Page 65 of June 7

"I'm not a girl who likes to see her best friend hurt." Liz met his gaze. "Take care of her. She might act like the strongest person in this small town, but she's got the tenderest heart once you get past the concrete walls she's built around her."

Liz turned and walked into the pool house. He leaned against the wall. His opinion of Liz improved. He could see why Daisy picked Liz as her best friend. The woman was a bear when it came to Daisy.

Kids streamed out of the pool house. Girls from the left. Boys from the right. They mingled, shoved, and snapped towels at each other as they left the building. Over their heads, he found Daisy behind the counter, talking to the children as they headed toward the door.

She stood in her red one-piece swimsuit without a self-conscious bone in her body. Her comfort and ease made her sexy. She was in her zone when at the pool. It was her safe spot. Even at home, she wasn't totally at ease. She ignored the view out the back of the duplex and was always aware of what had happened outside her door.

Daisy lifted her gaze, smiled, and waved at him. He lifted his chin. She needed a distraction from all the work and worry she put herself through each day.

Instead of heading straight home, she needed to go somewhere with no bad memories. No people who would remind her of the past she couldn't forget. She needed to go somewhere she could be herself, and that smile she gave everyone else could be replaced with a genuine smile of happiness.

He took out his phone and texted Cord back at the shop. Then, he texted Link and Wire and let them know they wouldn't be back at the duplex until later.

Chapter Twenty Five

Bane handed money to the delivery boy, closed the back door of the clubhouse, and returned to the table carrying a large brown sack. Daisy sat on the edge of the chair, having slipped into a pair of joggers and a hoodie to ward against the chill after work. He'd surprised her by bringing her to the clubhouse instead of taking her home.

There was no party going on. Only a dozen or so members loitered around, hanging out, but because the space was big, she and Bane had a table in the corner of the room to themselves.

Bane set the sack on the table. "Chinese food."

Her smile threatened to break into laughter. He seemed proud of himself. Then, it hit her that Bane had planned a night out for them. Because they were playing it safe, he brought her to the one place where he knew she could relax and not worry about people saying things to her.

She caught his hand, pulled him closer, and kissed him. "Thank you."

He grunted, but his hand lingered on her neck, and his thumb caressed the line of her jaw. She warmed all over. Others might see him as a hardened man, but she got the softness below the surface.

"Damn." He held up the empty sack. "No fork. I'll go and—"

"No worries." She held up the chopsticks that had fallen out of the bag. "There's even a couple extras."

"I don't eat with those."

"Have you tried?"

"Why would I if there's forks and spoons?" He walked over to the cabinets against the wall.

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