Page 71 of Preacher

“Not yet.” She reached over and swiped my cup of coffee. “But I’m in dire need of some caffeine.”

“Help yourself.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” She took a long sip before asking, “So, what’s on your agenda for the day?”

“Not a lot. Just need to tie up some loose ends with your boys and check on things over at the Vault. What about you?”

“I have some buyers coming by either today or in the morning,” she answered. “I need to get back and find out when they’re coming so I can prep the horses.”

“Which ones are they interested in?”

“Whiskey Rose and Beau.” She grimaced. “I hate to let them go, but it’s part of the game.”

“I get it. You want me to come give you a hand?”

“No, you have your own things to deal with, but maybe we could meet up for dinner or something?”

“Yeah, dinner or something sounds good.”

Things with Tabitha were goinggood. Damn good.

She steadied me in ways nothing else could. She was beautiful without even trying, and she looked at me like I was something more than just a biker with a past full of blood and broken promises. And fuck me if I didn’t believe it.

It was like she was rewriting the parts of me I thought were already set in stone. With every kiss, every touch, she had me wanting things I’d given up on a long damn time ago—things like lazy Sunday afternoons and waking up each morning lying next to someone I actually cared about. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it. Not just today but every day.

I slipped my arm around her waist and said, “I’m sorry again about the business with Kay.”

“Don’t be.” She reached up and put her palm on my cheek, sighing as she soaked me in for a moment. “I better go get changed.”

“Changed? Why? I like you in my shirt.”

“Then, I’ll keep it.” With that, she turned and started for the door. “I’ll see you later tonight.”

I watched her walk out, and a piece of me wanted to follow. But I knew what would happen if I did. I would toss her on the bed and have my way with her all over again. I didn’t have time for that shit, and neither did she. So, I poured myself another cup of coffee and made my way to the office.

I spent most of the afternoon working on the books and putting out fires. It was nothing major—just the usual nonsense. Once I had a handle on things, I decided to head over to the Vault. Things had been quiet over the past few days, and quiet wasn’t always a good thing.

With that in mind, I fired up my bike and headed for the Vault, letting the hum of the engine settle my nerves. I wanted to check in with Seven and see how things were going with our new hire.

We’d brought Tanner in a few weeks back. He’d been tending bar, and as far as I could tell, the kid had a solid work ethic and kept his head down. That was something I appreciated. We’d only had one rough night, and that was the night Seven messaged while I was in the barn with Tabitha and the pregnant mare.

Two drunk assholes were trying to impress a couple of dancers and were mouthing off. Tanner didn’t approve and ended it fast.

Fists first, questions later.

We handled the fallout and made sure the message was clear, but I wanted to make sure he knew the difference between ending shit and starting shit. It was a thin line, and it was one he had to learn—the sooner, the better.

It was midafternoon, so things were quiet. I parked in the back and made my way up to the front door. Grim and Goose were covering the front, so I stopped and asked, “How are things going?”

“Pretty slow so far.” Goose gave me one of his damn smirks as he asked, “What about you? How are things with you and…”

“Don’t start,” I cut him off. “I’m not in the mood for your bullshit.”

“Ah, come on. You gotta give us something.”

“I don’t gotta give you shit.” I cocked my brow. “Now, where’s Seven?”

“He’s inside,” Grim answered. “Pretty sure he’s at the bar with Tanner.”

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