Nodding, I got up from the chair to head back inside. “You can come in, you know. Hang out, watch TV.”
“Thanks.” He smiled, looking too boyish to be a biker. “But I’ve got my orders to stay outside.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.”
I had plans to leave him alone, but I wanted to take a shower before Joni showed up. And to do that, I needed someone to Saran wrap my cast. That had been Colt’s job. A sudden stab of loneliness at his absence caught me by surprise.
With a sigh, I went into the kitchen and grabbed the supplies before heading back out onto the porch. “Will you help me?” I asked Cheese.
“Sure.”
While he wrapped my cast I asked, “So, how did you get the nickname Cheese?”
“It’s not a nickname,” he corrected. “It’s a road name.”
“Right. How did you get the road name Cheese?”
“On the night of my initiation, the boys dared me to eat an entire block of cheddar cheese.”
“That’s a weird form of hazing.”
“It was all in good fun.”
“Did you do it?” I asked in amusement.
“Hell yeah, I did it.” He grinned. “The fuckers made fun of me all the next day because I didn’t leave the bathroom.”
“Charming,” I said with a snort.
Placing a final rubber band around my cast he said, “There ya go.”
“Thanks. What’s your real name?”
“Chester,” he said, his tone serious.
Well, at least I understood why he went by Cheese.
I headed back inside and took a fast shower. I was just pulling on a pair of new jeans and a red T-shirt when Joni arrived. With a smile, I offered her a cup of coffee, which she accepted.
“You didn’t have to come over and entertain me,” I said, placing the half-and-half in front of her.
“I know,” she said. “Though I have to say it’s not completely altruistic.”
“You want to grill me, don’t you?”
“Yep.”
“Sister’s prerogative, I guess,” I said with a smile.
“Definitely.” She tapped the rim of her coffee mug. “I’m just going to get down to it. Okay?”
I nodded.
“I think Colt wants to keep you.”
“What’s that now?”
“Keep you. Like, for good.”
“You can’t keep a person. I’m not a sheep in a petting zoo. You don’t just—what are you even saying right now?”
She took a sip of her coffee. “Let me give you a little insight to Colt, okay?”
I nodded, my heart pounding in my ears.
“He hasn’t been the same since our dad died. And that was nineteen years ago.”
“He told me,” I said slowly. “About your dad’s death.”
“Did he.” It sounded like a statement and not a question. “Well, that only confirms my suspicions. You got through his wall. Somehow, you did. In a short time, too. I’ve already seen him smile more, laugh more in two days than he has in years. And I know that’s because of you.”
Her words made me uncomfortable.
“I’ve never seen him behave this way around a woman.”
“Am I supposed to be flattered by that?” I asked, trying to stem the flow of panic.
“Yeah, you should be flattered. Because Colt has the biggest heart in the world, but he’s kept himself shut away.”
“It’s only been a few days, Joni. You know that, right? I don’t think you can assume I’m responsible for Colt’s change.”
“He told you about our dad’s death. Did he tell you about our parents? And how they met?”
I nodded.
“My dad knew my mother was the one the moment he laid eyes on her. And she had no qualms getting on the back of his bike and riding off into the sunset with him. Westons just know.”
“Weston,” I repeated. “That’s your family name?”
“Yes.”
“What’s Colt’s real name?”
“James.”
James.
“What about you?” I asked.
“What about me what?”
I smiled. “Who do you want to keep?”
She sighed. “Zip.”
“No.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh man. It all makes sense now. When I said he offered to let me stay in his home, you went all…”
“Yeah, I went all…” She shook her head. “I knew he was doing it to get Colt’s goat and to make Colt stand up and say he wanted you to stay with him, but it still hit me hard.”
“Why is there no you and Zip?”
“Because he sees me as Colt’s younger sister.”
“You are Colt’s younger sister.”
She shook her head. “You don’t mess around with a club member’s family. Like, you don’t fuck their sisters or cousins or anything. Plus, Zip’s kind of a whore.”
“Excuse me?”
“A man whore. A big, fat, man whore. No, not a big fat one. A big, hot, tatted one.”
“So he sleeps around,” I stated.
“Yup. It should totally be a turn off. I know that. But damn. He’s so fucking hot and I want to keep him and make cute little biker babies. But he avoids me and I avoid him and we both pretend we don’t want to rip each other’s clothes off.”
I laughed. “Plus, babies. What man isn’t terrified of a woman hungry for seed?”
“Do you really have to put it that way? You make me sound like a desperate woman.”
“Sorry.” I grinned.
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Do you want to make cute little biker babies with my brother?”
If I’d been drinking something I would’ve spit it out all over her. “You’re insane. I barely know him.”
“Uh huh.”
“I’m leaving town.”
“Okay,” she said like she didn’t believe me.
“I am.”
She snorted into her coffee.
“You’re cute,” she repeated, “but so oblivious.”
There had been no word from Colt all afternoon. Not that I expected any word from him.
Okay, that was a lie.
I had hoped he would want to check in with me, see how my afternoon with Joni was going or ask if I was taking good care of Cheese.
Joni cooked dinner and refused my help. She left early because she had a morning shift at the hospital. I waved goodbye from the porch and then turned to go back inside. Cheese was in the same spot. He hadn’t moved in hours except for one quick bathroom break.
“Thanks, Cheese,” I said.
“For what?”
“For keeping watch. Sorry it’s so boring.”
He flashed me a cute grin. “I’m glad it’s boring. It means you’re safe.”
“Do you guys really expect trouble?”
“Gotta be prepared for anything. The Iron Horsemen…”
“What?” I demanded.
He scratched his jaw with his thumb. “I shouldn’t say anything.”