“You a paperboy now, D?” Griz asks.

“Thank you.” I reach for it, and try to pull it away.

But Dozer doesn’t take his hand off it. A cunning smile flashes over his face. “You know, paperboys don’t get paid much, but they definitely get something. Am I right?”

Griz backs him up. “Sure do. I think you owe our boy a kiss.”

I bit my lip. My stomach does a nervous flip. My eyes dart to Mav’s face quickly and then back to Dozer. Was it just my imagination or did Mav look pissed? Why would he be pissed? Oh, right . . . because I’m hands off until the party. It’s hard hiding the fact I’m nervous as hell right now. But I worry that showing a simple kiss makes me uncomfortable isn’t going to prove to these guys that I can handle being here.

“I don’t know . . . these dishes aren’t going to clean themselves.”

“Shit, you hear that? She’s tryin’ to stiff ya, D. You gonna let her get away with that?”

“Jesus H. Christ!” Mav growls and jumps to his feet. “Don’t you all have fuckin’ shit to do today?”

He points at me. “I know for a fact you got shit to do, so stop messin’ around and get to it. You want a fuckin’ list of what needs doin’, I’ll make you one. For now, start in the kitchen. I want that fuckin’ place sparklin’.”

Dozer turns in his chair and glares at Mav. “What crawled up your ass?”

“Is this not what you agreed to?” Mav fires back. Without waiting for a response, he turns and storms out of the room.

People disperse.

I go into the kitchen and pull the plate I saved for Dozer out of the microwave. Coming back into the main room, I place it in front of him. Dozer apologizes and eats his breakfast. When he’s finished, he goes down the hall and a minute later, I hear him arguing with Mav.

I collect all the dirty dishes and take them into the kitchen. Then get lost in my head as I wash dishes. The task is second nature to me. As I scrub I try not to worry about Davis, but how can I not when I know he’ll either lock me up or send me back to Warner.

I decide then and there that it’s in my best interest to get Mav to tolerate my presence, which means trying not to piss him off more than I already do.

Making a deal with the devil is sometimes the best option you have.

MAVERICK

Doll’s bent over cleaning the oven when I enter the kitchen. Her wild hair is tied back in a messy bun. She’s scrubbing the side of the oven furiously, putting her whole body behind the movement. I’d have to be blind not to see how sexy she looks right now. I’d have to be dead not to appreciate the view.

She’s wearing gray heather sleep shorts, which showcase her perfect ass.

For a split second, I picture her bouncing up and down on my lap and me holding on to her hips as she rides my cock. My body instantly responds as a rush of blood shoots straight to my groin.

I stand there for a couple of seconds watching her. Taking all of her in. Though it’s the last thing I should be doing.

Clearing my throat, I say, “Don’t ovens have a self-cleaning mode?”

She jumps, hits her head, and curses under her breath before she sits back and looks up at me. Plastic, yellow gloves cover her hands. In one, she holds a SOS pad. Using her wrist, she wipes a stray strand of hair from her face. Her baby-blue tank top is loose and I can see the top swells of her breasts. She’s worked up a sweat and I’ll be damned if I can look away from her damp cleavage.

“Have you seen this thing? I’m guessing it hasn’t been cleaned since the day it left the showroom floor. It’s ancient. Like the nineteen-seventies called and want their oven back.” She slowly stands and whimpers a little as she uses her forearms to rub her knee.

I fight a smile. First fucking time in years I’ve even been tempted to smile at a woman.

I hold out the piece of paper in my hand. “Here.”

She eyes it while she drops the SOS pad to the top of the stove, and removes her gloves.

“What’s that?” Hesitantly, she takes the paper from my hand. Her eyes lower as she reads it.

“Should keep you busy enough that you won’t have time to fuck around.” Too busy to have time to mess around with Dozer. Too busy to leave the clubhouse.

If she left here under the guise of working a job, we’d have no way of knowing if she was relaying information to the GBs. She can’t have it both ways. Either she’s here or she’s out there.

Her little nose twitches and her lips mash together. I get the sense that she’s biting back a sarcastic comment. “So I won’t have time to get a part-time job.”

Yeah, there’s that little temper she’s hiding. Come on, Doll, let me see who you really are.

“Nope.”

She sighs. “I was trying to earn some money. You know, just in case you kicked me out when the party is over. Or before then.” Her voice comes across defeated. It makes me feel like an asshole.

I don’t know why when I’ve never cared if I sounded like an asshole before now.

“After you get this place cleaned up, you can do other jobs for the club. Like help at one of our businesses. But you’re not workin’ for someone else. I want you with a club member or an old lady at all times.” I point to Rigor who’s standing just outside the open back door within hearing distance.

Her shoulders slouch.

My chest all of sudden has a heavy weight pressed on it.

“When you leave, I’ll make sure you don’t leave with nothin’.”

Her eyes flicker up to mine. Hope blooms in her irises as they light up. The corner or her lips curve slightly and my chest tightens in response.

“But I want you gone then. That’s the deal. No staying on. I don’t care what excuse you use, but you’ll make somethin’ up and get gone.”

Her eyes drop as she considers my offer. Finally, she says, “Okay.”

I hate and love that she just agreed to leave in a few short days.

I gesture to the paper. “When you’re done with this, come see me and I’ll find you more shit to do.”

I step back. “You’re gonna wanna wear one of those masks, especially when you do the floors and toilets. We don’t really do a good job of cleaning up after ourselves, if you know what I mean.”

I expect a glare. Maybe even for her face twist with disgust. But instead, she shakes her head and bites her bottom lip. After a second, she murmurs, “Good to know.”

I turn to leave.

“You know, Mav, I can put up with a lot before I run the opposite way. You can keep testing me, but I’m not going to break easily.”

Her words pierce me like a spear through the chest. They sting. Dana couldn’t stick it out when things got tough. Hell, I was always afraid to tell her anything for fear that it would send her over the edge. She broke so easily, because she was already so damaged to begin with.

I wait until I’m out of earshot to say, “Yeah . . . I’d like to see you prove it, Doll.”

The rain and tumultuous clouds move north, taking with them streaks of lightning and the rumble of thunder as they dance across the sky. The illusion of the storm lingers and the future is held at bay if only temporarily as if time stops for a few seconds. There’s something both haunting and promising about moments like this.

I’m smoking a cigarette in the courtyard, enjoying the view, and saying goodbye to my brothers who jump in their cages. They’re leaving in trucks and cars, and going to Hodges’ bar for a few beers. It’s our usual hang out on Monday nights. Although I won’t be going, since I decided to take advantage of the nearly vacant clubhouse to finish the work Pumpkin’s arrival interrupted.

For the last day and a half, I’ve managed to avoid her. Mainly, because I’m still reeling from our last conversation, which keeps going round and round inside my head.