Page 50 of One Last Chance

Megan clears her throat. “An ol’ lady? What’s that? A wife?”

“It’s as close to a wife that a brother has. An ol’ lady is a biker’s woman, and when he chooses his ol’ lady, the brothers protect her and take her under their wing. She wears a patch that says she’s the property of the brother, which means no other man can touch her.”

“Wait! What?” I add. “Property?”

Tracker smiles, his straight white teeth on full show. “Yeah, his property. She is his till the brother says she’s not.”

“Isn’t that just—”

“I know what you’re thinking,” he interrupts. “You have to live in our world to know what it all represents. Trying to explain it is just not the same.”

Feeling Domenic’s hand on mine, my eyes move from Tracker’s to his.

“We don’t know what it’s like to be in a biker club, Chlo, so just let it go.”

Who does he think he is?

My mouth opens to say something, but then I snap it shut when Sophia leans in and kisses Tracker.

Why am I so opinionated about what an ol’ lady means? Sophia doesn’t seem to be bothered by it all, so why should I be?

We finish off our meal with light conversation, and Tracker offers to pay for the meal. I start to wonder what he does for a living to make money. If he’s part of a biker club, how do they earn their income? But my thoughts are ended when Domenic grabs me by my arm softly and whispers, “Can I please have a minute of your time?”

My first reaction is to say, ‘No, you can’t.’But when I see the look on his face that holds hope, I say, “Sure, but just a minute.”

“I’ll be a second,” I tell the others, and Sophia smiles then says, “Go on. We’ll be here waiting.” Sophia gives me a wide smile and winks at me.

This is all so odd.

Here I am with Domenic Reed, a famous football player who’s Sophia’s ex.

How did we get here?

Domenic places his hand in mine and leads me around the corner of the restaurant. I stand there with my back against the brick wall as he paces in front of me, running his hands through his hair now and then in thought.

“What is it? What do you want to say?”

He stops, then takes a couple of steps toward me. “Chloe, I know what I did was wrong… leaving you there to defend us while I ran out to Cassandra. I didn’t think.” He steps closer, the smell of his aftershave lingering between us. “I just needed to explain to her who you are to me and what you mean to me.” He looks away then back at me. “Chloe, believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

Cupping my cheek, he rubs his thumb across it, and I feel my heart quicken. He’s so close, and with him being this close, I can’t seem to think.

His mouth lingers above mine when he murmurs, “Don’t do this. Don’t withdraw from me. Not now that I have you again in my life and in my bed.”

Tears prick my eyes at the words he’s saying. They mean more than he will ever know. My eyes flick up to his from his lips, and feeling vulnerable, I say, “But Domenic, I can’t be the reason for your breakup. I can’t do that to you again.”

He leans in and kisses me softly, his tongue lightly brushing against mine. Slowly, he pulls back. “Let me worry about that. All I want is you… always. That’s all I have ever wanted. Be with me, Chloe. Stay with me. Love me like I love you.”

Tears now fall freely down my face, and Domenic wipes them away with his thumb. “Don’t cry, Chlo, I can’t handle you crying. Please tell me you’ll stay, and that you will give us a try. All I need is for you to say yes, and I’ll handle the rest. I promise you.” He grabs my hands in his, and the warmth is welcoming.

“Okay,” I whisper between tears. “Okay, I’ll stay.”

“Yesss.” He kisses me hard, and I wrap my arms around his neck. He lifts and twirls me around. “Yes, yes, yes… you won’t be sorry. I’m going to make you so happy, Chloe. I promise you that,” he declares between kisses, causing me to love him that much more.

“Hey, are you guys done? I’m freezing out here.”

We stop our kiss, then Domenic and I smile at each other. With me still in his arms, I crook my neck looking over his shoulder and spot Sophia, Tracker, and Megan standing there just watching us. Megan has a proud look on her face while Tracker smiles and Sophia, well, she has a big smile on her face too.

Sliding down Domenic’s body, I peck him on his lips and pull away. “Looks like I have to go.”

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