Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
I plastered on my best smile. “Here,” I said to her. “You can have this seat. I was just going to make myself a cup of coffee and see what I could do to help Nina and Goldie.”
I didn’t make eye contact with Rome, but stood up and gave her my stool. The cutoff blue jean shorts, which were Pepper’s, no longer felt as if they were too short, even if my butt was too big for them They might as well be pants compared to the way Nixie was dressed. As I walked around the counter, Goldie and Nina both fell into the act like champs.
“Once you get your coffee, I’ll show you how to roll out the dough,” Nina told me as she picked up a large bowl and went back to the space beside the oven that was covered in flour.
We had not once talked about me helping them. Not because I didn’t want to help, but because I had been following Pepper’s lead. I assumed they didn’t like extra hands in the kitchen, and I hadn’t wanted to invade their turf.
“I bought some new creamer. Try it. It is to die for. I’d offer it to Pepper, but she’d snarl her nose at it,” Goldie said.
“Because I drink coffee the way God intended. Black,” Pepper replied.
“Since when did you start caring about what God intended?” Goldie shot back, causing Pepper and Nina to laugh.
I should smile here, so I did, but I kept my back to Rome and his…whatever she was. Taking my time, I poured myself a cup and took a few slow and even breaths.
This was fine. I had been married. Rome and I were…were…maybe on the path to being friends. He was a beautiful, sexy, viral male with a pierced cock to go with his tongue, and he was going to have young women around who he used those things on. If I made it weird by acting uptight and awkward, it would make me look as if I cared.
Mentally preparing myself for this and acting as relaxed as I could, I turned back around and went to the refrigerator. “I’m not badass enough to drink coffee black,” I quipped, trying to go along with the conversation.
“Second shelf on the right. It is the purple bottle that says Love Is Blind and has a chocolate-covered strawberry on the front,” Goldie informed me.
I scanned the shelves, found it, then poured some into my coffee before facing the rest of them.
“Okay, let’s get back on track,” Nina said as she stirred a pot on the stove. “Since Tex insisted that we continue.”
My eyes shot to Rome then, and he was watching me, although Nixie was perched on one of his thighs rather than the stool I had supplied for her. I did not want to finish this conversation. Ever. Especially with those two in here.
“Get me some coffee,” he said to the girl.
She sprang up with a bright smile, happy to do his bidding.
Yuck. Ew. I rolled my eyes before turning my attention back to Nina. I had to stop her and fast. I was not going to talk about anything concerning Rome.
“So, tonight is your first bonfire, and we need to find you something to wear. Although the way Lick is following you around, I don’t think it’ll matter to him much what you have on.” Nina smiled back at me over her shoulder.
What was she doing?
“Oh, I…” What did I say? I didn’t want to lie about Lick liking me or there being some chance I would—or even wanted to—hook up with him. I did not. I was starting to understand Pepper’s refusal to date a biker.
“It’s fine,” Goldie said with a wave of her hand. “The guys all talk. I’m sure Tex has already heard. We aren’t gossiping.”
“No, Tex hasn’t heard.” His tone was clipped as he glared at them, then at me.
I might as well have been mute because I had no words. Nothing was coming out of my mouth.
“That Lick has a thing for Salem.” Nina said it like it was common knowledge and he had to have his head up his ass not to know it.
“We had to give him his food and force him out the door this morning so we could talk about it. He’d walked Salem to breakfast and intended to sit beside her while he ate it.”
I wanted to groan. They were making this sound as if Lick liked me in a way he did not.
“Here you go,” Nixie said.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her set the cup down in front of him. I expected her to go climb back in his lap, but his command stopped her.
“Go clean my room.”
I tensed. Had he really just said that? Did he boss her around like that all the time? I frowned, then stared down at my cup.