Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 142728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
She blows out a slow breath. “Thank you for being honest. I like Grayson. I really do. But when she told me he was part of the same club, I worried about her a lot.”
I rest my hand over hers. “You’re a good friend.”
“She’s a good friend.” Emily sighs and seems to shake off the seriousness of the conversation. “We better order those pizzas, or we’ll be here all night.”
“Damn, I meant to call before we left the park.” I slant a look at her. “Someone distracted me.”
“Careful, Dex. I wouldn’t mind distracting you again. Right here. Right now.”
God damn, what did I do to deserve this woman?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dex
Libby pounces on us as soon as we step inside the house. “I’m starving!” She grabs one of the pizza boxes out of my hands and unwinds the plastic bag from my wrist, then hurries into the kitchen.
Emily chuckles and sets her purse on the table. “You better hurry if you want that pineapple.”
In the kitchen, Libby’s busy setting the table for the three of us. I drop the other boxes on the counter. “Your sister said I should hurry or you’d eat all the pineapple.”
She stops and a devilish smile spreads over her face. “Well, you’re our guest. I don’t want to be a total animal in front of you.”
“I doubt you’re that much of an animal.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Emily says, coming up behind me. She gives me a playful hip-bump.
Libby grins, then sticks her tongue out at her sister. “By the way, those marshmallow things were the greatest ever.” Libby touches her fingers to her lips and blows a kiss. “Feel free to bring them by any time.”
“Libby!” Emily scolds.
“I’ll remember next time I’m over that way,” I promise.
Dinner with them is easy. Comfortable. Quieter than what I’m used to. Nothing like the pandemonium of family dinner nights at the clubhouse.
What would Emily think, listening to Ravage rib the married couples about their boring sex lives? Or Charlotte teasing Ravage about never pleasing a woman? Or Sparky coming to the table high as a kite and asking Heidi to refill an order of buzzy cock rings? Would Emily be uncomfortable? Would she want to keep her sister far away from all that chaos?
I’ve never worried about what anyone thinks of my family before. My attitude is usually fuck ’em. Then again, I’ve never tried to make a relationship work with someone outside of the club. Plenty of bikers have citizen wives, who never earn a property patch. They keep the worlds separate. I can’t fathom splitting myself in two like that.
I want a woman who loves my club family as much as I do.
Rock and Z managed to bring two complete civilians into our world and make it work. Hope’s the queen mother to our whole charter now. And Lilly’s the benevolent queen of our downstate charter. Emily’s younger than them, but I can already picture Hope taking Emily under her protective wing.
Get ahead of yourself, much?
I bite into another slice of pizza, catching a string of cheese before it lands on my shirt. Libby’s busy filling her sister in on the play her theater club is working on. I just enjoy listening to them.
“Will you come to my play, Dex?” Libby asks.
I set my slice down and grab a napkin. “Sure. I heard from Grinder that you’re a natural-born star.”
She beams at me, then turns hopeful eyes on Emily. “Think they’ll be able to come again?”
“I don’t know.” Emily shoots a look my way. “Serena’s getting close to her due date, and I doubt she’ll want to bring an infant to the theater.”
Libby pouts for a second. “You can send her video.”
“Sure,” Emily says in a tone meant to pacify her sister, not commit herself to filming an entire high school play.
After dinner, Libby clears the table, then heads upstairs to give us “alone time.”
Emily watches her sister leave with an expression I can’t figure out.
“I can go,” I offer, even though it’s the last thing I want to do.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” she asks.
Who knew Emily likes horror movies? She chooses an ominous-looking one that starts off unsettling. The characters are so utterly stupid, it’s borderline offensive to the human race.
“Girl, no!” Emily yelps, startling me.
“Listen to your gut! What are you thinking?” Emily squeals and presses her hands over her eyes. “Someone needs to buy this chick a copy of The Gift of Fear.”
I chuckle and wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer. She snuggles up against my side, still lively and animated. Only now I can feel her every movement.
Emily watches movies the way she does everything. With passion and lots of keen observations.
“Why do they always have to make the girl the dummy?” she sighs.
“She’s too nice,” I agree. “She needs to get the hell back in her car and leave.”