Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 42959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Bell had been determined not to be the same as her mother. She had a life.
She never expected Tank to matter so much to her. It wasn’t just the fact she hadn’t heard from him. She knew his club didn’t like her, and she kind of had the feeling he hadn’t told them about her.
Not that it was a problem.
She was all new to the MC stuff.
No judgment.
Only, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder if Tank doubted her. Or was he embarrassed about dating an outsider?
She closed her eyes, counted to five, and immediately opened them.
No. It was crazy.
Tank didn’t believe the bad stuff about her. They were in a good place. A great place. She twisted the cap on the sugar jar. She’d gone through all fifteen jars and filled them with fresh sugar. Picking three up, she moved between the empty tables and placed the jars back on each.
It was a slow day.
The minor fire had already been fixed and repairs made. Bell was thankful for it because she really needed this job and as many hours as she could get. She knew if money was tight, Tank would help her out, but that was beside the point. There was no way she’d accept money from him or a handout. With the club already doubting her intentions with him, she didn’t want to add fuel to the already building flames.
The diner would be thriving in no time. Customers were addicted to the food, and sure enough, by dinner time, the diner was full, and Bell didn’t have time to think about Tank or anyone else. Not her mother’s pestering phone calls or the fact Tank had offered to help her.
She wasn’t going to ask for his help.
No, they were boyfriend and girlfriend. And she was an independent woman, always had been. A new relationship didn’t warrant him having to do anything for her, other than show up and give her attention.
All her drama was her own problem.
By the end of her shift, her feet hurt, and she was exhausted.
She helped clean up and then headed outside, surprised to find that Tank still wasn’t around. Bell shrugged, ignoring the niggle of disappointment.
She had no problem walking back to her apartment at night. His company was always nice though. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she set off walking, trying to convince herself not to grab her cell phone. It was better not to get distracted when alone at night.
She hadn’t looked at her phone since lunchtime.
Bell talked herself out of looking for exactly ten minutes, and then she wanted to make sure she hadn’t missed anything from Tank. Staring down at the screen, she saw she had over a hundred missed calls and multiple text messages. All the calls were from her mother. As were nearly all but one text.
Seeing Tank’s name, she clicked on it and saw he’d left her a message an hour ago.
Tank: Running behind. Don’t walk home. I’ll be there.
She winced.
Finding his number, she clicked call and waited. He didn’t answer on the first ring.
Bell glanced behind her and was tempted to walk back when he finally answered his phone.
“Where are you?” Tank asked.
“I didn’t look at my phone, so I’m kind of walking home. I’m not too far from the diner. I can walk back.”
She heard the unmistakable sound of a bike.
“Don’t.”
“Please tell me that is you,” she said.
Tank didn’t have to tell her as he was already pulling in front of her.
She dropped her cell phone into her bag. A wave of happiness washed over her.
“It’s me,” he said, winking at her. “Come to give my lady a lift.”
“Ooh, I like it. My lady.” She giggled and moved around to the back of the bike, climbing on.
Usually, she liked to walk, but wrapping her arms around Tank, as well as her legs, there was something highly erotic about it. She trusted him in a way she didn’t anyone else.
It made no sense to her. None at all, but she wasn’t going to question what she wanted. Pressing her face against his back, she breathed him in.
He smelled so good. The musk of his cologne, the hint of leather, and the heavy scent of the bike were heady. Everything about him was familiar, safe.
Bell wrapped her arms around him even tighter as he reeved his engine, and then they were off, heading toward her apartment.
Tank never took her to his clubhouse. Never. He still hadn’t told, she knew it.
Bell pushed the sadness to one side, hoping it wouldn’t be the breaking point later in their relationship. She didn’t want to lose him.
He pulled up outside of her apartment building, and Bell climbed off. Like other times before, the moment Tank was off his bike, his arm was around her shoulders, pulling her close.