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I smiled slightly. “I get it now. You’re the Tarnished Angels.”
He clenched his jaw and nodded. “Do you think differently of me now?”
“Hard not to,” I said quietly. “I just…what do I do with all this, Smoke?”
Smoke stood up. “I’m gonna go.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m not going to try and convince you to let me stay.”
“Hold on a second,” I said, rising and facing him. “You can’t just drop that bomb on me and expect me to work it all out and come to terms with it immediately. Give me a minute, here.”
“Logan,” he said, his voice raspy. “You don’t owe me anything. You’re not my Old Lady. You’re not obligated to stand by my side. So, I’m gonna do the thing I should’ve done all along. I’m gonna let you go and let you get on with your life. Now you don’t have to worry about being involved with a criminal.”
Was Smoke a criminal? Yes. But he was so much more than that.
And when he walked toward the door, my heart lurched in my chest.
“Don’t go,” I croaked.
He stopped with his hand on the door and looked at me over his shoulder. “Why not?”
“Because I need you,” I said simply.
Rach’s words came roaring back as I spoke to him. Smoke and I weren’t forever, but the idea of never having him in my bed again, never feeling his strong arms wrapped around me while we slept, or never having him brush tears from my cheeks saddened me to the depths of my soul.
“Please stay, Smoke. Your past is your past. Let’s leave it there.”
His hand dropped from the knob and then suddenly he was marching across the room toward me. Smoke took me into his arms and slanted his mouth across mine.
“Blueberries,” he said against my lips.
“Hmm?”
“You taste like blueberries.”
“I had pie.”
“Do I have to shave right this minute? Or can I put my scruff to use one last time?”
I pulled back and opened my eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
* * *
My head rested on Smoke’s bicep and I reached my hand up to grasp his fingers. It was the middle of the night and my heartbeat had slowed from its rapid rhythm to a melodic series of thuds.
“I didn’t tire you out?” Smoke asked.
“Oh, you did. I’m just enjoying the moment.”
He fell silent for a while and then he said, “This is gonna be hell on my sleep routine.”
“Mine too.”
“Guess it would’ve been easier if I didn’t live at the clubhouse.”
“How so?”
