Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“Miss? I promise you, you’re safe here. We, my brothers and I, will not let a damn thing happen to you.”
Jo cleared her throat.
Chuckling, Curly said, “My bad. These men and this kick-ass woman won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Damn straight,” Jo muttered.
“You’re one tough bitch, baby,” Tracker muttered to his woman, who laughed.
The light moment seemed to help. Rachel’s breathing smoothed and became more regular. After about another minute, the shaking subsided, and she lowered her hands from her face. “Oh, my God, I’m mortified.”
“Nah,” Curly said with a chuckle. “We’ve all been there. You shoulda seen this big guy when a lizard got in the clubhouse last week.”
“Hey!” Jinx shouted. “I fucking hate them. They’re so damn fast.”
Rachel gave Curly a wobbly smile. She seemed to be mesmerized by the sight of him, yet, thankfully, there wasn’t so much as a flicker of recognition in Curly’s eyes.
That shot Frost’s ‘baby mama’ theory out the window.
Thank fuck.
But it still left the Lobo angle and the kid angle. And if it turned out Lobo had sent her, and he was the one responsible for her fear, Frost would rip him apart with his bare hands.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
It was then Curly’s eyes narrowed. “You look familiar.”
Rachel sucked in a breath. “I, uh, well, um…”
Fuck it. “She said she has business to discuss with you.”
“Thanks a lot,” she muttered with a scowl in his direction.
“Oh yeah? What business?” Gone was Curly’s relaxation as he tensed right up.
“Um, well, I recently became aware…” The words came out in a high-pitched squeak.
“Breathe, hon,” Curly said.
“Sorry, right.” Rachel took a breath. Frost stood and paced away. Fuck he didn’t want to hear this. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she made him hard and everything to do with the wellbeing of his club.
Right.
“I recently became aware of the fact that I have a half-brother. Same father, different mothers. And I was told that, um… you are my half-brother.”
The low thump of the bass could still be heard from inside the clubhouse. Other than that, Rachel’s statement was met with eerie silence.
Curly’s sister.
She was Curly’s sister.
Frost had a boner for his president’s sister.
Shit.
CHAPTER FOUR
RACHEL ARRIVED AT the diner twenty minutes early.
The sleepless night hadn’t done anything to ease her anxiety. The hours she’d spent reliving the humiliating evening and stressing over this meeting compounded, causing another near panic attack earlier that morning. Thankfully, Jen had called, and she’d been able to stave off the meltdown by talking to her friend.
Based on the three minutes she’d spent informing Curly of their relationship last night, the man seemed to live up to the intel she’d found on him. He hadn’t flipped out, hadn’t thrown her off his property, and seemed receptive to getting to know her. In fact, he’d been the one to suggest meeting for coffee to chat that morning.
She’d jumped on the offer to meet in a public place instead of his home or the clubhouse, where she had the chance of running into a man who would make her freak out again. Or one who’d remind her of her humiliating actions the night before.
Or Frost.
The kind man who’d carried her outside and away from an excruciating situation.
The draw she felt to him made no sense. He might not be as big as some of those bikers, but his gruff exterior and stern expression made him look exactly like the type of man who terrified her. And yet, when that Jinx guy had shown up, all Rachel had wanted to do was to crawl under Frost’s skin and hide.
So now she sat there, a wreck, wearing more makeup than usual to cover the dark circles and make herself look alive.
The diner was adorable, clean, and modern, with Christmas decorations, giving the place a festive feel. If it wasn’t for all the patrons in shorts and sandals, she’d have felt right back at home.
The jangle of bells had her whipping her gaze toward the entrance. Sure enough, Curly strode in wearing jeans, biker boots, and his Hell’s Handlers cut. The reactions he received ran the gamut from awe, to apprehension, to terror. One woman chewed her straw while almost drooling as she stared. A few patrons straight-up gathered their belongings and left while others averted their eyes, finding something fascinating in their lattes. Rachel, on the other hand, couldn’t tear her eyes away.
They had the same hair color, though he had grayed in some spots. She’d left hers down both last night and this morning. Did the resemblance shock him as much as it did her?
“Hey, Rachel,” he said as he approached the table with an open smile. “Hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
She tried to smile and return the greeting, but nerves had it come out as a squeaked “hello,” and a grimace.