Page 28 of Redeeming Rabbit

I followed her into the living room. She sat, but I was still too keyed up to hold still, so I roamed the space as I answered. “In truth, I rarely leave the club. There’s always shit to do there, or at the bar we own next door. Sometimes I work late. The club owns my shop, too.”

“Your shop?”

“Yeah. I’m a mechanic.” One of the few accomplishments I was proud of. I worked hard, and I was damn good at my job.

She studied me for a moment and then grinned. “So, you really do know the best way to sabotage a brake line.”

Grinning back, I nodded. “Sure do.”

“Why didn’t you work today?”

Another conversational landmine I needed to avoid. I’d imagine ‘just be real with her’ would be sound advice for someone else, but there was a lot of shit about me I didn’t want anyone to know. Particularly when that knowledge could influence the way she looked at me. Suppose I admitted my episode or explained that I’d rejected therapy because I didn’t want my brothers to find out how truly fucked in the head I was. Would there be pity rather than joy in her eyes? I didn’t want to find out. Honesty wasn’t a path I could commit to. I would do my best not to outright lie to her, but steering conversations away from topics that could end in the demise of her esteem was a skill firmly in my wheelhouse.

“I’m off this week,” I said like it was no big deal. Then, I returned to our original subject before she could blast me with questions. “There’s lots to do at the fire station. Pool tables, darts, a game room, a couple of big screens someone’s always watching sports on. But the best part about the club is that nobody’s an asshole. Don’t get me wrong, they do some asshole shit.” Tap had recently fucked with the lights in my room, a prank I fully intended to make him pay for, but that shit was harmless. It kept life interesting. “But they’re decent people.”

Other than Brass, one of Link’s first recruits, who’d been caught stealing from the club. But Link had dealt with him years ago. Still, knowing the prez had pulled out a knife and scarred up Brass’s club tattoo had served as a stark reminder that not everyone was entitled to wear the patch. I didn’t always make the best decisions, but I was careful not to cross any lines that would get my ass kicked out. The club was my lifeline, my chance to be something other than the bastard my mom had raised. I didn’t even want to think about who I’d be without my brothers to hold me accountable.

Following this line of thinking gave me a flash of inspiration. “I have an idea.”

“Beer and pizza?” Elenore asked, sounding a bit more into the notion than she had been last night.

“No. We should go to the club.”

She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “The fire station?”

I nodded as my excitement built. This was fucking genius. Taking her to the club would allow me to spend time with her in a safe space where I wouldn’t be tempted to rip off her clothes. Win, win. “Yeah. You’ll love it. I promise.”

“But tonight’s a work night. And I still have to go to the gym.”

“Skip the gym. After the day you’ve had, you deserve to relax and let loose.”

Her scandalized expression almost made me laugh. “I can’t skip the gym. I go Monday through Friday after work. Every week. It’s a habit I’ve worked diligently to build.”

“Missing one night to blow off steam post-workday stress won’t kill you.”

“Have you tested that theory? What data—if any—do you have to back it up?”

“I skip the gym all the time, and it hasn’t killed me yet.”

Her gaze dipped to my bare forearms. I flexed, and heat flooded her eyes. My forearms did it for her? Seriously? She licked her lips, sealing my doom. If we didn’t get the hell out of her apartment, I was going to jump her. And it was too soon. She needed to know what she’d be getting herself into first.

“Look, Poe, you’re fucking hot. It doesn’t matter how often you go to the gym; you’ll still be the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”

Shit.I hadn’t meant to gush like that, but at least it was true.

She stepped back, making me worry that I’d gone too far. But rather than telling me to get out of her apartment, her brow furrowed in thought as she considered my words. “What if I gain weight?”

“From missing one day at the gym?”

“Poor decisions can turn into bad habits. I might enjoy the day off so much that I never want to work out again. Then what?”

“I’d suggest canceling your gym membership. I hear they’re expensive.”

She gasped, sounding scandalized. “And if I get fat?”

Unable to help myself, I let my gaze roll over her body, allowing every ounce of my appreciation show. “Then there’ll be more of you to grab onto.”

She blushed. “Roger, I’m serious.” But the heat had rushed back into her eyes, and a smile played across her lips.

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