Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
Seb
Whoever created me must have been in a bad mood the day they tossed me into the world. Because the hand I’d been dealt was cruel and riddled with pain.
My family is now the motorcycle club I’m the VP of. The president, Adler, has given me a place to belong, and that’s all I need.
Until I see her on that stage.
Athena Lawson wrecks my world with one look.
And with one taste, I’m wrapped around her finger.
I’m definitely not the right man for her, but I’m too selfish to let her go.
~*~*~
Athena
I refuse to take handouts. Everything I want or need, I get for myself. And with the cost of living so high, stripping is the easiest route for me to take.
The men I dance for and dance on are just mere people–not even a blip on my radar.
But the moment my eyes meet his across the room, I’m sucked into his vortex. I want to know everything I can about the man who barely speaks a word but says so much with a simple look.
My blood runs through my veins simply for his touch. My heart pumps blood through my chest just to hear his grunts and short sentences. My fingers itch to touch him and learn every part of his body.
With one look from the brooding man, I want to be completely his.
I just hope I can convince him he deserves everything good in this world.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
one
Seb
The hospital was bustling with people when I walked in. I cringed, debating if I really wanted to go visit Cecily and Adler and meet their newest addition to the family. It wasn’t like they’d be here forever. I could always go see them at their house once they were out of here.
Robin Farley, Adler and Cecily’s baby, was born early this morning, around two A.M., and I was the last member of the club to make their way up to the hospital to see them and meet the infant. I knew Adler and Cecily understood why I hadn’t shown up yet, but I knew they still wanted me to come.
Which was the only reason I was here.
Trying to ignore the way my skin crawled, I made my way to the elevator, hitting the button for the maternity ward. Once the doors opened, I stepped inside and pressed myself into the back corner, sweat beading along my spine when five more people stepped in. I probably should have taken the stairs to avoid my claustrophobia, but I’d been up since Adler had called to let all of us know Robin had been born, and I was exhausted. The stairs just seemed like too much work.
As soon as the elevator dinged and the doors opened, I shoved past everyone, not even paying any mind to the bitter old woman who called me a rude piece of trash for almost knocking her over. I nodded once at the nurse working the desk and headed toward room 304. After I lightly knocked on the door, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans, trailing my eyes around the floor, making note of all the exits.
It was a habit I couldn’t shake. Trauma had fucked me as a kid, and I’d learned how to always mark exits—memorize them. Once I found them, I never forgot.
The door opened, and Adler poked his head out, smiling at me. “Hey, brother. Come on in. Cecily is awake. Robin’s sleeping though.”
I stepped past him into the room when he opened the door wider. Cecily smiled at me, her eyes brightening in surprise. She looked tired, and her face was make-up free, but she was positively glowing. “Hey!” she greeted. Robin was cradled in her arms. A little, blue knit cap was on his head with the club logo on it, and he had a black baby blanket wrapped around him. “I’m surprised you came.”
I shrugged at her and just smiled, not saying anything. She never expected me to though. I was a man of few words, and thankfully, as soon as Cecily met me, she had been understanding of me mostly being mute.
She adjusted her hold on Robin and held her arms out in my direction. “Would you like to hold him?”
I swallowed thickly before blowing out a harsh breath and nodding my head. “Here,” Adler rumbled, moving forward to take Robin from his wife. I folded my arms similarly to how he had his folded, and Adler gently laid Robin in my arms, not releasing the back of his head until it was safely resting on my arm.
“He’s so light,” I whispered, running my eyes over his features. He was the spitting image of what I imagined a tiny Adler to look like. He and Cecily really had made the cutest fucking baby.
Adler chuckled. “He’s actually a big baby,” he told me. “For a little while, they thought they might have to prep Cecily for a c-section.”
I cringed. Cecily laughed a little. “Your face says exactly what I thought about being cut open,” she told me. “I panicked.”
I shot her a small smile before looking back down at my nephew. Because he was. We may not be related by blood, but Adler was my brother in every other sense of the word.
“He’s perfect,” I whispered.
Adler ran his finger over Robin’s cheek. “Yeah, he fucking is,” he quietly agreed.
Frisky’s, the strip club Cecily owned, was popping, as usual, when I pulled up in front of the club. I was here every night unless I was way too tired to do anything else except crash in bed after my shower. The women were nice to look at, but I mostly came to just not think. It was hard to think of anything when music was thumping so loud in my ears, I could barely hear the waitresses when they asked me if I might need anything.
I slung my leg over the bike and set my helmet on the seat before striding inside. Chelsea, Cecily’s best friend and assistant manager, waved at me from her position by the bar. I strode over, nodding once at her.
“Your regular, sugar?” she asked me. Chelsea was a very eccentric, unique woman. Sometimes, it amazed me that she and Cecily were best friends. They were quite literally polar opposites. Cecily was very calm and put together, and Chelsea was the life of any party.