Pushing the Limit

Peppermint

Icheck my phone again before putting it in my purse and tossing it behind the bar. I’m not sending another message. I am absolutely not calling him. It’s been a week. A full week. And I haven’t heard anything from Dash. He won’t answer my calls or reply to my texts. We’ve been inseparable, and now…nothing.

Whatever we had, it’s over.

I don’t want to be hurt. Don’t want to ache for him. But, dammit, I do. I’m not certain how I expected it to end, but I did expect to have a conversation about it at least.

“Sorry, I’m late. My shift went over at the factory.”

Allie smiles over at me. “It’s okay. We’re just starting to get busy. At least we hired some help.” The moment she says that, the new waitress drops her tray of drinks and glass shatters all over the floor. “If you can call it help.”

I giggle and assure Allie I’ll cover the bar while she goes to help the new girl. I start cutting up limes when some patrons come in. The Fallen Eagles. The Haven isn’t in their territory but since they have the alliance with the Bastards, they’re welcome here. They haven’t been back since we opened, though.

“And we meet again,” Owen says, taking a seat across from me.

“It’s not like you didn’t know where I was.”

“And I wanted to get back here sooner. Had some shit to deal with,” he explains, although he doesn’t have to. “How’s she doing?”

“You mean the new waitress?”

He smiles, and I remember how that smile used to give me tingles all the way to my toes. Honestly, it still does, but I was so consumed with Dash, I didn’t recognize that feeling.

“I mean, my niece.”

My eyes go wide. “I had no idea. Sorry about that.”

“I had to get her out of the damn clubhouse. She was driving me up the wall.”

“She’ll get the hang of it.”

“I’d rather her be here breaking shit than breaking it at my place. She’s angry at the fucking world.”

I frown. “Wasn’t she taken? By Dean?”

His jaw clenches. “Yes, but we got her back safely. That should be what matters to her. She won’t talk about it, though. Just wants to raise hell. Constantly.”

“I’m sure she’s dealing with it in her own way. Give her some time.”

I put my hand over his in a comforting gesture, and he rubs his thumb over my skin. Heat blooms instantly. That chemistry we had before is still there.

“Damn, it’s been a long time, but you still get to me, Piper.”

“It has been a long time, and I have no idea what you’ve been up to all these years aside from becoming the president of the Fallen Eagles. I didn’t think you wanted to follow in your dad’s footsteps. How did that happen?”

“Well, this girl broke my fucking heart,” he says. “And I didn’t know what to do with myself. The club was my outlet. Gave me something to focus on besides how much I missed her.”

Me. That girl is me. He brings my hand up to his mouth and presses a kiss to it, his lips soft against my palm. When I chose Ryan, I knew I couldn’t tell Owen. Knew I couldn’t face him. If I had, I wouldn’t have been able to leave.

“I always thought about you.”

I laugh a little. “I doubt that. You had the club, and I know what that means for loneliness.”

“Physical company doesn’t mean you’re not lonely,” he says. “It took me some time, but I did have someone else for a while. Gave her my patch. Made her mine. Wasn’t going to make that same mistake again and lose her the way I lost you. But you know what? I still lost her. She wasn’t cut out for this lifestyle. Not the way I thought she was. Not the way you are.”

He still hasn’t let go of my hand, and I haven’t made an effort to pull it away. I even leave it there when Dash walks in, his eyes narrowing at us. He shouldn’t be jealous, not when he’s the one who ended things. And I’m at a point in my life where I don’t want to keep waiting on the good things. Don’t want to keep living with regret.

I used to love the man in front of me. What if this is our opportunity for a second chance? Do I take it or risk losing it for a boy who doesn’t know what he wants?