Josie had a hoodie on and panties. Nothing else. She watched as Reese got himself dressed, moving fast as he did so.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said. “I didn’t mean for this…”

“It’s okay,” she said. “You have to go.”

“Yeah,” he said.

Josie bit her lip, feeling all kinds of things happening to her body right then. She was warm, gooey on the inside, her toes tingling the same way her stomach did.

“Reese, I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what?” he asked as he turned, putting his leather cut on.

“For what happened. The way I got mad at you. Storming out of the clubhouse with Steph. She wanted to stay. She wanted to be near you.”

Reese touched Josie’s face. “Shit happens. The emotions get to us. There’s no excuse I can make for this life and what I do. It’s just the way it is. It’ll never change, Josie. You know that. I can’t imagine ever losing you again. But if this life isn’t what you want, then I have to make my peace with it.”

“You don’t need to think about that right now, Reese.”

Josie felt her heart racing. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her emotions under control.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Reese asked.

“This is what happened last time,” Josie whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“I was home alone, and you came over. We were arguing about something stupid and things got hot. Remember? Up against the fridge in my old house?”

Reese grinned. “Damn… of course I remember that. We made it so fucking hot, everything in the freezer melted.” Reese winked.

Josie felt her cheeks burn red. “Stop. Listen to me. This is what happened before… we were together, and you promised me forever. Then you got a call and had to leave. That call sent you on the road with Laszlo at your side. You rode right into a trap. And my father was in the middle of that trap. And then they…”

“Sweetheart,” Reese said. “You can’t do that with the past.”

“Where are you going, Reese?”

“To the clubhouse.”

“Then where?”

“I don’t know, Josie. I plan on coming back here to be with you. If we vote and something changes, so be it. This is my life. I love you. Everything I do right now is for the protection of the club and you. And Steph and her baby. Look, I’m sorry all of this is happening the way it is. We cannot let this drug thing happen in our town. If someone is messing behind our backs…”

“You’re going to kill them,” Josie whispered, feeling a shiver run through her.

“Don’t worry about my sins,” Reese said. “I’ll wash them away before I come to you.” He pulled her close for a hug. “You’re my savior, sweetheart. You’re the only one who can tame the beast inside me. But right now, I have to leave.”

“You have to be the beast.”

“Yes.”

“I would tell you to be safe, but I don’t think that matters.”

Reese grinned. “You’re beautiful, Josie. You’ve been beautiful from the time you were a teenager. I’ve lived an outlaw life and have seen a lot of things… but nothing compares to you. The way you make me feel when I look at you. And when we touch each other, it gives me another purpose in life.”

“I love you, Reese.”

“I love you too.” He kissed her.

Josie hated to let him go. But she did.

Reese walked to the door and looked back with a grin.

“Hey,” she said. “Be safe.”

“I thought you said that it doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t,” Josie said. “Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, but I wanted to say it.”

“I’ll be safe, sweetheart. I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

Reese left the apartment.

Josie stepped back to the table and bit her lip.

This was the insanity of the life. One minute, she was on the kitchen table, Reese inside her, making her forget about everything wrong in the world. The next minute, he was gone to fight in an outlaw way she didn’t understand.

Josie told herself not to cry.

But that was a lie.

* * *

When the apartment door opened, Josie jumped up off the couch.

“Steph.”

“Hey,” Steph said with a smile. “Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Scaring you. I figured I’d come home and shower.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re lying,” Steph said. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing,” Josie said. “Reese stopped by before and he had to leave.”

“Club stuff.”

“Yeah.”

Steph frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Josie said. “It’s dumb. It’s my mind…”

“No, it’s serious. Bad things happen there.”

Josie cut off Steph as she tried to walk to the bathroom. “Listen, Steph. The family thing there is real. And what they’ll do for you and your daughter. I’m so sorry things happened the way they did. With… him.”

Steph touched her stomach. “I’m trying not to think about it.”

“I know. I’m sorry for the way I said what I said. But I still mean it. I would never wish harm on anyone, but your daughter is going to be so loved. Even without her father.”

“And what do I tell her?”

“You have years to worry about that,” Josie said. “And you’ll be the one to make that decision. You’re going to be an amazing mother, Steph. I know it.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it. That I’m going to mess up my daughter’s life because of this life.”

“No,” Josie said. “Don’t think that way. You should be proud of yourself. You’re working. You’re making money. You’ve got a big family. Even if they’re not blood.”

Steph nodded. “Thank you, Josie. For everything you’ve ever done for me. I don’t know if I’ve ever appreciated it.”

“I got your back. Now go get a shower and have some fun. Just no stupid stuff.”

“I’m already pregnant,” Steph said. “What other trouble can I get into?”

They laughed but it made Josie’s stomach do a backflip.

As much as Steph was trying hard to grow up and understand life, she was far from truly understanding a lot about it.

And the problem with trouble was that you didn’t always need to go looking for it to have it find you.

Which was a lesson waiting…