Free Stone Cold (An Iron Tornadoes MC Romance) by Olivia Rigal

and panting on the bed.
    That's when he proves to me that I was dead right. It was just a one-time thing. This was not about love; this was all about pride. His pride demanded that rematch, and now that he's paid back his debt—with interest, as he so elegantly put it—he tells me, "I guess I should take you home."
    There’s not a shred of tenderness left in his voice. As we put our clothes back on in silence I wonder if there never was any. Probably not. It was all an illusion. I only heard what I wanted to hear.  

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

    Getting back to work has done me a world of good, first because I'm a social animal and a team player. Staying at home with my mother was getting to me. Being part of a crew cheers me up. It took me all of one shift to realize my new boss was a strange character with unpredictable mood swings. Since no one ever knows when or why lightning's going to strike, the entire staff are really tight-knit. They all have each other's back. Whereas Lyv creates solidarity by creating a pleasant work atmosphere, this man does it by being the common enemy. I miss Lyv, and I miss New York, but I make do.
    The other benefit of the work—aside from the money, which is not bad—is that when I get home at night, I'm so tired I don't toss and turn anymore. When my head hits the pillow, I fall into instant oblivion. I still have dreams in which David is calling to me, but they're becoming less frequent. I wish the same was true about the dreams I have about Brian.
    It's been a month since he brought me home from the MC house, and I haven't seen him since. I now see members of his MC everywhere, however. I'm not sure there are more of them around than before. It might just be one of those things that I've been told pregnant women experience all the time: the second they find out they're expecting, they see big round bellies all around. So maybe it's just a question of awareness. The Iron Tornadoes is an old MC. Chances are they've always been around town, but I never saw them before, because their presence had no meaning for me. Now I can't help but notice, since they're Brian's family now and I'm pretty sure they're associated with my brother's death. Also, I can recognize some of them.  
    I'm rolling my ride out of the garage when my mother catches up with me.
    "Lisa, dear," she says as I put my small helmet on. "Since it's on your way to work, would you mind dropping this at the police station? Steven forgot his lunch when he left this morning."
    Without waiting for my answer, she's already putting away a brown paper bag in my saddlebag.
    "Sure, Mom." I wonder how Captain Williams will feel about having his lunch dropped off at the reception desk.
    It's a short ride to the station. That's probably why my mother and the captain have decided that he will sell his home and move in with her when they're married. He proposed three weeks after David's funeral. I guess at their age, they feel there's no point in beating around the bush. Since my mother accepted, he's become a permanent fixture in our house. Watching my mother coming back to life is making him grow on me, but I'm still not comfortable around him. He's obviously not comfortable around me, either.
    A few days ago, he asked me when I planned to return north.
    "Not to rush you or chase you away," he explained. "It's just that we obviously can't do the wedding without you, so I want to get things organized before you fly back."
    They've set the date for August first, and a few days later, I will return to school for my final year. I'm so glad he proposed before the law school administration had a chance to start preparing my transfer application.
    Yeah, Captain Williams is not my favorite person, but he makes my mother happy, so I'll bring him lunch.
    I leave the bike with the engine running and take the bag into the station. The morning shift staff are still on. Mike is manning the reception area.
    "Hey, Mike. Your boss forgot his lunch in the fridge," I