Page 25 of Decoding Morse

It was insane that we were talking about this, but I accepted her terms… with a caveat of my own, of course.

“Fine. But only if you promise you’ll do the same. No more putting yourself on sale, Thia.”

Leaning back, she thunked her head against the wall. “Fine. Deal. I’ll only date women who respect me, and you will one hundred percent ride that biker.”

I barked out a laugh.

She grinned at me.

“By the way, Thia, adultier adults can’t handle us.”

She downed the remaining wine-flavored water and wiped off her mouth with the back of her hand. “Pussies.”

9

Morse

“AMELIA, RIGHT?” ASKED an alarmingly amused male voice I’d recognize anywhere.

Fuck!

My gaze shot to the wall of monitors, praying I’d misheard, but no. In the five goddamn minutes I’d been away from my desk, the universe had figured out a new way to flip me the middle finger because Amelia had emerged from her room and was now stopping to wait for Rabbit in the hallway by the mess hall.

It was Sunday morning, and I’d been up most of the night trying to find the bastard who wanted her dead. I wasn’t ready to deal with the potential catastrophe their meeting could cause. Swearing, I sprinted out the door and down the hall, turning the corner just in time to watch Amelia thrust out her hand in greeting.

“Rabbit, right? Thank you for helping with our little situation last night.”

The fool grinned like a lunatic, ignored her hand, and went in for the hug, wrapping her so tightly she grunted.

I caught up, met the fucker’s eyes, and mouthed,I will end you. If he so much as muttered a word about gardening porn, he was done for. I wasn’t fucking around. Her life was at stake. He might be my brother, but so help me if he frightened her away from the safety of the club….

His expression was all innocence and outrage until he released her and stepped back, and a shit-eating grin gobbled up his face. He gripped her shoulders and studied her face like they were old friends. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time.”

That’s it. I’m gonna kill him.

Amelia’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Come again?”

Time to intervene. I shoved the interfering asshole away and draped an arm over her shoulders, turning her in the opposite direction. My thin Megadeath T-shirt and her long-sleeved flannel provided an inadequate barrier that couldn’t keep her scent and warmth from slamming into my senses like a sucker punch. Touching her had been a mistake. Her confused gaze crashed into mine, and the world stopped spinning.

Someone cleared their throat. Oh yeah, Rabbit was still standing right there, grinning like a fucking lunatic. That snapped me out of it. I steered us toward the mess hall, flipping him off behind her back.

“Please don’t pay Rabbit any mind.” I leaned closer, immediately regretting the action because she smelled like peace and comfort. Wildflowers with a hint of vanilla. I wanted to bury my nose in her neck and inhale until her scent was all I knew. “He’s off his meds.”

And clearly, he wasn’t the only one who needed to be dosed since I couldn’t stop stealing glances at her even though I was attempting to keep my gaze fixed ahead. She was so close. Soreal. Here at last. Her hair was up in a bun again, and the freckle on her temple demanded my attention. I wondered what it would feel like beneath my fingertips. What it would taste like.

“You can’t talk about my mental health, asswipe,” Rabbit said. “It’s not politically correct.”

“Asswipe isn’t politically correct, either.” Grateful for his interruption, I slid my arm free, putting much-needed space between me and Amelia to turn and address him. “Is there a reason you’re following us?”

He threw his hands up in mock surrender, but there was a definite twinkle in his eye. “I’m fuckin’ trying to be nice, man. Wasp and I are heading out to grab some Dicks. Thought I’d ask if Amelia wants one.”

I shook my head at his shenanigans, dreading where this was going.

“Not the sporting goods store,” Rabbit said, raising his voice to ensure she heard him. “No, we’re talking about salty, savory Dicks. The original Dicks. The Dicks that melt in your mouth and not in your...”

Feeling it was my civil duty to stop him from finishing that sentence, I snapped, “Enough! Jesus, Rabbit.”

“What? You tellin’ me she doesn’t like Dicks…?”

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