“I’ll come with,” she says, patting my head. “Tank and Domino will too. It’s their job to babysit us now.” She smirks. “Let’s make them race.”
A tired huff escapes me. “Tank’s twice Domino’s size. He doesn’t stand a chance.”
She gasps, mock-outraged. “You wouldn’t believe how nimble Tank actually is. I bet he’ll win.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re on. Domino’s gonna leave him in the dust.”
“Fine,” she grins. “If Tank wins, you owe me the most expensive bottle of tequila they have here. You’ll pay up tonight. There’s a party, apparently.”
I rise slowly and glare. “Deal. But if Domino wins, you owe me two bottles.”
She cackles like a witch. “You’re so on.”
Two hours later, I shove the clubhouse doors open, a shit-eating grin stretched across my face. Domino’s beside me, snickering like a fool.
“You suck, Tank!” Ria barks from behind us at the poor biker. “I hyped you up! Thought you had this in the bag! I bragged about your skills! You owe me a bottle of tequila now.”
Tank groans, clearly at the end of his sanity. “Why would you bet on me in a foot race, tiny lady? You should’ve put me in the ring. I would’ve crushed him. Instead, you chose running?”
“He really would’ve crushed me in the ring,” Domino whispers conspiratorially.
I snort. “Please. With his size? He’d just have to sit on you. End of fight.” I pause. “But I bet you’d give him a run for his money first.”
Domino laughs, amused as hell. “You know me so well, Princess.”
I stop and groan from the bottom of my soul. “Not you too. First Ria. Then Temperance. Now you? What is it with the princess shit?”
He shrugs and grins. “Because you’ve been locked in a castle by a grumpy beast for most of the year. It doesn’t get any more princessy than that!”
“That’s why?” I screech and slap his shoulder.
He starts jogging toward the stairs. “And also because you’re pretty,” he throws over his shoulder, laughing.
I freeze, stunned. There’s an infuriated growl behind me, but I ignore it. The grumpy beast can go choke on air.
Ria comes beside me. “Did he just call you pretty?” she asks, a little stunned herself.
“Yeah,” I murmur, blinking the shock away. “Yeah, he did.”
She stares at me. Squints. “What—ummm… is there…?”
“There’s nothing between us, Nosy Nancy,” I cut her off, ruffling her hair like a kid. “We’re friends. That’s it.” I turn to her fully, crossing my arms. “You owe me two bottles of tequila. Get ready to pay up.”
She groans and throws a murderous glare at Tank.
Ghost
I’m going to kill that fucker. Rip his lungs out through his throat and make myself a nice wallet out of them.
Yeah, I know he flirts like he breathes. But fuck, not Adora. Anyone else. Everyone else. Just not her. Not now. Not here. Not him.
I know she’ll move on eventually. I know I’ll have to watch her build something new, something without me in it. I’m trying to stomach that. Trying to let it sit. But Domino? Fuck that. And fuck him. Sideways.
I’m elbow-deep in a fantasy where I wear his intestines like a belt — haven’t even touched the beer Grizz left me — when a hand waves in front of my face. Too close. Way too close.
I jolt. Snap back. Layla’s staring at me like I’ve grown horns.
“What the fuck?” I mutter. I don’t get surprised. Nobody sneaks up on me. What the hell’s happening to me? I need to get a grip.
