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“And fucking Silver solvesall your problems?”

She lifted the beer and drank.“It solvessome problems.Sometimes you have an itch that needs to bescratched and Silver is very good at handling that issue.”

Her father stared at her.He gave her thatlook he gave everyone when they were testing his patience.Shewasn’t fazed.He could pull the badass motorcycle club presidentwith Silver and the other guys, but he couldn’t do that withher.

Plus, she was in too good of a mood to bedeterred anyway.Things would have been better if she’d beenwrapped up in him, lying in his bed, but she couldn’t reallycomplain.Just to annoy him, she reached out and brushed herfingers along the top of Silver’s hand.He leaned forward andgrabbed the beer from her.She laughed.

Torque watched their exchange.“So you’retogether?It’s not just sex?”

She glanced over at him.“I don’t know whatit is, Dad.Why does it matter?”

Torque rubbed the areabetween his eyes.“Layla, you know that you’re off-limits.He knewthat too.The consequence of disobeyingisgetting his asskicked.”

It was her turn to give him the annoyedlook.“Don’t touch him.I swear this has nothing to do with clublife.I’m not involved with the club.I’m involved with Silver.Whatever bullshit you told him years ago doesn’t apply anymore.I’man adult and I can make my own decisions.The decisions I made havenothing to do with you.You don’t get to have a say in who Ifuck.”

Silver let out an audible breath.Torquearched an eyebrow at her and then turned his attention to Silver.Layla watched as Silver gave them both his back.

“You’re right, Layla, youare a grown adult.”Torque looked at her again.“But you are alsomy daughter and I can make rules if I want.A well-known rule of myclub members is that they stay away from my daughter.That is theway it is and it won’t change.”

Layla stood and reached for Silver’s beerand lifted it to her lips.“You don’t have the right to beat upSilver for fucking me.I don’t care what rules you make in yourclub.I would never forgive you for that.”

Silver turned.“Layla, stop.”

Torque ignored him.“If he hurts you, youbetter goddamn expect me to fuck him up.And I don’t need yourforgiveness, babe.You’ve barely lived in this world.You don’tknow what’s good for you and what’s not.”Torque leaned back in hischair relaxing some.“You’re not your mom, Layla.You’re so muchmore.Better than this lifestyle.I don’t want you focused on somedipshit that fucks you and leaves you.I want you to go out andfocus on making something for yourself.To be everything yourmother and I couldn’t.”

“What’s so wrong with thislifestyle?”Layla glanced to the side to see Dooby still going atit with a different chick on the pool table.“Besides theorgies.”

“Everything.”He reachedfor her hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb.“You shouldaim higher.Be a lawyer and prosecute lowlifes like me.Or be adoctor and save kids with cancer like your sister.You used to be areally good artist.Maybe you could open your own studio and sellyour paintings.You used to colormepictures all the time.”Hesmiled at her, at the memory.“I don’t care what you want to do,but do something that is better than this.This is not the life foryou.You’re better, Layla.You always have been.”

He sat back in his seatand motioned for Silver to get hima beer.Layla looked at Silverand the pain she saw there hurt.Her father had basically said thatSilver wasn’t good enough for her.What Silver had to offer wasn’tgood enough for her.She smiled at him, hoping that she couldreassure him.He didn’t return the gesture.

She didn’t feel that way.There were plenty of things she knew that happened with the clubthat she didn’t want any part of.There was plenty ofcrime.All of them had a record, but so did she now.She reallycouldn’t judge thembased offstuff she didn’t know andunderstand.

Layla turned to herfather.“What is the point of being in the Charming Bastards MC?Family.Loyalty.Community.I’m not planning on being a groupie orahangaround.I don’t want to be part ofthe club life and it’s not because I’m better.I’m not.All threeof us have criminal records, or do I need to remind you ofthat?”

Torque had one arm propped up on the barwith his beer in his other hand.Instead of waiting for him toanswer, she continued.

Rubbing the condensation on the beer bottle,she said, “I’d taken on a situation that was too big for me tohandle.I went from being a teenager to being the mom of teenagersat eighteen.I worked my ass off to make sure they were taken careof.I felt horrible that Natalie stole from the supermarket becauseshe was hungry and I didn’t have money to buy food.”

She glanced up at thecompassion filling Torque’s face.“They wanted to lock her upinjuvybecause she was considered a troubled kid.Shehad an attitude and it was a big blow up when she got caught.Itook the blame.I went to jail instead and the girls went withMiranda.”

Torque sipped his beer.“You’re a strongperson, baby.You’ve got my genes in you.”

“I can handle thislife.”

He let out a breath and glanced over atSilver.“What’s your take on this, VP?”

His gaze burned into her.“You don’t evenknow the beginning of this life.”

Layla stared at him.“Wow.”

Torque groaned.“Baby, you’ll always besecond.He’s fucking VP of the Charming Bastards.He’s gotresponsibilities and priorities that you don’t understand.Whateveryou think can happen with him is not reality.To him, you willalways be second and you deserve to be first.”

“You’re the fuckingpresident and you’d drop everything if I needed you to.What’s thedifference?”

Torque shook his finger at her.“If youdon’t know the answer to that question then you don’t understandanything about our life.”

She swallowed.She felther heart shattering and it hurt.Maybe she didn’t understand them.Growing up, her father popped in and out of her life at his ownwill.She didn’t ask him to be at her mother’sfuneral,but hewas there.He sat beside her, wrapped his arm around her, and lether cry on his shoulder while she grieved.

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