A knock at the door had me shooting up in bed. “Yes?”

Rev poked his head in. “I just wanted to see if you were awake.”

I offered him a smile. “I woke up a few minutes ago, but I’m lying here being lazy.”

“I wouldn’t call it being lazy. It’s more like you need the rest.”

“Yes, Dr. Malloy.”

“Anyway, I came in to see if you wanted some breakfast.”

“Yes, but I can fix it. I don’t want you to wait on me.”

A sheepish expression came over his face. “Actually, Mama Beth cooked. She called earlier to see if we wanted to come over.”

“I would love to. I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

“Okay,” he replied before closing the door.

I threw back the covers and hurried into the bathroom. Rev had informed me last night how he and his brothers had worked on remodeling the old duplexes into one house. Next door to us was Deacon and Alexandra’s house, and on the other side of them was Bishop. Apparently some of the other club officers lived in the other houses.

While he might’ve been worried about what I would think of his house, I found it gorgeous. If you had walked inside not knowing the occupant was the member of an MC club, your first impression would have been that someone highly intellectual lived there. Like me, Rev seemed to love anything old, so the furniture could have fit in among the contents of any antiques store. I couldn’t wait to explore the wall-to-wall bookshelves in the living room.

After I brushed my teeth, splashed some water on my face, and threw my hair, which was about one wash from being back to its natural color, into a ponytail, I came out of the bathroom and slipped into the clothes I had worn the day before. I was hoping in the next few days to find a local branch of my bank. I didn’t want Rev to continue paying for food and clothes. I already owed him far too much.

When I came out of the bedroom, I found him in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. It was when he turned around to face me that I did a double take. “Your beard,” I gasped.

He ran his hand over his smooth, hairless face. “Yeah, I don’t usually wear one. The guys gave me some shit last night about it, so I figured it was time to get rid of it.”

It was surprising how different he looked—younger, softer, and maybe more approachable. As I continued staring at him, he ran a hand over his face. “Do I look that bad?”

I shook my head furiously. “No, no, it’s not that at all. It’s just I’ve never seen you without a beard.”

“From your expression, it looks like you prefer me with one.”

“Actually, I think I like you without one just as much as with one.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I do.”

He grinned. “Then you’d be one of the few who does like me with a beard. The guys were calling me Professor Malloy last night, like I was trying to be some pompous ass instead of a hard-ass.”

I waved my hand dismissively. “Don’t listen to them. Grow it back if you want.”

“I’ll take it under consideration.” He crossed the room to open the door. “Ready?”

“I am.”

We made the quick walk across the street to Rev’s mother’s house. Even after spending the evening with her, I still found it hard to call her Beth, as she had requested. “Mrs. Malloy” seemed to come off my tongue easier.

I wasn’t too surprised to find the table laden with food and occupants. Deacon was fixing Willow a plate while Alexandra helped Beth get the food on the table. A sleepy-eyed Bishop lounged in a chair, dressed in nothing but boxer shorts.

At the sight of his brother’s half-naked form, Rev cleared his throat. Bishop stopped rubbing his eyes to question, “What?”

“I think you can afford our guest a little more decency,” Rev replied through gritted teeth. I knew he was worried that seeing a half-naked man might be a trigger for me. The truth was a stranger might have bothered me, but I knew Bishop well enough to know he wasn’t a threat.

“Seriously?” Bishop questioned.

“Dead serious.”

As Bishop started to argue with him, Deacon smacked him on the back of the head. “I’m with Rev. You need to have a little more respect for the women.”

“I thought we were all family here,” Bishop argued.

Alexandra set down a plate of bacon. Then she patted Bishop’s shoulder. “Your brothers are just worried that they might look bad in front of us after we’ve seen your magnificent form.”

Her lighthearted response was just what the room needed to ease the tension. Bishop immediately hopped out of his chair. “When you put it like that, I’m more than happy to cover up so these douchebags can save face.”

I laughed and Alexandra smiled, while Rev and Deacon only shook their heads at their brother’s antics. “What’s a douchebag?” Willow asked innocently.

Deacon groaned. “It’s not a nice word, and your Uncle B should get in trouble for saying it.”

When I noticed that Willow had the alligator Rev had given her in the crook of her arm, I nudged him. “Looks like someone really likes her present.”

Rev grinned. He then went over and bestowed a kiss on Willow’s cheek. “You like that ugly old alligator, huh?”

Willow nodded and then craned her neck to stare up at Rev. “You cut off your beard.”

“I did. Do you like it?”

“Oh yes. It tickled too much when you kissed me.”

Rev laughed. “Then I’m glad I shaved it off.”