Oh dear.
I was going to cry.
Damn!
I was crying.
In fact, I burst into tears on a muffled sob, twisting my head and shoving my face in Hop’s neck.
His arms closed around me, he rolled us to our sides and he held me close, one hand stroking my spine as the goodness I felt from his words flowed from my eyes and into his skin.
“I’m giving you a key to my house,” I announced stupidly, my words breaking, my breath hitching.
“Good,” he muttered, his words breaking because he was stifling laughter.
“We need to speed up the easing Cody and Molly into things gig because I don’t want to sleep without you, even if it might be inappropriate Dad’s girlfriend spends the night,” I declared.
“I’ll work on that with them right away,” Hop replied, still sounding amused.
“If it takes time, when they’re asleep, I’ll crawl through the window.”
Even more humor in his tone when he stated, “Babe, seein’ as my room is on the top floor, I’d like to see how you pull that off, but I’ll save you that hassle and let you in the front door.”
I belatedly fell silent and stopped acting like an idiot but kept crying.
Hop asked, “Easing the Cody and Molly into things… gig?”
I pulled my head back and looked at him. “What?”
“You don’t say words like ‘gig’, lady.”
“My man’s a biker. Shit rubs off.”
The minute I finished speaking, Hop’s arms spasmed around me as he burst out laughing.
I watched and listened through the dark, loving every second.
Still laughing, he bent his head and took my lips, laughing into my mouth as he kissed me.
Amazing.
Then he made love to me, a lot slower this time.
Even better.
And last, I fell asleep, naked in his arms.
No dreams.
Just Hop.
Chapter Seventeen
Glad to have you back, darlin’
The pounding at the door woke us. Hop’s arm convulsed around me and I lifted my head from where it lay on his chest to stare at the door.
“Open this goddamned door, brother!”
Oh God.
That was Tack.
And he sounded really, really angry.
“Fuck,” Hop muttered.
“Fuckin’ now!” Tack shouted.
“Fuck,” Hop repeated.
“Oh dear,” I mumbled.
“Not a good time!” Hop yelled.
“Open it or I kick it in!” Tack shouted and I felt my eyes get wide. I’d never heard Tack angry like that.
“Oh dear,” I whispered.
“Fuck,” Hop grumbled, rolled into me, kissed me quickly then he rolled out of bed.
Tack pounded at the door.
Hop tossed his thermal to me and I tugged it on as he pulled up a pair of jeans and moved to the door.
“Jesus, brother, cool it! Fuck! I’m comin’!” Hop yelled, made it to the door, unlocked it and opened it. I had the thermal down to my waist, the covers up it and I watched as Hop took a quick step back because Tack pushed in.
Tack scowled at me in bed for a nanosecond before his head swung Hop’s way.
“Seriously?” he asked. “I just get done dealin’ with that shit with Tabby and you, another brother, are nailin’ my other girl in… fuckin’… secret?”
How sweet. I loved it that I was his other girl.
“Tack, breathe, brother, and give me a second to explain,” Hop stated calmly.
Tack pointed my way. “Her head’s messed up. You go in there when her head’s messed up?”
“My head isn’t messed up,” I butted in and Tack turned his scowl back to me.
“Darlin’, you’re in my heart, you know that so no offense, but you’re right, it isn’t messed up. It’s fucked up.”
Oh wow. I was in his heart.
“Tack, listen to me,” Hop called Tack’s attention to him and Tack sliced his gaze to Hop. “There’s a reason we kept it under wraps, a good one I’m not gonna explain because it’s Lanie’s and she gets to explain it if she wants. What you gotta know right now is, this is real,” he stated just as my phone rang from inside my purse.
“It better fuckin’ be real, brother. I know you. I know you wouldn’t pull shit on me, Red, Lanie, but what I don’t know is why it’s a goddamned secret,” Tack returned.
I’d scooted up to my knees to reach the side of the bed where my purse was, grabbed it and pulled my phone out while Hop replied, “Lanie had some things to work through and I thought we should focus on that without outside distractions.”
It was my request we keep it a secret but Hop was setting it up so, if there was a fall, he would be taking it for me.
I was feeling all warm inside, thinking that was nice, still feeling the glow of Tack calling me his girl (regardless of this tense situation; however, I knew Hop would sort it out) as I put my phone to my ear.
I wouldn’t have answered right then, but the display said it was Lis. She knew everything that was going on, including my break up with Hop, which led to her gently trying to understand why we broke up since she told me she liked him and thought he was good for me. She was also worried about me so I didn’t want to miss a phone call from her to make her more worried about me. I’d done enough of that to people who cared about me.
“Hey, sweetie. Now’s not a good time,” I said in greeting. “I’ll call you back in an hour or so and we’ll talk.”
“You think maybe her best fuckin’ friend and your fuckin’ friend, brother, might have been able to take your back on that?” Tack asked a very good question.
I didn’t hear Hop’s answer because Lis spoke in my ear.
“Lanie, honey… God. I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to say it. The bubble burst last night at Mom and Dad’s. Dad is in the hospital. Mom’s in jail.”
I blinked at the covers.
“What?” I whispered.
“Apparently, this is a guess,” she began, “but I figure Dad stewed on what you said then finally pulled his finger out and made his decision. From what I could get from Mom’s hysterical phone call, Dad informed her he couldn’t keep hurting her and his other chick, so he made a decision and he picked the other chick. Mom finally grew a backbone, lost her nut, grabbed a bottle of wine and conked him on the head with it. He started bleeding. She started yelling. They started scrapping. The neighbors freaked, the cops were called, then the ambulance. Now Dad is under observation for a concussion and Mom needs a cosigner for a bond since Dad’s seriously pissed and he’s pressing charges.”
“Oh my God,” I said.
“Lady, what is it?” Hop asked.
“I know,” my sister agreed.
“Oh my God,” I repeated.
“No shit,” my sister replied.
“Lanie, baby, what is it?” Hop asked.
“Oh my God!” I cried.
“Jesus, Lanie,” Hop clipped and I felt his hand under my chin lifting my eyes to his where he was standing by the bed, looking worried. “What the fuck is it?”
“Oh my God,” Lis said in my ear. “Please tell me that’s Hop.”
I ignored her, the fact that Tack was standing there and told Hop. “My dad told my mom he picked the other woman. She lost it. Conked him on the head with a wine bottle. He’s in the hospital and pressing charges. She’s in jail and looking for a cosigner for her bond.”
Hop’s hand fell away as he straightened, all the while doing a slow blink.
Then he asked, “Say again?”