Page 5 of Lulu

I snorted. The disdain in her tone revealed that she wasn’t talking about my phone number. Instead of asking her what she meant, I reach for the notepad on the counter, took a pen out of the cup that was there, and jotted down my number. When I was finished, I handed the slip of paper to her over the counter.

Our eyes met, and I was taken aback by the heated interest I saw in hers. She took the paper and lowered her eyes so fast that I wondered if I’d imagined it. I had to have. Lulu was an accomplished woman when it came to men, and very confident in her charms. Flirting and coming on to them was as easy as breathing for her.

I’d seen her in action. A woman who could fuck like her in front of a room full of horny bikers holds nothing back.

So why was she afraid to let me see that she was interested in me?

Chapter 3

Lulu

As soon as Brody left, I let out a sigh of relief and sagged back in my chair. I hadn’t seen him in almost a year, and still something about him got to me. It wasn’t just that he was drop dead gorgeous or that he reeked of mystery and danger. It was in his eyes and the way that he looked at me, as if he could see right to my very soul. The very first time he’d walked into Desert Rebels’ clubhouse and our eyes had met across the room, I’d known that I’d wanted him. But I’d belonged to the MC--my choice--and when Loco had taken my hand and dragged me over to his chair, any hopes I may have had of being with Brody had been dashed.

No one wanted a whore.

The look in Brody’s eyes as he’d watched Loco and me screwing would never leave me. His dark eyes had condemned me louder than any words could have. He was the only person in my life that had managed to make me regret my actions and doubt myself, and I’d hated him watching me with Loco.

Seeing him today had wounded me almost as much as his hurtful words had. It was clear that nothing had changed between us. All he saw was a club whore. I’d left the Desert Rebels, but it was apparent that he didn’t know that with their help and support I’d taken night classes to become a vet tech. No longer worried about my past catching up to me, I’d made the decision that it was time to move on, better my life, and maybe someday meet a man who could forgive my past and want a family with me.

Miracles did happen, didn’t they?

I could only hope.

Before I could forget I added the extra services onto Brody’s bill and then went to the back to notify Elizabeth that Buttercup would be staying overnight. I smiled when I thought about the name I’d given his dog. He’d surprised me by accepting it.

“How’s Buttercup, Doctor?”

“Ready to go,” Elizabeth stated as she washed her hands.

I noticed that the dog was in one of the kennels. “She’s staying the night,” I began to explain. “Brody wants us to give her whatever she needs, including a bath and groom.” I smiled.

Her brows arched. “Brody?”

“Mr. Savage,” I corrected. “I’ve known him for a few years.”

“I see.” She grabbed a paper towel and began to wipe her hands, her shrewd eyes assessing me. “He’s a big, handsome brute, isn’t he?”

I didn’t say anything.

Elizabeth knew about my past and didn’t hold it against me, probably because her husband had been a biker, and she was no stranger to the biker world. She’d been willing to give me a chance and had encouraged me to take classes to become a tech, promising to give me a position in her new clinic. True to her word, we’d just opened our door a week ago, and I was the lead tech. I also doubled as the receptionist when needed.

“I didn’t see a cut. Is he part of the MC you were in?”

I shook my head. “Brody isn’t a biker. I mean, he rides a bike, but he’s not in any club. He does his own thing.” No one really knew what that was, but I’d heard talk around the clubhouse. He was open to taking on almost any job.

“More of a nomad.” She nodded. “When Charles was alive, he did his own thing, too,” she smirked, her eyes twinkling with the memory. “Always came home to me, though.”

“It takes a special woman to put up with a hardcore biker,” I acknowledged. I’d seen enough over the ten years that I’d been a club whore to know that much.

“That it does,” Elizabeth agreed. “Charles and I had thirty-seven years together, and I’d do it all over again if I could.”

Over the four months that I’d worked full-time with Elizabeth I’d learned a lot about her and her life with a biker. Cancer had taken Charles five years before, lung cancer from a three-pack-a-day habit, and it had been their four daughters that had gotten her through it. I hadn’t met them yet, but the doctor talked about them often enough that I felt like I knew them.

“Must be nice to have that kind of love,” I said more to myself than to her.

“You’ll get there one day,” she said with total conviction. “Now, what are we going to do about Buttercup?”

I knew that we couldn’t leave an animal alone all night in the clinic. “I’ll call my friend, Millie, and see if she can stay the night.” We’d used Millie on several occasions at the old location. She was a professional pet sitter, and loved animals. I’d met her when I was still with the Desert Rebels and she and Loco had hooked up. We’d become good friends. “If she has other plans, I don’t mind staying.” We had a room set up especially for times like this when someone had to stay the night to watch over an animal.

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