“Girlfriend?” Morgan asked as Bear took a seat next to me and set a new pitcher of ice-cold beer on the table. I kicked him under the table because it was none of his fucking business.

“No,” Bear replied, but it wasn’t exactly convincing.

“Clusterfuck,” Tank muttered so quietly I barely heard him. His dark caramel eyes shifted, giving Bear the side eye.

“What?” Morgan asked, turning his attention to someone else. My handsome son fit right in with this group. In his beauty and darkness, he was one of them.

Tank ran his hand across his jet black hair, which was cut in the most perfect military flat top I’d ever seen. “Nothing, man.” His unusually wide shoulders hunched forward, making his neck disappear.

In the murky lighting of the seating area of the Neon Cowboy, Bear looked rougher than the man who’d sat across from me at dinner earlier. There was a darkness in his eyes I hadn’t seen before.

“You okay?” I asked, leaning over and speaking softly so only Bear could hear.

He glanced down at me, his steely gray eyes connecting with mine. He gave me a quick nod, grabbing my hand underneath the table and giving it a tight squeeze. I smiled up at him, but I wasn’t convinced.

“Well, it’s getting late. I better get you home, Ma,” Morgan said, interrupting the little moment Bear and I were having.

“No.” I didn’t even look in his direction. It was time that I put this boy in his place. I may be his mother, but that didn’t give him the right to dictate my life.

“It’s too dangerous for you here.”

I turned to face him and narrowed my eyes. “I’m surrounded by four strapping men. I highly doubt anyone will fuck with me, Morgan. So just zip it and have a beer—relax a little bit and enjoy your friends as much as I am.” Bear’s hand tightened around mine underneath the table.

The last statement didn’t earn me a smile, but I hadn’t expected it to either. The boy had some serious control issues. I never really realized it before tonight, but then again, I never hung out with his people.

He dragged the pitcher across the table and started to pour himself a glass. “Fine, but I’m driving you home.”

My eyes didn’t leave him, and I waited a moment to answer. “I’m going home with Bear.”

He slammed the pitcher against the table, and some of the beer splashed out onto the table. “Like fuck you are!”

“Morgan, put your pencil dick back in your pants and calm the fuck down,” Bear said, moving his arm from under the table and sliding it across the back of my chair. “Your mom is a grown woman, and we’re just friends. Would you rather her be home watching reality television?”

Morgan’s face turned the brightest shade of red. “Bear, you know I love you, man, but you better keep your paws off my ma. She’s off-limits, and she doesn’t need your kind of friendship.”

Bear stood quickly, tipping his chair over, and Morgan did the same. I could see that the conversation was becoming heated and that I was the only person who could calm the situation.

“Boys!” I yelled, standing up and placing my face between theirs. “Both of you sit your asses down. Now!”

They didn’t move initially, just stared each other down in the ultimate pissing contest. Morgan moved first, snarling at Bear as he sat down slowly. Bear growled in response, easing down into the chair with his eyes still locked on Morgan.

“You two are ridiculous,” I scolded them like children. “Morgan.” I paused, waiting for my lovely son to give me his full attention. When he did, I continued. “Bear has been kind and respectful to me. He’s been nothing but a gentleman. I asked him to bring me here because I didn’t want to sit at home alone tonight. Would you rather I use that Tender app I have on my phone?” I tapped my foot, still hovering above them.

Morgan’s face scrunched up, and his head jerked back. “Do you mean Tinder?”

I shrugged and rolled my eyes. “Whatever it’s called. Would you rather I use that to go out for a drink? I was told all I have to do is swipe, and voilà, I’d have a date.”

He rested his elbow on the table and covered his face with his hand. “Tinder is not a dating app, Ma.”

“Yeah, it is,” I told him and put my hands on my hips.

“Fran, it’s not,” Bear said, giving me the sweetest smile.

“Well, what the hell is it, then?” Glancing around the table, I saw Morgan was horrified and the other guys at the table were almost in hysterics. I threw up my hands and finally sat my ass down with a huff.

“It’s a hookup app.” Bear smiled indulgently.

“A what?”

“Oh, God,” Morgan groaned, dropping his hand to the table with a loud thump.

“It’s how people find each other for one-night stands. It’s not to find a long-term relationship.”

“That can’t be true.”

“Sorry, Aunt Fran, it is,” City said, clearing his throat to hide his amusement.

“Well, fuck. I’m glad I didn’t ‘hook up’ with Fred last week,” I said, using air quotes. “I thought he meant hooking up to have a drink. I didn’t know he wanted to have sex with me.”

“When the hell did you download Tinder?” Morgan asked with a suspicious look that made me want to spank him like he was a little boy.

“Newsflash, kid… I’m a woman, and I’m single. I can’t sit at home alone for my entire life.”

“But you had Johnny,” Morgan replied quickly.

“Johnny was just a…” My voice trailed off.

“A what?” Morgan’s eyes widened.

“We were never a couple.”

“I can’t.” He waved his hands in surrender. “Let’s just have our beer and talk about something else.”

My mouth turned up into the biggest smile. I’d finally worn his ass down. Maybe now he’d learn to zip it. “I’d like to finish the dance you so rudely interrupted.”

“Fine, Ma. I’ll dance with you,” he grumbled.

“I wasn’t talking about with you. Bear,” I said, turning to the hot guy sitting next to me.

“Anything you want, Franny.” He held his hand out, and I slipped mine into his, loving the roughness of his callused skin against mine.

Morgan sat like a petulant child, gawking at us as we rose and made our way to the same spot we were in before he walked through the door.

“You know this isn’t going to end well,” Bear said as he wrapped his arms around me, but he didn’t dare put his hand anywhere near my ass.

“I’ll handle him.”

“Babe, you’re his mom and you have some sway, but there’s a man’s code I have to deal with.”

“Murray, sweetie, he’ll calm down. Just ignore him.” Taking my own advice, I rested my head against his chest and followed his lead.

The beat of his heart matched the slow, steady rhythm of the music as we moved. I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face while we danced. He smelled too good, and he felt even better pressed against me. Bear had that animal magnetism I’d always found sexy. There was nothing soft about him, except for the way he spoke to me.

I could see the man underneath and sometimes a hint of the man who had deeply loved and lost. In the years I’d known him, I’d never really taken the time to get to know him. I just knew that he worked with Morgan, and he was City’s best friend. He was always in the middle of a shit storm, willing to put himself in harm’s way for his friends.

I liked that about him. He wasn’t a pussy and knew the meaning of loyalty.

When the song started to come to an end, I said, “This is nice.”

His hand tightened around my waist, and he buried his face in the top of my hair. “I haven’t felt this at peace in years, babe.”

“Are they staring at us?” I asked into his T-shirt.

“No, not anymore.”

I peered up at him and smiled. “I enjoyed myself tonight.”

His eyes softened, and I fought not to reach up on my tiptoes and kiss him. “Me too. Want to do it again?”

“Yes, please.”

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me with a mischievous smile.

“Thought you’d never ask.”

When we made our way back to the table, I cleared my throat until City, Tank, and Morgan looked up at us. “We’re going to go. I’m exhausted.” I faked a yawn. “Bear’s going to drop me off.”

“I’ll take you home, Ma,” Morgan said again, even though I’d shut that conversation down before.

“No, Morgan. Bear’s going to drive me home. You go home to your wife.”

“Night, Aunt Fran,” City said with a deep, low laugh.

“Night.” Tank tipped his head and gave Bear a funny look.

“Ready?” Bear asked behind me but not close enough to feel his body heat.

“Yep.”

As soon as we made it outside, a woman dressed more like a washed-up hooker approached with a wild look in her eyes—the same woman Bear had spoken to at the bar with City.

“You’re taking this old bitch home?” she seethed as her eyes raked over my body. “What the fuck, Bear?”

Bear placed his body between us. “Shut the fuck up, Molly. Go back to the hole you crawled out of.”

Her hand slid over his shoulder. “You know I can make you feel good. She’s all dried up.”

Bear wrapped his hand around her arm and pushed her away. “Watch your mouth. I’m in no mood for your shit tonight.”

She peered around his body and glared at me. “I just fucked him. If you want sloppy seconds, he’s all yours.”

“I think the man asked you to leave.” Somehow, I tried to be diplomatic, when the woman really needed a punch in the face.

“He’ll come back… They always do.”

Bear glanced at me over his shoulder and looked up toward the sky. “Molly, if I have to tell you again that we’re not a couple, you’re going to regret it.”

“Whatcha gonna do, Bear, spank me?” She laughed loudly and licked her cracked lips, trying to be sexy.

Bear reached behind him and took my hand. “Get a fucking life and leave us alone,” he told her as he guided me toward his bike.

“You’re going to regret not being with me, Bear!” Her frizzy hair flopped around as she stomped away from us, talking to herself like a crazy person.

“I can’t believe you stuck your dick in that.”

He turned and grimaced. “Would it make it any better if I blamed it on alcohol?”

“It’s the only way I’d ever believe you’d do it.”

“It was only once.” He pressed his body against me, and using his fingertips, pulled my eyes to his. “I promise.”

I searched his eyes and knew he spoke the truth. “She sure seems to be head over heels for you.”

“She’s a crazy bitch, Fran. Ignore her.”

Placing my hand on his arm, I swept my thumb against his skin. “She’s forgotten.”

He smiled down at me as his fingertips brushed against my cheek. All I could think was, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, but it didn’t happen.

As I climbed onto his bike and wrapped my arms around him, I felt a pang of jealousy. Skanky Molly had a piece of Bear that I never did.

I wasn’t sure I ever would either.