Page 13 of Lone Star

When Candy didn’t answer right away, taking in a breath and sitting forward in his chair, Melanie turned to face Michelle, who still stood just inside the door, hand on the knob.

She smiled broadly. “I think a little privacy might be a good thing, hon.”

Michelle took a breath. Started to respond–

Candy said, “Oh, hell. You can talk in front of her. She’s my old lady.” He sounded explanatory, rather than annoyed.

Melanie’s mouth dropped open, an O of surprise; her eyes popped comically wide. “His old lady?” she said to Michelle in a tone of almost scandalized shock. She whipped around to face Candy. “Yourold lady? Did I hear that right?”

Candy chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Getout. I don’t believe you.” She crossed her arms and flopped back dramatically in her chair, which made Candy chuckle again, his eyes crinkling up in the corners in that way that Michelle found so cute and boyish. “You have an old lady?You…have an old lady? Nuh-uh, no way. Not buying it.”

“Hey, why’s that so damn surprising?” he asked, grinning.

“’Cause you’re one of those good for nothing biker types,” she shot back, laughing. “And I can’t believe you’d actually have the balls to settle down.”

“Guess what?” He tilted his head to a conspiratorial angle. “I’ve got a kid, too.”

“Shut up!”

“And one on the way.”

“Derek Snow, you’re theworstliar.” Melanie trailed off into gusty laughter; she slapped her thigh and everything, a loudsmackthat echoed off the walls of the office.

Michelle shut the door. Hard.

The slam startled Melanie and Candy; Melanie turned around again, laughter dying away slowly, throatily.

“Sorry,” Michelle said flatly. “I didn’t want customers overhearing anything they shouldn’t.”

A furrow appeared between Candy’s brows, his smile fading. He looked a little concerned, and on the verge of asking her something.

But Melanie said, “Oh, Lord, I’m sorry, I’m loud as all get out. Never could learn to keep to an inside voice.” She gave an offhand wave, likewhat’re you gonna do. But she pressed on being too familiar, without any sign of remorse. “So you two, then.” She pointed between them with one red-nailed finger. “How’d that happen? Gosh, you’re soyoung,” she said to Michelle. To Candy: “You old dog. Ha.Dog.”

Candy gathered a breath to respond – and Michelle realized she didn’t want to hear whatever he was about to say. Would he waggle his brows, and brag on himself, and talk about how he’d landed her? He wouldn’t cheapen their relationship like that…surely…but he also wasn’t one to get overtly sappy in front of other people.

Tone still flat, Michelle said, “My father’s the president of the London chapter. I came here on business, and ended up staying.” There was nothing she could do about her open hostility, no matter how much she’d regret it later. She was running purely off hormones at this point.

Melanie had the decency to look a little more composed; Michelle’s frostiness was getting to her, finally. She nodded. “Makes sense. I always thought you needed someone who cared about the club as much as you.” She nodded. “Glad you wised up after we split.”

Michelle stood there blinking a moment, trying to think of a wayafter we splitcould mean something besides the fact that Melanie and Candy had been involved romantically.

She wracked her brain. And she reminded herself that Candy had metherex in London.

One of them, at least.

And she knew, rationally, that he’d been with lots of women, casually, and probably even a few almost seriously, in all the years prior to meeting her. He didn’t owe her an explanation. She had zero grounds for feeling possessive or anything approaching jealous.

But…hormones.

“Yeah, well…” Candy was saying, color blooming in his tan cheeks. “Had to find the right one, you know?” His gaze cut to her, warm, nearly bashful, but not hiding, not ashamed, not scrambling to explain.

Michelle let out a breath that took a good chunk of her tension with it. She dropped down into one of the chairs up against the wall and said, “How’s Pacer doing?” She thought she did a decent job sounding normal this time.

The last of Melanie’s smiles and giggles died away. She took a deep breath and smoothed her hands down her thighs, examining her nails. “Awful,” she said, and lifted her gaze up to meet Candy’s. “He’sawful, Der.”

Der?Michelle thought, and then chastised herself. Not her business; not a threat.

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