Page 19 of Dozer

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but it continued to swell. “I thought that was the plan.”

“Guess they didn’t get the memo.” Romeo glanced over his shoulder. “Pike and Dozer are close. He’s going to feel this one, since he brought him into the MC.”

“I should go. This is a bad day for the club. We can talk later.”

“Nah,” he said and pulled me into his arms. “We should go to my room.”

I snorted. “Levi already hates me. She needs you.”

“She has me. I’m always going to be there for her, but only as a friend.”

The same way he wanted to only be friends with me.

The weight of his arm was heavy on my shoulders as we entered the chapel. I snuck a quick glance at Jazzy as she whispered to Levi. They both stared at me as Romeo led me toward the back of the club and past the guys loitering in the hall.

He kept me tucked close to his side as he opened his bedroom door. Once inside, I stepped away from him. He closed the door and leaned against it.

“You’ve got all the signs of a guilty girl.”

He pulled a cigarette from behind his ear and stuck it between his lips. The rough whirl of the metal wheel struck the flint and sparked a flame. He inhaled, the paper and tobacco sizzled as it caught fire, and a ribbon of smoke curled around his lips before being sucked into his nose and mouth.

“Did something happen between you and Dozer?”

Tears filled my eyes as I sat on the end of his bed. “Sort of.”

Two thin streams of smoke escaped from his nose on an exhale. “That’s cryptic.”

I didn’t know where to start. I just knew I couldn’t deny something dangerously erotic simmered between me and Dozer.

“Did you fuck him?”

I snapped my gaze to his. “No! God, no. I wouldn’t cheat on you.” I licked my lips and swallowed the lump in my throat.

“Baby, I love being with you, but you’ve got to be honest with me. If you’re done, just let me know.”

“No, Romeo. It’s just… I have to tell you something, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

He exhaled with a small laugh. “Fuck, Pip, those are my lines. I’m getting let down easy.”

“Romeo, we can’t break up if we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. Didn’t we just decide we were having fun?”

This conversation was off the rails. I would laugh, but this tragic I’m-your-friend, keep-fucking-me, but let-your-best-friend-watch declaration wasn’t funny. Feelings weren’t trivial, and what I felt for Romeo was deeper than friendship, but something I knew would never bleed into love, but it wasn’t disposable.

“I’m confused.” I bent over and covered my face with my hands.

“You don’t have to be. We’re friends. It’s different for us. You’re a cool girl. But you and I both know what this is between us. We’re not permanent.”

He didn’t need to elaborate. I understood that Levi was a permanent part of his life. I could be gone tomorrow. I wasn’t a Heller.

“Pippa?”

I lifted my head and met his gaze. He was too beautiful. If Dozer was the darkness, Romeo was the light. His smile could melt the coldest parts of my heart. “I’m catching feelings for you, good-friend feelings, never-want-to-hurt-you feelings, love-you, love-being-your-fuck-friend feelings.”

Romeo grabbed an ashtray and sat next to me on the bed. “Thank, fuck. I like being with you, Pip. I’m not asking how you spend your time when you’re not with me.”

“This isn’t just about the time we’re apart. It’s when we’re together.” Because like the pull of the midnight tide, Dozer lured me into deep waters of desire. “He saw us.” I lowered my voice. “Dozer watched.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “And he told you?”

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