Page 23 of Jack of All Trades
I take a deep breath, aware that we have an audience. "Need to talk to you. About last night. About Maya."
Rex's jaw tightens. "Nothing to talk about. We already settled this."
"No, we didn't." I meet his gaze steadily. "I lied to you last night. Or at least, I wasn't completely honest."
"What are you talking about?" His voice has an edge now, sharp enough to cut.
"I'm interested in your sister, Rex. Really interested. Not in a casual way, not in a temporary way. In a way I've never felt before about anyone." The words come out in a rush, like I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve if I slow down. "I can't explain it. I know we just met. I know it doesn't make sense. But there's something between us that feels... important."
Rex stares at me for a long moment, eyes squinted. Then, without warning, he shoves me hard enough that I stumble back a step.
"What the hell, Morrison?" he demands, his voice rising. "You've known her for what? A day, two? And suddenly you're having feelings? That's bullshit and you know it."
I regain my balance, aware that every eye in the place is on us now. "I know how it sounds. I wouldn't believe it either if it wasn't happening to me. But it is, Rex. I can't explain it, but it must be fate or something—"
The punch catches me off guard, landing squarely on my jaw and snapping my head to the side. Pain blooms across my face, but I don't retaliate. I probably deserved that.
"That was fate too," Rex snarls, shaking out his hand.
I touch my jaw gingerly, tasting blood where my teeth cut the inside of my cheek. "Fair enough."
One of the club members, a tall, heavily tattooed man I vaguely recognize from around town, steps forward, but before he can intervene, an older man at the bar raises his hand.
"Stand down," he says, his voice carrying authority without being raised. "This is between them."
The tattooed man immediately steps back, and I realize I'm looking at Reaper, the president of the Outlaw Order MC. I've seen him around town occasionally, a man in his forties with a silver beard and the kind of weathered face that speaks of hard living. Rex has always treated him with a level of respect that borders on reverence.
I nod my thanks to the older man, though I'm aware that I'm surrounded by Rex's club brothers, all of whom would take hisside in an instant if this turns into a real fight. But that's not what I came here for.
"I deserved that punch," I say to Rex, rubbing my jaw. "But it doesn't change anything. I'm not backing off, Rex. Not unless Maya tells me to."
"This isn't you," Rex says, studying me like I've grown a second head. "Jack Morrison doesn't do serious. Jack Morrison doesn't put himself out there for a woman. Jack Morrison sure as hell doesn't walk into a motorcycle club and declare his intentions like some kind of old-time suitor."
"Maybe this is exactly me," I counter. "The real me, not the guy who's been coasting through relationships because he never found anyone worth fighting for."
"And my sister is suddenly worth fighting for? After a few days? Come on, Jack. We both know what this is. You're attracted to her, she's new and different, and she's only here for two weeks. It's the perfect setup for you. All the excitement of a new conquest with a built-in expiration date."
His words sting because there's a grain of truth in them. Maya is temporary… Here for a short visit, then back to her life in Seattle. But that's not why I'm drawn to her.
"It's not like that," I insist. "Maya is different. She sees through all the charm and bullshit. She challenges me, makes me want to be better. When I'm with her, I feel like... like I'm finally seeing clearly after walking around in a fog."
"Poetic," Rex says dryly. "Did you practice that speech on the way over?"
"I'm serious, Rex."
"So am I." He steps closer, lowering his voice so only I can hear. "Maya's not just my sister. She's the only family I've got. Theonly good thing I've done in my life was raising her right after our old man drank himself to death. She deserves better than being your latest distraction."
"She deserves someone who sees her for who she is," I counter. "Someone who values her mind as much as her beauty. Someone who wants to know her hopes and dreams and fears. I want to be that someone, Rex. I want to try."
"You really believe what you're saying, don't you?"
"I do." I hold his gaze, willing him to understand. "I know my track record sucks. I know I've never been the guy who sticks around. But Maya... she makes me want to be that guy."
Rex sighs heavily, running a hand over his face. "Jesus, Jack. Of all the women in Pine Haven, you had to fall for my sister."
"I didn't plan it," I say with a rueful smile. "It just happened."
"Things don't 'just happen' with Maya," Rex says. "She's cautious. Guarded. Takes forever to trust people. And you're telling me you've already made this connection?"
