Page 42 of Hammer

Hammer nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.“Kid’s got talent,” he agreed.“Heard the knock right away.”

The pride in Levi’s eyes made my throat tighten.How long had it been since someone had appreciated his quiet intelligence instead of mocking it?Sure, he’d been more hands-on with the motorcycles than he’d been with anything before, but he was still more of a computer geek.

After dinner, Hammer disappeared to his office while I cleaned up.From the hallway door, I could see him hunched over his desk, lit up by his desk lamp, deliberately putting distance between us.I understood his reluctance -- this marriage wasn’t what either of us had planned -- but the constant avoidance was starting to sting.We’d kissed accidentally the other day, just once, and he didn’t seem to be interested in repeating it.It had only been a peck, over within an instant.Mostly because I’d done it without thinking.I hadn’t even realized what I was doing until it was too late.Still… It apparently spooked him.I wasn’t a naive girl anymore, hadn’t been even when I’d met Piston.But somehow, Hammer’s quiet distance hurt more than Piston’s loud disdain ever had.

Later, I found him on the back porch, nursing a beer as he stared out at the dark compound.I stepped outside, the night air cool against my skin.Though I couldn’t see his eyes in the shadow, I felt them on me, tracing my outline in the yellow porch light.

“Boys asleep?”he asked, his voice low and rough.

I nodded, wrapping my arms around myself.“Exhausted from the garage.Aura’s working them hard.”

“She likes having them around.”

“They like her too.”I hesitated.“They like you, too, even if they don’t say it.”

Hammer took a long pull from his beer, his throat working as he swallowed.“I’ve got an early start tomorrow,” he said, not acknowledging my comment.“Club business.”

“Right,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.Another day of him finding reasons to be anywhere but home with me.“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

As I turned to go inside, I caught his reflection in the window -- the way his gaze followed me, lingering longer than necessary.Maybe there was hope for us yet.Perhaps this arrangement could become something real, if only one of us would be brave enough to take the first step.

* * *

The next night, Aura made the announcement halfway through dinner, casually dropping it between bites of the lasagna I’d spent all afternoon perfecting.“So I was thinking,” she said, twirling her fork in the air, “the boys haven’t really seen much of town yet.Thought I’d take them out tonight, show them the non-biker side of things.”She winked at Chase, who perked up immediately.“There’s a pretty decent arcade, and I know for a fact Levi would destroy everyone at the racing games.”

My fork froze halfway to my mouth.“Out?Tonight?”The thought of my boys beyond the compound’s gates sent a chill through me.At least at school, there were protocols in place.I knew someone couldn’t walk in and take them.But being out in public?The Devil’s Minions Prospect was still out there somewhere, watching, waiting.“I don’t think that’s --”

“Don’t worry,” Aura cut in, reading my expression.“Sam’s coming too.Full colors, full protection.Nobody’s gonna mess with your boys while big brother Ghost is around.”

I glanced at Hammer, looking for guidance, for reassurance.He nodded once, his beard shifting against his jaw.“Sam won’t let anything happen to them,” he said, his voice a low rumble that somehow soothed the panic rising in my chest.“And Aura’s no slouch herself.”

Aura grinned, flexing her tattooed arm.“Damn straight.Been kicking ass since I was sixteen.”

Levi’s eyes were already bright with excitement, his perpetual caution melting away at the prospect of a normal teenage outing.“Can we go, Mom?Please?”

How long had it been since my youngest had asked for anything with such open enthusiasm?Since either of my boys had looked forward to something so simple as an evening at an arcade?The realization that Piston had robbed them of these normal experiences made my decision for me.

“All right,” I relented, setting my fork down.“But phones on, check in every hour, and --”

“Home by eleven,” Chase finished for me, already on his feet.It looked like he’d known I was going to give him a curfew.“Thanks, Mom.”

Within twenty minutes, they were gone -- Aura herding my boys out the door with promises of dessert and video games, Sam waiting outside on his bike, his imposing figure a comfort rather than a threat.The front door closed behind them, and suddenly the house seemed unnaturally quiet, the silence heavy between Hammer and me.

I stared at the half-eaten lasagna, the scattered plates, anything to avoid looking directly at Hammer.For the first time since we’d moved in, we were truly alone.No kids as buffers.No easy excuses to retreat to separate corners.

“Guess we should clean up,” I said, my voice too high, too bright as I stood and began gathering plates.

Hammer pushed back from the table, the chair legs scraping against the floor.“I’ll help,” he offered, carrying his and Aura’s plates to the sink.

We moved around each other in the kitchen, a careful dance of proximity and avoidance.His broad shoulder brushed mine as he reached for a sponge, and I nearly dropped the glass I was holding.Every nerve ending seemed hypersensitive to his presence -- the subtle scent of motor oil and pine soap that clung to him, the quiet rhythm of his breathing, the warmth radiating from his body in the narrow space between the sink and counter.

“Boys seem to be settling in,” he said after a stretch of silence, rinsing a plate before handing it to me to dry.“Chase knew his way around a carburetor today.Aura was impressed.”

I nodded, focusing intently on drying the plate.“Levi too.Never seen him so interested in anything that wasn’t connected to a power source before.”

Hammer chuckled, the sound warm and unexpectedly intimate in the quiet kitchen.“Kid’s smart.Thinks things through.”

“And Chase?”I couldn’t help asking.

---