Butch stared at his president without saying a word. He would listen to whatever the men had to say before returning to work. This was the life he wanted now. None of them knew the true danger that they faced. Butch had lived through it once, and he wasn’t doing it again.
“He doesn’t care, Tiny. Leave him alone.” Alex leaned forward. “We want you to come back.”
“No. I’m not coming back.”
“We need you. Devil’s got something going on, and we’re all going to be in danger if we don’t band together.”
Holding his hand up, Butch shook his head. “I’m not going to argue with you. I’m not coming back. I’m out. I’ve got an appointment with a tattooist, and he’s going to black out my club markings. You’ve got all my leather cuts. I’m done, and I’m out. I don’t need to know any more shit.”
“You’re being an ass**le,” Tiny said.
“Who is causing a problem?” Butch asked.
Tiny stayed silent as Alex leaned forward, linking his fingers together in front of him. “A man known as Frederick Gonzalez. He’s ruffled Devil’s feathers, and when I asked Ned Walker, Eva’s father has told us to stay clear of the bastard. Frederick is not a man to be trifled with.”
Whistling, Butch looked out of the window thinking about Cheryl. Something tingled in his mind about the name. He couldn’t grasp the memory, but he saw a boy leaning over him when he got shot. No, it couldn’t be related. There was no way it could. His past was dead. This wasn’t his problem anymore. Cheryl was his problem. The club used to be his life, and he’d been out of it for a month and already there was a new enemy.
“I’m not coming back. I’ve got a life.”
“Is a cunt really worth this?” Alex asked.
Fisting his hands, he glared at the other man. “Yeah, she is.”
“I don’t have a clue who this woman is, but she must have one golden pu**y to keep you away from us all.”
“She’s not keeping me away. I’m choosing to be away.” Butch stood up. He was finished with this conversation. They could turn up trying to bring him back, but he wasn’t going to let anything happen. He was in love with Cheryl Barnes, and he wouldn’t do anything to mess that up. “Coffee is on me.” None of them had touched the cups in front of them. He made his way to the back of the shop and refused to let anyone disrupt him from his own thoughts.
He was making the right decision. Danger, when it came to the club, always ended in violence. The last few years had proven that.
****
Cheryl finished wrapping up the bouquet of red roses for Nash. He handed her a card to write up the payment. She didn’t speak to him other than to offer advice on the kind of flowers his wife would want. Nash was one of only a few men who came to the store to buy flowers. She loved making the bouquets they requested. Some of the men had amazing taste when it came to color.
“Lash says you’re the best, and I have to say, Sophia is going to love me for these,” he said.
She smiled, handing him back a receipt and his card. “I hope she likes them.” Seconds later he left the shop without a word about Butch. One month ago she’d woken up at two in the morning to find Butch waiting on her doorstep. For the first time since she’d met him, he hadn’t been wearing a leather jacket with The Skulls logo on. She hadn’t recognized him at first until she saw his green eyes. There was no way she’d ever forget those green eyes. From the moment she first met him in the church those eyes had plagued her. Living in Fort Wills for the last ten years hadn’t given her any clue as to who all the members of the local MC club were. She didn’t pay much attention to all the men. Her thoughts were preoccupied elsewhere.
When the door was closed behind Nash she went back to finishing up her summer display with bright, vibrant colors. Her thoughts returned to Butch like they always did when she was alone. The first week he quit The Skulls he’d spent the nights on her sofa, against her mother’s advice. After that week he found a place of his own, but he kept coming around to see her. She didn’t know what he wanted. There were times she truly thought he was going to kiss her, and then at others, he seemed more a friend than a potential boyfriend. She was going crazy thinking about him.
Ever since Matthew’s father left without getting in touch with her, she’d not been with any other man. No one knew who fathered her child, and she was going to keep it that way. He was an older man who’d used her for a weekend of fun. The first time she’d gone about experimenting had been the biggest mistake she’d ever made.
Glancing down at her watch she saw it was past five and she needed to get home. She didn’t volunteer at the church tonight. Matthew got all of her attention, which she was thankful for. There were times she really didn’t feel she had enough time with him. Her son was three years old and going to be starting school very soon. She wanted to get him to spell his own name before he got there.
Her mother helped with his care throughout the day while Cheryl was working. Tying her hair behind her head she started to lock up the shop. She wondered what her mother had been doing with Matthew as she exited the shop. Turning toward the road she jumped. Butch sat on his motorcycle waiting for her.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said.
“Butch, you scared me.” She pressed a hand to her chest.
“I thought I’d give you a lift home.”
“What do you want out of it?” she asked, dubious about the lift.
He laughed. The sound went straight to her pu**y, making her melt. She tensed at the sudden assault of pleasure. He was the first man since Matthew’s father to turn her on. She’d been a virgin, and one weekend of pleasure had changed that for the rest of her life. Coming away she’d no longer been a virgin but also pregnant. She learned her lesson about giving into pleasure. For now, she kept Butch at arms’ length, even though she wanted him more every time she saw him.
“I was thinking dinner and a movie.” Butch held up a DVD. Seeing the romantic comedy in his hands, Cheryl laughed.
“You’re willing to watch a film you’ve criticized so that I can cook you dinner?” She stepped closer inhaling his musky male scent. In all of her life the smell of sweat and male had never been quite so addictive.
“Your food is worth it.”
She chuckled, feeling his infectious laughter get to her. “Okay, I’ll cook you dinner, but you’re totally doing the dishes.”