Chapter 7
Linsey
My phone buzzes at seven thirty. I read the text.
Sabre: The install crew will be there at nine this morning. It’ll be me, Zen, and Talon. We’ll have the house wired by the end of the day.
I spend some time making myself look nice. It’s something I rarely do. It’s because of Sabre. I even put on a splash of makeup. Looking at myself in the mirror, I have to admit that I feel pretty.
Sabre’s install crew arrives in a big white van at nine sharp. It says LEGION SECURITY on the side of the van in big, bold capital letters.
Sabre rolls up right behind them on his Indian motorcycle, and they all start unloading equipment while I sip my coffee on the front porch.
Sabre glances up at me as he approaches my front porch with an armload of equipment.
His eyes travel down and back up my body, landing on my face, and the sexy smile he gives me makes my heart beat a little faster.
I feel my face grow warm under his approving gaze.
After our kiss, we didn’t really talk about what happened.
The phone call from Shelly kind of derailed everything.
Noah pushes past me and is out the door before I can stop him. He runs right up to Sabre and hovers beside him all the way up the sidewalk, asking tons of questions about motorcycles, the equipment he’s carrying, and whether he can help with the installation.
Sabre’s hand shoots out, and he steadies the box. “No shaking the equipment. It might damage it.”
Noah’s mouth falls open. When he hugs the box carefully to his chest, it earns him an approving smile from Sabre.
I take a sip of my coffee while watching their interaction. This man is the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time.
They set their load on the porch and go back for another load.
When they get back to the van, Sabre pulls out a clipboard and hands it to Noah.
“Every box that comes off that truck has a serial number. Your job is to check each serial number against the list and let us know if anything is missing. Can you do that, buddy?”
Noah perks up. “Yeah, I’m good with numbers.”
Sabre chuckles. “Well, I’m glad one of us is.”
Each brother holds up his box for Noah to check it against the list before carrying it up to our front porch.
I never would have envisioned my son as an inventory control specialist, but he’s doing a bang-up job of it this morning.
Noah takes his job seriously, too. For the next hour, I watch my son obsessively count window sensors, locks, cameras, support brackets, and spools of wiring.
Sabre and the other men from his club check in with him about the list like co-workers.
They never talk down to him and Noah looks proud as anything to be treated like a grown up.
The work is slow and tedious. Zen, who seems to be in charge of all things tech, is linking the security software to our system.
He doesn’t look up from his keyboard when I walk past. Within moments, the alerts Zen set up kick in.
I get an alert on my phone, notifying me of who was assigned permission to view my security feed.
It’s the Legion Security office, Sabre, and me, in that order.
Sabre wires the security devices in Noah’s room personally. I walk by and find them talking as Sabre works on securing a sensor to the frame of Noah’s window while Noah watches wide-eyed from the bed.
Noah asks cautiously, “So if anybody opens the window, the sensor will pick up on it and send an alert to the security system, right?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly the way it works. Everybody will get an alert within a few seconds, including your mom, my whole office, and me.”
Noah is quiet for a few seconds before asking, “Would it pick up my dad if he tried to climb through my window?”
I freeze, trying to figure out why my son asked that question. I’ve never talked to Noah about the abuse his father put me through. Why would he be worried about his father breaking into our house?
Sabre doesn’t miss a beat, replying casually, “This system doesn’t know or care who anybody is. It detects motion. It could be a stranger, your dad, a friend, or a raccoon. If somebody moves, hits, or bumps into the window hard enough, it sets the alarm off.”
“Really? Even a raccoon?” Noah asks, clearly astonished.
Sabre’s voice turns playful. “Especially a raccoon, kid. Never trust an animal with a mask.”
Noah laughs, and the conversation moves on effortlessly. But I carry the conversation around in my mind for a long time, thinking that maybe my son overheard me talking about this with Aunt Carol or, heaven forbid, Sabre.
But at lunch, Noah nudges his food around on his plate before asking, “Mom, where did you say my dad lives?”
I reply, “He lives far away, bug. He can’t be with us, and that’s not going to change. I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear.”
He stuffs a bite of chicken into his mouth and shrugs. “I was just curious, that’s all.”
I frown at him, realizing he’s been asking more and more questions about his dad lately. I think he’s getting to that age when boys need a father figure to look up to.
In the early afternoon, Sabre walks me through how to operate the alarm panel by the front door.
That is how I end up standing with my back pressed against his chest while he reaches over my shoulder to push buttons on the keypad.
We’re close enough that it feels almost like being embraced from behind, close enough that I can feel the warmth coming off him.
“The code is six digits. We’re assigning one to you, another to Carol, and Noah already memorized his code, because he’s smart that way.”
I glance over my shoulder and give him a small smile. “He’s a smart kid.”
Jerking his chin back towards the keypad, he continues showing me how to use it.
“So, you enter your code and then press this key to arm it and this one to disarm it.” He gently covers my hand with his and guides my fingers through the sequence.
When he’s finished, his hand drops away. “Now, you try it.”
I feel him drop a tiny kiss onto the back of my neck, and my body goes wild with pleasure.
“Isn’t flirting with a client unprofessional?” I ask in a teasing tone.
“You’re not technically a client until money changes hands. Right now, you’re just a woman I put cameras up for.”
“I intend to pay for the work your team did, Sabre.”
He drops another light kiss onto the back of my neck, this time swiping his tongue along my skin. “You’ll have to take that up with Tex. I’m just gonna enjoy your gratitude for as long as it lasts.”
I turn my head to look over my shoulder, not realizing it puts my mouth right in his kissing zone. “What kind of expressions of gratitude are you hoping for, Sabre?”
His eyes zero in on my mouth. “Is that lipstick berry-flavored?”
“Ah, you want more kisses, right?”
That’s the exact moment that we hear Noah’s curious voice ask, “Are the two of you going to kiss?”
Sabre whispers before pushing off the wall with one hand and backing away, “Maybe when there ain’t a clipboard carryin’ nine-year-old watchin’ our every move.”
He drops to one knee to gather up loose wire from the floor, leaving me to explain the ways of the world to my nine-year-old son.
After the others leave, Sabre comes to me in the kitchen. “About this school thing. I talked to Tex today. We moved my Legion shifts to middays and weekends, effective immediately. I’ll take drop-off at seven forty-five and pickup at three, starting tomorrow.”
I frown at him. “You were able to rearrange your work schedule on the spur of the moment that way?”
“Of course. That’s why my club owns businesses, so we can work jobs that pay us what we’re worth and accommodate our personal needs. Besides, I’m not about to make promises to you or Noah that I can’t keep.”
“So, what are you saying? I’ll get to ride on your motorcycle to school and back every day?” Noah asks from the doorway, vibrating with excitement.
I give Sabre a tiny nod. “Go ahead and tell him.”
Sabre turns to look at him. “Yeah, your mom gave her approval. We’ll take my bike unless it’s raining or we need to carry something we can’t fit into the back storage compartment. When that happens, we’ll take my truck.”
“That sounds awesome,” Noah says enthusiastically.
I’m less than enthusiastic, but Las Salinas is a small town and the roads aren’t busy. I’ve also got to know Sabre well enough to know that he’s not the sort of man who would take risks, especially with a child on the back of his bike.
“I actually have something for you, buddy. A gift to mark the occasion.”
A wash of happiness floods Noah’s face. “Really?”
“Yeah, I’ll be right back, buddy.”
Sabre jogs out to his bike, opens the back compartment, and pulls out a kid-sized black helmet as we watch from the doorway. He comes back and hands it over, likely not realizing this is one of the greatest moments of my son’s life.
“I picked it up on the way home yesterday. It’s just your size.”
Noah reaches out for the shiny black helmet with a look of awe on his face. “Is that why you measured my head the other day, Mom?”
I nod.
Turning it over in his hands, he gasps. “It has my name on the back.”
Sabre nods solemnly. “I painted it myself. Now, your helmet is just like mine. Most of my club brothers have their names on the side or back of their helmets. It’s a tradition with a lot of clubs, but I thought it would be good for you, so if it gets lost or stolen, everyone will know it’s yours.”
At this point, my son is practically vibrating with excitement. “Thank you, Sabre. I’ll take good care of it and make sure it doesn’t get a single scratch on it.”
Sabre chuckles. The sound is deep and warm. It makes me want things I shouldn’t want with this big biker.
He gives Noah’s shoulder a quick squeeze, saying, “The helmet is supposed to keep you from getting damaged, not the other way around.”
Noah gets the joke and laughs along with Sabre, hugging the helmet to his chest.