Page 26

"Yeah."

"I loved it!”

"Me too."

I laugh, exhausted and satisfied and slightly disbelieving that I just had sex in a car, on all fours, no less, with a man I met yesterday. This is not who I am. I'm the responsible one. The one who thinks everything through six times before making a decision.

But God, it felt good to be reckless for once.

We sit there in the foggy car, still parked in O'Malley's lot, wrapped around each other. His hand strokes my back slowly, and I trace patterns on his tattooed chest.

I shift slightly on his lap, suddenly aware of the mess we've made. The seat beneath us is damp, and I can feel his cum still leaking out of me.

"I'm sorry," I mumble against his chest. "About the seats. I didn't think—"

"Don't." His hand comes up to cup the back of my head. "Don't apologize for that. It's just a car, and I'll clean it. Not a big deal."

I pull back to look at him. His hair is a mess from my hands, lips swollen from kissing, and he looks more relaxed than I've seen him. Satisfied in a way that makes warmth bloom in my chest.

"We should probably talk," I say. "About what this is. What we're doing."

He nods, stroking my back. "Yeah. We probably should."

"I want to see you again. Go on more dates. Get to know you better." I bite my lip. "But I need time before I introduce you to Luna. I need to be sure this is… that we're…"

"Real," he finishes. "You need to know it's real before you bring me into her life."

"Yes. Is that okay?"

"Daisy, that's more than okay. That's you being a good mom. Protecting your kid." He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "We can take all the time you need. All the time in the world. I'm not going anywhere."

"You mean that?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Even though this is—" I gesture vaguely between us. "Fast. Really fast. Maybe too fast."

"Maybe. But it feels right. And I'd rather move fast toward something good than slow toward nothing at all."

I rest my forehead against his. "When did you get so wise?"

"I'm not wise. I'm just done wasting time on things that don't matter. You matter."

We sit in silence for a moment, just breathing together. Then a thought occurs to me.

"What about the other bikers in your club?" I ask. "Will they think you're making a mistake? Getting involved with a single mom when you're still just a prospect?"

He chuckles, and I feel it rumble through his chest. "You want to know something? From the stories I've heard, they all dove deep into relationships just as fast. Maybe faster."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Phoenix met Ivy before her forced wedding and went to war with another club over her. Judge took a beating from three guys to protect Nora and Grace the day after meeting them. Canvas got shot protecting Eden during their first date." He shakes his head. "Compared to them, us having sex in a parking lot after knowing each other for 24 hours is downright reasonable."

I laugh despite myself. "That's a low bar."

"Maybe. But my point is, they all followed their guts. Didn't overthink it or worry about timelines. Just knew when they knew." His green eyes meet mine. "And besides, I'm the only one who needs to decide if this is right or wrong. The others can either support me or not. But this? You and me? That's my choice. Not theirs."

"What if they don't support it?"