Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
When I pulled up, I could see Maggie standing at her station. She was working on a client, but that didn’t stop me from going inside. As soon as the door opened, Maggie turned around, and her mouth dropped open when she saw that it was me. “Ronin.”
“You got a minute?”
“Yeah, ah...” she stammered. “Just give me one sec.”
I nodded, then walked to the back where we could talk without being gawked at by the other women in the shop. I was standing there waiting for her when I heard one of them ask, “Is that him?”
“Yes, that’s Ronin.”
“Holy smokes, woman,” one of them gasped. “You didn’t tell me he was so stinking hot. Now that I think about it, you haven’t told us anything about this guy.”
“I’ve been a little preoccupied.”
“Clearly!” another one gasped.
“Hush, or he’s going to hear you.”
“Too late,” I chuckled from the back.
“Oh, God,” Maggie groaned. “Will you guys cool it?”
“Sure, just make sure you two talk loud enough so we can hear.”
Seconds later, Maggie rounded the corner, and as she continued towards me, it was impossible not to notice that her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. “Hey there, beautiful.”
“Hey,” she whispered. “I didn’t know you were coming by.”
“You said you wanted to see me.”
“I did, and I do.” Her expression softened. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know.” She glanced down at the ground as she whispered, “Chad can be a bit of a handful.”
“I can handle Chad. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes filled with worry. “He was pretty upset that you’d stopped by.”
“How do you know that?”
“I overheard him talking to Nathan. He had him all worked up. Said some pretty crazy stuff like they were going to have to come live with him.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to try.”
“I’d never let that happen. Not now. Not ever.” I placed my hands on her hips and eased her towards me. “I meant what I said about protecting the people I care about most. I won’t let anything happen to you or those kids. You’ve got my word on that.”
“Man, going to the movies that night was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Before she could say anything more, I lowered my mouth to hers, silencing her with a deep, demanding kiss. I feared she might protest and break free from our embrace, but she didn’t. Instead, she ran her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer and returning my kiss with fervor.
Maggie’s lips opened in a small gasp, exactly like I wanted, giving me complete access to her mouth. My need for her hung in the air, taunting me as she moaned into my mouth. My cock throbbed against the zipper of my jeans, aching to be buried between her legs.
Maggie’s breath caught as I reached the dip between her neck and collarbone. She inhaled a quick breath, suggesting that I’d just found her sweet spot. I almost lost it when Maggie shifted her body forward, pushing her breasts against my chest with a little whimper.
Damn.
I had no choice but to step back and say, “Easy there, beautiful. Your friends are just around the corner.”
“Oh, yeah.” A soft smile slipped across her face. “I kind of forgot about them.”
“We’ll pick up from here later.” I gave her one last quick kiss, then said, “I better let you get back to work.”
“Yeah, you probably should, but I should warn you. We’re going to be talking about you for the rest of the afternoon.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” I gave her a wink, then started for the door. Before walking out, I gave her friends a wave and said, “Have a good one, ladies.”
I walked back out to my truck, and as I got back inside, I couldn’t help but notice that all the ladies in the shop were staring out the window, watching as I started the engine. I gave them all one last wave, then drove back over to the clubhouse. I wanted to be there in case Prez or Cotton needed me, so I decided it was best for me to stick around for the next couple of days.
Thankfully, it was pretty quiet.
There were no fires to put out with the club. Most of the guys were either at home or crashed right after dinner, and the girls kept to themselves. Hell, even Beckett was pretty chill. He’d do his time at the construction site, and when the day was done, he went to his room and stayed there until morning. That was all well and good, until it wasn’t.
I’d been at the clubhouse for several nights when I heard Beckett yelling in his room. I thought he might’ve been getting into it with one of the hang arounds or one of the brothers, so I went to check it out. I crossed the hall, and when I got to his door, it was wide open. He was pacing in the center of the room as he talked on the phone.