Page 26 of Lockout (The Vikings MC: Tucson Chapter #11)

Keely

I looked up and frowned at Lockout as he walked into my apartment without so much as a knock. As if he owned the place. Wait… He did own the place. And we were…together…now. At least I hoped that we were and he hadn’t just been saying all of that in the heat of the moment.

“Why are you in here?” he asked, scowling at me.

“Um, it’s my apartment, Lock,” I reminded him.

“I told you to stay at my place.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned back in my chair. “If we’re going to be together,” I tried not to choke on the words as I said them, because nerves were doing their best to trip me up, “then you’re going to need to be way less demanding.”

He shook his head and sat down across from me at the dining room table. “Not happening, Baby Girl. You’re stuck with the demanding nature. You’re just going to have to get used to the fact that I always get my way.” He shot me a panty-melting smile.

“How’s that going to work?” I asked my heart, which was doing a happy dance in my chest even as I argued with him. “Because I’m used to doing what I want.”

He tilted his head as he thought about it, then shrugged those broad shoulders of his. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Is that code for I’ll wear you out until you give in and do what I want anyway?”

A slow smile spread over his face. “Maybe.”

I laughed and motioned to my plate. “Want some breakfast?” I was done eating. My stomach was trying to riot anyway. I’d mostly nibbled on the toast and left the eggs and sausage I thought I should make on the plate.

He tugged the plate closer and took the fork I offered him while I picked the slice of toast back up. “I have some bad news, Keels.”

My stomach took a slow dip, making saliva pool up in my mouth. “Is someone hurt?” I asked, swallowing back the sudden nausea.

He must have heard the dread in my tone, because he looked up at me and frowned. “No. But Hangman had the LoS stop by your house early this morning. They did a number on the inside of the place.”

I blinked at that. It was upsetting, sure, but it was just a house. “But no one was hurt?”

“No,” he said, reaching over and squeezing my hand. “Rip’s just been watching over the place on his cameras.”

He’d asked me before taking his guys off guard duty. There was no point in them watching over an empty house. I loved the place, but it could always be rebuilt. “Why now?” I asked.

He pointed his fork at me. “That’s what we were wondering, too. I figure they’re watching us. Knew we were busy last night and Hangman took the opportunity to send you a message.” He swore under his breath as soon as the last words left his mouth.

“What message?” I asked, searching his face. He didn’t look worried.

“It’s nothing. I’ll get the place cleaned up. Don’t worry about it.”

“What message, Lock? I need to know what’s going on,” I told him when he didn’t answer at first. “Otherwise I’m just going to sit here and worry and overanalyze the whole mess.”

He sighed. “It just said that they’d find you.”

I took a bite of the toast and thought about that. “If they were watching us wouldn’t they already know where I am?”

He grinned at me. “I’m pretty sure whoever wrote that message wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box,” he told me. “Fucker probably thought he was being crafty, but Hangman knows you’re here. Trust me.”

“I do,” I replied, holding his gaze when he lifted his eyes from the plate in front of him.

“Thanks. That actually means a lot to me,” he said, then went back to eating.

It would mean a lot to him. He liked to be the guy that others could count on. I had no doubt that he’d been putting himself into roles with responsibility for a long time.

“Are we really doing this?” I asked, needing to know.

His brows drew together in a look of confusion.

“Going after the LoS? After Hangman? Fuck yeah. Especially after they did this. Just proves that he’s been planning to come after you.

Not sure what took him so long, but it’s started Keely.

You need to make sure you don’t go anywhere alone.

I’m happy to take you anywhere you need. ”

“Thanks,” I told him, shifting in my seat. “I appreciate your willingness to do that, and to help, but I meant you and me. Are we…”

“You change your mind?” There was a neutral expression on his face.

“No,” I gasped. “I thought maybe you had.”

“Nope.” He rested his forearms on the table and just watched me.

I had no doubt he was cataloging every micro expression on my features. I’d long suspected he was an expert in reading body language and micro expressions. How else could he possibly know so much about everyone? Half the time it seemed like he could read minds.

“You’re feeling insecure about the fact that we fucked after drinking,” he said, proving my point.

My face heated up. “We didn’t though. I mean.

I wasn’t drunk anymore when we…” Huffing out a frustrated breath, I shoved my hands into my hair.

Why was I able to talk about just about anything when it had nothing to do with me?

Yet I added myself to the mix and suddenly all I could do was blush and stammer?

“When we had sex,” I said, finishing the sentence. “I just don’t want to force you into anything.”

“You didn’t.”

“I don’t want anyone else to, either,” I snapped. “And Warrant kind of forced your hand last night.”

“No he didn’t,” he replied. His neutral demeanor was winding me up when it should be calming me down.

“I was the one who interrupted your dance. Who took it farther and claimed you. And I only did that because I want you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have given a shit if Warrant was dancing with you.

And I did,” he said in a deep, irritated voice.

It was too bad I couldn’t get my clients to take even a quarter of this amount of responsibility for the things they did. It would make my job a lot easier. Since we were being honest here. “I’ve wanted you for a long time,” I admitted.

“I figured.” His grin was devious and full of satisfaction.

“Then why did it take this long to,” I waved my hand around, “get here? You wanted me. I wanted you.”

The smile slipped off his face and he shook his head. “You weren’t in a position to start something with me.”

I frowned at that. “What?”

“You were taking that job with the feds.”

“I wouldn’t have taken it if you’d asked me to stay,” I told him, shocked.

“I know. That’s why I couldn’t ask you to stay.”

It was my turn to shake my head, but it was in disbelief. “That makes no sense. Part of why I took the job was because I thought I was the only one who felt something…”

He sat back in the chair, staring at me. “If I’d stopped you from taking that job, you would have come to resent me.” He frowned. “Of course knowing what I know now, I wish I had so you would’ve never gotten on the LoS’s radar.”

I was still stuck on the first half of his statement. The second half didn’t matter. You couldn’t change the past. “Wait. You think I would’ve resented you?”

It would be so easy to get pissed off at him for taking away my chance to make my own choice, but he was being open and honest. And I was starting to get what happened.

If I looked at it from his point of view, then he was just trying to do what was best for me.

I couldn’t really blame him for it. He had to do that every day with the club and his business.

Probably did it a lot in the military too.

It was a little annoying, but something we could talk about and get past.

Talking was something I was good at. That was partly why I’d become a lawyer. It was also easy for me to set my emotions aside and debate a topic, so it just seemed like the right career. I was so much like my mother, I knew it would be a good fit for me.

He nodded. “Your career is important to you.”

“Well…yeah, it is,” I admitted. “But being with you is, too.” One side of his lips kicked up in a lopsided smile, so I pointed the toast I was still holding at him.

“Keep your ego in check for a few minutes here and follow along as I say this.” A brow shot up, but that was his only reaction.

“I make my own decisions. But I can’t really make the right ones if you keep me in the damn dark, Lockout.

I need you to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.

And with everything else, otherwise I’m going to choose something based on only a portion of the facts.

I wouldn’t have cared if I’d missed out on that particular job. ”

“You say that now that you knew what was going to happen.”

I shook my head in denial. “No. I didn’t really want to take it to begin with. I love Tucson. I didn’t like the idea of living in D.C. for six months. But I needed a break from…wanting… for you and seeing you every day, but not being able to have you.”

“That was why I had to let you go,” he said, voice deep. “I needed the space, too.”

I smiled at him. “Maybe we should make a pact to just speak to each other from now on?”

He chuckled. “That would probably be a good idea.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t want to crush your dreams, Keely.”

I blinked at his admission. “You don’t seem like a dream crusher, Lock. Why do you think that’s going to happen?”

“I’m overprotective. Even in the best of times, I’m going to have a hard time letting you be near criminals. And that’s an essential part of being a public defender.”

Laughing, I nodded. “Yeah, it is. How about this? I’ll let you be a fun crusher most of the time, but when it comes to my job, I’ll just promise to be careful and not do anything stupid?”

He scowled at me. “It might not be enough.”

“Then we’ll fight about it in the future when it happens. We already have enough trouble on our plate without borrowing more.”

“True.” His features relaxed. “Thanks for the breakfast.”

“Anytime. What are you going to do while you wait for your guys to sober up?” It wasn’t hard to guess that he wanted to get moving on the LoS threat now, but there was no way the rest of the guys were going to be up to it for a while.

His eyes tracked over me. “I have a few ideas.” His gaze met mine. “Come here.”

There’d be time to be upset about my house later. It helped not seeing whatever damage had been done. And no matter what I did, my head was going to keep throbbing. May as well add a little pleasure to my morning. Well, more pleasure.

I’d have to think over everything he told me, but as long as he communicated with me and was honest, I wasn’t going to be too upset over him letting me go instead of taking what he wanted.

It wasn’t like I’d stepped up and told him that I wanted to be with him.

So I was just as much to blame for expecting him to take the lead on that.

I was glad he finally had though, because that was one area I wasn’t good at leading in.

I liked that he took control of that. And that he took control in the bedroom. I really liked that.

I was a confident and decisive woman in my career, and overall in life.

Sometimes it was nice to give up all that.

And I had a feeling he was going to allow me to do that.

But only where I chose. I wasn’t going to let him steamroll me in every aspect of my life.

Maybe just in bed. I bit my lip as his gaze raked over me again. Definitely in bed.

Getting up, I went to stand next to him.

He pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him, staring down into his handsome face.

It didn’t surprise me that it had taken us so long to get together, now that I understood that he was acting in what he thought was my best interest. Something told me that Lockout went without a lot of things he wanted in order for those around him to be happy and content.

Not anymore. He could try to deny himself the things he wanted, but I was going to find out what they were and make sure he got them. He deserved so much for all that he did for his family. For his city. I was making it my job to make sure he got it all, and more.