Page 8 of Coyote

As we hashed out the issues of budget, event size and came up with a few target dates for his event, I couldn’t help getting more excited. Lucas called himself Coyote now. I’d have to get used to him going by a club name. While he was pouring over the paperwork I’d given him, I watched him intently. He’d lost the boyish look he’d had back when we were together, and he was much more rugged. His longish, dark brown hair was shorter now, cut close at the sides of his head and longer on top, and he had a neatly trimmed beard.

He must have sensed my eyes on him because he looked up and gave me a grin, showing the dimples on his cheeks that mirrored Nessa’s. I’d read somewhere that dimples were inherited, and for the millionth time I hoped that he was her father and not that other bastard. Though with that thought, I got another wave of guilt. If Nessa was his, then surely, he had a right to know?

I returned his grin with a pasted-on smile of my own and got out a notepad to take down his details. We might be in the twenty-first century, but Reggie was old school, and you’d have to pry his Filofax out of his cold, dead hands.

As I scribbled down the last of his information, he asked, “Is there anything else you need from me?”

“No, I think I have everything I need for now, Coyote.

His head came up hard and fast when I used his club name. A slow grin spread over his face. “Thank you, Bethany. I appreciate you working with me on this.”

I opened his business account using his business credit card, and he put down a thousand-dollar retainer without blinking an eye. I guessed he must be doing okay for himself, and I was happy for him. Lucas had had a hard start in life, with his asshole stepfather who beat on him and preyed on his sister. He and Callie both deserved a break.

We said our goodbyes and all too quickly this man I’d cared about for so long was gone. To be quite honest, I felt quite conflicted seeing him again. All the same old feelings were bubbling away just under the surface. Him commenting on my ass, was vintage Lucas behavior. He saw that the store was empty and decided to be edgy. He was normally all kinds of quiet, but when it came to me, he was bold. I remember thinking it was because he felt more comfortable around me than other folks. I wondered again if he had a partner—if he had, then I don’t know how I felt about him commenting on my ass, though the Lucas I knew was a good man, and I couldn’t see him hitting on a woman if he was with someone else.

When five PM came, I turned over the store to our evening employee and headed home, stopping only long enough to pick up Nessa. Unless there was bad weather, she was always waiting outside for me with one of Reggie’s nieces. The girls loved taking care of Nessa and I loved how attentive they were, and that they didn’t cost me a fortune. It was a win-win for now.

When I parked up and stepped out of the car, Nessa came running to me, her face lit up with a dimpled grin, looking so much like Coyote that it broke my heart. I wanted her to be his so damn much. Unfortunately, wishing wouldn’t make it true. I stooped down to pick her up. Her dark hair was all over the place today. It had come out of the neat braid I made this morning. It looked like she might have spent time in the kitty pool.

She showed me a noodle necklace, one that she’d carefully colored every single noodle with a marker. This daughter of mine was so precious, I hugged her close and dreaded the day I had to let Coyote know she existed. Because if she turned out to be his, then she wouldn’t be mine and mine alone. There would be someone else there wanting to make decisions about her life, wanting to teach her about the world and someone slowly scooting me over to make room for himself. I knew that I shouldn’t be greedy with her, but I couldn’t help it. She was all I had in the world.

I also had a fear in the back of my mind that he might not want a child. He’d told me when he first met me, that he didn’t want kids for a long time because he wanted to focus on his club and his own dreams. Maybe it was for the best that he didn’t know about my sweet little daughter—at least for the time being.

A memory came floating to the surface of my mind. It was when we first met. He told me that the one thing he would never tolerate in a partner was lying. I couldn’t remember what prompted that conversation, but I distinctly remembered him saying that lies of omission counted as lies in his book. This man was very clear on his boundaries, right from the start. I held my daughter close, knowing that not telling him about Nessa would be a lie of omission in his book, a serious one that he would never forgive.

Sammy, one of Reggie’s twin nieces, brought Nessa’s little backpack over. “I put her lunch box in there, she ate everything today, even the carrot sticks.”

“Thank you, Sammy. I appreciate you watching her.”

Sammy reached out to touch Nessa on the top of the head and my daughter tilted her head back to nudge Sammy’s palm with her nose. We both laughed at her antics. Sammy said, “She’s a great kid, I’m always happy to watch her.”

I drove the short distance from Sammy and her sister’s place to mine. Nessa chattered the whole way about kittens, puppies, frogs, and flutter bys, which was her way of saying butterfly. I could tell she mostly spent the day outside, which means she was going to conk out early. I would have to really hustle to get her fed and bathed before she fell asleep. But that was okay, taking care of Nessa was the best part of my day.

Chapter Four

Coyote

After driving back from Patterdale, I spent most of the day running errands and checking on orders. Eventually in the evening I drove back to my auto repair shop and started painting my office. I could have gone to the clubhouse and drank with my brothers, shot a game of pool, or even enjoyed the company of one of the club girls. But what I wanted was some peace and quiet to think over the situation with Bethany. Seeing her after all this time brought back all the old feelings, the simmering physical attraction as well as the companionship.

Spending time with Bethany has always been my happy place. Now, to be able to stop by and talk to her anytime I wanted was within my reach. When she ran off, I’d tried looking for her, but had no luck. I’d figured she’d upped and left the county. Finding that she was just an hour’s ride away was pretty damn awesome. I was so excited by that prospect that I didn’t stop to consider the ethics of stalking her at work—though is it really stalking if I had a reason to be there?

She didn’t seem upset to see me. In fact, she appeared to be happy. The woman I had never forgotten was all smiles and sweet compliments today, so why shouldn’t I keep stopping by occasionally? If I ever got the impression that she was tired of looking at my ugly face I could always stop dropping by. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

I tore off the last piece of blue painters’ tape and smoothed the seam down. Next, I poured a bucket of paint into my paint sprayer and got started on the walls. I lost track of time as I painted and cleaned my office, working through the night. Before I knew it, it was morning and I stopped to stretch my back.

I was beat, and already thinking about sneaky ways to get Bethany back in my life. I wouldn’t follow through on any of them because that would just be crass and I was never one to tolerate deceit from others, so deceiving someone else was definitely a no go for me. It was the difference between indulging in a little fantasy in your head and being a complete asshole in real life.

By the time I made it home and climbed into the shower it was eight AM. I normally wasn’t one for sleeping during the day but after working hard manual labor all night, I needed at least a couple of hours shut eye in order to function today. I collapsed in bed with my hair still damp and fell into a deep sleep.

***

I was back at the Dark Slayers clubhouse drinking in the bar. Bethany was hanging on my arm listening carefully to every word that fell out of my mouth and laughing at all my jokes while she drank some over-the-top cocktail, with what looked like a fruit salad stuffed in the glass. My chest swelled with pride to be with my woman, she was looking especially luscious today wearing tight, black leather pants that hugged her curves, and a matching crop top. All the brothers were looking at me wondering how I managed to catch myself a woman like this.

“It was always you, Coyote,” she said as she licked her lips and sucked on the straw.

I could feel my cock stiffen and I wondered if I should take her downstairs to the other bar where the brothers could get a bit of one-on-one action with their women. I reached for her hand, but suddenly we were in my office. I was sitting behind a desk like some business mogul or CEO, and she was my secretary.

I watched her enter my room wearing six-inch heels, a skirt so short I could see the tops of her stockings and garter belt, and a prim, white shirt that’s halfway unbuttoned showing off an ivory bra cupping her full breasts and putting them on display. She was carrying a handful of files, but she stumbled and dropped them. I was sitting in my chair watching her scrambling around on the floor. When she bent over, her ass was on show and my cock felt like it was gonna explode. I leaned back and unzipped my pants.

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