Page 6 of The Price of Love

“Ya know, that’s gonna hurt you,” I say.

“What?” Her tone drips with irritation.

“You gotta play it cooler than that. Not react when someone annoys you.”

“Says the woman who drools on herself whenever Dimples smiles.”

I smirk. “Whatever.”

Her eyes narrow, and I see the wheels turning inside her head. Nadine’s shrewd. She got goals, and she don’t plan on losing. She’s eyeballing me, looking for my angle.

Still with the crooked smirk on my face, I point at her. “It’s how you say it.”

Her eyes flash, and she grins. “Whatever.” She gets it right—there’s no whine in her voice, and she doesn’t pout.

“Cocky. Much better.” I chuckle. “Maybe that’ll be your club name, Cocky.”

“Fuck you! Cock will never be part of my name.”

I laugh. “Ew, yeah. Okay. Just don’t piss me off. And stop calling me Slick.”

She raises her fist at me like I did to her earlier. “Don’t make me beat your ass.”

I think about rippin’ on her some more but decide against it. “I best be gettin’ to the store. Oh, shit, I almost forgot. We’re supposed to blow up the air mattresses in case anyone wants to stay tonight.”

Nadine sighs. “Don’t you get sick of being bossed around?”

I shrug. “I’m used to taking orders. The Army taught me well.” When I was younger, I landed in some trouble, but the Army saved me.

“For someone who acts like a badass, you sure do follow the rules,” she says.

“Rules ain’t bad if they serve a purpose.” I miss the camaraderie of the hood and the service, but I don’t wanna go back to either. That’s why getting into the Thorns is so important to me.

“Maybe sometimes you should break them instead of hanging on to them like they’re a security blanket.”

Fucking shit. I should bust her down, but I ain’t in the mood to argue. Still, I can’t let her get away with it. So what if following rules makes me feel safe, she ain’t lived my life.

“Come talk to me about that shit when you’ve slept on the streets or not known where your next meal is coming from. Until then, keep it to yourself.” I pull the van keys out of my pocket and toss them in the air. “Gotta run.”

CHAPTER 4

DIMPLES

I raise my fist and hammer on Storm’s door. If she’s asleep, she won’t be any longer. I smile to myself as I hear her grumbling from inside her room.

The door flies open, and a bleary-eyed Storm greets me. “Why the fuck are you pounding?”

Her bark is worse than her bite, so I ignore her and push inside. I look her up and down. She’s still wearing all her gear, including her chaps.

Her dark brown eyes take less time to adjust to the light than my blue ones do, so she’s already fully glaring at me. As I take in her mop of wiry brown hair, I still haven’t spoken. Is her windblown look from riding without a helmet or tossing and turning during her nap? I’m guessing both.

“You look like hell,” I finally say.

“Gee, thanks.” Her voice is raspy and low. It’s always that way, so it doesn’t give anything away.

I reach out and brush her hair off her face. It’s not something I’d do in public, especially not in a club like ours. The president is above that.

She reaches up and pushes her hair farther back. “Did you come to groom me or what?”