I hated fighting with Drew. I hated knowing I’d hurt him even more. It had taken a lot for him to say that to me, to open up and be that vulnerable after I’d shaken his trust so thoroughly. Yet, with all that being said, sometimes a fight like that was a storm on a humid day. The rolls of thunder and flashes of lightning chased away the humidity and left a fresh atmosphere behind. This hadn’t just been a fight; it had been a revelation, but I was glad the storm had passed, and my body was enjoying the afterglow of the make up sex. That always promised some good aches and a couple of bruises in inconspicuous places.

I glanced down at Drew. His ear was over my heart as my hand ran through his hair repetitively. Neither one of us really cared that our clothes were strewn over the gym equipment, or that we were lying on a dusty old mat now slightly damp with our sweat. I think knowing someone could come strolling in at any minute added to the atmosphere that hung around us, heady and satisfied.

It was always in the afterglow of a disagreement that I found my love for him swelling in my chest. After all the words we’d flung at one another, after the cleansing of emotional overflow, we were still just us. We’d chosen to fix whatever was broken and fight to make things work.

“Drew?” I said, shimmying under him, my legs tangling into a tighter knot with his. “You awake?”

“Hmm,” he hummed in response.

“Does this count as part of my new strength training?”

“Not exactly, but I like the idea of this being your reward for working hard after every session,” he mumbled.

“I like that plan,” I said, glancing around the room. “I don’t think that leg press thing is supposed to be used like that, though.”

“Wait until you see what I can do with a jump rope.” I felt his lazy grin against my skin.

I smiled up at the ceiling tiles and peeled my butt from the material under me. The separation felt like trying to rip off a band-aid. The sweat had welded me to the damn thing. I knew that our bubble would burst soon and our time alone would be interrupted, so I was making the most of this while I could. Having felt the disappointment roll from Deeks when he’d picked me up, I had no doubt I had some music to face when I walked back into The Hut. I was pretty sure I owed Howard Sutton a huge apology, too.

Drew hadn’t taken the news well, and Sutton had probably earned the sharper end of Drew’s anger. Sutton was a physical being for Drew to aim all his rage at. The one thing I repeatedly tripped over in this new life of mine was that my mistakes often implicated the people I now shared my home with. My family had grown, and I had to take all of them into account. Hurt Drew, and I hurt them, and if someone from outside hurt me, that hurt them, too. There was an order to those unspoken rules I was still figuring out, but I took the glares and head shakes on the chin and tried to do better the next time. The upside to this was that happiness also had a rolling effect through the group, so I tended to lean more in that direction when I could.

“I should go and make dinner to amend for my many mistakes,” I said quietly. “I’m sure I’m keeping you from something as well.”

Drew ran his hand over my stomach before he pressed a kiss to it and looked up at me. “I’ve still to kill Sutton, so I suppose I could get on with that.”

“That was my fault. My fuck up. He told me to tell you.” I pushed my hands through his hair to keep the contact constant. I wasn’t quite willing to let him go.

He slid farther up until his face was closer to mine. “I’m messing with you. I already choked him once. He’s suffered enough.”

I pushed up to kiss him, unable to stop myself. Lifting one hand, I cupped his cheek and deepened the kiss, his tongue sneaking into my mouth hungrily. I couldn’t have explained my reaction to anyone had they asked, but it made sense to me. It was like that word mine when he uttered it with that much possessiveness in his tone. His acquisitiveness turned me inside out. To be wanted and desired with that much intensity was a high you couldn’t get from any drug, and I was a slave to it.

“Stop beating up our allies,” I whispered against his lips. “It makes the locals nervous.”

“The world runs better for me when I keep people on their toes.” He smiled, his eyes flickering up to mine lazily. “I don’t want them thinking I’ve gone soft.”

“I don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to be that complacent, baby.” He shifted against me, his eyes flashing when the door opened and slapped against the wall behind it with a crack. Drew’s body covered mine instantly, more for my modesty than because he was ignoring the interruption.

Glancing up at the door, I could see Jedd’s widened eyes aimed in our direction, his lips curling into a smirk filled with mirth.

“It’s Jedd,” I mumbled, hiding my face in Drew’s shoulder.

Drew’s arms sealed me in, his legs working to conceal any part of me he could as he looked up at Jedd and offered him a charming grin. “Not a good time, brother.”

“No kidding.” Jedd folded his arms across his chest, making no attempt to leave.

“Ayda is in training.”

“I won’t ask what for.”

“Best not.” Drew scrunched his face up and offered Jedd a sarcastic, flat smile. “Catch you later?”

“Try not to make it too long. We could have a situation.”

Drew tensed around me, the already steel case he was keeping me in becoming unmovable. “What kind of situation?”

Jedd reached up to scratch the back of his neck, glancing my way as if he wasn’t sure he should be speaking in front of me.

“Someone in Rusty’s place is mouthing off about Ayda. Some kid called Jacob? Janette just phoned and spoke to Harry.”

“Shit,” was my grand contribution to the conversation.

I looked between Jedd and Drew, sensing they were having one of those silent conversations that said far more than words could ever do, and exponentially faster. Before I’d even attempted an interpretation, Jedd nodded and backed out of the door, one last raised eyebrow and chuckle in our direction as he did.

“You have to go,” I said, already voicing what Drew was about to. “And no, I can’t come.”

His hand pushed the stray hairs away from my forehead before he spoke. “I don’t have to go, but there’s some punk speaking badly about my girlfriend in the middle of my town, so, you know, I want to.” He paused, taking a second to search my eyes. “I take it this is the ex-boyfriend who was making you uncomfortable earlier?”

I nodded and leaned in to his touch. I wasn’t going to stop him from doing what he needed to do, but at the same time, I knew Jacob, and I had a feeling I knew what was about to go down.

“He’s going to bait you. He’s going to bring up shit from my past, from our relationship, and rub your nose in it.” I paused and took a deep breath. “I’m not telling you how to handle this. All I ask is that you take it outside.”

“Then come with me,” he whispered.

“Really?” I asked, my voice just as low and filled with surprise.

“Really.” His eyes lit up with amusement. “You should have the right to defend yourself if you want to, like you’ve just explained to me quite intimately. Just don’t get all preachy if I knock the prick down on his ass and then crush a few bones while he squeals like a pig. I can handle it if you can.” He smirked.

I ran a hand over Drew’s shoulder and smiled up at him. “No preaching, but can I convince you to teach me how to throw a punch without hurting myself?”

“You can try, but not today.” He dropped a kiss to my nose before he pushed up on his arms and started to pull away, his voice strained as he spoke. “You can hit him with your wit, and I’ll do the other shit if I need to. Though something tells me you’re going to handle him for the both of us, Hanagan.”

“You gonna defend my honor, Mr. Tucker?” I grinned.

He offered me his hand as he stood, waiting for me to take it so he could pull me up. “You’re mine, remember? I’ll defend you ‘til the death.”

I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet, my bare chest pressing against his as I gazed up at him in absolute adoration. “Yours.”

My arms tightened around Drew’s waist as he took the corner, the rumble of his bike making my aching thighs flare to life below me. It seemed wrong to be thinking how he and I had spent the last hour together when we—and a trail of a half dozen bikes behind us—were headed out to confront a guy I hadn’t spent more than five minutes thinking about in the last five years.

I let my chin rest on Drew’s shoulder as he straightened out and gunned the bike down the home stretch to Rusty’s diner. Jacob was still there, his giant Chevy sitting in the lot, right outside the front doors of the diner like he owned the place. He’d gone so far as to park at an angle over the disabled parking spot, which just made my hackles rise even further. I knew this situation had the potential to get out of hand. In fact, I would say it was inevitable at this point. Jacob would have nothing nice to say. I would have even less nice to share, and it would piss off every guy on a bike, and that went double for the guy I had my arms wrapped around.

Drew slowed and pulled up next to the truck, not enough to give Jacob a chance to run over the Harley with his truck, but close enough to jump on and give chase if it came to that. My stomach knotted when I glanced in the front windows and saw that cocky slouch of Jacob’s as he sat at the bar and held court there. That was my home. That was my job. He didn’t belong there anymore.

Before I could climb off the back of the bike, Drew laid a hand on my knee.

“Anything I need to know before I go in?” he asked.

“He’s a pretentious bastard that I thought I used to love. He’s arrogant, confrontational, and loves to push buttons. If you react, he knows he has you and will press harder. He’s going to use the fact we used to have sex against you. He may try to call Sutton in so he can witness you hitting him first. That’s what he’s known for. He’s banned from some of the casinos in Louisiana because he’s pulled that on the security there. I don’t care about him. I don’t respect him, and I hope he gets the clap.”

“Remind me never to cross you,” Drew said through a smile, giving my thigh a squeeze. “Let’s go and deal with this.”

I nodded once and swung off the bike, leaving my helmet on my seat. Not waiting for the guys to follow, I headed to the doors and pushed inside, losing confidence with every step. I wasn’t scared of Jacob. I wasn’t afraid of what he might say. I just hated that he had the power to twist everything. He’d always been good with words, and he might have played the repentant ex when it had just been he and I on the side of the road, but with an audience? I was about to be painted as the town whore who spread her legs for anyone.

Thank God Drew knew me better than that.

“—can’t say I’m surprised,” Jacob said, turning his stool to face me with cocky assurance painted on his face. “Talking about trash.”

I continued in, reaching behind me to squeeze Drew’s hand while the others fanned out and took up some of the empty tables and booths around the diner. I eased forward and slid behind the counter, kissing a scowling Janette on the cheek.

“Sorry about this,” I stage whispered.

“Why the hell are you apologizing?” Jacob asked, leaning forward on his stool and resting his elbows on the counter. “For bringing in the piece of shit club everyone hates?”

I laughed humorlessly and shook my head. “That the best you got, Jake? How long have you been gone now? Oh, that’s right, you skipped out the moment life got hard, and my parents died. Then you spread rumors at school that I’d had to drop out because I’d contracted an STD when I’d cheated on you. Then you broke up with me in a fucking email after one of my friends called to tell me. You’re the scum of the Earth, and you don’t know anything about this town or the people in it, so maybe you should just go home, do whatever the fuck you’re here for, go back to the hole you crawled out of, and leave us in peace.”

“You’re still booty hurt I broke up with you, beautiful. I get that, but you know I’ve got better to give than that,” Jacob said suggestively, flashing his grin my way.

Standing there in front of him, I wondered what I—and half our class—had seen in him. The boy I’d once known was still visible, he just wasn’t attractive by any stretch of my imagination anymore. He still wore his ball cap, but the thick hair that used to curl under the edges was thinning. His bright green eyes now looked more like an evil glow from a child’s movie, and his skin looked ashen and pitted. There was nothing attractive about him. There was no nostalgia buried deep inside of me, just an intense dislike and exasperation at having to share oxygen with him for any length of time.

“Do I?” I asked sardonically. “I’m having a hard time remembering with all your bullshit piled on top.”

“And I’m having a hard time believing your memory is that bad. I’m pretty sure you remember that first night we had together over by the water tower. The night that I took the only thing you had to offer.”

I rolled my eyes. “There’s the cheap shot. Believe me, if that hadn’t been my first time the sex wouldn’t have been that memorable. You were an asshole, but I was just too stupid to see that. That night you took something big, never giving a fuck what that meant to me.”

Jacob eyed me, his humor at my reaction giving him an unattractive dimple in his sallow cheeks. While he was preoccupied with that, I glanced at Drew, noting the twitch in his jaw and the white of his knuckles as he balled his hands. He wasn’t going to take much more of this, of that I was certain. If I had a point, I needed to get to it quickly.

“Babe, as much as you think that’s the truth, we both know it’s a lie.” He turned on his stool to face Drew, and I tensed as he said, “Does she scream your name, too, buddy?” He raised the pitch of his voice in an attempt to emulate mine. “Oh, Jacob. Jacob, don’t stop. Don’t stop.” He laughed and spun to face me again. “Did that slip your mind, too, Ayda?”

I made a face, glancing at Drew briefly.

“Damn, he’s got you on a tight leash, A. You can’t respond without looking to your man to make sure it’s okay first?”

I was losing ground fast and I knew it. It was the only reason I’d looked up at Drew because the moment he saw that control slipping, he would take over. I was so focused on Drew that I hadn’t noticed Kenny approach the counter. The moment he reached it, he slipped onto the stool next to Jacob’s and focused his entire glare on the side of Jacob’s head. It was a reminder for Jake to stay polite.

“Whoa, easy, pup. You’re not my type.” Jacob turned to me and thumbed over his shoulder at Kenny. “Who’s this joker?” Jacob asked, spinning his stool in Kenny’s direction. It went to show how little he was actually paying attention to his surroundings. Jacob didn’t realize the guys were beginning to circle around him like a pack of wolves around their prey. They would inch in and tighten the circle until he could feel their breath on his neck, stalking him and his every move.

I ignored the question he’d fired off, my hand slapping down onto the counter to bring his attention back to me. “Why are you here, Jake?”

“I missed you, baby.” He made a foul gesture with his hands and smiled at me, an unreadable look in his eyes.

“Why are you really here?” I asked, ignoring the way his greasy stare made my skin itch.

“My parents live here, you stupid bitch. Why the hell do you think I’m here?” He never noticed the Hounds moving in closer and tightening around him. He never saw the glares of disgust because he was too busy trying to read my reaction and get a rise from me.

Me? I just smiled. Name-calling was a sure sign that I’d finally pissed him off. “Then take care of that and go back to wherever you came from.”

“Can’t. I accepted a job here.” His smile grew again, that cockiness rolling back into his posture as he leaned back, right into Deeks’ elbow. Jacob jumped forward before composing himself and swinging in Deeks’ direction to glare at him.

“You’re not welcome here, Jake. I’d advise you find another job somewhere else,” I spat.

“Can’t,” he repeated, leaning forward toward me. “I want this one.”

“God, you’re such a dick,” I hissed between my teeth. “Whatever. Just stay away from my brother and me. If I so much as see your face, you will regret it.”

“Oh, honey, you’re going to see my face every day and every Friday night. And every time you do, you will think about me, and what we used to do behind the very bleachers you’ll be sitting on.”

“What?”

“Say hi to the new coach for the Babylon High Bulldogs.” He spread his arms and shrugged, knowing he’d just dropped the money shot.

“No!”

“That’s not what you used to say.” He laughed. He swung his hips, using his arms for emphasis in a lewd emulation of sex. “If I remember you used to scream the word yes and beg for more. Behind the bleachers, in the guy’s locker rooms, the water tower, and the back of my truck at the Roller Freeze. All it took was my hand up your skirt as you stared down that high—”

He didn’t get to finish. Drew had reached his limit.

He’d escaped my hold without me realizing until it was too late. The dull yet heavy thud of Jacob’s head being smacked down onto the counter echoed all around the diner, leaving everyone inside of Rusty’s to hold their breath and wait to see what the hell was about to go down.