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And apparently, my mouth takes this as an opportunity to tell my life story.

“Camden, that’s my brother. I don’t see or talk to him often. He lives in New York and works on Wall Street. I have no idea what he actually does. My parents are members of the Ceasca Country Club, and they love everything about it. When I lived in California, I was a massage therapist. It’s what I’m good at and what I enjoy doing for work, but I can’t do it here yet because I’m not licensed.”

Brock reaches across the table to take my hand again, flexing his fingers and holding me firmly. God, I love the way he feels when his hands are anywhere on my body, even if it’s just my hand.

“You want to do that? Give massages?” he asks.

“I did it in California for years,” I murmur.

“But not anymore?”

My lips curve up into a smile before I continue. “I couldn’t afford to stay there and pay both rent and day care. It’s why I came back to Boulder City. The only way I could possibly do massage therapy again would be to save.”

Brock nods his head a couple of times. He opens his mouth, and I can tell he’s going to try and offer me something, and that something is likely going to be money. I don’t want his money. I don’t want my parents’ money. I want to do it myself.

“I just want you to know, whatever happens here, I’ll take care of both you and Thea. And if I had known about Thea earlier, I would have been taking care of her.”

“I’m sorry,” I rush to say. “I should have tried harder to find you, and I didn’t. I was scared, but I was also living in denial. And did I mention I was scared?”

Brock smirks as the waiter sets our food down, seemingly coming out of nowhere. I don’t reach for my fork, waiting for his response to my babbling. His gaze searches mine for a long moment before he leans over slightly.

“There is absolutely nothing to be sorry for. All that matters is you’re here now. That’s the only fucking thing I give a shit about.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY

HOUND

After dinner, I took Keely to where my bike was parked and asked her if she wanted to take a ride. Thankfully, she did. And now she presses her tits against my back as I shift the bike down the country road. I’m not sure where we’re going yet, but then I see the sign for the Hoover Dam and decide that seems like a good place to be alone, especially since it’s already after dark.

So that’s what we do. It doesn’t take long to get there, and I think we need a little more time together, alone, not at a restaurant, but alone. As much as I fucking hate talking, it seems useless and pointless.

Action is the only thing I truly give a shit about and all that matters, but we do need to talk. Our relationship can’t be action only. We have a baby, and there is a lot more involved in that than just some good fucking… as much as I love a good fuck.

Riding over to the Arizona side, I pull into a free parking area and then park my bike. Killing the engine, I stay there for a moment, unmoving… maybe even unbreathing.

I’m not quite sure.

Keely climbs off the bike behind me, shifting my attention to her. I watch as she takes her helmet off. Reaching out, I take it from her and hang it from my handlebar before I do the same with mine and climb off my bike.

Curling my fingers around hers, I take her hand and gently tug her behind me as I walk over to an area where there is a bench, so we can sit down. I don’t care about the view. I just care that we’re shadowed from the rest of the world.

“Your parents hate me,” I state once we’ve settled in our seats. “And they’re never going to like me.”

She looks down at her hands in her lap, then shifts her focus to me. I’m straddling the picnic bench, and she’s sitting, facing straight forward. Neither of us says anything else, and I wait for her to respond.

“I’m not my parents,” she murmurs. Then she shifts her gaze to meet mine. “I’ve never fit in with them or their friends. They’re embarrassed by my existence. I would be shocked if anyone in their circle even knew Thea existed.”

My heart squeezes at her words. Thea is beautiful. She’s precious and innocent. No way in fuck could I imagine keeping her a secret. I can’t wait to take her to the clubhouse and show her to every single fucking person there.

I’m going to do that, too.

But first, we gotta figure our shit out so that when I show both Thea and Keely off, she knows where she stands. I want her to know who I am, who she is to me, and her place in the club, too.

None of that can happen without some conversations.

And the first one is to know if she’s going to stay at my side if her parents hate my fucking guys and don’t support a single thing about us being together. I know that’s how they feel, and I don’t take it personally because it’s not about me. It’s about what the club is and what they perceive it to mean.