As time went on and he saw her more often, they got comfortable together as pals, but always with that attraction simmering beneath the surface. Until the night it blew up and they got down and dirty together. God, what a night that had been. When he’d awakened and she was gone, a knot formed in his stomach that hadn’t eased until the night she’d sat on his couch and told him why she’d run away from him.
One week ago and now they were married. It defied explanation, but there it was. He’d married her and he’d claimed her as his own. He wasn’t done claiming her, either. Sex with Kayla was fantastic, better than anything he recalled with any other woman. He was twenty-seven, almost twenty-eight, and he’d had his share of sexual encounters, but none had ever moved him at a deeper level the way being with Kayla did.
He thought of Dirty and Chloe, the way his pal had gone from single and prowling to focused and committed seemingly overnight. Dirty had fallen hard for Chloe and they were still going strong.
After Kayla heated the food and they ate, Neo did the dishes. Then they went to get Ana, as well as the rest of Kayla and Ana’s belongings. They spent time with Camel and Bailey first, sitting on the patio and chatting about how their day had been. Kayla showed Bailey pictures of Ana’s room, with the furniture in boxes and then put together, and Bailey put her hand to her chest and sighed.
“That’s so sweet. Perfect for our little Ana-Banana.”
“It was Zach’s idea to do it today,” Kayla said.
Bailey’s gaze swung to him. “That’s wonderful.”
“It was a good time to do it,” he said. “She was here with you and we could get it done faster. Every little girl deserves a pretty pink room.”
Bailey’s eyes misted. She glanced at Kayla, and he knew she must be thinking about their childhood.
“Yes, they do,” she said softly.
At one point, when Kayla and Bailey went inside to look at a new dress in Bailey’s closet, Neo and Camel discussed what Shade had told him.
“Fuck,” Camel said softly, keeping an eye on the door and his voice down. “Dunn’s working this from prison?”
“Seems like it. He expects to get out soon, so now’s the time to go after Kayla. Before he can be blamed for it.”
“Yeah. I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.”
“Fucking bikers. Shouldn’t be so goddamn hard to find. They wear distinctive jackets and ride noisy-ass Harleys.” Camel blew out an angry breath. “But if they don’t have a known clubhouse yet and they’re laying low, then what’s one more damned Harley in the metro area?”
Pretty much what Neo had been thinking. The Kings of Doom were keeping clean for the moment. If they hadn’t been, there’d be some recent arrest records. They probably didn’t have enough members left to support criminal activity just yet. If Dunn got out and took over, that would change.
“We need to find them before Wednesday.”
Camel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah. We still have a backup plan to deliver the cash and track them, but I’d rather find them first.”
“Me too. If it comes to giving them cash, I’m not letting Kayla deliver it. That’s a dealbreaker.”
“Agreed.”
They didn’t get to say anything else because Kayla and Bailey came back outside. Bailey had Ana on her hip and the sisters were chattering about silk and sandals and some other load of feminine crap Neo didn’t really care about. But Kayla looked happy and carefree, and he wanted more than anything to let her stay that way.
They were there for another hour, then they loaded up the SUV, put Ana into her car seat, and said their goodbyes. It was a chatty trip back home. Not between him and Kayla, but between Kayla and Ana. Kayla said something, and Ana responded with babbling. It was adorable as hell which was why he didn’t interrupt.
He thought about his life just over a week ago when he’d been going home alone, carrying takeout, and eating in front of the television while watching Netflix or YouTube. He’d looked forward to the nights when the team went to Buddy’s so he could eat with other people he liked instead of by himself. He and Shade had prowled the bars a couple of times, but Neo never connected with anyone he wanted to take home.
His life had been lonely since Dirty moved out, no getting around it. He was an introvert at heart, though an extroverted one, so he loved his alone time. But too much time by himself made him miss what it was like to have someone else to talk to whenever he wanted to talk.
Now he had Kayla and Ana in his life. It was an adjustment, but not one he minded making.
When they reached the house, he pulled into the carport and turned off the engine. “Hang on and I’ll help you,” he said to Kayla before she could open the door.
She gave him a sweetly exasperated look. “I can get out of this monster truck by myself. I’m not that short.”
“Monster truck? Cute. I know you can climb down yourself, but let me do it anyway.”
“You’re adorable,” she said. “Okay, I’ll wait.”
He went around to her side and held out a hand to help her. Then he opened the back door and unbuckled Ana from her car seat while she babbled in his face.
“Za!”
“You want pizza, baby girl?” he asked. “I think we’re a little full to order pizza tonight, but maybe your mommy has something yummy for you.”
He lifted Ana from the car seat and handed her to Kayla.
“Take her inside and I’ll get the rest.”
“Are you sure? It’s a lot of stuff.”
“It’s not that much. I got it. Show Ana her room.”
She shook her head. “Not until you’re there, isn’t that right, baby girl? Zach has to be with us. He put everything together for you, my love.”
His chest
