I Love You by Brandy Wilson Read Free Book Online

handled everything without having to call the police.
    Dace sat down next to him on the bench, and sighed as she leaned back against the wall.
    “You got good news; he’s going to make it. Why the sigh?”
    “The surgery went well, yeah; but I have to call the dealership in a few hours about my car. Then I have to go rent a car so I can get back and forth to work for a few days until mine is fixed. Ugh.”
    “Use my truck.”
    She sat up straight and looked at him. “What?”
    “Did you forget I live above the bar? The commute for me is a stairway. I think I can handle being without a vehicle for a couple days.” He grinned at her. “Besides, I can always call you up and ask for a ride if I need to go somewhere.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have offered.”
    They sat in companionable silence for a couple of minutes. Tate pulled out his cell phone, and punched in the number for the local taxi service, requesting a pickup at the hospital main desk in thirty minutes.
    “Do you want to wear those scrubs out of here? You’ve got time to shower and change before the taxi gets here.”
    Dace twisted her mouth in a wry grimace. “Actually, this is— was —my last clean pair of scrubs. And shoes. Guess I’ll have to wait till I get home.” Abruptly, she dropped her head into her hands. “Oh geez. My purse and everything from my car is at your bar. I have to go home with you before I can go home.”
    He gave her a sideways look as he arched his brows. “And this is a bad thing because…”
    She opened her mouth to respond, and then started to laugh. “You are thinking like a guy again, aren’t you? Yes, you are irresistible, and I bet you’ve heard that before. If you’re keeping score on sexual interactions, it’s one-zip in my favor, and unless you are into clothing covered in biohazardous fluids, you won’t be getting lucky anytime soon.”
    This woman rocked his world. There was that crazy sense of humor again; the roll-with-the-punches confidence that kicked ass. No false modesty, no pretense of uncertainty about further intimacy; it would happen, but she wanted to clean up first. He could get behind that, since he could use a shower, too. Maybe he could talk her into showering together at his apartment; he could offer to wash her back, along with a few other places…
    “Let’s head toward reception. We can grab another cup of coffee while we wait for our ride.”
    She stood up and held out her hand. Without hesitation, he took it, lacing his fingers through hers as he stood and they started walking.
    “I’ll warn you; the apartment hasn’t been cleaned in a while, but I changed the bed and did laundry yesterday.”
    Dace grinned. “That works for me.”
    Winding their way through the myriad of corridors, they reached the reception area and sat to enjoy their coffees while they waited for the taxi. Tate kept hold of her hand, and she enjoyed the feel of his hard palm against hers. Dace laid her head against his shoulder and had almost dozed off when she heard Tate speak.
    “Uh-oh. We’ve got company.”
    She sat up, and saw Whip and his crew from the Dark Riders MC moving purposefully through the lobby. They were heading toward the receptionist desk when Whip caught sight of Tate and changed directions. He walked up in front of them, and Dace felt Tate’s arm muscles tense.
    “Campbell.”
    “Whip.”
    Greetings exchanged, Whip got down to business, his eyes on Tate. “Heard you had an eventful night. Excitement in the parking lot.”
    Tate shrugged. “It got handled.”
    “So I heard.”
    “Who started it?” Tate’s face was carefully blank.
    Whip scowled. “My sources tell me some pendejos in a black pickup truck came around looking for trouble. Maybe they found some.”
    Tate crossed his arms in front of him. “That kind of trouble I don’t want, not in front of my place. If it happens again, you and I will talk.”
    “That’s why I’m here,