Page 98 of Diary of a Biker Queen

I tucked the sheets around her, handed her the remote to the TV hung on the wall opposite the bed, and then padded out into the common room.

I half expected Luca to be out there, distracted by one of the other guys, but there was no Luca in sight, and none of the greasy fries and burgers I craved.

I pulled out my phone as I made my way to the kitchen and tucked it into the cradle between my neck and shoulder. I rummaged through the pantry and then the refrigerator, searching for something to tide over my and Nyah’s rumbling bellies.

Luca’s phone went to voicemail, and I sighed, listening to his recorded message that simply said, “It’s Luca. Leave a message.”

The beep sounded. “Just wondering where you are. We’re so starving we’re pregaming dinner with original Pringles and—” I squinted into the fairly bare refrigerator. “Cheese. The situation is dire. Hurry. Call us back with an ETA.”

I ended the call and took my finds back to my bedroom and got into bed beside my girl. “Pringles or cheese? Or both at once. Your call?”

“Both at once, definitely.” She looked at the food like it was a Thanksgiving feast. “Good choices.”

I screwed up my nose. “They’re a terrible combination.”

“Not to a pregnant woman. Gimme.”

I watched her chow down pringles with one hand, alternating with bites of the cheese from the other.

She brushed crumbs off the sheets apologetically, but I didn’t care at all. The pleasure on her face at being fed and warm and well fucked was all I needed. She got to the bottom of the tube and sank back against the pillows, her eyes closing.

“Hey.” I brushed her hair back off her forehead. “Don’t fall asleep. We haven’t had dinner yet.”

But it was clearly a losing battle, and her stomach had stopped growling. “Wake me when he gets back.”

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I will.”

She was out in seconds, and I couldn’t blame her. My eyelids felt just as heavy, my body pleasantly warm and the bed so comfy it would have been easy to roll over, wrap my arms around her, and fall asleep with her scent in my nose.

But my damn grumbling stomach that hadn’t been satisfied with the few Pringles I’d dared to steal from Nyah wouldn’t let me drift off.

I called Luca again, and still no answer.

I got sucked into the movie Nyah had put on before she’d fallen asleep, but by the time the end credits started to roll and I realized Luca still wasn’t back, a kernel of worry lit up inside me. He’d been gone at least two hours. Probably more.

I called him again, and this time, I wasn’t surprised when it went to voicemail.

I quietly swung my legs off the bed and pulled on some jeans over the top of my boxers. A shirt came next, along with my boots, and my Slayers jacket from the hook on the back of the door.

Kyle and Kiki were in the common room, and they both looked up when I came out.

Kyle nodded in greeting. “Going out tonight?”

I checked I had my wallet. “Hadn’t planned on it, but Luca’s gone MIA with our food. Need to go out to find him.”

Kyle’s forehead crinkled. “You want me to come with?”

But I shook my head. “No, you two enjoy your night. No point both of us wandering around out there searching for him when he probably just got distracted by someone he ran into while he was in town. I’ll find him.”

Kyle nodded, and Kiki curled around him again, running her fingers through the back of his hair, stroking the nape of his neck affectionately.

Kyle leaned into the touch. “Hope you find him.”

I did too. But at the very least, I was getting some food. Something that wasn’t a weird pregnancy craving I definitely didn’t share.

I got on my bike and rode it slowly up the hill to the Slayers’ gates. I raised a hand at Chirp, sitting sentry for the night, and mentally tried to remember when I was next rostered on. I still couldn’t remember by the time I got out of the woods and onto the main road, but it didn’t matter. I’d check when I got back.

The night was cool, the late autumn breeze reminding me it was going to be winter any day now. And though Saint View wasn’t well known for snow or particularly cold temperatures, when you were on the back of a bike, whizzing through the night in nothing but jeans and a jacket, even slightly cooler temperatures made a difference to how comfortable it was to ride.