Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
This time, Sapphire didn’t ask. She followed Carlee’s gaze to a handsome man who played pool.
“Is that him, taking the shot?” Sapphire asked.
“Yes! That’s Atlas,” Carlee confirmed
“It’s fun to see who goes with which biker,” Sapphire shared.
“Which one do you think is Molly’s?” Remi asked, pointing to the demurely dressed woman with glasses.
“Hmmm.” Sapphire waited for Molly to give it away by glancing at one of the men. She did not. Taking a wild guess, Sapphire said, “How about the bald guy over there with the snarly look on his face? Faust?”
“She got another one,” Elizabeth crowed. “You are good. They’re together.”
“Do me next. I’m Eden,” a red-haired woman volunteered. She almost danced in her chair with excitement.
“Hmm. Opposites attract. How about that guy with the salt and pepper beard over there?” Sapphire pointed.
Eden’s jaw dropped. “How did you know? That’s Gabriel. He’s mine.”
“Honestly?” Sapphire paused. “He keeps checking on you.”
The whole group turned to look at the silver fox and found his attention squarely on Eden. There was a collective gasp, and everyone swiveled to stare at Sapphire.
“You’re good,” Eden complimented.
“Thanks. I’m good at reading people. It comes in handy in my business.”
“What do you do?” Elizabeth asked.
“I have a jewelry shop downtown.”
“I noticed your earrings. I love them,” Harper chimed in. “They’re so unique.”
“Thank you. I designed and created them,” Sapphire said as she ran her fingers over the teardrop form of twisted metal dotted with small turquoise and topaz stones. They were one of her favorites because they went with a lot of colors.
“Does that ear thing hurt?” Carlee asked.
“The cuff?” Sapphire touched the gold metal band that fit on her ear. When Carlee nodded, she added, “It doesn’t. It fits loosely on the cartilage of your ear. Would you like to try it?”
“Is that okay?” Carlee asked.
“Of course. It’s just like sliding on someone’s ring,” Sapphire explained as she pulled it off. She handed it to Carlee who started to put it on and bobbled it. She looked down at her empty hand in horror. All the women pushed back their chairs and searched on the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” Carlee babbled, repeating the phrase numerous times before dropping to her knees.
Everyone joined her, including Sapphire. “It’s okay, Carlee.”
“We don’t have much time before they get suspicious. Sapphire, we’re all Littles. It’s okay if you aren’t, but we’re not good at pretending. Can we be friends?”
“I’d like that more than anything,” Sapphire answered. A genuine smile curved the end of her lips as she met the gaze of each woman. They were lovely women, inside and out.
“In that case,” Carlee lifted a hand above the table they crouched under, “I found it!”
The women peeked over the top to see the cuff sitting in the middle of her palm.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Elizabeth said. “That was too precious to lose.” She turned away from the bikers to wink theatrically at the others, who slowly rose to retake their seats.
“They’re up to something,” Faust announced in a voice that carried.
As if operating with one mind, each of the woman completely ignored that statement. Sapphire couldn’t help the corners of her lips from turning up as Carlee returned her ear cuff. Already she adored this crew. They were honest, fun-loving, and open.
Most of all, they accepted her whether or not she fit with the group perfectly. She understood that they’d wanted to know if they could be themselves around her. Crossing her fingers, she hoped they understood she wasn’t ever going to criticize someone for living their truth. Maybe they would tell her more about being Little?
Remi patted her leg when the conversation swirled around them again. “We’re glad Blade found you.”
“I’m glad I found her, too.” Blade’s deep voice rang out above her. “Are you all ready for nachos? Here they come!”
The men hustled to grab drinks for their Littles as the two servers carried immense trays to the table. In a practiced move, the waitresses fitted the tray over the bucket-sized garbage can and flipped it over. Lifting the metal can up, the employees allowed the layers of chips and goodies to cascade over the tray. It smelled incredible.
“Enjoy!”
“Dig in, Sapphire. I’ll go grab you a drink. What goes best with nachos in your opinion?” Blade asked.
“I’ll take a beer. Something light,” Sapphire requested.
“You got it.”
When he came back with a Mexican pale ale with a lime on the top, she knew he was a keeper. The attention he gave her felt incredible. She liked being the center of his attention.
The men pulled chairs up to the table and joined the group. The good-natured ribbing between them told Sapphire that the Shadowridge Guardians were close. They really were a brotherhood.
She relaxed and found herself leaning against Blade’s hard body. When he leaned in to kiss her temple, she smiled up at him.