Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
I just convinced myself I didn’t want to get caught up in this world, but fate seems to have other ideas.
“What would you do?” I ask.
Alessa raises an eyebrow and gestures to the bed behind her. “What do you think? Seriously though, go to the clubhouse, relax, let them take care of you for the night. They’ll never admit it, but not being able to protect you scares men like these nearly as much as you worry about Mia.”
“Okay, but you’ll call if anything happens right? Anything.”
“Cross my heart, hope to die.” She says, drawing her finger over her chest. I like Alessa, she seems nice, and refreshingly normal compared to the few old ladies I met when I was with Dodger, but I’m starting to think that had more to do with his club than with bikers in general.
The guy who parked my car dropped our bags off at the gate, so we leave Mia's suitcase with Alessa, who gives me the other end of the baby monitor. “Enjoy your night,” she says with a wink.
Does she think… I am so not ready to sign up for the great continental mattress divide life.
Besides, I’m not sure how serious they really are about me. All three are huge flirts, but while I’m sure Phoenix and Sledge would be more than happy to show me a good time if I stayed in their rooms, I think Havoc still sees me as the scared little teenager he didn’t save fast enough. It doesn’t matter that I’m a grown woman with a child now, he’s still focused on playing the big brother and keeping me safe.
“We talked about it and you’re staying in my room,” Havoc says as they walk me over to the clubhouse.
Yep, I think Alessa might be a little off base. I don’t think I’ll be getting anything but a good night’s sleep tonight, not if Havoc has anything to say about it. Not that I’m sure I actually wanted anything else, but knowing there’s no chance of it happening is a little disappointing anyway.
The front gate is locked now, but there’s a table set up and a few guys playing cards nearby. Things are quiet, the music in the garage kept low and only a few men left working on their bikes. Havoc and Sledge walk on either side of me with Phoenix behind. Did I make the right decision? Should I go back to Alessa’s? I clutch the baby monitor, wanting Mia to have a peaceful night with her new friends, but also half hoping she’ll wake up and my decision will be made.
It’s slightly busier inside, with a scattering of men in a huge common room with a massive Screaming Eagles logo on the wall, flanked by American flags. A few bikers are standing around a pool table with beer in their hands. One raises his bottle in greeting when he sees us. In the back, a couple more are watching something on the big screen TV while hanging out on the couches and—oh. My head snaps forwards and away from checking out the room so fast my hair bounces.
I’m really not a prude, I swear. Puss in Boots, the bar where I met Havoc, was basically a strip club. I’m pretty sure the manager knew I’d lied about my age, because he was happy to have me run around skimpy clothes, but he hadn’t started pushing me to take them off yet. And I saw more than my share of nudity when Dodger brought me to parties with the Pit Vipers.
But it’s been a while. Seeing a topless woman in a short skirt casually grinding on top of one of the bikers was totally not what I expected.
“Go on, we’re going to hang out here,” Sledge says with a laugh. He tips my chin up and brushes a kiss across my lips, nothing heavy, but it feels like a statement. I just don’t know what that statement is.
Phoenix takes my hand and kisses my palm, nipping my finger before letting it go. “G’night, beautiful.”
“Don’t push it,” Havoc growls a little under his breath, which just makes them chuckle.
My face is still blushing hot when Havoc leads me through a hall to a door with a plaque with his name on it. I’m almost certain I hear a baby cry, but there’s nothing coming out of the monitor, so I might just be imagining things. He pops the door open for me to enter. I'm about to be all alone with Havoc, in his room, maybe even in his bed. I wet my lips as I step inside, not knowing what to expect.
His quarters are like a studio apartment. There's a living area with a beat-up couch, a coffee table and a couple chairs, a kitchenette at one end of it, a bed around the corner, and a door to what I assume is the bathroom. A half-full coffee maker stands on the counter and there's a guitar leaning against the couch.