If he really cared about me, he wouldn’t have fucked those two women tonight, not that I care. Nope. Not at all.
* * *
After a few hours’ sleep, I get up and take Cara for her dance class, followed by some grocery shopping and a few other errands. When we get home I’m tired and in no mood to cook, and Tia and Rhett have gone to visit her family, so I decide to take Cara out for dinner.
“Can we eat at the same place we did last time?” my daughter asks, pushing her dark hair out of her face.
“Why?” I ask, not so sure about going to the place we ran into Adam last time.
“Because the food I had was so yummy!” she says, beaming. “And the milk shake. And the nice man was there.”
Great.
Cara getting attached to Adam is the last thing I need right now.
“Why don’t we try a new restaurant?” I suggest, adding, “There’s a pizza place down the road we haven’t tried. I’m sure you can try all their different pizzas.”
“Okay!” she cheers, and I exhale in relief. I don’t want to have to face Adam after everything that happened last night. I wonder if he felt bad about sleeping with another man’s woman. Probably not. Though if you look at it from his point of view, he doesn’t owe the man loyalty, the woman does, and he said he didn’t know she was his.
Great, now I’m defending him.
Cara and I decide to walk to the pizza place, since it’s so close by. When we get there, I find it has a welcoming, family feeling to it, and am so glad we didn’t go back to the diner Adam frequents. I wonder how long they spent in jail last night, or if Faye was able to get them out quickly. It’s clear that hanging around the MC isn’t the best idea. I love the girls, and even the men are growing on me, but I need to think of Cara.
What if something had happened to me last night? Cara would have become an orphan. I know it’s pretty morbid to think of things like that, but I do. I don’t want Cara to have no one. With her father not in the picture, that leaves only my side of the family. My own father is dead, and my mother moved away with her new husband. Cara, Tia, and Rhett are all I have.
I push the thought aside as we enter, and concentrate on the more cheerful subject of pizza. The place is as inviting as it seemed from the outside, and soon Cara and I are gorging on delicious slices of cheesy goodness.
“Have you had enough to eat, Cara?” I ask her as she sits back in her chair. It looks to me like she’s in a food coma.
She nods eagerly and touches her belly. “I’m full. It was so yummy!”
“So no room for dessert then?” I tease, grabbing my bag and sliding it over my shoulder.
She pouts. “I always have room for dessert.”
I grin.
We order ice cream.
TEN
TIA and I intertwine our arms as we leave the bathroom and re-take our seats. Tonight isn’t something that happens very often for us, but Tia’s mother is visiting for the week and offered to stay at home with the kids so we could enjoy a kid-free night together. After drinking a bottle of red wine and watching movies, we decided we might as well make the most of it, so we got dressed up and jumped in a cab. When the driver asked us where we wanted to go, I realized that I only know two places, Rift and Knox’s Tavern. There was no way in hell I was going to the former, so here we are at the latter, enjoying a drink and enjoying the view.
“Why haven’t I been here before?” Tia asks for the fifth time, flicking her blond hair over her shoulder and giving Ryan Knox her “sex eyes.”
“They’re all taken, Tia,” I tell her, scanning the bar, just people-watching.
“All the good ones are,” she grumbles, wrapping her arm around me. “I’m glad we’re out of the house though. It feels good to let loose a bit, doesn’t it?”
“Since getting back in touch with Anna and Lana, I’ve been going out more than I have in the last few years put together.”
“That’s true.” Tia giggles. “It’s great though. You can be a good mother and still get to have some fun. The happier you are, the best you give to your child.”
I look at her with a raised brow. “I think you need another drink.”
“I think you’re right,” she agrees, standing up. “I’ll order them.”
“He’s taken!” I say, trying not to laugh.
“I can still look,” she huffs, picking up her purse. “Nothing wrong with enjoying the view.”
I roll my eyes as she walks to the bar, hips swaying.
“Looks like tonight is my lucky night,” comes a sexy deep voice, making me jump slightly.
“Talon!” I say in surprise as he takes a seat, looking particularly happy with himself for some reason. I take in his extremely light hair, crystal-green eyes, and all black clothing, his shirt rolled up at the sleeves. Why did that instantly make men more attractive?
I like Talon, I do, but I know that hanging out with him isn’t a good idea. I really don’t need any more drama, and adding more bikers into my life is going to bring nothing but that. Still . . . It’s not in me to be rude to someone who has been nothing but nice to me thus far.
“I’m surprised you’re not at Rift,” he says, nodding his head at a passing man.
“New stomping grounds,” I joke, glancing around. “Where’s your partner in crime?”
“Slice? He’s around here somewhere,” he replies, smirking. “Where are yours?”
“Anna and Lana? They’re not here; I’m with another friend. My neighbor, actually. She’s at the bar,” I say, nodding my head in that direction. When I think about it, Talon is just Tia’s type, another reason why I wish we hadn’t run into him tonight.
He doesn’t look in Tia’s direction, keeping his green gaze locked on me. “Rake know you’re here?”
My eyes narrow. Deciding to deflect, I ask, “What’s the deal with you two, anyway?”
I had felt the tension between them. Adam didn’t seem to like Talon, but I had no idea how Talon felt about him. To me, it seems like there’s mutual respect between them, but something else simmering underneath.
Talon stretches his neck to the side. “No deal. Just seems to me that Rake thinks he has some kind of claim on you, and I don’t want to cause unnecessary shit.”
“He was my boyfriend in high school,” I say drolly. “And it didn’t end well. So I don’t know how that can transform into him having a claim on me. No one has a claim on me.”
Talon nods his head, looking contemplative. “I think you’re a beautiful woman.”
My eyes flare. “Well, thank you.”
“I don’t have a woman in my bed right now,” he continues, making my eyes narrow. Sometimes men don’t know when to stop.
“So, what? The position is open?” I ask, trying to keep my tone even.
He nods and licks his bottom lip. “I’d like nothing more than to take you home, spread those legs, and—”
“And who is this sex god?” Tia asks, sitting down with wide eyes. She slides my drink to me while still looking at Talon. “Fuck me. We’re coming to this bar every chance we can from now on.”
Talon grins, eyes running over my best friend. She’s beautiful, almost ethereal, until she opens that mouth of hers.
“Talon,” he introduces, reminding me that I’m kind of being rude right now. Before I can introduce Tia, she does it herself.
“Nice to meet you, Talon.”
She slides her straw in her mouth seductively.
“This is Tia,” I tell Talon, nudging Tia.
“What?” she asks me.
I sigh and sip on my drink. “So, Talon, what were you about to say before Tia returned to the table?”
I raise my eyebrow, a challenge.
He chuckles, eyes dancing with amusement. “I’m not shy, sweetheart. You sure you want to go there?”
I notice his gaze going straight back to Tia.
Interesting.
Tia is a beautiful woman, so I won’t be surprised if he’s attracted
to her.
“I’m not shy either,” Tia adds, leaning back in her seat and looking between the two of us. “What are we talking about?”
I’m saved when Slice walks up to the table and slides his large frame into the last available seat. “I think I’ve had all the pussy that’s here tonight.” He looks to me and Tia. “Well, almost.”
I consider throwing my drink at him but decide it will be easier to put up with him if I just drink it.
“The women here must have pretty low standards,” Tia throws out there.
Talon throws his head back and laughs. “You have no idea.”
Slice smirks, not offended at all. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”
Tia tilts her head, like she’s considering it. “I think I’m going to pass, but out of curiosity, what are you working with? Eight inches? I wouldn’t want to waste my time on anything less than seven.”
I scrub my hand down my face. “You can’t ask a man how big his penis is as soon as you meet him, Tia. I’m pretty sure that’s rude.”
Tia shrugs and flashes me an innocent look. “Just making conversation.”
She seriously has no shame.
“ ‘Wasting a number’?” Talon asks, brows furrowing.
“Yeah, you know,” Tia explains. “The number of people you’ve slept with. I don’t want to waste a number.”
This time Talon and Slice both laugh, their big bodies shaking.
Tia glances at me and shrugs, because she was just telling them the truth. She really doesn’t want to waste a number on a small penis, like she did with dentist guy.
“How about you?” Slice asks me. “You not looking to waste any numbers?”
“She needs to add more numbers if you ask me,” Tia says unashamedly. “I think she needs a good—”
“Tia!” I groan, covering my face with my hands. “Can you please not tell men you just met that I need a good fucking?”
Tia blinks slowly a few times. “Actually I was going to say you need a good man, not a good fucking. But now that you mention it . . .”
I look to the men and hold up my hand. “Don’t you two even fucking say anything.”
They both try to maintain straight faces but fail.
Then Slice says to Tia, “You won’t be wasting a number.”
She looks down to his crotch.
Talon slaps the back of his head. “Lay off, fucker.”
“I’m just messing around,” Tia says, grinning and sending Talon a sultry look. “But I like that you’re jealous, Talon. I think we’ll get on fine.”
Talon glances at me, then Tia, suddenly looking uncomfortable and making me want to laugh. I actually think he likes Tia but doesn’t know how I’d take it, both because I’m her friend and because he was hitting on me only moments ago.
Slice suddenly stands up, his chair almost falling over with the action. “I’ll go get us a round of drinks. I know how you good girls get when you get some liquor into you.”
“If we’re the good ones, how bad are the bad ones?” Tia ponders out loud, watching Slice walk to the bar.
“Don’t answer that,” I tell Talon.
“Why do they call him Slice?” Tia asks, tapping her red nails on the table.
“I don’t think you want to know that either,” Talon replies, running a hand through his shaggy hair.
“How come I never see you wearing your MC cut?” I ask Talon, wondering if I’m even allowed to ask about such things.
He rubs his chest with his palm. “Reid has new rules on this place, which is fair enough. We come here to drink and hang out when we want a break from the clubhouse. He doesn’t want any shit started, and neither do we.”
“Wait, you’re a Wind Dragon?” Tia asks, nodding her head in approval.
“No,” Talon says slowly. “I’m the leader of the Wild Men MC.”
My head snaps to him. “But you know all of them. You know Anna. Shouldn’t you guys be enemies?”
No one tells me anything.
Talon wraps his arm around the back of my chair. “We have history. I’m not a part of that MC, but I care about Anna a lot. That’s all you need to know.”
“Leader?” Tia whispers, her eyes bugging out. “That’s pretty fucking sexy.”
I take the hint and don’t press him further. I give Tia a look that begs her to stop eye-fucking Talon, but she doesn’t pay me any attention. If Tia wants something, she’ll go after it, and she’s the same with men. If she wants Talon, he doesn’t stand a chance, and I have a feeling that’s going to start a lot of shit within the group.
Tia is in the same boat as me, a single mother, and maybe I can try to explain to her that being with a biker isn’t the safest option, for her or for Rhett. I think it’s different because I already know Adam, Anna, and Lana; I didn’t go looking to be involved with something like this. They happen to be people I could never turn my back on again, no matter what. Slice returns with our drinks, placing them in front of us.
“Is this a Long Island iced tea?” I ask him, taking a sip and making a face. “Do you know how much alcohol is in this?”
He nods, his dark eyes looking almost playful.
Who is this man?
“Drink as much as you want, sweetheart,” Talon declares. “I’ll get you both home safely, you have my word.”
“And untouched,” I add, staring him in the eye. It takes him a few seconds to look back at me, because he’s still staring at Tia.
“Speak for yourself,” Tia mutters under her breath, causing Slice to bark out a laugh.
“I like this woman.”
“Untouched,” Talon repeats, the threat in his voice obviously for Slice. I don’t know why, but I trust Talon. I shouldn’t, clearly. He’s a biker, and I’ve met him only once. But Arrow’s a biker. And Tracker.
And . . . Adam.
We lift our glasses, clinking them in a cheers.
* * *
Talon gently takes the drink out of Tia’s hand and puts it on the table. “I think you’ve had enough, Tia.”
“Says who?” Tia asks, looking around, smiling boozily when her gaze lands on me. “Do you want to do shots?”
Talon and I shake our heads at the same time. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetie.”
“You’re probably right.” She sighs, looking down at her boobs and rearranging them in her bra.
“Her eyes are up there, Talon,” I tease, making Slice chuckle.
Talon sends me a Don’t you start look, then picks up his drink and takes a swallow.
“Should we head home?” I ask him. “If I drink any more, it’s not going to be pretty.”
“You’re handling it better than her,” Talon says, nodding toward Tia.
“She’s much more petite than I am,” I say, watching my best friend. “She shouldn’t drink as much as I do.”
“Excuse me,” Tia says, holding up her hands. “She is fine, I’m not drunker than your average bear.”
I start giggling, which I tend to do when I’m drunk. “Fuck, my best friend is so cute.”
Tia stands up and holds her hand out to me. “I need to pee.”
I grin and we link arms, then walk to the bathroom. Glancing at my reflection in the mirror while she does her business, I take in my flushed cheeks and glassy eyes.
Yeah, I should have stopped two cocktails ago.
My mind wanders somewhere it shouldn’t—to Rake.
What was he doing right now?
Was he alone in his bed, or was someone else lying in his sheets with him?
Tia comes out of the toilet and washes her hands as she says, “Talon is fucking hot.”
I grin. “He is good-looking, isn’t he?”
“Delish,” she says, drying her hands, then fixing her hair. “I look like I have bed hair, sex hair, but it’s just messy drunk hair.”
I look at her and grin. “Well, drunk looks good on you.”
“Are we going home with anyone tonight?”
“No,” I say quickly, giggling. “You and I are going to spoon. No men invited.”
“But . . . Talon?”
“How about you make a decision about him another time?” I pause. “When you’re sober,” I tell her, thinking that by tomorrow she will have forgotten about him. Tia always finds men attractive but either sleeps with them and finds something wrong with them, or changes her mind about wanting them before an actual date can even happen.
“That sounds like a sober idea,” she says, pulling me to the door. “Which calls for another drink.”
She tries to drag me to the bar, but I take her in the direction of our table, where a woman has found Slice in our absence and is sitting on his lap.
I look to the bathroom. “How long were we in there?”
“Just a few minutes,” Talon says, smirking. “He works fast.”
“Hello,” I say to the woman, who just gives me a dirty look in return. “Okaaaayyy then.”
“Bitch,” Tia mutters, then looks at Talon. “I’m hungry. Should we go and eat somewhere?”
“Diner?” Talon asks, amusement etched all over his face.
“Sounds good to me,” Tia says.
“Slice, you coming or you staying?” Talon asks his friend.
Slice moves his head around the woman. “Nah, I’m heading off. You cool?”
Talon nods and stands from his seat. “Yeah, I’ll get the women home safely.”
Talon puts an arm around each of us as we walk outside.
“How are we getting home?” I ask, squinting my eyes. Talon’s been drinking, and I have to wonder how he got here in the first place.
“We’ll just get into one of those taxis,” he says, nodding to the far right of the parking lot. “I can’t be fucked waiting for one of my men to come and get us.”
“Must be good to be king,” I tease, hiccupping. “Okay, I’m getting really hungry.”
“Me three,” Tia adds.
We get into a taxi and head for the diner, where Talon pays the taxi driver, then opens the door for us.
“I’m paying for the food, since you paid for the taxi,” I tell him.
He glances down at me with a scowl. “Don’t insult me, Bails.”
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