Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“Of course. Anything.”
She swallowed, obviously nervous but determined to plow on. “Why do you keep taking me for rides on that pink bike?”
I let out a surprised chuckle, not able to help the burst of mirth. Lemon, the bitch, had painted my Harley pink because she said Gina had always wanted a pink bike. So Lemon had made it happen. But she’d told Gina I’d insisted she do it because I wanted to make things right with her. Lemon had told me I could thank her later. I suppose now was later.
“You don’t like it? I mean, I can stop --”
“No!” She interrupted, reaching out to grip my wrist firmly, like she was trying to prevent me from doing anything drastic. I had to grin because I knew there was no way she wanted me to stop taking her on those rides. “I love it! I cried the first day you pulled up on it and told me we were going to take a spin around the compound. I know the guys give you shit about it, but you haven’t had it repainted or traded it off. I just wondered, you know…” She pulled her hand away from my arm and I felt the loss. I liked that she’d kept the contact as long as she had. “Why would you keep riding with me on it when you hate the color?”
This, I had an answer for. I reached out slowly, giving her time to pull back if she didn’t want my touch. She turned her hand over, and I laced my fingers through hers lightly. “Because you cried the first day I pulled up and told you we were goin’ on a ride.”
She sucked in a breath and her eyes got glassy with tears. I gave her what I was sure was a thunderous look, but honestly, I couldn’t help it. I panicked! “Don’t you dare cry on me.”
Thankfully, she must have seen the humor in the situation because she laughed through her tears. “I never knew such hard men could be so affected by a girl’s tears. I mean, I thought you guys weren’t exactly sympathetic types, but I’m beginning to think otherwise. I’ve noticed that if one of the old ladies so much as has a lower lip start quivering, you go rounding up the wagons and calling in reinforcements to make the tears stop.” She shook her head even as she smiled and used her free hand to wipe at her eyes with a napkin. “It’s not natural.”
I chuckled, relief flooding me I’d managed to stave off those fucking tears. “I agree, honey. It ain’t natural. But our women seemed to have done that to us. And you know what else?” When she smiled and shook her head like she couldn’t wait to hear this, I continued, “We love every fuckin’ second of it, and I could give a good Goddamn if everyone in the club knows how we feel.”
Chapter Two
Gina
When I first came to Grim Road, I thought I’d found a paradise. It hadn’t taken long for Hammer to make me realize how wrong I’d been. I thought he loved me or I’d never have come here with him. I still don’t know why he wanted me at the compound. There were women here who would let him do whatever he wanted to them. Well, within reason. I’d heard the women discussing some of the guys and knew they all believed they had protection if anyone got too rough.
Now, I knew the girls were right. I’d also found out Hammer was the exception rather than the norm. It took me a long while -- and constant reassurance by Lemon -- to get to a place where I felt comfortable with the guys here. I still wasn’t comfortable with everyone. It was hard to look them in the face after Hammer had basically whored me out to them all.
I knew the guys wouldn’t hurt me now. When Hammer had me under his control, he had me convinced his brothers in this MC would make me wish I was dead if I ever went against him. Grim Road’s compound was hidden in a wildlife reserve. I had no idea how they’d managed that, but I was smart enough to know if this place was a secret, they wouldn’t let me leave alive.
Lemon had told me I could go if I wanted and she’d make sure I had a place to live but I was reluctant to leave Grim Road. Yes, I’d been terrorized for a year and a half, but I truly understood the difference between Hammer and the other guys in Grim I’d met. When Hammer took me, I had nothing. No one. I’d been living on the street. At Grim Road, now that they realized I hadn’t been here willingly, I had someone looking after me. Several someones. Falcon hadn’t been the only one to take me on a bike ride, but he was the one who was still around. He was the one who always came around to check on me or make me get out of the house into the fresh air.