Rider circled his arm around Jo’s shoulders as they went in the front door. Her glorious blue eyes shone with the love that she was unconsciously revealing to him.

“Did you have a good time?” he asked, tightening his grip on her as she almost stumbled tipsily onto the rug in front of the door.

“How couldn’t I have?”

Allowing her to break away from him, he shut the door, then made sure her back was still to him when he signaled to Trip to cut the live feed.

Jo almost caught what he was doing when she spun around, splaying her arms out to her sides as she spun around the room.

“It’s been the best Valentine’s Day ever!”

The giggles escaping her had him smiling as she continued to spin.

“What was the best part?” Rider asked, taking his jacket off. “That Shade had dropped your Big Red off before coming home and it was ice cold, or the two hamburgers Mick fixed you?”

“Those were good, but that’s not why.” She stopped spinning to grab the back of her couch, steadying herself.

“Was it the three cherry vodka shooters Mick gave you?”

“Nope. You’re not even close.” She haughtily placed her hands on her hips, then lost the effect when she kept tilting to the side as if she was about to fall over. “By the way, I don’t know why you didn’t let me have that last shot. It was soooo good!”

“I wonder why?” he mocked, reaching out to keep her from falling over the back of the couch.

“You were being a party pooper, but that’s okay because I love you anyway.” Her hiccup had his smile turning into a full-fledged grin.

“You do?”

“I do. But”—she put a finger over her pursed lips—“don’t tell him.”

“Why not?” Rider rested his tired ass on the back of the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’m playing hard to get.” Trying to tap her finger against her forehead, she missed, making her ponytail even more lopsided. “I’m being smart. He’s going to break my heart.” Her joy-filled expression turned tearful. “And it’s going to hurt like a motherfucker.”

His smile disappeared. “No, I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

“No, I’m not going to break your heart. I’m going to make you very happy for the rest of your life.”

“You are?”

“I am.” He stared at her fiercely, letting his determination shine through his eyes. This, he would never lie to her about. He was being a son of a bitch about everything concerning her, but with this, he had no intention of being fake.

“That’s good. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I love you.” Jo started spinning again.

“I wouldn’t do that. You’re going to make yourself sick.”

“No, I’m not. I can do this all night.”

“You might be able to, but I need to get to sleep. You ready for bed?”

“Do I have to?” She stopped spinning, and she would have fallen to the floor if he hadn’t hastily caught her. “But I haven’t told you what the best part of Valentine’s Day was.”

“What’s the best part?” Taking her shoulders, he frog-marched her to her bedroom. Turning the doorknob, they came to a stop as he looked at what she had done to her bedroom.

“You.”

Her soft, heartfelt reply shook him to his core. Bracing himself against the door, he stared at the unmade bed with a big red bow on top.

“It’s a new mattress. Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

He had seen the mattress delivered earlier, before she had gone to babysit. What he hadn’t been able to see from the camera in the living room was what was spread out on her bed that he had watched her carry in.

Going to the bed, he unfolded a new pair of jeans, clenching the material in his fingers.

“I hope they’re the right size. I looked at the sizes you wear when you were sleeping.”

“They’re the right size.” Setting the jeans down, he reached for the long-sleeved, black and gray thermal shirt. Looking at the tag, he recognized the Pro Club brand, as well as the short-sleeved black T-shirts that were stacked neatly on her bed.

Sitting down on the bed, he reached for the red Teddy bear, staring down at it.

“Do you like them?”

At the uncertainty in her voice, he lifted his head. “Where’re your sheets?”

“I’ll get them—”

“Just tell me where they are?”

“In the bathroom closet.”

He walked by her to go to the bathroom. Finding the sheets, he came back, setting them down to carry his presents to her dresser before making up her bed.

“I can help—”

“I’ll do it. Don’t move.”

“The comforter is in the dryer …”

Retrieving the comforter after putting the sheets on, he spread it over the bed. Removing his clothes, he laid them on the hamper that was by her closet door.

Meanwhile, Jo remained silent as he moved around her bedroom, watching uneasily.

Going to the side of the bed, he held out his hand to her. “Come here,” he ordered starkly.

Obediently, Jo wobbled across the floor to him.

“You want to know how I like my presents?”

Tearfully, Jo nodded.

“I’m going to show you how much I like them.”

He took off her clothes, one article at a time, placing kisses on each curve he exposed. Her hair fell forward when he pulled her jeans down and pressed a kiss to her mound. The springy curls tickled his nose as he swiped his tongue downward to find her clit.

Raising his eyes, he watched for her reaction to see if she was too sore to fuck. When her hips pushed for more, he stood up and pushed her back to the mattress. His lips curled into a predatory smile when she bounced twice. Then Rider slid her jeans all the way off after removing her sneakers.

“I like them so much you’re not going to be able to work tomorrow.”

“Why not?” Jo licked her lips, staring up at him trustingly.

“Because this is the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had, and I don’t want it to end.”

* * *

The jarring of the lamp on Jo’s nightstand had him rolling over, careful not to wake her. Nabbing the vibrating cell phone, he put it to his ears, coming awake.

“You’re late.” Jewell’s cold voice had him swearing.

“Sorry. I’m on my way.” Disconnecting the call, he dressed in his new clothes then grabbed the rest of his presents before leaving Jo’s bedroom without waking her.

In the kitchen, he wrote a brief note, explaining how he had to go to work and to call when she woke up. Placing the note on her nightstand so she could see it when she awoke, he went outside to his bike, putting his presents in his saddlebags.

At the factory, he took off the necklace before going inside, putting it in his saddlebags with the rest of his presents that he would take to his room after work. He then went to the office, knowing Jewell wanted to yell at him for being late.

After knocking and receiving no answer, he went to the work orders, taking the ones that had been clipped to his name.

He had finished the first order when Shade strolled toward his station with two cups of coffee.

“I figured you could use it,” he said, giving him one.

“Thanks,” Rider said absently while scanning the list on the next order, committing it to memory with one glance.

When Shade didn’t move away, Rider gave him another glance. Shade wasn’t one to chat for no reason. “Something wrong? I know I’m late. I’m going to talk to Jewell when she comes back from lunch.”

“Jewell won’t be coming back from lunch. I’ll be managing the factory until her punishment has been decided on.”

“What’d she do? Let Moon off early?”

“Come in the office. We need to have a talk.”

That Jewell had done something so bad that Shade didn’t want to discuss it around the other workers had him preparing to come to her defense. She had always been a good friend to him, except for the one exception with Jo. Since then, she might have been chilly with Jo, but she had kept her space from her. Therefore, he had made the allowance, knowing the woman was having a hard time at the new tenor of their friendship.

Shade went behind the desk to put his coffee down as Rider shut the door. Then he took the chair in front of the desk, blowing on the hot coffee.

“Did you want Jo to go upstairs while you were taking a shower?”

Rider frowned at Shade’s question. “You know I didn’t. I shot everyone a mass text not to let her come up. I didn’t want her to see the shit on my bed. I was going to give everyone hell for it after work.”

Shade nodded. “How did Jo take it?”

“How the fuck do you think she took it? Her feelings were hurt. Luckily, I was able to smooth it over, but I’m still pissed about it. That’s why I was waiting for after work to speak to the brothers and the women. Especially Ember.”

Shade nodded. “Ember knew you would be mad. That’s why she went to Viper’s house to talk to him this morning.”

“Why didn’t she text or call me? I’m angry, but when have I ever hurt a woman for—”

“She didn’t call because she didn’t know how you would react to something she wanted you to know. Viper and I both think it was a wise decision.”

“Tell me.” He set his coffee on the desk.

“Ember got distracted when Willa came into the kitchen with all the treats. All the brothers and the women did, except for Jewell. Ember said one minute, Jo was there, and then she was gone. When she realized Jo wasn’t in the room, she asked Jewell where she was. Jewell laughed, saying she had sent her upstairs to take the candy that Willa gave you. Jewell told her that, as soon as she did it, she regretted it. That when she went upstairs to get her before she could go in your room, it was too late. You were coming out of the bathroom, and she was afraid to tell you what she had done.”

“Bullshit. She did it deliberately, then lied to Ember that she was too scared of me to tell me the fucking truth.”

“I agree. I came into the office as she was hanging up on you. I’m sorry, brother. I’m glad you were able to smooth it over. I like Jo and wouldn’t like to see the woman hurt. She’s taken enough crap to last a lifetime. She doesn’t need The Last Riders adding to it.”

Rider stood up. “I don’t blame the brothers or Ember. If I had been in the kitchen when Willa came in, the same thing would have happened. She should go in the military. She could probably start a war with those cupcakes of hers. Who I blame is Jewell.”

“Viper knows. That’s why he’s sending her to Ohio after I speak to you. It’s up to you if she stays in the club. It’s a split vote. She either goes to Ohio, or we cast her out of the club.”

“She can go to Ohio. I won’t be the vote that casts her out. But she’s in Ohio for good. I don’t want to see her ass in our clubhouse again. She betrayed me twice. Once, I let it slide, but twice? Fuck no. She’ll be cool in Ohio because she knows it will be her last chance. If not, I’ll pull the plug and she won’t be bothering anyone again.”

Shade’s shrewd gaze met his. “I will make the grave situation clear to her.”

“Do that, because if I get near that bitch, the other bitch buried in our backyard will have company.”