“Is he still out there?” Evelyn peered over my shoulder out the window of Benny’s. Mickey was sitting outside on his bike. I’d seen him since I told him I was married, but not much. I knew he was avoiding me, just like now. I wasn't sure what he was doing outside. I didn’t answer Evelyn since she could apparently see for herself that Mickey was still out there.

“Why don’t you go say something to him?” She pleaded.

“I’m not going out there.”

“Why not? Your last table left five minutes ago.”

“So, why do you think he’s out there for me?”

“I’ll go ask him what he’s doing, then.” Evelyn moved away from the window and started for the door.

“No!” I grabbed her hand, stopping her from going out there. I put my hand on her shoulder. “I’ll see why he’s here.”

I walked outside, noting how much cooler it had gotten since I’d started my shift. Mickey looked at me with a surprised expression that he quickly hid, as I approached.

“Hey, everything okay? You’ve been sitting out here for a while.”

“That I have. I wanted ye to come to me. Took ye long enough.”

“What on Earth are you talking about?” I asked even though I somehow felt like I understood what he meant. I just didn't want to admit it. I sighed, “Mickey, go home.”

“Nah. Was wondering what time yer done?”

Evelyn who must’ve been listening in from the doorway to Benny’s shouted, “She just has to cash out!” I was going to kill her.

“Let me take ye for a ride.”

“Why?”

I was genuinely confused. He’d started to show interest, and then he backed off, which I was grateful for. I really had no idea why he was back to trying to get me to get on the back of his bike. Over the last two weeks, I’d thought a lot about the times I’d been on his bike, and what I thought was that, undoubtedly, I’d liked it. I also thought that him no longer coming around had been for the best.

“I’ve already made myself clear, that I like ye. I’d like to know more about ye. It was a shock to hear ye were married, but my daughter set me straight.”

My heart hammered in my chest. His daughter. What a fool, was I. “Oh?” I asked with an unsureness to my voice that made my voice quiver.

“Yes, she reminded me it doesn't matter about yer past and seeing as yer here, and he’s not, and based on those marks on yer body, he didn't really earn the title.”

I felt confused. You know that saying about absence? Well, Drake’s absence only made me hate him more, where Mickey’s absence definitely made me miss him. Not that I even really knew much about him. But that damn kiss of his was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. Then, there was Talon. Talon was...

“Yer overthinking.” He swung his leg off of his bike and headed towards me. I was still in my head thinking about Talon and how hard this was for her when Mickey swiftly put both hands on the side of my face, and he kissed me.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

All thoughts were completely obliterated. My entire body reacted to him. His lips were soft and the tickle of his beard that had grown in more over that last two weeks brushed against my face. At first, my hands were still. Then, I couldn't help myself. Right there, out in the open I went for it. My hands were tugging at his hair. My entire body was lit up. I pawed at him, and he kissed the fuck out of my mouth. It was hard, then soft, and then deep and suggestive. I moved my hand inside his vest. I had to touch him; get closer to him. My hand brushed against metal; most likely his gun. It barely registered. Nothing did. It was just him and me. My hand brushed again against his gun, and I moved past it. Those things were always in the way. Mickey noticed this time though, and he abruptly pulled away from me.

I was panting. Hard. He stared at me as if trying to figure me out.

“Ye ready to ride?”

Fuck.

“I can’t,” I told him trying to calm the ache between my legs, because make no mistake, him breaking the kiss was hell. I couldn't remember the last time I’d felt this wanton.

“Marie,” he said my name thick with a roll of his tongue that sounded just as needy for me as I was for him.

I shook my head, “It’s Talon. We have plans. We’re painting our bedrooms.”

At that, he smiled. “I’ll bring dinner,” he turned on his boot, then walked back to his bike. I stood there staring while Mickey backed the bike away from his spot and pulled onto the road.

“Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!” Evelyn repeated as soon as I walked back into Benny’s.

“And to think I thought you were quiet when I started.” I glared thinking that she was anything but quiet – telling Mickey what time I was off.

“Oh, stop. You should be thanking me. That kiss he just gave you...” She fanned herself and walked away laughing like it was the funniest thing.

***

TALON WAS PULLING HER bed away from the wall and prepping her room for paint when I got home. She was wearing light pink overalls, and her blonde hair was tied in a messy knot on the top of her head.

“Hey, Mom!” she called out when I stepped in her doorway. “How was work?”

“It was good. How was school?”

She sighed, “School was school. I miss my friends.”

“I know, honey. Meet any new girlfriends this week.”

“Nope, they’re all still bitches.”

“Talon,” I said her name with a bite to let her know I didn’t like her language.

“Well, this Tina-girl got all kinds of mad today because her boyfriend came over to where I was eating lunch and tried to talk to me. I wasn't at all interested. She made a scene, and I was about to punch her, Mom. I swear to God, if Zeke didn't intervene I would’ve...”

“Talon,” I cut her off. “You gotta be smarter than that, honey. Violence isn't the answer.”

“Dad would’ve said...”

I cut her off again, “I don’t care what he would’ve said. It wouldn't have been right.”

“What’s not right is someone disrespecting me.”

I took a deep breath. I let Drake instill this attitude. This was my fault. “Tina was jealous of you. You’re pretty. This was her insecurity, not yours. If you were to hit her, that would show a few things. First, it would show that you’re weak, because you couldn't deal with a problem with words. Secondly, using your fist is ugly. You want to show her up? You act like class, not trash.”

I waited for a beat to let my words sink in, and they eventually seemed to. She changed the subject. “So, what are we having for dinner?”

“About that,” I was unable to finish my sentence, because there was a knock at the door.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

“It’s probably Mickey. He wanted to bring us dinner. I’ll just go get the door.” I moved out of her room and to the door before Talon could protest. Mickey stood holding two boxes of pizza, a six pack of beer and behind him, Zeke was carrying a twelve pack of soda and a bucket filled with rollers and paint supplies.

“Hi,” I said in a breathy whisper that surprised me. Nervous jitters filled my belly, and that was a shock to me too. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt anything like that with Drake.

“I brought a helper. Hope pizza is okay?”

“Thanks, Mickey.” Talon didn't seem to be as upset about the fact that Mickey was there once she saw Zeke. I figured out pretty quickly that she had a crush on him.

“Why don’t we have some dinner, then we’ll help ye ladies get those rooms painted.”

Talon was quick to respond to Mickey, “Mom and I can get these painted just fine.”

“Ah, don’t be like that, pretty bird,” Zeke flirted, throwing his arm over Talon’s shoulder. Talon’s cheeks turned pink, and she moved to a pizza box, that was now on the coffee table, and opened it. Zeke didn't waste time swooping in and grabbing a piece, eating half of it in one bite.

Talon’s resistance seemed to fade.Mickey opened the other box. “What’s your poison? Cheese or Meat Lovers?”

“I’ll take the meat,” I answered and watched amusement flicker in Mickey’s eyes. I immediately cottoned on to how that sounded.

“So, Marie, where’d ye grow up?” Mickey asked after he’d watched me take a bite of pizza.

“Oklahoma,” I answered not thinking about the fact that I was giving him information on me. “Small town. Left when I was young. Never looked back.”

“Really?” Talon asked, “I always thought you were from Florida. How did I not know that?”

“Florida, huh?” Mickey asked, and I felt like Talon just gave away a vital piece of info about us. I shrugged off Mickey’s question and focused on Talon’s instead.

“Nope, there was nothing in Oklahoma, but cornfields and cows.”

“Where’d you meet Dad, then?” Talon seemed fascinated by my answers. I realized I'd spent a long time not talking to her because Drake made me feel so closed in.

“I was working at some shitty bar off the interstate.”

“You bartended? Even then?” Talon was on a roll with her questions.

“Yeah, I waited tables until I was old enough to pass for old enough to bartend.”

“You lied about your age?” Talon stared at me, like I grew an extra head.

“Sometimes.” I shrugged.

“So, how old were you then when you met Dad?” There it was again, Talon bringing up Drake. I finally realized what she was doing. She wanted him on my mind with Mickey here.

“I was twenty-two. Hey, Zeke? Talon had a rough day today. Some girl named Tina’s boyfriend was showing too much interest in her and Tina got mad. Do you know him? Maybe you can ask him to back off.”

“Mom,” she scolded, “I can handle it.”

Zeke’s face hardened. He didn’t seem quite so innocent anymore.

“Was it Aaron Fletcher?” he asked Talon. Her face was red with embarrassment, and she looked to me. Her eyes screamed, ‘thanks, mom’.

“It doesn’t matter,” Talon huffed.

Zeke grabbed another slice of pizza and said, “Marie, you mind if I talk to Talon out on the porch?”

“Go, ahead.” I tilted my head to the door. Talon followed a semi-ticked off Zeke outside.

“Something’s brewing between those two. Remind your boy she’s thirteen.”

“I know. I told him on the walk over that he needed to be respectful, that said he’s only a couple years older. He’s fifteen, he’s not twenty-five. Ye can’t keep her under lock and key. She is going to have boys interested in her, especially looking the way she looks.”

Mickey handed me a beer, then opened one for himself. I nodded to let him know I understood what he was saying; but still, thirteen was thirteen. “So, you were with her dad for over sixteen years?” Mickey was an observant, smart man.

“Almost seventeen,” I sighed. “Listen, she was bringing him up, because she’s mad that you’re here, but I don’t want to talk about him.”

“The only way yer going to be able to heal from what ye’ve been through is to talk about it, talk about him. I’m here. I’ll listen. Just saying, ye don't need to protect me from anything. Figuring ye understand, seeing as I got a club, that I can handle myself, and when I say that, know that I can really handle myself.” Mickey’s fingers brushed against the small of my back when the door opened, and Talon and Zeke walked back in.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

Zeke answered, “Yeah. We’re good. Going to move that bed now.” Mickey followed Zeke into the bedroom. A minute later, I watched as they emerged with Talon's mattress on its side. Talon grabbed another slice of pizza and opened a can of soda. They shoved the mattress against the wall and went into my room doing the same thing.

We finished our food and met the guys in Talon’s room. Her dresser was pushed to the middle of the room. Mickey directed Zeke on how to cut in with a paintbrush. Zeke was a fast learner, and he quickly got the hang of it. Talon grabbed a roller and started on the wall.

“Let’s start the other room, and leave the kids to it.” Mickey motioned with his head and we left Talon and Zeke to get started on my room. Mickey grabbed a paintbrush and began edging. When his bicep flexed with the brush movement, the beautiful tattoo on his arm seemed to stretch and pull as he made each brushstroke. I began to roll out the wall, when there was a knock at the front door.

Mickey saw the flash of fear in my eyes, and there was nothing I could do to hide it. He placed his hand on my shoulder, “Don’t worry. They’re here for me. I’ll be right back. Wait here.”

I listened, because for some strange reason, I was starting to trust Mickey, and gosh wasn’t that a strange and scary feeling all on its own. A few minutes later, Mickey came back, and I had half of one wall rolled out.

He continued to cut the walls with a paintbrush, and we were blowing through this work. We had a comfortable conversation, and I couldn't believe how laid back Mickey seemed. I asked him about growing up in Ireland, and he regaled me with stories of a very violent Ireland, which unsurprisingly didn't faze me. When we were finished painting, I decided to check on Zeke and Talon. They were about two-thirds done, so I picked up a roller and helped them finish. I got to see some of Zeke’s personality, and I was deciding that maybe it wasn’t so terrible that he was showing interest in Talon.

I was setting the roller down, when I noticed Mickey leaning against the door frame holding a beer in his hand. He had a few specks of paint in his beard. I wanted to rub my fingers through it and get it out for him, which was completely bizarre.

“Talon, did your mom tell ye I have a daughter?” Mickey asked Talon surprising me.

“Nope. She doesn’t really mention you,” Talon shot off. It took a lot for me to hold my tongue and not say anything back. I wanted to see where Mickey was going with this.

“Her name is Maura, She’s older than ye. Married now too.”

“Okay,” she responded in a so-what kind of way.

“Maura’s the shit,” Zeke said and was met with a glare from Mickey for his choice of words. Talon’s shoulders sagged, and she seemed to back down some from her bratty attitude.

“She had an amazing bedroom set that we took down a few years back. It’s just been sitting in storage. I’d like ye to have it. Every teenage girl should have a nice room.”

“Really?” Talon asked skeptically.

“Absolutely. How about we grab some ice-cream in town, then hopefully the paint will be dry by the time we come back?

“Cool,” she replied, not sure what to make of Mickey.

Mickey ushered us out fairly quickly. I barely noticed that the furniture he was talking about was already in the living room. We got ice-cream; Zeke and Talon laughed a lot. I was quiet for the most part just taking everything in. Zeke asked Mickey a question, and it got Mickey talking. There was something so charismatic about him that, little by little, I saw him sucking Talon into his charm.

We were gone maybe an hour or so, when we pulled back up to the cottage. A few Devil’s Crusaders were walking out of my place. I gave Mickey a look that said ‘what is happening?’ and was surprised when he gave me a look back with raised eyebrows that said, ‘you’ll see’.

I passed Jules who stopped once he saw Talon, “How old are you?” he asked her making me nervous because of the president patch, just below the one-percenter patch.

“Thirteen,” Talon answered with no hesitation. Yes, you could tell she wasn't afraid of a biker.

“My wife and I have a little girl, and we just found out she’s pregnant again. She could use a hand sometimes looking after Serenity. You wouldn't be there by yourself, but I’d love to see her get some sleep and I’ll pay you of course. That’s if your mom says it’s okay.” He looked to me, and I gave him a slight nod.

“Really? Wow. I’m totally interested. That would be cool.” Zeke smiled at Talon, and we said good-bye to Jules. He seemed so kind and normal compared to the men in Drake’s club, but I knew better than to trust first impressions.

I was shocked when we walked in. “Bed set is a twin,” Mickey said to Talon. “so I had them switch rooms. My buddy owns a mattress store in town, and I had him drop off mattresses too.”

“You what?” I asked, because this was way more than he should’ve done. Mickey put his hand up,

“The mattresses were discontinued and on clearance. Barely cost a thing. I just know people.”

I knew I should’ve asked him to take them back, but the truth was, I was so sick of sleeping on a lumpy mattress. My neck was always kinked.

I followed Talon into the bedroom that had been mine. My breath caught. The furniture was beautiful. Dark rich wood with a wooden plank canopy over the bed, a matching vanity and dresser, all had intricately carved flowers detailing it. It was stunning.

“Oh my God! It’s beautiful!” Talon squealed and hugged Mickey. That’s right! She hugged him. It only lasted for a second, but wow.

“Thank you,” she released him.

I don’t know why but that simple gesture from her to him, made tears form in my eyes. Maybe it was the fact that I couldn't remember the last time Drake had hugged his daughter? Perhaps it was just how naturally kind Mickey seemed to be? I wasn't sure what it was, exactly.

In that sweet moment, all I wanted to do was run again. I knew right then and there that Mickey was his own kind of danger to me the kind where I had to worry about my heart.