gonna make him jealous?”
“Why are you talking about yourself in the third person?”
“Listen to you two,” Max laughs, coming back from the kitchen with his mouth full of food. Cold pizza, by the looks of things. “You’ve only been reunited for a short time, and you’re fighting like little kids.”
“Shut up!” We both say in unison.
Max laughs. “I’m goin’ to put this shit in my room and cuddle Crunch, you two sort your shit out.”
“Don’t feed him any pizza!” Haze yells after him as he takes off upstairs.
I glance around. It’s tidy enough, with hardly any nick-knacks. Haze was never one for lots of clutter. “You have a nice place,” I say. “Don’t tell me you learned to cook?”
He grins, leaning against the bannister. “Are you kiddin’? With a MC full of sweet butts and Manny?”
I don’t like hearing those words: sweet butts.
The women of the MC who aren’t ol’ ladies hang around the club for booze, sex and grub.
I know what Haze told me, but I also find it hard to imagine a man going without sex for that long.
I’m also not saying I disbelieve him, but that is a big commitment.
I guess admitting that is a little sexist, because I have never gotten a home run with any other man, and that was by choice.
Men complicate things, and honestly? Most of the men in this town are just too immature.
Dating in this day and age is no picnic, which is why I gave up.
I knew things were never going to work between me and Connor.
I thought maybe, just maybe, we could have a fling, but the spark wasn’t there. It’s just not how I’m made.
I wish sometimes I could have sex without feelings, but that isn’t in my DNA.
“Hilarious. The sweet butts cook for you often?”
“In Manny’s kitchen?” he laughs. “I was just tryin’ to get a rise out of you.”
“Trying to make me jealous because I called Sawyer a pretty boy?”
He pushes off the banister, stalking toward me as I take a step back, my ass hitting the wall.
“Don’t test me, Little One. I may be compliable on the outside, but I could fuck that pretty boy’s face up if I thought for one second you were hot for him.”
I swallow. “I’m not hot for him.” I shove him in the chest. “I was just pointing out that he’s easy on the eyes, and if I were Nova—”
He places a hand over my lips. “Stop talkin’.” He replaces his finger with his mouth, greedily he takes hold of the kiss along with my senses as I try to hold onto my sanity. His tongue slides into my mouth and I wrap my arms around his neck. We’re taking it slow. We’re taking it slow….
He pulls back. “That’s the type of greetin’ that’s gonna get you bent over the kitchen bench.”
“You said no sex. We’re dating.” I pull him closer, rubbing my body against his just to get some friction.
“Fuck, baby,” he grunts, reciprocating my kiss with his own. One hand reaches into my hair and I groan. I could let him take me right here, right now, even with Max upstairs. My pussy throbs with need. “Just like that.”
“We can’t,” I mutter, pulling him closer. His dick presses into my hip and I almost lose my shit.
I hear movement on the stairs, but Haze doesn’t pull away. A few seconds later, a fluff ball is jumping up at Haze’s leg. My eyes grow wide. Holy shit, he wasn’t kidding about Crunch.
“Hey, bud.” Haze moves off me, bending down to scoop him up. He cups one side of my face. “Should we shield his eyes so Mommy and Daddy can have a little alone time?”
“I’m not his mommy,” I start, but he’s already caressing him, kissing his head and telling him he’s a good boy.
“Honey, this is Crunch. Crunch, this is your new Mommy. See, I told you she was pretty.”
Kill me now.