“Yes. No. Probably not,” she answered softly and then burst into tears, grabbing one of the many scarves around her waist and drying her eyes.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I hated tears. Nothing made me feel more helpless, more useless than a woman with tears in her eyes. I vowed, after leaving my family and my hometown of Rose Petal, Texas, that I’d never feel that way again. And now, look at me.
Fuck.
All I could do was wrap my arms around her and hold her close while she cried her eyes out, clinging to me and leaving my t-shirt a soggy mess. Thankfully, she didn’t have any makeup on so I was just wet.
“Ah shit, Rocky.”
She took my words the wrong way, pulling back and sitting tall in the wooden kitchen chair as she wiped away all traces of her tears.
“Sorry. Shit, I’m really sorry, Dallas.” She stood, her legs a little wobbly as she walked the few steps to the sink, rinsing out her glass. “Seriously, I’m sorry.”
“Should I ask again?” It was obvious she needed help just as it was obvious she didn’t want to tell me why. Or ask for my help.
Her southern California tanned skin paled and she shook her head as she sat back in the chair. “No. I’m not dying. Not right now, anyway.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Remember that guy you saved me from the night we met?” I nodded, how could I forget that neck-tattooed freak with bad hair and worse fucking manners. “He’s a henchman for my ex. Ex-employer and ex-lover. Genesis.”
I snorted. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Anyway, he’s got a partner and they’ve upped their bullshit since we last saw each other but at first it was just dumb but inconvenient shit. Slashed tires and a vandalized apartment. I can handle that. I know they thought I’d get scared and go running back to Genesis, but I didn’t. But now, they’ve attacked Kody.”
“Your boyfriend?” She’d said nothing about a boyfriend during our night together, but they could have gotten together in the two months since. The thought fucking rankled. It shouldn’t have, but it damn well did.
She laughed. “No, Kody is my friend. The first real friend I’ve ever had, actually, which is why seeing him with a black eye really messed with my head. But Kody is … great. He’s a sensitive guy. A chef with a boyfriend he plans on marrying soon, but it doesn’t matter. They’ve ruined our friendship, so I had to leave San Diego.”
An ex who couldn’t take rejection wasn’t that big of a deal, even if he was a gangster, so none of this told me why it was my door she’d knocked on. We’d hooked up in San Diego but that was months and miles ago. This was Mayhem, close to Vegas. Not that big of a jump but definitely not San Diego. Again, I wanted to know why she landed on my doorstep.
“Because, Dallas.”
I winced at her use of my given name. No one ever called me Dallas. Hell, I didn’t even know why I introduced myself to her like that. The name was a reminder of everything I’d left behind, everything I hated about home. Family. “Lasso. Call me Lasso.”
Red brows rose dramatically. “Considering what that says about me, I’ll pass. Anyway, I had to leave because who knows what they’ll do now, and my situation changed about the same time Kody showed up with his black eye.” She sighed, wringing her hands in the fabric of her orangish-pink skirt. “I’m pregnant, Dallas. It’s yours but that’s not why I’m here. I just need…just…a few days to make a plan.”
Pregnant? Pregnant. Pregnant? The word sounded in my head until it had absolutely no meaning, other than what it meant for my life. My future. She was still talking but I’d stopped listening. I just watched her lips move but the sound didn’t register. Lush pink lips moved, occasionally her fingers ran through thick red hair but otherwise she just talked.
“I know this is a lot to take in, Dallas, and I’m damn sorry for that, but I was acting on instinct. I don’t need money. I just need to lie low for a few days. No one knows you who could connect us. Please.” Her brows dipped low and her shoulders fell. Resignation.
“You’re pregnant?” Words finally came and they were…idiotic.
“I am. You’re the only man I’ve been with in two years, but like I said, I’m not asking for anything else. Not cash, not your belief, or your protection other than a few days’ safety of this place nobody knows about.”
“How long?” The words came out harsher than I meant them to, but it was the first thought that came to mind.
She sighed, disappointed but again, resigned. “Right. Maybe a week or two, but let’s just say three days? Can you give me three days?”
Shit. What the hell kind of shit was she involved in that she wasn’t cursing me out for not offering more help? She said she was carrying my baby. Shouldn’t she be demanding my protection and my financial assistance? “Is this a scam or some kind of game?”
“No,” she laughed bitterly. “It’s neither of those things but you don’t know me to know that. I get it,” she said with a casual shrug that told me she did get it. Her green eyes were sad but determined as she finished her water and stood. “See you around, Dallas.”
No. Hell no. There was no way I’d fall for this trick. This little game meant to tug on my emotions. Good thing I didn’t have any emotions because I didn’t trust anyone but my brothers. A few of the old timers were married, some had permanent old ladies and even some of my friends had gotten loved up, but I didn’t trust women. I liked them, but when the time came that they dicked over my brothers, I’d be the first in line to make sure they paid the price.
Still, I felt like an asshole. She was pregnant and had an angry ex after her, and I was turning her way. But what if she isn’t pregnant? That was the question my conscience kept poking and prodding my brain with. The practical side of me wanted to know what if she was, and that thought had me on my feet at the front door just in time to see her pull the door open on an old black Chevy Blazer with matted paint. “What kind of trouble are you in, exactly?”