Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
This choking sensation in my chest, as if he’s burying his hand in my torso and cradling my heart, I love it.
And maybe I’m… falling for him too.
My throat feels too full, so instead of answering like a normal person, I nod and slide my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest while my heart beats furiously.
I don’t think I ever felt quite like this before.
We don’t cuddle like this outside our own little piece of heaven under the bed, but even though he tenses, he doesn’t push me away. After a moment, he even puts his arms around me loosely. I know he’s not averse to me. He’s fighting his demons to give me as much as he is, so I couldn’t be more grateful. Maybe it’s like holding the spider was for me. Something he will adjust to, given the chance.
I finally pull away, because we do need to go.
“If you’re sure the terrarium is secure, you can bring Friend here for good.” Because I can be brave too.
Creep opens the door for me. “Really? You’re sure?”
“He’s your baby. It’s time for me to step up as his other daddy,” I tell him with a soft grin.
In this moment, as we walk to his bike, I feel unstoppable.
I count at least thirty bikes as Creep passes me a helmet. I’m in the eye of the storm, so I couldn’t feel safer. Most of the club members are going, and there are even cars waiting at the back of this cavalcade. I’ve never been a part of something this much bigger than me. All the impatient grunts from the engines, the shiny metal bodies of the bikes, the leather jackets, the smell of gasoline. It should intimidate me, but instead, it’s like a cocoon wrapping around me with protective softness.
“Come the fuck on, Prospect!” Yeti yells and I turn to spot Clyde mounting his bike right next to Road’s.
“You didn’t fucking say the Butchers were coming,” he says loudly enough that I hear him despite the roar of engines.
Road shakes his head. “I didn’t expect it. Don’t they hate fun?”
Clyde’s lip curls with clear disdain for his former club. “Yeah, but they don’t hate cheap booze and opportunities to fuck.” With that, he puts on his helmet, so if he says anything more, only Road can hear it.
Why? Why the hell is this happening to me?
The news is a bucket of icy water thrown in my face. When Creep straddles his bike and peeks my way, expecting me to take the bitch seat, I hesitate, because if the Butchers are going to be there, so will Domino. I’ll be leaping straight into the lion’s mouth, but backing out now would disappoint Creep, and humiliate him in front of everyone.
My mind races as I wonder if I shouldn’t embarrass myself instead and pretend I’ve got diarrhea or something of that nature, but I just—
Creep blinks, reaching out his hand, and when he squeezes my fingers, I know it’s a lost cause.
I’ll go. I only need to keep to the shadows so Domino can’t spot me.
Chapter 25
Angel
The rally is like a beast with several bonfire hearts. Each club seems to have their own, but bikers, their families and friends are like a bloodstream in constant movement. Smoke curls toward the bright star-covered sky above, carrying the scents of barbecued food and sweaty bodies. At the mouth of this loud monster, the funfair is spat out like the consequences of a nightlong bender. It pulses with lights, and the screams coming from the tallest ride make me wonder if the people on it have a death wish, because that thing probably hasn’t passed inspection in years.
The grass under our feet is dry and crushed from the endless stream of boots and tires. Some people smell like they’ve been here for a week already, but their body odor disperses in the aroma coming from several food trucks parked between the rally and the funfair to feed the masses. I keep my head down, eyes darting in all directions so I can spot Domino in the crowd, but I’m starting to hope this event’s size can keep me hidden in plain sight.
I’d worried my outfit might draw too much attention, but most bikers are more interested in women walking around topless or in wet T-shirts than a guy in a crop top. Given how dark and crowded the rally is, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them assume I’m a tomboyish girl with a flat chest and move on without assessing me. Which is a relief, because plenty of them look like they’ve killed someone, or at least really wanted to. The crowd is all leather, denim, and hand-rolled cigarettes. Creep blends in like a bloodstain on asphalt.
Maybe I should be worried, because the ever-rising noise, and shadows of men clowning about in an attempt to upstage one another are an immediate callback to a childhood filled with uncertain nights. When my parents had friends over, what started as a regular party sometimes ended in shouting matches, vomit on the floor, or someone trying to get inside my room. But Creep’s fingers are woven through mine, and I trust him to make sure I’m safe.