Page 37 of Doozer

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I don’t know… yes?”

“Fuck, no,” I countered. “She’s my first female patch, she’s fuckin’ awesome, and I’ve never in my life known a better mechanic.”

“Except Hatch.”

Hatch was Cricket’s brother and the president of the Dogs of Fire in Portland.

“She’s better than Elwood. Better than Doozer, and even better than Hatch.”

Cricket raised an eyebrow, unbuttoning her silk blouse. “Bullshit.”

I licked my lips as she slid her top off, throwing it into the dry-cleaning pile. She settled her hands on her hips, giving me full view of her lacy bra, and I was instantly hard. It didn’t help that she was still in her pencil skirt and strappy heels.

“She’sasgood,” I corrected. I had to walk a fine line with Cricket and her relationship with her brother. He was one of the reasons I was exiled to Savannah back when my love affair with her was getting hot and heavy.

Hatch didn’t feel I was good enough for her, so for me, he was the man who’d kept me from the only woman I’ve ever loved.

For Cricket, however, he was not only her brother, but the man who’d stepped up when their mother died, and their father went to prison. Hatch had been barely a man himself when he took on the responsibility of his younger siblings, making sure none of them were separated. He’d raised them the best he knew how and although she knew he wasn’t perfect, he was certainly her hero.

Her first.

So, even though I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she would pick me over him any day, it would devastate her if either of us made her do that. So Hatch and I’d come to a level of a courteous truce, and our clubs were friendly, which gave us both backup we’d found we’d needed over the past few years.

She gave me a slight smile. “Okay, as good.”

I waved a finger toward her. “Keep going, baby. I’m liking the strip tease.”

She rolled her eyes and removed her watch and rings, setting them in her jewelry box, then facing me again. “Why did you say ‘no,’ honey? The real reason?”

Jesus, the woman could get to the heart of a matter within seconds. “Thatisthe real reason?”

“Jase,” she said, her tone one of admonishment.

“Right here, baby.”

“Dig deep.” She crossed her arms, pushing her glorious tits up higher. Ever since giving birth and breastfeeding, her tits were larger than normal, and she was stacked to begin with. “You know Taxi’s recruiting. You know he’s pulling from the Dogs and the Howlers, as well as from us, and you know we could live without her for a little while. Give me the real reason.”

I palmed my eye sockets in an effort to ward off a headache. “If she goes, Doozer’s gonna be a complete waste of fuckin’ space.”

“Aw,” she cooed. “You big ol’ softy.”

“Don’t you dare,” I warned, and she chuckled, sliding her skirt down her thighs, but keeping her shoes on.

Fuck me, she was delicious.

“I just remember how fucked up I was when I went to Savannah,” I explained.

“But it was good for you in the end.”

“Was it?” I challenged. “Cutter wanted to toughen me up. Focus me. And it made me hard, but did it make me too hard?”

She glanced at my growing erection and nodded.

I chuckled. “He’s gone for her, baby. I know that feeling. I remember feeling that level of love as a younger man, and not having you close fuckin’ gutted me.”

Cricket shrugged. “Then send him with her.”

“And losetwopatches?” I snapped. “No fuckin’ way.”

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