Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 133511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 534(@250wpm)___ 445(@300wpm)
“Anything’s possible, Mellie. Now get your ass in gear—those kids get pissy if they have to wait too long for the carnival to start.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
PAINTER
Five hours later I pulled up to the shithole of a hotel Gage and I had been staying in the past week, wondering how long I’d be stuck here . . . I was ready to be home again already. Mel had done a number on me, no question. Never gave a damn before where the club sent me or worried how long it would take.
When I turned into the gravel parking lot—yeah, the hotel was that classy—I saw the cherry red Mustang convertible we’d seen in town last weekend parked next to Gage’s truck. Well, wasn’t that just interesting . . . the scandalous Ms. Tinker Garrett was leaning back against it, laughing at something Gage had just said. He was standing just a little too close to her.
Dirty fucker.
I bit back a grin, pulling my bike up next to them.
“Hey there,” I said. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, Coop?”
“You got here earlier than I expected,” he said, eyes narrowing just a little, although his voice was friendly enough. “This is Tinker—looks like I’ll be renting from her. I need a place and she’s got one, so it works out perfect. Tinker, this is Levi, a good friend of mine.”
She turned toward me, smiling brightly. God, she really was a pinup girl. All shiny hair, innocent face, and a body that wouldn’t quit. Up close I could see she was older than I’d realized—probably in her mid-thirties. Shooting Gage a speculative look, I had to bite back a smirk.
He had a thing for her, big-time.
Wasn’t that just unfortunate as hell, given the fact that he’d spent the last week chasing Marsh’s little sister, Talia. She had a bangin’ body, but no softness. No, that girl was a first-class bitch. Wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she had a pussy full of teeth. Sharp teeth.
Damned good thing I wouldn’t be the one fuckin’ her. Dodged a bullet there—Talia liked the older guys.
“Nice to meet you, Levi,” Tinker said, giving me a look every bit as sweet as the one she’d given Gage. Oh, that’d piss him off. “Looking forward to you moving in, Cooper. I need to get going, though—I’m headed down to Ellensburg for the night. Later!”
We stepped back, watching as she climbed into her car, backing it carelessly out of the parking lot before tearing off in a spray of gravel.
“Damn, she handles that stick like a pro,” I murmured.
“Eat shit, Levi,” Gage said. “Play nice or I’ll give you to Talia. She asked about you last night—guess one of her girls is into you.”
“Yeah, not interested. I’d just as soon my dick not fall off. Never seen such a diseased-looking pack of bitches.”
“Now, that’s not very nice,” he said, throwing an arm over my shoulder. “Especially since you’re a bigger slut than all of them combined.”
I fucking hated it when he was right.
“Was there a reason you made me drive all the way across the state?” I asked. “I was in the middle of something.”
“Fucking some skank? We have skanks here, too. You’ll get over it.”
“Actually, I was with Melanie,” I confessed. “I spent the night at her place.”
Gage raised a brow.
“I thought she was your new princess,” he said. “Since when do you touch those?”
“Since last night, apparently,” I admitted. “She was good, Gage. Really good. I think this might be the real thing.”
“Give it a week and you’ll be over her. C’mon inside. I need to fill you in on some shit.”
He was all business now, and I followed him into the room, wondering what’d happened.
“Beer?” he asked. I shook my head, flopping back on one of the sagging full-size beds, propping my hands behind my neck. Hadn’t gotten much sleep last night—might as well relax while I could. From the look on Gage’s face, we’d have a shit storm to deal with soon enough.
“We’re going to a party out at the Nighthawks’ clubhouse in a few hours,” he said, sitting down across from me. “Talia was at the bar again last night. We danced for a while and I bought her a few drinks. Then her brother showed up with his crew and I finally got an introduction. We started talking and I fed him my line about being an independent rider. Bought a couple rounds and the next thing I know, I’m taking Talia to the party tonight. She wants you along for her girl.”
“I’m not gonna fuck her,” I told him without a second thought. Huh.
“Pussy-whipped?” he asked, his voice serious. “Club needs you on this, Painter. You think I wanna screw that bitch Talia? Fuck no, not with a sweet piece like Tinker around. We all gotta do our part, bro.”