“I’m not sneaking anywhere. I was trying not to wake anyone.”
“Bullshit, Tess.”
“Whip, don’t read any more into it than what it is.”
“Don’t see food in your fuckin’ hands.”
She glanced down at her empty hands and when she glanced up he could read it all over her face that she fucked up. “I need to get back before Dyna wakes up.”
She tried to push past him, but he blocked her with his body and grabbed her arm to stop her. “Nope.”
“You can’t keep me here,” she hissed, trying to tug her arm free from his grasp.
Oh yeah, that guilt was rising again. She was fucking busted.
“Who you doin’?” he asked again. He glanced down the corridor. The only fully-patched members who didn’t have an ol’ lady and still lived in the bunkhouse was him, Easy, Dozer and Woody. He glanced at the bunkroom where Scar, Castle and Bones slept. “You ain’t doin’ one of the prospects.”
He didn’t make it a question because there was only one right answer.
“If I am, it’s none of your business.”
“Tess, Trip will fuckin’ kill whoever the fuck it is.” When she pinned her lips closed, he continued, “You know he has to approach the prez first. And if it’s a fuckin’ prospect…” Whip shook his head. “You just fucked that fucker’s chance of gettin’ patched in. A prospect ain’t gonna get away with fuckin’ the prez’s sister behind his back.”
“Half-sister,” she corrected him.
That deflection was not only weak, that wasn’t how the Fury prez saw it. Half-siblings didn’t exist in his world. Family was family. No halves about it. Hell, he even considered Syn his sister even though they didn’t share a drop of blood. “Sister.”
“And I’m not fucking any of the prospects.”
Whip looked down the corridor again and his gaze landed on the room on the right at the end of the hallway closest to The Barn. His eyes cut back to her, then back to that door. “He needs to approach Trip.”
“Nobody needs to do shit.”
“You’re’ playin’ with fire, Tess.”
“How about you mind your own business?”
“You are my fuckin’ business. Just ‘cause you don’t like it, don’t make it not true.”
Tessa closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Once she released it, she opened her eyes and asked, “So, where are you sneaking in from?”
“Fuck that. You ain’t turnin’ this around on me. And I ain’t sneakin’ in.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Unlike you sneakin’ out.”
They stared at each other for far too long before Tessa said, “I have to go.”
“Yeah, so your ass don’t get caught where it shouldn’t be. And with someone it shouldn’t be with, either.”
She shook her head and stepped around him.
“You’re gonna cause a fuckin’ problem, Tess.”
“I’m not,” she threw over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.” She stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind her.
Whip stared down the long hallway again and at that closed door at the very end. “Ain’t you I’m worried about.”
Whip pulled the Honda into the empty spot in front of Fallon’s room. He had texted her to tell her he was on his way and was surprised when she wasn’t waiting out front. He needed her to drop him back off at the garage.
He shoved the shifter into Park and stared at the closed door. He could text her, he could beep like an impatient motherfucker or he could get his ass out and go knock on her door.
Or, for the hell of it, all three.
If it was up to him he wouldn’t rush back, but Dutch was already on the warpath today and it wouldn’t take much for the garage owner to begin throwing wrenches at anything that moved.
Stepping in Cujo’s shit and getting it stuck in the treads of his boot did not make for a happy old fuck.
He scratched the back of his neck and climbed out of the old four-door sedan, the door screeching loud enough to be cringeworthy as he slammed it shut. As soon as they got back to the garage, he’d hit the hinges with a squirt of grease so Fallon wouldn’t have to deal with it.
Within three long strides, he was pounding on her door with the side of his fist. “Fallon!”
He put his ear to the door and almost tumbled inside when it was flung open. But she wasn’t standing there ready to go.
The doorway was empty. Where the fuck was she?
A hand came out of nowhere, grabbing at his coveralls and yanking him inside.
Once the door slammed shut, he found himself pinned to the inside of the door with the woman’s mouth on his. Fallon was taking it like she fucking owned it.
Whip was not mad about this turn of events. Not at fucking all.
He let her have her way with him for a few minutes, when she finally ended the kiss, they were both panting and Whip was rock hard.