Bikers Librarian (Lords of Mayhem 1)

“I’m pretty sure he does. He looks at you like you’re the only woman in existence.” Hil rested a hand on her shoulder.

Running a hand through her hair, Juliette smoothed down imagined stray pieces and took a deep breath. “What do I do if this falls through? I’ve never been so wrapped up in a man. Not even Peter.”

“Love means taking risks. Even if it starts out well, people change and grow in different directions. Look at my parents. Forty-some years of marriage and he up and leaves her for his floozy secretary who’s half his age.” Hil shook her head. “We can’t know what the future holds. We can only live in the now.”

Amazing how three words could fuck up your frame of mind. What she had with Peter hadn’t been love, not really. Logically she knew it, but her heart and her body associated pain and heartache with the L word. It was a potent thing to fend off.

“I allowed myself to think what happened wouldn’t affect me anymore, but it creeps up and pops out like a jack in the box at the most unexpected times.” Self-deprecating laughter escaped her lips as she accepted her emotions, pieced herself back together and calmed.

“We all have triggers like that. Look at me. I’m afraid to trust a man enough to date him for an entirely different reason. I was an adult when my parents divorced, but it still dicked with my head.” Hil shrugged.

“Thank you for never letting me feel completely alone.” Juliette leaned in and hugged her. “Now I should probably be getting back.”

“Are you going to call Shooter and take some time off?”

Stepping away from the tree onto the sidewalk, they began the walk to the library.

Chapter Eleven

Juliette smoothed down her hair and stepped from the car. Today she planned on coming clean with her mother about Shooter. She would hit the roof, but too much time had already passed. After dodging her questions about Daniel for weeks, her mom was running out of patience. She walked up to the front door and used her keys to let herself in.

“Mom!” She inhaled the familiar smell of her favorite dish, chicken dumplings.

“In the kitchen, honey.”

Locking the door behind her, she walked into the kitchen and smiled. Her mother was timeless. Five-foot-six with kind, almond-shaped brown eyes and an angular bob, the years had been good to her.

“Hey, baby.” She placed the lid on the pot and turned to her with open arms. Bending down, Juliette hugged her mother tight, inhaling the floral perfume she’d associated with her since childhood.

“Hi, Mom.”

“It’s good to see you, stranger. Danielmust be keeping you mighty busy.”

“I know. I’m sorry, but this smells good!” Juliette made a display of inhaling the aroma of the food.

“Uh huh.” Her mother shook her index finger back and forth. “Don’t try that weak distraction method. What’s been going on with you and the mystery man?” She narrowed her eyes. “Why haven’t I met him yet?”

“I’d hoped to build up to this,” Juliette said wryly.

“Just spit it out. You’ve held on to your secrets long enough. I tried to mind my own business but I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“I know. Thank you for giving me space.”

“Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Let’s take this conversation to the couch.”

She followed her mom to the brown suede sofa. Settling on the couch, they turned to face each other.

What could she say about Shooter that wouldn’t send her mother into heart palpitations? “Daniel. Well he’s not like anyone we’ve ever known before. First off, he goes by the name Shooter. A name he got from his time spent in the Marine Corps. He rides a motorcycle, and he co-owns a few businesses with friends that do fairly well. He’s the cliché. Tall, dark and extremely handsome.”

“I can tell by the look in your eyes and the emotions in your voice you care a great deal already. What I want to know is why you’ve kept him from me for so long.”

“He and his motorcycle enthusiast friends have a…group.”

“A group? Are you trying to tell me he?

?s in a motorcycle gang?”

“No, it’s a club.”