“Yeah, thanks.” He waved on his way out.
Ava swiveled her stool to face me. “Karma ran out twenty minutes ago. She had to pick up Nova from school because she threw up.” She grimaced. “Can you take her appointments?”
“Dang, poor kid. What’s Karma got going on?”
I pulled up the schedule on the computer and saw Sugar’s name.
“As you can see, Sugar should be here in fifteen minutes. But all she’s getting is a teardrop. That shouldn’t take long, right?”
I couldn’t speak. I recalled catching a glimpse of Eve’s ink below her tit after we’d finished fucking. She had a dark cloud with rain falling from it. In the center was an inscription I wasn’t able to read.
“Art?”
“Yeah, it’s no problem. I can take Karma’s appointments.”
Ire entered the shop. “Hey, Art.”
“Yo. What’s the word?” I gave him a look. The meeting with Deek was in a few days. I hadn’t been told I was going, but Hero had told me this morning to be ready just in case.
Ire kissed Ava on the cheek. “Babe, you ready for lunch? I forgot I have a training session in an hour.”
“Yes, let me grab my purse.” She left for the back office.
“You’re going,” Ire told me. “Prez is supposed to tell you later.”
“Figured.” The meeting with Deek should be friendly. He’d asked Storm to help rebuild the TC Vipers MC since we crippled them. His request had shocked the hell out of all of us. Storm had told him we needed to think about it. On Saturday, Deek would get the club’s decision which we hadn’t officially voted on yet.
Ava returned and went to Ire’s side.
“Enjoy your lunch.” I nodded to them.
“Thanks, Art. I won’t forget your Blizzard.”
“Appreciate it.” I acted relaxed to hide my excitement. My woman was coming. Hot damn!
As soon as they left, I picked up the business phone to cancel my next appointment. I wanted as much time as I could get with Eve. We rarely had time alone at the compound with people in and out. It sucked that someone was always around. It sucked big time.
With Ava gone for an hour and Karma home to take care of her kid, I would seize the opportunity.
Knowing Eve, she’d want to reschedule and try to leave, but I’d convince her to stay.
After the beatdown I’d gotten when we crashed the Viper’s clubhouse, I’d been more determined to be with Eve. It might seem crazy that I loved an older woman, that I’d want a future with her. So what? I shouldn’t have to explain why and I wouldn’t.
Eve’s fear of an uproar in the club frustrated me. I was a member, so we were in the clear with the bylaws. It was our fucking age difference holding her back. And her sons. Their approval meant more than her own desires. I respected her feelings. For as long as I’d been around, Eve had been a devoted, protective mom. I loved that about her, but she deserved to be happy. Her boys weren’t young kids. They were grown men who should support their mom in whatever she wanted, even if it was me.
I went to my room where I worked on my clients so Eve wouldn’t see me through the window and bolt. I paced in the small room, far too nervous to even formulate a plan. She’d arrive any second. What would I say?
My eyes ping-ponged off the walls covered in my artwork. Usually, pride swelled in my chest when I admired my drawings. But I couldn’t focus on a single piece of paper with the chaos brutalizing my brain.
Think, man, think! Don’t fuck this up!
How could I think when all I wanted was my lips on hers? My hands tingled to touch every inch of Eve’s body, to discover and memorize all of her.
I needed her.
Fucking ached for her.
“Hello, Karma?”