A Perfect Chance Read Online Free Page A

on Lena, who looked in our direction, a crooked smile on her lips. I returned her smile, quite possibly the first I'd ever thrown her way. She reacted immediately, her eyes widening a fraction before she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. I couldn't have resisted the draw the gesture had on my gaze if I'd wanted to. It was the only mouth I'd spent time fantasizing about in years. Fuck, and doing so while in close proximity of her big, protective brother was probably not the smartest move I'd ever made.
    I dragged my gaze away from her and stepped out of Diesel's grasp. He grinned widely at me, genuine relief and gratitude playing on his features. He nodded at me and indicated I should take my seat. I did so willingly, needing the solid wood under me to ground me, give me time to think through what the fuck I was going to do and how I was going to handle the situation.
    "You're bloody golden, brother." He nodded at me once again, his face serious. "Let's set things in motion over the next week, work out what's to be done before I speak to Lena."
    "Sure thing," I responded. "Just let me know what you need from me."
    Diesel angled himself towards Cole. "Is Collins still tight with that counsellor bird?"
    "Janie, yeah." Cole pulled out his phone. "You want me to set something up?"
    "Yeah, get her to meet me, but not here. Let's do it at Mace's office." He looked at me, not looking for approval, just acknowledgement. I dipped my head in acceptance. "Tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. That work for you, Mace?" I nodded. "Good. Make it happen, brother," Diesel continued, once more speaking to Cole.
    Cole stood and made his way out the back, phone already to his ear. Alone, I looked back at Diesel, waiting for his play. "For this to work, I need to know how best to do it." His dropped his voice lower as he continued, "Lena's seen shrinks and whatnot before. Some helped, but then she hit a roadblock and didn't seem to make any progress, you know? Thought I could ask Janie for the best way for this to work. She seems okay. There's been no need for Lena to see anyone recently, but I thought with her making this step, it’s best I speak to someone in the know." He paused, seeming to wait for my response.
    "To see how best to ease the transition?"
    "Exactly." Diesel grinned in approval. "It's gonna push her, but she wants to be pushed. Just need to make sure it's not so fucking far that she falls." His brows dipped together, his eyes never straying from mine. "Tomorrow I'll be telling you shit about Lena. Only a few brothers know the full story, and for this to work, you need to know too." He paused before releasing a heavy breath. "I trust you, Mace, and I need you to know that I expect you to have Lena's back."
    I made to speak. There was no fucking way I could be sticking around for babysitting duty. I was out too often on the job for that level of responsibility. Diesel shook his head and continued, "Not asking you to stop doing your job. I'll figure out the logistics of making sure one of mine is there for her, someone she trusts when you can't be."
    "She trusts me?" I questioned. I remembered every single conversation I'd had with Lena; never could I recall there being a moment where she'd put her trust in me.
    "She trusts me, and I trust you." He took a swig of his beer. "But it's more than that." His eyes tightened a fraction. "I've seen how she looks at you, mostly when you're not looking. I've seen the way she reacts to you too. Her defences don't kick in. She doesn't cower. In fact, it's the fucking opposite."
    I locked my jaw tight, refusing to swallow, refusing to give him any tells that my adrenaline had spiked.
    Shaking his head, Diesel looked half-bemused, half-sick. "I've also seen the way you look at her."
    I stayed stoically silent, my teeth grinding, causing a dull pain to throb in my mouth. I had no idea where the fuck he was going with any of this, especially because he'd asked me to give her a job as well as fucking