Motorcycle Man (Dream Man #4)(99)

He was wrong, in a way.

I didn’t inform him of that.

I just swallowed but said not a word.

Tack kept going.

“As for Hop, he don’t tell me where to put my dick, I return the favor. Mitzi can be a pain in the ass. She can also be a ball-buster. Hop does not like gettin’ his balls busted. They got problems at home. How he deals with that is not my business. It’s not yours. It’s theirs. They deal with it, we roll with it. That said, he is not the only member of Chaos who gets his rocks off when he wants with who he wants and that might not be his old lady. You workin’ at the garage, bein’ with me, you might see shit like you did today. You ignore it. You don’t share it. You can tell me, anyone else, no. That’s an absolute, babe. Never. Every woman connected to the Club knows it. This is a brotherhood and we have each other’s backs in everything. Everything. But there are boys in that Club who don’t mind bein’ claimed. Brick, when he’s got a woman, is one. Dog is another. I’m another. By that I mean, we got a woman, we don’t stray. Get that now so we don’t have to talk about this shit again.”

I held his eyes and remained silent.

“Now’s the time where you assure me you get me,” Tack prompted.

“I get you, Tack,” I whispered.

“Good,” he returned instantly. “As for tonight, because Naomi’s a bitch, rides Tabby’s ass and always has, we’ve had problems. Tabby acts out. Her and me, we had a deal. I get her clear of her Mom, she gets her shit together. She did not do that, she bore the consequences of it, you nearly bore unacceptable consequences of it and I had to clean up both of your messes. That did not make me happy. My daughter gettin’ hit by some motherf*cker way too f**kin’ old for her did not make me happy. Bein’ called away from what I was doin’, which was important, to deal with your and her shit also did not make me happy. In there,” he pointed toward Tabby’s room then his arm fell, “I was pissed. Serious as shit. When that happens, you gotta roll with that shit too.”

I again didn’t move or speak.

Tack again didn’t care and kept going.

“As for the shit you pulled tonight, you didn’t duck, I’d be in an ER right now hopin’ to f**kin’ Christ that you made it out at all much less you makin’ it out as you. I think you get you mean somethin’ to me so the threat of that is not somethin’ I like either. Do not let that shit happen again, Tyra. You got a situation, you call your man. You do not call in the boys and use your position to pull the shit you pulled tonight.”

“My position?” I asked quietly.

“I’ve got my cut, I’ve got the gavel and you’re my woman. Those were recruits. You call and they don’t haul their asses outta bed in the middle of the f**kin’ night to do your bidding, they might answer to me. They know they don’t wanna answer to me. You gave them zero choice and swung their shit out there a lotta ways. Silver linin’ for you, the boys, even the recruits, save Shy who’s sharper than the rest of them, think that stunt you pulled is the shit. But those brothers do not have the cloud of the possibility of you permanently suckin’ your food through a straw still hangin’ over them. They can think it’s the shit. I do not.”

At that, I strongly suspected it was Shy who called in the boys.

I didn’t ask for confirmation though.

I didn’t say anything.

When I didn’t, Tack asked, “Now, are we clear?”

“We’re clear,” I answered softly.

He held my eyes and he did this a while.

Then the dragon went to sleep and I knew this because the hard went out of his face, it softened, the air lightened all around us and the edge was gone from his voice when he said gently, “All right, baby, now come here.”

“No,” I whispered.

“What?” he whispered back.

“We’re clear,” I repeated then continued. “Very clear, Kane. So right now I’m going to bed and I’m doing it on the couch. Tomorrow, I want to be here in case Tabby’s not still pissed at me so I can look after her. And tomorrow, after I sleep on it, I’ll decide what I’m going to do about you.”

He lifted a hand toward my neck but I jerked my head away and stepped swiftly to the side and out from the wall.

He pivoted with me, his hand dropping.

“Red, baby, what the –?”

“I told you, I needed time,” I whispered. “You’re going to give it to me.”

“I just laid that shit out,” he reminded me.

“Some of it, yes,” I agreed and his head jerked slightly but I kept talking. “And I need to process that. I’ll tell you my decision tomorrow.”

“Babe –”

“Tomorrow, Tack.”

The softness shifted out of his face right before he declared, “You are not sleepin’ under my roof on the f**kin’ couch.”

“Okay, then, I’ll go home.”

“You are also not goin’ home.”

I held his eyes.

Then I whispered, “Fine,” tore my gaze from his and walked to the unmade bed. I flipped off my flip-flops, pulled down my jeans, stepped out of them and shoved my hands under my shirt to yank my bra off with my tee still on.