Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Now, that’s what I call a spoonful of karma.”
“That it is.”
I was pleased that the conversation seemed to come effortlessly. He listened with genuine interest, and that was something I wasn’t used to. I don’t even remember when Chad stopped listening to me. For that matter, I’m not sure he ever did.
I stepped over to the stove and stirred the pasta as I asked, “What about you? Do you have any kids?”
“No. Can’t say that I do.” He took a sip of his beer before adding, “It’s not that I don’t want any. I just haven’t had the opportunity.”
“So, no one special to speak of.”
“There have been a few here and there, but nothing that stuck.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.” He gave me a bit of shrug, then continued, “Besides, my way of life isn’t for everyone.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of them, but I’m a member of Satan’s Fury.”
“The motorcycle club?”
“Yeah, that’s them.” He took a deep breath and met my gaze as he explained, "I joined more than ten years ago and still believe it’s the best thing I ever did, but it has its challenges. We are gone a lot. There are no set hours or lines drawn in the sand. You don’t always know what’s coming, and there are things that go on that I can’t share with anyone but a brother. Adjusting to those demands can be tough, and it can be even tougher when you’re with someone who doesn’t get it.”
“Sounds like quite a commitment.”
“It is, but the club is a part of who I am.”
I knew he was taking a chance telling me about his life, but I appreciated his honesty. It was the first step in really getting to know him, and I wanted that. I wanted to know all there was to know about him. “I won’t pretend to understand what it’s like to be a member of a club like yours, but it sounds a lot like family. There’s always some kind of push or pull, but in the end, you’ve always got someone to fall back on.”
“You get it better than you might think.” He smiled as he added, “I had a feeling you would.”
That smile gave my stomach butterflies. I don’t know what it was about him, but he had me thinking of things I had no business thinking about. But it felt good to have a man interested in me again—especially one who was so extremely handsome. In no time, dinner was ready, and the food was all set on the table. Ronin grabbed a fresh beer from the fridge and the bottle of wine from the counter then came over and sat down next to me.
He poured some more wine into my glass as he asked, “So, how long have you been a Star Wars fan?”
“Umm... I’m not actually a huge fan. I mean, I like Star Wars fine. They’re great movies, but I’d gone to that marathon because the kids were at their father's.” I took a sip of my wine before saying, “The house was starting to feel a little big and hollow, so I thought the marathon would help take my mind off things for a bit.”
“Makes sense.”
“What about you? Are you a big Star Wars fan?”
“It’s more a nostalgia thing for me... I watched the original trilogy with my dad, and it just kind of became our thing.” It was impossible to miss the emotion in his eyes as he spoke about his father, and that tugged at my heart. “We’d watch one here and there, and when his mind started slipping, those movies were one thing that would bring him back.”
“Oh, that’s really sweet and sad, too.”
“Yeah, it was hard to see him like that. He was always such a big, powerful man, and it broke me to see him fade away into nothing.”
“So, he’s not around anymore?”
“No, we lost him a couple of years back. Now, it’s just me, my sister Kendall, and my mom.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure it was tough for all of you to lose him.”
“It wasn’t easy, but we got through it.” He took a bite or two of pasta, then asked, “What about your ex? What’s the story there?”
“Not much to tell. We met in high school. Got married way too young and started a family. And things were good until they weren’t.” I took a long sip of wine before adding, “I thought we would figure it out until I found out he was hooking up with his secretary.”
“Damn.” Ronin shook his head. “You gotta be a real asshole to have a woman like you and fuck it up.”
“You’re sweet to say that, but he wasn’t the only one at fault. I had my part to play in it, too.”