“I’m sorry.” She laces her fingers with mine. “Do you still see your mom?” she asks.

“No.” It comes out harsh and she flinches. I run my thumb over her knuckles, hoping it soothes her. “Sorry, no, I don’t talk to her. She’s not my favorite person. My dad gave her everything. He worked his ass off to provide for her and all she did was tear him down day in and day out. He tried his best to give her the world and it was never enough. She cheated on him and they divorced about six years ago.”

She doesn’t say anything, but her grip on my hand tightens. “How long has it been?” Her voice is soft.

“Over a year. I have no desire to see her.” I don’t talk about this shit with anyone. Bright is the only person who knows everything, how I feel, how what she did affected my father. I find that I want to tell Kensington. Just as I’m about to tell her everything, there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I yell. Bright pokes his head in the door.

“Hey, I’m going to order some food, you guys hungry?” he asks.

I look at Kens, silently asking what she wants. “If we’re going to the bar, we can just pick something up on the way,” she states.

“We’re good, man,” I tell Bright. He taps the door and shuts it behind him.

“I guess we should go. I don’t need to stay long. I just want to verify the drawer from last night and make sure everyone shows up,” I explain.

She shrugs. “Either way is fine. Are you supposed to be there all night?”

“Usually Bright or I one are there on weekend nights. My staff is capable; I just like to be a part of it. Let them know I’m around.” I tuck a loose curl behind her ear. “Tonight I have something more important. I need you in my arms, in this bed. Preferably sooner rather than later.”

“We have all night,” she quips.

“I know and I plan to have you in my arms every second if it,” I fire back. I stand and pull her to her feet. I lead her back out to my truck to the driver’s side door. Opening the door, I reach in and lift the center console, really loving the fact I don’t have bucket seats. Stepping back, I motion for Kens to climb in. She raises her eyebrows in question, but climbs in anyway. I follow close behind her and place my hand on her leg when she starts to scoot to the passenger side. “Here,” I say and she stops. “I just want you close.” More sappy word vomit, but I can’t seem to stop.

I place one hand on her thigh and one on the wheel and we’re off. We end up going through a drive thru and grabbing sandwiches and fries. We eat them on the way to the bar, finishing up in the parking lot when we arrive. Kens gathers our trash and follows me into the bar. I have her hand clasped tightly in mine. This is a first for me. I don’t bring girls here. I’ve hooked up with a few after closing but never bring them here. The crowd is light; it’s late afternoon, so this is normal for a Saturday. I wave to a few of the regulars and watch as their eyes widen when they see my hand linked with hers.

My chest swells with pride that she’s mine. Another first. I wave to the two guys behind the bar and lead Kens down the hall to my office. Closing the door behind us, I take a seat behind my desk. “Hopefully, this won’t take long,” I tell her.

“Why don’t you let me do that? You can go out and check on the staff,” she suggests.

“Kens, you don’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I want to. It will help me get my feet wet for the externship. I technically don’t need to start my hours until winter quarter, but as long as you sign off that I put my hours in, it will be fine.” She walks around the desk and places her hands on my shoulders and kneads at my muscles. “Let me help you, Max.”

Looking over my shoulder, I wink at her. “Gets you in my bed that much faster, I’m in.”

She giggles. “If that’s your motivation, then yes, it gets me in your bed that much faster.”

She steps to the side as I scoot back in the chair and allow her to take my place. Leaning down, I capture her lips with mine. “I’ll be quick,” I promise her, then walk out the door.

Mike and Andy are working the bar tonight. They’ve both worked here a long time, as far back as when Dad was alive. I know the place will be in good hands.

“Who the hell is that?” Andy asks, tilting his head toward my office.

I growl at the look in his eyes. “Mine,” I grit out.

He holds his hands in the air and backs up a few steps. “Dude, no offense, I’ve just never seen her before,” he explains.

“I’ve never seen you bring anyone here,” Mike adds.

I don’t bother with a reply. They both know what it means; they’re just giving me shit. I take note of the inventory and write down a few things I need to order. I like to order on Sundays so the shipment is here on Tuesday. It’s what Dad did and I figure if it’s not broke, why fix it? The door opens and I see Lance and another guy we ride with, Steve, walk in. They throw their hands up in greeting and cordially I wave back. I’m glad Kens is in the back so I don’t have to deal with him hitting on my girl. I’m going to have to talk to him about that.

“Hey, babe, I’m finished. Anything else you need help with?” she says from behind me.

I’m momentarily frozen at the sound of her calling me babe. I like it way more than I should. Turning to face her, I smile. “No. Thank you for helping with that.” My arm snakes around her waist and I kiss her temple. “I’m almost finished here and then we can go.”

She waves me off. “Take your time.” She grabs a rag and starts wiping down the bar. She fits here, with me.

I turn back to the liquor shelf to finish the inventory, trying to finish what I need to do so we can get the hell out of here. I freeze when I hear his voice.

“Hey, stranger, you working here now?” Lance asks Kensington.

“Hey, Lance. No, I’m not working here. Max and I stopped by so he could do a few things.”

I stand still with my back to them, smiling. My girl worked me right into the conversation.

“Max?” I hear the question in his voice. “You two seem to be spending a lot of time together.”

I grit my teeth and fight the urge to slam my fist into his face. Why the fuck does he care? Taking a deep breath, I force myself to finish the last shelf. I turn around and walk to where she’s standing. I slide my arm around her waist and bring my lips to her ear. “Ready, beautiful?” I whisper.

I know Kens would be pissed if I hit him, so I decide to make it known that she’s mine. Kens laughs when I nip at her neck and pushes away from me. “If you are,” she says, still laughing.

Tearing my gaze from her, I turn and see Lance watching us. “Hey, Lance. How are you, man?” I ask. I purposely smile and kill him with kindness. His eyes travel to my hand that’s gripping her waist.

“Hey,” he finally responds. “What are you two getting into tonight?” he inquires. He tries to make it sound like casual conversation, but I can tell it grates on him that she’s with me.

I look down at Kens. “Just hanging out.” I wink, letting her know what we are doing is so much more than just hanging out.

“Cool, you should join us for a beer,” he says.

“Actually, Max promised me a night in tonight. Maybe another time,” Kensington tells him.

My fucking heart soars! Instead of shying away from us, she jumped in feet first. I know she considers Lance a friend, especially since she has classes with his little sister. I lean down and capture her lips with mine, because in this minute there is nothing else I want more. “Ready when you are, beautiful,” I say breaking the kiss.

“All right, well, I guess I’ll see you around,” Lance says. His eyes are on Kens. He watches her for what seems like an eternity before grabbing his beer and walking away.

Taking a deep breath, I turn my attention to my girl. “Let’s get out of here.”