This felt good too. Comfortable. Settled. And definitely sweet.

On my day off, the day Tate had to go hunting, Tate had planned to take me for a ride. We were going to go out and stay out all day on the bike.

It was a bummer he’d been called away because I wanted to do that with him, have a day with him with nothing to do but ride. To be on the back of his bike and feel that freedom only Tate had given me, a freedom I’d only ever felt sitting on the back of his bike, letting go and thinking absolutely nothing at the same time feeling absolutely everything.

And I wanted to go back to work with him behind the bar.

I wanted him to come home.

I wanted him.

I heard the roar of pipes and my head righted and whipped to the end of the lane. A bike was coming up and I felt that curl of a thrill in my belly because Tate hadn’t said he was coming home last night when we talked but he’d surprised me before.

Then I stared because it wasn’t Tate, it was Wood.

“Damn,” I whispered under my breath and watched Wood ride up the drive and stop at the front of the garage.

I got up and walked down the deck as he got off the bike. We met five feet into the deck from the stairs that led to it from the side of the garage.

“Wood,” I greeted hesitantly.

“Laurie,” he greeted back, his eyes hidden behind mirrored sunglasses so I couldn’t read them.

“Um…” I mumbled, unsure what to say because I was unsure of why he was there.

Wood wasn’t unsure.

“Neeta’s in town.”

I felt my body get tight.

“Sorry?”

He didn’t repeat himself. Instead he asked, “Deke still playin’ bodyguard?”

“No,” I answered, finding this an odd question. “Why?”

Wood looked at the house then looked at me. “When’s Tate due back?”

“Wood –”

He took a step toward me and, with effort, I held my ground.

He pulled his sunglasses off and shoved an arm in the collar of his t-shirt. When I saw them, I noticed his eyes, as they normally were, were gentle on me.

“Know that ship has sailed, baby,” he assured in his gentle voice. “Now, when’s Tate due back?”

“It’s uncertain,” I replied. “Why?” I repeated.

“She’s heard about you.”

“What?”

“Neeta. That’s why she’s back. She’s heard about you.” He looked at the house again then at me. “You here alone?”

“Wood –”

His hand came up and curled around my neck. “Laurie, I asked, you here alone?”

“Yes, but why –?”

I stopped talking when he quickly dropped his hand from my neck and with somewhat urgent movements dug his phone out of his back pocket. He flipped it open, hit some buttons and then put it to his ear. His eyes locked on mine as he listened to it ring.

Then he said, “Wood,” and he paused. “Don’t be an ass and listen. I’m at your house with Laurie.” Another pause then, “Fuck, Tate, goddamned relax. If you’d listen you’d know I’m doin’ you a f**kin’ favor here. Neeta’s in town.” Silence while Wood’s face got hard then, “Yeah, she knows about Laurie, man, why you think she’s in town? She heard and hightailed it up from CB like a f**kin’ rocket.” He was quiet then, “Yeah, Tate, that’s the gig. Same MO. She heard rumors, held tight, then heard Laurie was out of the hotel and in your house. Now she’s here, same as always.” More silence then quietly, “No, man, Jonas isn’t with her.”

Jonas? Who was Jonas?

Same as always?

And what was with all the drama?

“What’s with all the drama, Wood?” I asked, he lifted a hand, one finger up and then dropped his hand and bent his neck, listening to Tate on the phone.

This went on for several moments before he said, “Deke’s out?” Then a whispered, “Fuck.”

I watched his mouth get tight as I watched him lift his hand to the back of his neck and squeeze.

Then he said into the phone in a way that sounded like the words were dragged out of him, “Seems like all you got is me.” His neck straightened, his hand dropped and his body got as tight as his mouth before he went on, “Bubba’s useless and you and I know it. Deke’s out. Neeta is what Neeta is because of Pop so I’m not f**kin’ askin’ him and you’d be a f**kin’ fool to do it. So, way I see it, all you got is me.” He listened a moment then bit his lip in a scary way before he spoke again. “Unlike you, brother, your woman’s sleepin’ in your bed, I ain’t gonna make a move. I also ain’t gonna stand aside ‘cause you’re in f**kin’ Texas, Neeta’s in town and Laurie’s un-fuckin’-protected. You don’t like that, f**kin’ tough. You know her, Christ, Tate, you know her better ‘n anyone. You shoulda planned for this eventuality. She’s got that f**kin’ posse here who keep tabs on you and always have so you knew this was gonna happen. Now, tables are turned, man, and I’m takin’ care of your shit.”

He flipped the phone shut and turned to me and all I could think to say was, “Unprotected?”

I heard my cell phone ring in the house but I was too busy staring at Wood and hearing his conversation replay in my head to move.

“Neeta’s unpredictable,” Wood stated and looked at the house again before his eyes came back to me. “Baby, that’ll be Tate on the phone.”

I ignored him and repeated on a prompt, “Unpredictable?”

“Tate explain about Neeta?” he asked.

“Um… a little bit,” I answered as my phone stopped ringing.

“He explain about how she makes it clear he’s her property?”

I licked my lips.

Then I said, “No.”

“Well, she thinks he’s her property.”

“What does that mean?” I asked as my phone started ringing again.

Wood’s eyes went to the house again then to me and he urged gently, “Baby, get your phone.”

I turned on a foot and ran to the house. Tugging open the sliding glass door one-handed, I ran to the kitchen counter where my phone was. I put down my mug, touched the screen that said “Captain Calling” and put it to my ear.

“Tate?” I asked into the phone.

“Wood still there?” he asked back without saying hello.

“Yes, but he says –”