Page 89 of Dozer

“Why are you leaving?”

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He rolled the filter of his cigarette between his finger and thumb, then took a long pull. “Because if it were me, I’d want to know some aspects of my relationship were just mine.”

Silence stretched out between us.

“Don’t let her romanticize some version of me, you, and her,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt her when this all ends. We both know it will because as soon as she catches feelings, I’ll be gone.”

I wanted Romeo to know that this wasn’t about a threesome at all. This was just about the three of us. “When you leave, there won’t be anyone else. I know I’m fucked up when it comes to relationships. I believe her, that this is what she wants.”

“She’s not playing either of us. Fuck, Doze, that night at the playhouse hit her hard. She couldn’t not tell me because of the way you made her feel. Then she turned around and promised you she wouldn’t fuck me without you. That says everything you need to know.”

Maybe she was as drawn to me as I was to her.

“I saw my dad. I asked him why he puts up with Faye’s bullshit. He just takes it because he thinks he deserves it.” That wasn’t love. If it was, I’d stick to hanging with Bullet and his girls.

“It’s not the same.” Romeo smashed the last of his cigarette into the ashtray. “Go sleep with your girl. I’ll see you later.”

I did. And when she woke, I had her under me again for a slow morning fuck.

Pippa slid out of bed.

I sat up and leaned against the headboard. “I’ll be at the shop today, working with Blade and Romeo. Do you and Hana want to come by after class?”

“I…I can’t. I need to take care of something.” She crossed to her closet and pulled a plaid skirt and black tank top from a hanger.

“Something?”

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal,” she said and glanced over her shoulder.

If it wasn’t a big deal, why was she avoiding telling me what she was doing? I slid out of bed.

Her brows pinched. “I need to take care of some school stuff.”

“Sweet, I’ll meet you on campus and take you to lunch somewhere close.” I stepped into my jeans.

She opened a drawer for a pair of tiny black panties and a bra that matched. “Dozer, I can’t.”

“I’m going to the MC. I’ll have a cup of coffee, check on Pike, probably make a call to Willy to see what the deal is with the plea. Then I’ll get on my bike, ride over to the shop, and see what we need for the bike rebuild. Somewhere in there, I’ll grab a bite to eat. Since I won’t be doing that with you, I’ll probably get stuck with street tacos with Romeo and Blade.”

She paused. “Okay.”

“See, that’s what it sounds like when a person isn’t being evasive. If you don’t want to tell me what you’ve got going today, that’s fine. I’ll see you later.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I guess we’re still figuring out how this is going to work between us. Later then?”

She dropped her clothes on the bed and stepped into my arms. “I’m not trying to be evasive. I do want to see you later. I need to meet with one of my professors. I don’t know how long it’ll take.”

I threaded my fingers under her hair and tipped her face to mine. “That sounds good. I’ll be around.” I pressed my lips to hers. “I’m not trying to get in your business, but I want to know where you are, and I want you to care where I am.”

“Starting today. I promise. I just need to…settle an issue with a professor.”

“I’ll see you later.”

She gripped my T-shirt at my waist, stood on her tiptoes, and aligned her body with mine. “Take the spare key so you don’t have to keep breaking into my house. You can take the extra garage door opener, too. It’s in my glovebox.”

A fist banged on the door, and Pippa jumped.

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