Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“Now?” I ask, doing my best not to curl my nose at the mention of Dom. I don’t really like the man. I’d hate to have something to be grateful to him for. Still, if he’s the reason I met Torin, I guess I have no choice.
“I feel at home here. The brotherhood I’ve found is something I never knew I’d have. They’re my family.”
I nod. His words are similar to the ones that I’ve heard from Raze, one of Mattie’s closer friends in the club. “I’m glad you have that,” I tell him. I’m not lying, I mean it, but I can’t help but wish he wasn’t part of my father’s club. It would make things easier. I’m not stupid. I know that if Dad finds out about me seeing Torin, he will go nuts. I’ll have to handle this very carefully, I suppose. It will definitely be complicated. I need to keep who I am hidden—at least for a little while. I need time to get to know Torin and make sure what we’re feeling is real. Then, I can try to explain things to Torin. In the meantime, I need to make sure he won’t let Dad’s reaction scare him off. That’s going to take time. I let out a sigh. I’ll have to find some way to make sure he doesn’t hate me when he finds out that I’ve been hiding some big secrets from him …
Jesus, sometimes I wish I just had a normal family.
“Right now, I’m thinking my luck has turned around here in Kentucky,” Torin says, interrupting my thoughts.
“What do you mean?”
“Because I’ve met you,” he practically purrs as Izzy brings our food in.
“Thanks, Izzy,” I respond, clearing my throat because Torin is making me want to jump in his lap and claim him here and now.
“No worries. Is your mom doing better? Her office called, and she had to cancel her appointments last week.” Izzy blows her bangs out of her eyes and rubs her back while she stares at me. She mostly ignores Torin. I’m hoping that means she hasn’t listened to our private conversation. I don’t want her letting things slip to Mom.
“She’s fine. She’s getting over a nasty battle with covid. She goes back to work tomorrow,” I explain.
“That’s good. She’s one of the best doctors around. Told me you were going to follow in her footsteps.”
Joker turns to look at me and I can feel myself blush. While I enjoy being the focus of all his attention, I don’t necessarily like it because he’s learned something about me I wasn’t quite ready to share just yet.
“I’m planning on it,” I murmur.
“She’s very proud of you,” Izzy says, and I feel warmth spread through me. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. “You tell her I miss her. We never have ladies night anymore. We need to fix that.”
“I’ll tell her,” I answer, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally goes back into the kitchen.
“A doctor, huh? You sure you aren’t too good for me, Peaches?”
“Stop that. I think you’re amazing,” I tell him honestly.
“But then, you don’t know me,” he says, studying my face.
“You don’t know me either, Torin. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that right here with you is exactly where I want to be.”
“What is your mom—the doctor—going to think when she sees you slumming with the likes of me?”
I laugh. “Trust me, she’s not immune to a hot guy on a bike. Now, I can think of a better question for you to ask.”
“You can?”
“Oh, yeah,” I drawl.
“What is it? No fair keeping me in suspense,” he responds with a grin. The trepidation I saw on his face when he found out I was going to med school lightens and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“The question you should be asking is when I’m going to play doctor with you?”
“Are you wanting to play with my very large stethoscope, Peaches?”
For a second, I just stare at him. Then, laughter bubbles out loud and free with his joke. Torin even joins me, laughing harder than I’ve heard before. It makes me feel proud of myself because once again it strikes me that it seems he hasn't laughed much in his life. I’m about to ask him just how big his stethoscope is when I hear the door open. In the background, I can hear a group of men chuckling. I ignore them. I only want to concentrate on Torin.
“Skylar? Joker? What the fuck is going on here?”
I turn immediately and face my very irate brother. I guess I won’t be able to keep my secret as long as I wanted.
Damn it.
Chapter 3
Skylar
“Breaker? You know—”
Panic hits me. I feel it spreading through my system, but I can’t allow it. I have to do damage control and try to salvage this. I put my hand on Torin to stop him. He recoils under my touch and puts distance between us, making my heart physically hurt. With a sigh, I walk over to my big brother. “Tone it down, Mattie,” I snap. “It’s not what you are thinking,” I kind of lie.