Sinner's Steel (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #3)(12)
“No. Definitely not.” Evie sipped her second iced coffee of the day. She needed at least three cups of caffeine to keep going; four if she didn’t get a good night’s sleep, which was basically every night for the last four nights since she’d seen Zane.
Alone in the darkness with nothing to occupy her thoughts, the emotions she’d bottled up over the years, the hopes and dreams that had shattered when she realized he wasn’t coming back, came spilling out. Every night she tossed and turned. And she thought about him.
She slid her hand into her purse, her finger stroking over the edge of the picture frame Zane had given her all those years ago. On impulse, she’d grabbed it this morning and put it in her purse, with half a mind to talk to Ty about the man in the picture who so closely resembled him.
Damn Zane looked good. No. Not good. Breathtaking. Older, yes, but age had just made him sexier His tall, lean frame was now filled out with solid muscle; his face hard and weathered; and his jaw rugged and rough with a five o’clock shadow. Only his eyes hadn’t changed, and his dark, piercing gaze still sent a delicious shiver through her body.
But who did he think he was, showing up after all those years and thinking they’d pick up where they left off? That slap should have showed him she wasn’t the same girl he left behind—the girl who waited by her window all night after her dad sent him away, and for another three years because her heart couldn’t believe what all of Stanton believed to be true.
She tucked the picture away and zipped up her purse. Eight years ago she laughed and ran, climbed trees and took risks simply because she knew Zane would be there to catch her. Now she had her life together, and she knew better than to trust a handsome face.
Which was one of the reasons she’d agreed to go out with Viper. No chance of losing her heart to a man who looked so fierce and feral it was hard to believe he was as articulate, entertaining, and well-mannered as he had been with her—albeit, his sexual restraint was somewhat disappointing.
“What about Ty?” Connie asked. Connie and Ty were very close and she had already expressed her concern that Zane might not want to have anything to do with his son.
“I’m not sure yet. I need to give it some thought.” Her hand hovered over her purse again. “He has a right to know about his son, and I need to know the truth of what happened that night. But I don’t want Ty to get hurt if Zane’s not interested in being part of his life. Zane didn’t come looking for me. If he hadn’t been chasing Axle, he would have been content to spend his life not knowing or caring where I was.”
“Well, you probably don’t have to worry about it.” Connie ran her fingers through her hair. She’d added blue and red streaks after Ty’s favorite superhero character as a welcome home-from-camp surprise. “Sounds like you slapped some sense into him and now that he’s got Axle, he has no reason to come back.” She paused and frowned. “What’s Vipe gonna think about man getting shot by your ex at your shop? What if he thinks you’re involved?”
“I’m not. And I’m definitely not interested in getting it on with a man who would shoot someone in cold blood.”
“’Cause Vipe’s such a saint, is that right?”
“You’re very irritating.” Evie huffed. “Did I ever tell you that? And I haven’t seen any evidence that Viper is a bloodthirsty killer. He’s a biker is all.”
Connie laughed. “I call ’em as I see ’em, and right now I see you still got feelings for Zane ’cause it’s only eleven o’clock and you’re on your second coffee of the day, which means you can’t sleep. Not only that, you’re already having second thoughts about the first guy who’s caught your interest since I’ve known you. Not that I’m in Vipe’s corner, but so far he’s treated you good and you were all excited when Axle showed up to set up the next date.”
“Maybe he’s too old for me.” Evie lowered her voice when she spotted one of Ty’s friend’s moms headed in their direction.
“Didn’t seem to bother you until you laid eyes on the same version—intense outlaw biker, leather cut, kick-ass bike—but twenty years younger.” Connie mused. “I sense a little age discrimination going on. Lookit those fifty-plus movie stars getting hitched to women twenty or thirty years younger. You don’t hear those women whining that their man is too old.”
“That’s true. But when I think of Viper in bed as compared to … oh, I don’t know … maybe Zane, there really is no contest.” She glanced at Connie, blushed. “Of course I’ve never slept with Viper and only once with Zane, and that was in a forest on some scratchy leaves and cold grass with rocks digging into my ass, so it’s not really a fair comparison—more of a thought comparison—but, my God, you should see the pipes on Zane now, and that chest…”
“I’m not wearing pink to your wedding,” Connie said. “I have a closet full of pink frothy bridesmaid dresses. I want something slick and chic. Maybe black leather if you’re getting hitched to a biker.”
The school bus door opened and the crowd surged forward taking Connie and Evie with them. “Nice to see you’re already getting me married off,” Evie braced herself against the stampede. “If the day ever comes, I won’t want a wedding. So no need to worry that I’ll deck you out in flamingo pink.” She waved when Ty appeared at the top of the stairs.