****
Teri woke with her brain thumping to get out of her skull.
She sat up in bed, eyes still closed, rubbing at the part of her head that refused to cooperate and be a normal head. Wincing, she tried to open her eyes, but they were not happy with the bright light coming in between the small slit of the open curtain.
With her gaze now focused on her surroundings, she noticed this wasn’t her room and Damon stood by her side, holding out his hand and a glass of water. “Here, take these.” He dropped two pills into her hand.
“I don’t take drugs.”
Damon snorted. “They’re not drugs. They’re painkillers, the kind you can get over the counter without any trouble at all.”
She slipped them into her mouth, swallowing the water.
He surprised her more when he turned and suddenly produced a tray with breakfast on it. Toast, fresh fruit, and orange juice. Her mouth watered.
“I figured you’d be hungry.”
She was.
Being hungover always made her so. With the tray on her lap, she picked up a piece of toast and immediately bit into it. The toast was dry but that was fine. She ignored the butter he’d placed on the side.
She knew her body wouldn’t be able to eat the grease. Even a small slather of it across the surface of her toast. After picking up the fork, she pierced a piece of apricot and popped it into her mouth.
As she glanced up at Damon, he sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at his cell phone.
“Do you want to eat something?” she asked.
“No. This is for you. I’ve already eaten. Beauty made me one of her breakfast sandwiches.”
Teri froze.
She knew Beauty, the latest club whore to stay at the club. The woman was a beauty. Flawless skin, a natural blonde, the brothers claimed, and what was more, she was nice. It was hard to hate her, but knowing she’d made Damon a sandwich pissed Teri off. Of all the people within the club, why did Beauty have to single out Damon? Why him? There were plenty of willing men who’d do anything to fuck the young woman.
Damon was a sexy guy, glasses and all. He had this way about him that put everyone at ease. He was a natural.
She picked up her orange juice, watching Damon as he typed on his cell phone. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but nothing came to mind.
Biting into her toast, she watched Damon turn toward her, holding out her cell phone.
“If I give you this back, do you promise not to play matchmaker?”
“Matchmaker?”
“Yep. Last night you were determined to bring Lucy and Dane back together.”
She winced. “Please tell me I didn’t do anything stupid.”
“I made sure you didn’t, Teri. You know I’ve got your back.”
She did know that. He seemed to be the only guy who did.
“If you don’t remember that, then maybe you can remember my suggestion in getting Kitty to help you guys find a replacement for her at the apartment?”
Teri rubbed at her brow. “No, I don’t remember.”
Kitty actually had an amazing taste in people. Anna, who she hadn’t wanted to move in because of the baby, was a really good roommate. Cole also happened to be a real sweetheart as well. Not that she’d go around telling anyone.
No one needed to know that she got up and fed him in the middle of the night so Anna could get some sleep. Not every single night, but she woke up and helped out nonetheless. The truth was—and she’d never told anyone—she loved kids. The idea of a family, a big one, appealed to her. When she was a kid, she had wanted lots of brothers and sisters, but her mother hated what kids did to her figure. When Teri left home, it had gotten worse for her younger sister.
Sometime between leaving home and being where she was now, her priorities had changed. Hanging out with an MC club, screwing a few of the club boys, being labeled as a club whore, and just recently a homewrecker, had put any idea of a family on the back burner. She didn’t deserve to have that kind of happiness.
Cole though, he made her so broody. Constantly reminding her of what she once wanted. The idea of being barefoot, pregnant, baking cookies, and going to football games didn’t appeal to a lot of women, but to Teri, it was a giant hole in her heart where those ideas really met.
She wanted to be a mother, but no one would have her.
“So, er, how is Beauty holding up?” she asked.
“Popular with the guys. You know how it is. Fresh meat for them and all.” Damon turned to look at her.
“Have you … tapped that?” Teri asked. Why was this so difficult all of a sudden? It wasn’t like she had any interest in Damon.