I’d gone from hoping he’d never show up to wanting him so much the desire had made me sick to my stomach. I paced the floor, praying I could find a way to say all the right things, and none of what was wrong.

A distant motorcycle caused my heart to race, but the sound faded, leaving me with nothing but a reminder of Cash’s absence and of my foolish decision. I wanted to flip the clock back to the night of the barbeque, tell him thank you – and that I was scared.

While I formulated the words in my head that I hoped to have the courage to say, a knock came at the door.

My heart jumped into my throat.

Certain it wasn’t him, and trembling with anticipation of his impending arrival, I pulled the door open.

My mouth fell open.

All the things I’d prepared to say didn’t come to mind. In fact, nothing came to mind. I stared at him in sheer disbelief.

He stood before me a slightly different man. His once long locks had been cut, leaving him with only enough hair for me to run my fingers through. His beard was trimmed to nothing more than stubble and was neatly sculped along his jaw and neck.

I scanned him from head to toe, and then dragged my eyes back up his muscular frame until my gaze met his.

His intensity was undeniable. His stark white tee shirt fit him as if it were custom-tailored. His jeans were dark, with slight whiskers of fading at his hips. He seemed wider in the chest, and narrower in the waist.

I wondered if he’d been eating well and wanted desperately to feed him. Instead, I broke his intense stare and gazed down at his boots. Without his intense eyes intimidating me, everything I’d hoped to say came to mind.

“I uhhm. I was scared.” I bit against my trembling lower lip and looked up. “Scared of the pain I’d feel if I lost you in a fight. I’ve come to realize that one day of loving you would be worth a lifetime of pain. I’m sorry. I’m not mad, I’m not angry, and I want you to know I’m flattered that you stuck up for my honor at the barbeque. I hope you can forgive me.”

He wiped his palms on the thighs of his jeans, and then pushed them into his pockets. “There’s been some changes made. I cut my hair. Went to the barber and got a professional job done on my beard. Tito’s the new club muscle, and I’m the official Sergeant-at-Arms. That’ll reduce my chances of doing something dumb, but it won’t completely eliminate the possibility that I’ll bust a man in the jaw if that’s what he deserves. I’m not here to bullshit you, or to tell you lies. If we’re moving forward, there’s a few rules you’re going to need to agree to.”

“Okay.”

“My first love was the club. It’s not my only love, but it’s my first.” He pulled his hands from his pockets and folded his arms over his chest. “No questions when I’m on the road.”

“I won’t ask a word. Club business is club business.”

“Know if a motherfucker disrespects you, I’ll knock his ass out. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

“I’m okay with that.”

He widened his eyes slightly. “You sure?”

“Positive.”

“I want to live together. Not tonight, or even tomorrow, but soon. Found out I ain’t too keen on sleeping alone. Not after sleeping here for damned near a month. So, that’s something I want.”

My heart raced. “You can move in tomorrow.”

“That ain’t how it works,” he said, his tone dry and coarse. “The woman moves in with the man.”

“Okay. I’m fine with that as long as I can plant flowers.”

He nodded. “Flowers are fine.”

“I’m good with moving in with you. Whenever you’re ready. Is that all?”

“You got a problem with me, you come to me. I’ll do the same with you. We don’t sleep angry, and we don’t hold things in. Any problems we have are resolved before we go to bed.”

“I like that. Anything else?”

“Wednesday’s church.”

“That’s fine, too.”

“I think that’s it.” He pursed his lips and looked me in the eyes. “Are you in, or are you out?”

I nodded eagerly. “I’m in.”

“If you’re in, you’ve got to be all in. It’s all or nothing.”

“I’m all in.”

“One last thing,” he said. “I almost forgot.”

“What’s that?”

“Somewhere between beating up your ex-husband and when I pulled in the drive a minute ago, I fell in love with you. I ain’t sure when it happened, and I don’t know that it matters, but it happened. Just thought I’d tell you.”

I grinned. “The same thing happened to me.”

He leaned forward and kissed me. It was a passionate kiss, but it wasn’t wild. It was a good thing, because at that moment, I couldn’t have handled much more than he gave me. When our lips finally parted, he leaned back and studied me.

He smiled. “Wanna fuck?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I wanna fuck.”