Willa’s heart gave a lurch before she made herself calm down. “I’ll be fine, Lucky. I don’t need you to take me out to dinner to make me feel better.”

 “Ria isn’t the reason I’m asking you out. I want to go out like a normal couple.”

 “I don’t know…”

 “Willa, you almost died yesterday, and there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do to prevent it. Please just give me a chance. That’s all I’m asking for now. Can you do that?”

 “I can do that,” she said softly, unable to resist his husky entreaty.

 “Good. I’ll pick you up at six.”

 “Okay.” Willa slid out of the SUV then watched as he pulled out until he turned the corner back to the church.

 She might be making a mistake by going out with Lucky, but she was done running. This time, she was going to stand still and see what happened.

 * * *

 Lucky walked through the front of the clubhouse. He had called Viper after he had dropped Willa off to ask for the club meeting, and now the members were waiting for him in the packed kitchen.

 Viper was standing in the TV area with the other six original members as Lucky walked up to them, coming to a stop. He reached into his pant pocket, pulling out two sets of bike keys, handing one set to his president.

 “Lucky…” Viper’s eyes went to his hand.

 “My cut is in the saddlebag.”

 “Brother, don’t.”

 “I can’t be a brother and have Willa, too. I love her, Viper. I always have.”

 The club members were silent, listening to every word.

 “It doesn’t have to be either. You could choose both,” Shade spoke up.

 “Yes, it does. For me to have Willa, it does.”

 Lucky heard the women in the background crying.

 “I don’t give a fuck if you wear our cut or not; you’ll always be a brother. I love you, man.” Viper took the keys from him then pulled him in for a tight hug before releasing him. The other brothers crowded around him, each saying their good-byes. However, Shade stood still with his arms crossed against his chest.

 Lucky gave Rider the second set of keys when it was his turn, but the man refused at first to take them back.

 “We both know I cheated in the first place. I was never going to let Moon have her.”

 “Brother, the only one who didn’t know was you.”

 Lucky slapped Train on the shoulder. “Glad you’re back. The women were having a hard time without you.”

 Train’s dark eyes held the emotions that the former Seal would never reveal. They had been together since the service, and their bond would last until death. “Wasn’t the same without you guys.”

 Lucky nodded then smacked Knox on the shoulder, grinning up at the brother wearing the police uniform. “I’m never going to get used to seeing you in that get-up.”

 “I’m getting used to it. You’ll have to borrow one of the deputies’ uniforms some time. Makes Diamond hornier than hell.”

 Lucky laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 Cash and Razer both gave him grins before nearly breaking his ribs with their hugs. When he managed to break their grips, he turned to the women giving each a brief hug. Lucky went to the door where he stopped and looked back at Shade, who had made no move to tell him good-bye.

 “Lucky, I told you that you don’t know shit about Willa.”

 He stopped, turning back to Shade. “It’s myself I finally figured out. It’s what I want, too.”

 “Yeah?”

 “Yes,” Lucky said truthfully.

 “You’re sure?”

 “I’m sure.”

 “What about Bridge?”

 “I’m going to deal with him. You made your promise, and I expect you to keep it,” Lucky reminded the enforcer.

 “I made that promise to a brother.”

Chapter 21

 “I am not going swimming.” Willa stared ahead mutinously.

 “Yes, you are. It’s hot as hell today, and where I’m taking you is private.”

 “Just because I’ve been seeing you for three months, it doesn’t mean I have to listen to you.”

 Until Lucky sees me naked, I’m not giving him any rights over me, Willa thought to herself.

 She cast a quick glance at his hard profile as he drove. The most intimate thing they had done during the time they spent together was the kiss he would place on her lips as he was leaving. It was respectful and chaste, but it was also darn frustrating. Her mother and father would have been happy at his courtly behavior. Her, not so much since she couldn’t figure out if it was because he cared for her or if it was because he wasn’t attracted to her.

 She didn’t have any other dating experiences to compare it to, so she would often dissect their dates for hours after he had left as she lay in her lonely bed. They saw each other almost every day, spending hours in each other’s company. They would go for walks and watch television, but during all the time they spent together, he had never tried to take their relationship to a more intimate level.

 A few times, she had even tried to tempt him, though she was ashamed to admit it. She would part her lips when he kissed her, but he would pull back. One time, she had even been brazen enough to sit down next to him on the couch close enough that the side of her breast had brushed his arm. She had hoped he would turn and give her a passionate kiss. However, he had merely scooted over so he was no longer touching her.

 She had begun to believe he was going to The Last Riders’ clubhouse to see the women there, but he hadn’t. She knew this because Lily and Beth, whom she saw at the church store when she stopped in, had told her that he had left the club. When she had mentioned it to him, he had told her that he still saw the men in town and frequently hung out at the diner with them.

 She had asked him, “Why did you stop being a Last Rider?”

 And he had answered, “If I were to hang out at the clubhouse, would you believe I wasn’t with any of the women?”

 Willa couldn’t answer without lying, so she had remained quiet.

 “That’s why I didn’t want that in your head.” He had taken her hand. “The clubhouse isn’t about the sex, Willa. It’s about the brothers having your back when you need them. That’s why people in the military have such a hard time adjusting when they get out. They’re used to that camaraderie, being up each other’s ass all the time. We’re loners, and we respect each other’s privacy when we need it, but it’s nice to be able to walk into a room and be surrounded by friends just sitting around, shooting the shit, drinking a beer.”

 “I don’t want you to give that up because of me,” Willa had protested.

 “I didn’t give it up just for you. I gave it up for the church, too. Do you see the parishioners letting me be pastor while belonging to The Last Riders?”

 “But they all know you lived there when you gave the church up.”