Page 32 of Stag

Nothing like being chewed out by your VP in front of the woman you’re trying to impress, right?

“I was protecting Claudia. I’m not sorry, man. I’ll always put her safety first.”

Harley finally shifted his glare from my eyes, and I swear to god if his gaze hadn’t softened instantly, I’d have been the guy who punched his VP in front of the woman he was trying to impress too.

“Hello, love. I’m Harley.” He pointed to his patch on his chest as he spoke, and she smiled, lifting a hand to wave at him.

I pointed at the helmets and waited until she looked at me again.

“Pick one. My treat.”

Her eyes widened at me, and she started shaking her head.

“No! You can’t!” I had to respect Harley for not reacting to her need to lipread, or the fact that her voice was a little raw, as if not being able to hear it meant she couldn’t temper it for her own comfort.

Instead Harley chuckled, moving over to pick up two options from the new range. Fuck me, they were going to be pricy, but I didn’t care. I’d choose her safety over my next month’s meals if I had to.

Both were pretty, sparkly ones that women sometimes opt for, except the hardcore riders. I kinda liked the black glittery one myself, but I’d never live that down.

“I can’t. It’s just for tonight,” Claudia said, shooting me down, and breaking my heart, all in one short sentence. Fuck me. I was just her way out, wasn’t I? She wasn’t choosing me, she was choosing a method of escape.

Harley caught my eye and I know he saw the way I didn’t handle that rejection well. Fuck me, I had to learn a better poker face, because I didn’t need anyone knowing how much she meant to me already.

“Tell you what,” Harley said, setting both helmets down on the raised window display surface, “why don’t I lend you guys one for tonight, so you can see if you like motorcycles first?”

He was giving us an out. He was offering her a chance to come with me now, and not commit to anything. He was giving me exactly what we fucking needed in this moment.

I mouthed ‘thank you’ to him, and he nodded, heading over to his workshop to collect one.

“I’m sorry,” Claudia said from beside me, and I turned to give her my full attention, because she deserved nothing less.

“Don’t be. You should learn if you like it first, right?”

She smiled, and that flowed flawlessly into a soft giggle that made me feel like I was in one of those cartoons where you see birds and hearts in eyes and all that shit.

“I love it!”

What? I blinked at her, wanting to grab her and scream, and do a whole bunch of shit that wasn’t appropriate for her, the situation, or the location. Or probably wasn’t appropriate anywhere.

“Really?”

She nodded vigorously. “I can feel it. It makes me vibrate. It’s like I can hear it. It’s like I’m…”

She trailed off and blushed.

“Like you’re?”

“Normal.”

I couldn’t help myself. I reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

“You couldn’t be normal if you tried. You’re way better.”

Fucking hell. Moron. How pathetic did that sound? How the hell was I such a dumbass that I couldn’t even say the right thing to her? Someone who couldn’t hear my stupid words, but could read them from my lips. I should be able to do better, because nobody deserved that more than her.

“Smooth, brother,” Harley murmured from behind me, reaching out to Claudia with an electric blue helmet, “here you go, love. Borrow it as long as you need to.”

She smiled, murmuring her thanks as she lifted it, and smoothed one hand over the shiny surface.