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I’ve been focusing on Luella. Her bakery is almost finished and will soon be ready to reopen and run again. I’ve paid the construction company extra to get things rolling quicker, and like always, money talks.

Unable to sleep now, I decide to head out to the bar to see who is still awake. I change direction when I hear laughter coming from the pole room and do a double take when I open the door and see Lore pull himself up on the pole. “See, I told you it’s not that fucking hard.”

Bones is sitting on the couch, a smoke in his hand, laughing his ass off. “You’re meant to look hot doing it, not just use it for pull-ups.”

Skull is shaking his head in amusement.

“Should I get some dollar notes?” I call out. Lore turns around and makes a little grinding move that I never want to see again.

“Did Cupcake finally realize what an asshole you are and kick you out of bed?” Lore asks, jumping down from the platform and picking up his beer.

“You wish. Why are you all hanging around here with no pussy?” I ask, taking a seat on the empty leather chair.

“The women went to bed, and we’ve been sitting here talking shit,” Skull pipes up, studying me. “You ready for tomorrow night?”

I nod, grinning. “Been ready for a long time. Things have only just calmed down.”

“Things never calm down around here,” Lore mutters, sitting back, holding his phone. “What’s going to happen when the bakery reopens? Is she still going to live here?”

“We haven’t spoken about it yet, but I’d like her to. Luella seems happy here. We’ve got the cameras set up so we can watch the bakery live feed to make sure she’s safe. And Prez said we can use the prospects to guard her,” I explain, knowing that if people know Luella is an old lady, it might make her a target.

“Does she know that you own the bakery building? And that you charge her cheaper rent than she’d be paying anywhere else, never mind in that prime location?” Lore asks, and I hear a sleepy gasp as Luella steps into the room with bare feet, wearing silk shorts and a matching top.

“Holy fuck, Cupcake, no wonder you tamed Haze. You look hot as fuck.” Bones grins, and I throw him a look that tells him he better shut the fuck up.

“Is that true? You’re my fucking landlord?” she asks, putting her hands on her hips.

She’s magnificent and even hotter somehow when she’s angry. Some men don’t like women with attitude, but I find it more than appealing, especially on Luella. Maybe it’s because she’s so fucking little and cute. Her curls are wild, her eyes are a fiery volcano, and her nipples strain against the white silk. No wonder Bones is drooling.

“Yes,” I admit.

From the corner of my eyes, I see the men standing up and silently leaving.

Luella steps farther into the room until she’s in front of me, standing in between my thighs. “I’ve been there for years,” she whispers, confusion flickering in her eyes. “Long before we reconnected.”

“I know,” I say softly. My hands squeeze her waist and pull her closer until she’s sitting in my lap. “I knew it was always your dream, and I wanted to make it happen for you.”

“You own the building?” she asks, swallowing hard.

I nod slowly. “And the rent you pay? It’s all gone into an account under your name. That money is yours, always has been.”

“Haze…”

“Don’t get upset, baby. I know you’re an independent woman and business owner. You have done all of this on your own. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“You knew where I was this whole time,” she murmurs, scanning my face. “And you were just happy to let me live my life without you.”

“I was protecting you, baby,” I say, cradling her face with my hand. “You deserved better than me… you still do. You had no bikers showing up to threaten you, no fires, and no club girls wanting to start drama. You were happy.”

“I’m happy now with all of those things,” she fires back, biting her bottom lip. “I’m happier now that I have you. A love like ours doesn’t come around more than once in a lifetime, Haze. And you were willing to let it go.”

“For you.”

Why can’t she see how easy, safe, and sweet her civilian life was? Now she’s tangled up in my world, and things are a whole lot different.

“For me, or so you could slide into any and every pussy you could with no commitments?” she says, her tone sarcastic.

“Luella…”