Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
“You should have told me,” Steele growled from behind her.
“No way. You’d have camped out in the parking lot in a makeshift welding shop to make sure you had me in your sights at all times. I’m not in danger. The problem is here,” Ivy explained, tapping her brain. “Not out there.”
“That sounds like something Sapphire and I need to collaborate on. I’ll do my best, Ivy,” Blade assured her.
“Thank you. Leave your decorations to us,” Ivy said, beaming at him.
“Nothing too over-the-top, right?” Blade asked.
“Gotcha,” Ivy promised.
“Blade? Are you coming?” Kade bellowed.
Blade turned and jogged down the hall as he answered, “Tell him to keep his chaps on. I’m on my way.”
“Come get me when you need the ladder,” Steele told Ivy.
“No ladders,” Blade reminded them.
“Hi, Blue Eyes,” Blade said, looking up to see Sapphire hovering quietly just outside his work area.
“Hi. I didn’t want to interrupt you and cause you to get cut,” she said as she walked forward.
“That’s very thoughtful of you. I’m pretty steady. These guys aren’t quiet. I’m used to people stopping by to say something,” Blade assured her as he set the adapted handlebar on his workbench. Standing, he pulled her close for a hug before kissing her deeply.
“Mmm. You taste good,” Blade complimented. “I’ve missed you today.”
“I missed you too.”
“Did you bring your things?”
“I didn’t want to walk through the shop like a harlot moving in,” she said, turning slightly pink.
“First, no one says harlot anymore. Second, no one here would ever think to judge you like that. Third, let’s drive your car around to the clubhouse, and I’ll carry your bag to my room. Then, I’ll be the harlot,” he teased.
“You!” she protested, smacking his chest.
“Come on, Blue Eyes. Let’s get you settled.”
Taking her hand, he led her through the shop. He liked that several people remembered her name and greeted her personally. When she came to dinner at the clubhouse, he would make it official that she was his.
“Want me to drive?” he asked.
“Please. I don’t want to run over a motorcycle or someone. Is it always so busy here?” Sapphire asked, leading him to the last parking spot where she’d left her car.
“Business is good. Between all the guys’ talents and the explosion of popularity of riding, the shop is almost too busy. They could use two of me.”
“No one would want to go to the other guy,” Sapphire said confidently.
“Talk like that gets you an extra dessert tonight,” Blade told her with a wink.
“I like dessert. Chocolate is my favorite.”
“I wasn’t suggesting something to eat, Little girl,” he corrected her, opening the passenger door.
“A dessert that’s not something to eat?” she asked in confusion as she sat down.
“Think sexual favor,” he suggested and closed the door as she caught on to what he was implying.
“You are so bad,” she told him when he got in behind the wheel.
“Bad is the new good, Little girl.”
“Are you sure everyone is going to be okay with me staying at the clubhouse?”
“Yes. There are a lot of couples there. And other Littles.”
“Oh.”
“Next time when you come in, take this road around the shop, and you can park at the clubhouse,” he said as he drove that path.
After parking, he squeezed her thigh lightly. “Stay here. I will help you out.”
When she nodded, he circled the car to open the door. “Good girl,” he praised her as he held out a hand.
“My bag is in the trunk.”
With her duffel in one hand, Blade wrapped his other arm around her waist and guided her into the clubhouse. Gabriel waved from the kitchen area where he was working on dinner and called, “Welcome, Sapphire. I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starving,” she answered before adding, “It smells delicious in here.”
“Gabriel takes care of us,” Blade told her before asking the man cooking, “Where is everyone?”
“You’re going to see them soon,” Gabriel answered without giving any details.
Blade looked at Sapphire and shrugged. “Come on, sweetheart. We’ll stash your bag, I’ll give you a tour, and we’ll eat.”
She followed him past the bar and pool tables to the door that led to their private apartments. The quiet of the almost-empty gathering room morphed into a tumble of giggles and deep chuckles.
What is going on?
“It sounds like a party,” Sapphire commented.
“Let’s go find out.” Blade led the way down the hall and turned the corner. There he stopped in his tracks. Blue shimmering beads hung in the open doorway. Was that a flash of a feathered boa?
Blade pulled some of the lines of sparkling beads aside and ushered Sapphire into his previously boring apartment. They both studied the room. Welcome, Sapphir was written on the wall using adhesive hooks, and the final E was underway as Ivy, Elizabeth, and Remi guided a blue string of fluff into place.
Everywhere he looked, the Littles had left their mark. The refrigerator was gift-wrapped with blue paper and a giant bow. A blue scarf draped over the lamp by the couch gave the room an underwater glow. A large sapphire dish sat in the middle of the coffee table, filled with candy.