The prospects all shook their heads.
“Good.”
Hustler came to my side. “So then this lesson is over?”
“Yeah.” I jerked my chin to our students to follow us. They piled into a van while Hustler and I straddled our hogs.
I was anxious to get back so I could meet Eve at our little rendezvous spot. Damn, I missed her. In bed at night, I’d think about how she’d given me a piece of her Matt never had. It might not seem like a big deal to some, but for me, it’d meant everything.
On my way back to the Viper’s clubhouse, a call came in from my woman. I hadn’t expected her to call since we’d already had plans to connect at the hotel. If she was canceling, I’d be more than a little upset.
My stomach tightened as I answered. “Sweetness, everything okay?”
“Hi, everything is sort of okay. I was hoping you were on your way already.”
“No, our training class ran a little late.”
“Oh.”
I dialed into the disappointment in her voice. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“I need you. Today’s been horrible. It’s only going to get worse.”
“Shit, what happened?” I waved at Hustler, then pointed that I was turning. He issued a nod to show he understood. I needed to get to my woman.
“When will you get to the hotel? We can talk there.”
“I’m on my way now. Tell me what’s going on.” I’d rather not imagine what might have upset her. I could think up all kinds of shit. I was the kind of person who planned for the worst and hoped for the best.
“I told Maddy, Emilee, and Snow I’m in love with you. Tina already knew.”
I grinned like a fool, but I knew better. Shit was about to hit the fan. “Sweetness, we knew this day would come.”
“I know, but I’m not ready.”
Dammit. “Eve, how long do you want to keep hiding us?”
“Forever?”
“Fuck.”
“I’m kidding.”
“Right.” I bit down on my back molars. “You wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t mean it.”
“Okay, so I meant it a little. But I’m freaking out here. I wanted to be in control of when everyone found out. Not forced into it.”
“Who’s forcing you, Eve?” I shouted as I weaved in and out of cars on the highway. “It sure as hell wasn’t me. I’ve let you have your way from the beginning.”
“Don’t yell at me!” Her voice broke, and I felt like a dick. “Storm suspects something is up. He’s going to question me, and if I lie straight to his face, he’ll never trust me again.”
“Listen to me. Storm’s going to be pissed no matter what. At least he’s not your boss. I’ll probably be demoted after he finds out I’ve been hiding us from him.”
“Oh, Art. Do you really think he’ll do that?” She started to cry.
“Maybe. But sweetness, I don’t care. You’re worth it.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”