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  Eventually, he took her into what the sign proclaimed to be the Chickamauga Battlefield, where he once again went off on a side road, but this time he pulled over and cut the engine.

  A woman stepped out of the woods, and Danny said, “I’ll stow your helmet, and you can put your black jacket back on.” He motioned to the woman. “Iris, this is Harmony. Harmony, this is my Iris. Take care of her.”

  Iris nearly lost her balance when she got off and took a step. She was used to vibrating, and she wasn’t anymore. Danny caught her, and she let him hold her a few seconds until she found her equilibrium.

  “Thanks. I’m good.”

  “Harmony’s family. You can tell her anything, and you can trust her with your life. I’ll be about fifteen or twenty minutes. Take your time in the woods if you want, or go on into the house and snoop. I’ve told her to answer any personal questions about me with absolute truth. She can’t answer questions about the club though, so please don’t put her in a tight spot.”

  He motioned them to get started, and she followed Harmony into the woods.

  “He’ll stow your helmet and jacket, and then head somewhere else to take the solid black skin off his helmet, so he’ll look like himself when he comes home.”

  “How well do you know Danny?”

  “I’m married to the club’s head geek, and Mac is kind of his protégé. Or, he was. He can hold his own now. I’m a geek too, so the three of us speak the same language.”

  Danny told her to ask questions, even personal ones, so she asked what might have otherwise been considered rude. “Had you ever heard about me before he asked you to walk me through the woods?”

  “No. He kept your secrets.”

  “How much do you know?”

  “He told the MC’s Prez and VP the whole story, and since I’m married to the VP, I know a lot of it. None of the other women are going to know the whole thing. His brothers will eventually know the brunt of it, because you bring a security risk they need to be aware of, but they won’t know the details Duke and Brain know.”

  “Brain?”

  “Do you know anything about the biker lifestyle?”

  “I saw Sons of Anarchy.”

  “Then you at least know about the nicknames. Chibs. Tig. Juice. Half-sack. My husband’s the resident hacker, so they call him Brain.”

  “Danny says he’s McGyver.”

  “Right, because he’s a genius who’s quick on his feet. The story goes, he once managed a roadside repair with a bottle cap, some chewing gum, an ol’lady’s earring, and a quarter — and it held for forty miles until they rode into a town where he could buy the proper parts. He does our geek stuff, but he’s also a helluva mechanic.”

  “You said I bring a security risk?”

  “We like to fly under the radar. A brother dating an heiress can put us in the spotlight. Add to that the fact she has security monitoring her, and thus monitoring Mac when he’s with her…”

  “Dating?”

  “Seeing. Friends with. Whatever. It doesn’t mean we don’t want you around. One of the brothers is a close relative of a high-ranking Senator. We deal with whatever comes at us, but secrets can get people hurt.” Harmony stopped walking and turned to Iris. “If Mac loves you, that makes you family. We take care of family.” She took a breath. “I’ve never seen him this… look, I care about him, and I want to threaten you not to hurt him, except you look a little terrified, and I need to make sure you see me as a friend. So, even though I’ll be upset with you if you hurt him, I’ll still be your friend. Okay?”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re important to him, and even if you hurt him, he’ll want to make sure you’re okay.” She shrugged. “Also, you remind me a little of myself, once upon a time. I like you.”

  She turned and started walking again, and Iris followed.

  “You know all of this about me, but I don’t know anything about you.”

  “I own horses. I do summer adventure camps on my land. I rent space in my stables for other people’s horses, and I give riding lessons. I’m the wife of a brainiac biker. More than that, I think you’ll have to learn as you go.”

  “I used to barrel race, but I haven’t been on a horse in over a year. Do you let people pay to ride?”

  “Family doesn’t pay, but getting you to…” She stopped and grinned. “That’s it!”

  “What?”

  “You’ll find out about my stables through a friend of a friend. We’ll have to work that out, but it’s doable. You and I will become friends, and then it’ll be easier for you to see Mac. You can drive to the house, and then getting you to him will be a piece of cake.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I need to think everything through, and I need to figure out who Danny is, now. I mean, I haven’t asked, but I’m assuming he does illegal stuff. He knows way too much about how to move around without being followed or tracked. I knew him in high school, and he’s a man now. I need to get to know him again.”

  “He’s one of the good guys. I hope you can see that, once you’ve spent some time with him.”

  They stopped near the edge of the forest, and Iris got her first look at the back of Danny’s house.

  Iris grew up in a thirty-two thousand square foot mansion. Her bedroom was high in a turret, so she felt like the princess her father wanted her to be. The summer she was home from school, after the Danny incident, the mansion had become a prison. Her ex-army governess had made sure she had no contact with the outside world. They’d gone to New York on the family’s jet for her back-to-school shopping, lest they run into someone she knew at a local store.

  And then school had started back, and she’d discovered her father had helped the school hire a whole slew of ex-military security to make sure no student was out of bounds at any time. Officially, the change in security was to keep the students safe, which of course was a load of hogwash.

  She brought her mind back to the present. Danny’s backyard led to a welcoming covered patio, and she could see good outdoor furniture on the deck, too. The structure wasn’t a mansion, but it was a damned nice house. Sure, it kind of looked like a vacation rental, but a high dollar one. It blended with the forest, and she recognized the thick glass in the large picture windows to be bulletproof — and there were acres of it in the back of the house, though she couldn’t see inside. With the tree canopy, and the woods so close, she figured Danny would feel as if he was part of the forest, even when inside. He’d hated being cooped up indoors for long periods.

  She followed Harmony to a door under the deck and watched her key in the alarm code.

  “He said not to hide anything from you, and I’m taking him at his word. Ordinarily, I’d have moved my body so you couldn’t see the code.”

  “This is his house?”

  “Yeah. Not many geeks enjoy the outdoors, but he does. A lot.”

  She’d been right — her Danny had brought the forest into his home. His family had lived in a lean-to in the forest, so it made sense he’d want to be close to the woods, but she hadn’t expected this. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but the gleaming wood and beautiful granite bar top… maybe the boy had grown into the man without taking too many detours.

  Not as many as she’d taken, anyway.

  They walked into what can only be described as a man cave, with huge leather sofas, a giant television screen, and every gaming console known to man. Speechless, she followed Harmony upstairs to a great room full of light and air, and it was obvious the kitchen was the heart of the home. Granite and stainless, in earth tones, with a deep green tying everything together — the trim of the cabinets, the handles and pulls, the baseboards, and the valance over the window.

  Iris turned in a circle and wanted to cry. “I am so damned happy for him.”

  “He worked with the builder and picked everything out from the ground up. He said to give you the grand tour.” She pointed towards the other side of the house. “The master suite and a guest bedroom
are that way. There’s also a big damned garage off to the side.”

  “Where’s the restroom?”

  “The guest bathroom is the middle door on that wall. There’s another downstairs, and another one off his bedroom.”

  Iris walked to the middle door, stepped inside, and was once again surprised. She knew the difference between quality fixtures and economy crap, and nothing about this room was cheap — a waterfall faucet on a raised bowl sink, and a claw-footed tub with the most modern, old-fashioned shower set-up money could buy. If this was the guest bathroom, what must his look like?

  She heard a motorcycle while she used the restroom, and he was in the great room by the time she washed her hands and came out.

  And there he was. Larger than life. At home in his space. Her clit chose that moment to awaken and fire to life, but she wanted more than sex and touch from this man. She wanted him. His heart. His warmth. She wanted to wake to those eyes and that voice every day.

  But her father would destroy him, if he found out. She knew she couldn’t have him, but she so desperately wanted her Danny back. She kept telling herself he could be hers after she got her trust fund, but in her heart, she knew it wasn’t possible. Her father crushed people he wanted out of her life. Even people he shouldn’t be able to crush — like royalty in other countries — were no match for him. Her father didn’t know she’d learned what he’d done. She hadn’t known how to bring it up to him. Also, she was a little horrified at the magnitude of his retaliation. It made her even more worried for Danny.

  She had him today, though. She gave him her best smile, and she didn’t have to fake it. “Your home is beautiful. I’m so happy for you, Danny. Happy for you and proud of you. You’ve made a life for yourself.” Which was more than she could say for herself.

  Harmony walked to her and hugged her before she could fend her off, and held onto Iris while she said, “I wasn’t a hugger when I first came to Chattanooga with Brain, but I’ve been converted. You’re important to Mac, so you’re important to the club.” She pulled back. “I bought clothes for you to wear home, and you’ll find one of my business cards in the pants pocket. I hope you’ll call me so we can go riding, but I also hope you’ll call me if you need anything.”

  “I’d love to go riding, so I’ll probably take you up on that, but I guess I need to talk to Danny before I figure out…” She trailed off, unsure of what to say. She liked Harmony, but she couldn’t put Danny in her father’s crosshairs again.

  “It’s okay. I get it. I’ll leave ya’ll to talk.”

  Harmony hugged Danny next, and he seemed to squeeze her extra tight, but then he let go, walked her to the door, and saw her out.

  “Thanks for bringing me here. I’m starting to see the man you’ve become, and I think I really like him.”

  “I have waffle mix waiting in the fridge, and fresh steaks ready for the grill.” He grinned. “Guess what else?”

  “If you have blueberry syrup, I’ll…” She started to say she’d kiss him, but was that a good idea?

  Danny filled in for her and kept it from being awkward. “Of course I have blueberry syrup, and real butter, and extra blueberries, and whipped cream.”

  The two cooked together as if they were used to being a team, and within twenty minutes, they’d sat down to a feast. Steaks, waffles with blueberry syrup, and bacon. Did it get any better than this for breakfast?

  “How are your parents? Your brothers and sisters?” she asked.

  “Same as always. Happy in the backwoods, no desire to leave. Life’s pretty simple for them, and they like it that way.”

  “But it wasn’t enough for you.”

  “You know it wasn’t. I’m sorry about your mom. How’s your dad? It had to be hell for the two of you.”

  Iris didn’t want to talk about it. Her mother’s death had finally made her understand the need for her own security, and she’d stopped escaping them every chance she could find. She felt safe with Danny, but what if someone had grabbed her on the way to the library? She didn’t want to talk about it, though, so she talked about another aspect of dealing with her mother’s death.

  “Daddy never really let her be a mom. He made all the decisions, so she was more like a big sister, or just another governess. I mean, I loved her, and losing her hurt, but probably not like most people who lose their mom. I actually went to therapy because I couldn’t cry, at first. I thought something was wrong with me.” Eventually, the tears had come, and then she hadn’t been able to get them to stop.

  “Nothing’s wrong with you, Blueberry.”

  Iris stabbed a few blueberries and waved her fork around with a grin. “There’s a lot wrong with me, but I’m learning it’s okay to not be perfect.” She looked around and met his gaze. “But in nine years, you’ve made a life for yourself, and Daddy’s still supporting me and telling me what I can and can’t do. I’m working towards some goals now, but I was a total fuck-up for a while.”

  “This year in Chattanooga, a few years in Knoxville for post-grad work, and then where?”

  She sighed. “Excellent question, but I have no idea. I don’t want to go to UT’s business college. I want to study art and photography, but he doesn’t need to know that just yet. I’m following his plan until I’m twenty-five, and then I’ll be able to follow my own plan.” She shrugged. “Saying it out loud, sitting in your beautiful home, sounds really lame. You got off your ass and took care of yourself without any help, and I’m still using Daddy’s credit cards.”

  “Apples and oranges. Your dad very carefully made sure you’d always be dependent on him. My family forced me to be independent before I hit middle school.”

  Iris could only stare at him, because, fuck, he was right. He was fucking right. Daddy had molded her to need him, and not to step out on her own. He’d made sure she couldn’t take care of herself.

  Her scent went sour and she stopped breathing, and McGyver froze. The wolf kept him still when he wanted to reach out to her, and the wolf was right. She wasn’t ready for him to hold her.

  The wolf’s instincts told him to give her a minute, and the man waited.

  Her eyes were haunted. Her lips open, as if she’d been caught off guard.

  And she didn’t breathe.

  Finally, she sucked in a breath and asked, “Why did I never see that before?”

  “Does the fish see the water? Do we see the air? When you’re so submerged in something, you don’t notice it.”

  She shook her head. “Did the math stuff I sent you make sense?”

  She wasn’t on firm ground, so she stepped onto it by changing the subject. She’d learned well from her father.

  “Of course it did, and how uncomfortable does a conversation have to be if you voluntarily change it to anything math related?”

  “Pretty damned uncomfortable,” she admitted. “Why haven’t you married? Has there been anyone serious?”

  “A few serious, but none anywhere close to marriage material.” He shrugged. “No one could compare to you, and I realize I probably shouldn’t have just said that, but fuck it, because it’s the truth.” Damn, he was screwing this up, but he couldn’t help it.

  “I think I’m in the same boat. Everyone wants to get in my pants, but you wouldn’t get in mine even though I tried to talk you into it. No one compares to you, either. You saw me. I don’t think anyone else has.”

  McGyver shook his head. That couldn’t be right. “No one? How could they not?”

  She shrugged. “They see my money, or my bad grades, or my car, or my looks, or some combination of those things, but no one’s seen my soul — my wants, needs, wishes, hopes. You’re the only person in my life who’s ever seen me as smart.”

  Chapter 6

  Danny didn’t seem to understand how no one could have seen her as smart, and it made her want to get lost in his arms and forget about the rest of the world, but she couldn’t do that.

  He knew the girl. He had no idea what the woman had done. She
’d been a party girl for so many years, no one expected her to be serious about anything. God, if Danny knew how many men she’d fucked, and all of the things she’d done, would he even want her?

  Maybe not. Probably not.

  Thankfully, the conversation moved away from the subject, and the afternoon progressed in skips and starts. Food, dishes, math, more food, and Iris wasn’t sure what came next. She remembered that Danny ate every two or three hours though, and she snacked on some raw veggies while he ate two more steaks.

  Their fingers inadvertently touched a few times while he explained math models and equations — a dark swath of heat, and the same electricity she remembered from high school, so her heart sped and jumped with every touch. His hands may as well have been a defibrillator. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but damn. Did he feel it, too?

  It’d never been like this with any other man. Why Danny? It was like he was her other half, and she was incomplete without him.

  She craved the feel of his arms around her. Her emotions were all over the place, and she struggled to keep the vortex of feelings under control.

  A knock came at the front door, and he groaned. “Looks like you’re meeting the ol’ladies now,” he told her. “Harmony wouldn’t do this if she didn’t think you were up to it. You must’ve made an impression on her.”

  The door opened, and Harmony walked in with four other women. “She did,” Harmony smiled at Iris. “This is Gen, Bethany, Constance, and Angelica.” She sat on a kitchen chair, Angelica hopped up and sat on the island, and the other women took seats in the great room. It was an open floorplan designed for entertaining, so it worked. Did her Danny entertain? She’d have never believed it of the boy, but she could see the man welcoming friends in and enjoying their company.

  “Harmony and I are going to take her home,” said Angelica. “Brain says Aaron Drake’s recently been in the lobby of her dorm. We’ll run by and let her pet the horses first. She needs to shower and change.”