“You ready to head back?” Max asked, a warm smile on his face, while Liam’s eyes moved around the table.
She felt Wolf’s arm tighten around her and saw Cole’s eyes move from his brother to the two men. Crystal knew this could get real ugly real fast, and she quickly tried to diffuse it.
“Max, Liam, I want you to meet some friends of mine. This is Cole, Crash and Wolf. Guys this is Max and Liam, two of my bosses.”
Cole and Crash nodded. Wolf just stared.
“How many bosses do you have, Crystal?” Cole asked.
She smiled, trying to put everyone at ease. “Four.”
Cole’s brows rose. “Four? That must be a nightmare.”
She tried to laugh it off. “No. Not at all. They’re great to work for. Really.”
“You the ones that taught her to ride?” Wolf asked.
Crystal turned to smile up at Max. “That was Max, mostly. He was extremely patient teaching me.”
Max grinned down at Crystal. “Our girl here is a wild one. Blastin’ down the highway doin’ ninety-five.”
Cole’s eyes narrowed at the man. “That your doing?”
“The skills? Yeah. The wild side? No.”
Cole nodded, and she saw his eyes move over her shoulder to Wolf as he sat behind her. She twisted to look at him. “I really should be getting back. We start early in the morning.”
Wolf held her eyes. “Where are you staying?”
“There’s an apartment above the shop. I’m staying there.”
“With who?” Wolf asked with an edge to his voice.
“With no one.”
He lifted his chin toward Max and Liam. “And where are they staying?”
“Not with me, Wolf.”
He nodded, as if that was still to be determined.
She moved to get up. “It was good seeing you all.” Her eyes moved around the table. Cole’s eyes went to Wolf, almost as if he was wondering what Wolf was going to do or if he was going to do anything at all.
Surprisingly, Wolf said nothing.
“Well, see you around.” She suddenly felt awkward as hell, and beat a hasty retreat toward the door, Max and Liam on her heels. They walked the two blocks back to the shop, and no one said a word. When they reached the shop, they walked around to the alley in back. Max and Liam escorted her to the exterior wooden stairs that led to the second floor apartment. The tour bus was parked half a block down. They waited at the bottom of the steps until she unlocked the door and entered.
Leaning back against it, she exhaled. Her thoughts going to Wolf. He’d let her walk away. Without a single word. It made her wonder if she’d misread the entire evening. Did the dance, the kiss, the things he said not mean what she’d thought?
She bit her lip, realizing how badly that hurt. God, he still had the power to slay her.
And then her thoughts turned to Max and Liam. She imagined that even now they were reporting back to Jameson and Rory about the ‘friends’ she’d introduced them to tonight. She could only imagine the speculations that would be tossed around.
She shook her head and moved toward the bedroom. She couldn’t think about that now. She needed to curl up and get some sleep.
****
“What the hell was that?” Cole drilled Wolf with a look after Crystal had left.