Page 10 of Talk Wicked to Me

“No, it’s…Oh my gosh, my car. Will the police have it towed?”

“No. I had my cousins drop it at your place and bring me your keys when they dropped off my truck.” Cradling the baby in one arm, he pulled her keys out of his pocket, dangling them.

She looked at them incredulously. “And they didn’t mind? How did they know where I lived?”

“You listed the address on the paperwork at my office, remember?”

“Right. I can’t believe you had them do that for me, and you had your brother and his wife watch Ollie. Thank you, and please thank them for me.”

“I already have.”

“Can I ask you something about them?”

He lifted his chin.

“Are they members of a one-percenter motorcycle club or something? I noticed a skull and club patches on the back of their vests.”

“We’re Dark Knights.”

“Like…Batman?”

He grinned. “I guess that depends who you ask. It’s a motorcycle club. My father and my uncle founded the Bayside chapter more than thirty years ago. But we’re not one-percenters. We keep the community safe by helping to keep drugs out of the area and working with schools to deter bullying, and we help raise suicide awareness, and we rescue animals.”

“Oh. Wow. I’ve edited books about bikers, but I’ve never met a biker before.”

“Now you have.” Play your cards right and I’ll take you for a ride sometime was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back and brushed a finger along Brennan’s cheek, feeling a tug deep in his chest. He was protective of his nieces and nephew, but this was different.

This was an inescapable magnetic pull.

This was dangerous.

“Time to go back to Mama.” He handed the baby back to her and pushed to his feet, needing to outrun those feelings. “Why don’t I grab your bag so you’ll have your things. Where is it?”

“It’s in the closet by the front door of my cottage, but you’ve done enough already. Weren’t you supposed to meet your girlfriend?”

“My girlfriend?”

“The pretty brunette from your office you were meeting tonight? It sounded like you guys were together.”

“Evie? She’s one of my best friends and my veterinary assistant, but we’re not a couple. We were meeting some other friends tonight.” Zander had told Evie what had gone down tonight, and Evie had texted Baz to get the scoop while the doctor was checking out Emerson.

“Oh.” A slightly bashful smile curved her lips. “I feel bad for messing up your plans. Maybe you can still catch up with her.”

“Or you can tell me what else you need from your place, and I can get it for you. Unless you’re uncomfortable with me going into your home, which I’d understand.”

“I trusted you enough to let you take off my pants without any wining or dining and with absolutely no foreplay.”

He laughed, loving her humor. “That you did.”

“And you delivered the most important thing in my life. I think I can trust you to pick up my bag.”

“A’right. Do you want to give me a list of things to pick up?”

She shook her head. “Everything I need is in the bag. Wait. I do need something else. I baked cookies this morning. Can you grab some for your brother and your cousins and Sid, and some for the nurses as a thank-you?”

“You baked cookies? I thought you said you bought the cookie.”

“I did. But I baked sugar cookies, and I really wanted chocolate chip. I can’t help it. Pregnancy cravings are real, you know.”