Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 112736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“In high school, we were friends. You were a cheerleader and I was on the football team…”
I close my eyes for a moment, my annoyance flaring so hot I can feel a headache growing behind my temples.
After taking a deep breath, I open my eyes and glance up at his face. Even though he’s annoying the hell out of me, there’s no denying the fact that his face is incredibly handsome. He’s not quite as handsome as Coy… But I can definitely see why they call him Poster Boy. All the required pieces that make a man handsome are there. Short blond hair, straight nose, and a bone structure that probably makes most models drool with envy.
I stare into his blue eyes, blue eyes that could melt panties if they weren’t so cold, and don’t feel even a flicker of recognition.
“Let me guess, you were the quarterback for the team?” I ask sarcastically.
“You do remember me!” he grins.
I shake my head and roll my eyes before I drop my attention back down to the paper. “No, actually, I don’t.”
He says, “Fuck…” like I just kicked his favorite puppy. “I’m really insulted now.”
And I could still care less.
“You’re the one who introduced me to Coy. You’re the reason I’m a Royal Bastard. Shit, you’re even the reason they call me Poster Boy.”
I clutch the paper and feel his words stabbing at my brain. What the fuck, does he not take a hint?
“Most people think it’s because of my handsome fuckin’ face,” he goes on. “But it’s not. It’s because of what you called me at the first Royal Bastard party you took me to. You seriously don’t remember?”
“I don’t remember,” I grit out at him, my head tightening with tension.
God, just the sound of his voice is starting to give me a migraine.
“You don’t remember callin’ me the poster boy for retroactive abortion after I said some of those sluts hanging around the clubhouse could benefit from some good ol’ female castration?”
Jesus Christ.
“I wouldn’t say that,” I gasp and look up at him in alarm.
But then again, thinking about it, maybe I would if he actually said that…
“You did,” he grins smugly, like he’s proud of it. “And Grem overheard it. It’s stuck ever since. Well, ever since I came back.”
He frowns and I shake my head in disbelief.
That weird feeling, the one that feels like I’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone, starts to creep back in.
Is this real?
“Fuck, Allie, you were a really cool chick,” he sighs. “I missed you, and I know a lot of the other brothers missed you too.”
I roll my eyes again. He missed me? Me? Is he serious? And the other brothers too… Yeah, sure.
Knowing that’s he really pulling my leg now, I start to tune him out and work on finishing the rest of my coffee.
“Sure… you and Coy were kind of a joke at first. Miss Allison Stack, the daughter of Edward and Lorraine Stack, those hypocritical bible-thumpers building that megachurch over in Westport, getting corrupted by the dirty bikers…”
I nearly choke on my coffee again when he says my parent’s names and my heart starts to race.
Is he still messing with me? Is this some kind of sick game? There’s no way the other Allie’s parents had the same names. No fucking way.
“But you were nothin’ like your parents, and it was pretty fucking clear you refused to buy or sell their bullshit. When you kept stickin’ around and everyone started figurin’ out what the two of you had was real, it started to change the club. Fuck, the two of you were breathing new life into it. Watching you two was like watching our future king and queen. We were all just waitin’ for you to turn eighteen and make it legal. Shit, more than half of us were just as fucking excited as Coy. Even Hound, Coy’s old man, was. But then that fucking accident…”
I shove away from the table and stand, my heart racing so fucking fast I think I’m going to puke and have a heart attack at the same time.
What he’s saying is crazy… it’s fucking crazy…
And yet, I’m filled with this intense, almost all-consuming panic that it might be true.
He goes on, not missing a beat, even when my chair hits the floor. “It fucked us up. Fucked us up bad. I was there that night, at the party. I remember when everyone got word, the party fucking stopped and we all headed for the hospital. Horse was already fuckin’ dead, and even though he was a future brother, there was no reason to go for him. We all went there for Hound, for Coy, for you. And when you disappeared…”
I walk away, the buzzing in my ears so loud, I can’t make out whatever else he’s saying.