Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 86158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“No story,” I replied. “Got more respect for my partners than doing shit to them when they might not be fully aware of what’s happenin.’ Simple as that.”
“Wait, you’re saying we’ll never ever have drunk sex?” she asked curiously.
I thought about it for a moment. “You and I are together a while, really together, and you want to party and fuck me afterward—maybe.”
“So, like at our engagement party,” she said dryly.
“Yeah,” I said with a chuckle. “That sounds good.”
“I should be thankful you’re such a gentleman,” Charlie said as we started walking toward the clubhouse. “But it’s a little irritating.”
“It’ll grow on ya,” I promised.
We made our way back inside and hung out with Kara and Draco for a while, but eventually we got separated. I didn’t mind. I liked hanging out at the clubhouse. The party was relaxed and everyone was having a good time, and it was interesting to see the different dynamics between the people. Everyone deferred to Poet and Dragon, which made sense since they were the retired VP and president. Most people deferred to Grease, too, since he was the current VP—but a few of the guys didn’t, including Charlie’s dad… and her mom for that matter. Farrah was a wild card. She wasn’t mean to anyone, and she was pretty much the life of the party, but she also didn’t take any shit. You knew just by the way she held herself that there wasn’t anyone in the world that she answered to. Casper seemed to like her that way, though.
I understood the feeling. Watching Charlie go head-to-head in arguments didn’t bother me either, it just made me kind of proud. I watched her from across the room as she seemed to be lecturing her sister’s husband Leo, her hands flying around as she tried to make her point. Leo didn’t show any emotion, but as soon as Charlie stopped speaking he gave a little nod and said something back to her, making her laugh. She replied, and I could tell by the look on her face that it was something sarcastic. Leo laughed loud enough that even I could hear him over the thirty other conversations in the room.
“She gives him so much shit,” Charlie’s sister Lily said as she came up beside me. “But he loves it. It gives him a reason to argue.”
“She gives everyone shit,” I replied, glancing down at the pretty brunette.
Lily didn’t look anything like her sisters. While Charlie and Cecilia had both inherited their mom’s blond hair and fairer skin, Lily looked more like their dad with dark brown hair and olive complexion. If you didn’t know they were sisters, you’d never guess it… until they smiled. All of them had the exact same smile.
“She gets that from our mom,” Lily said with a snicker. “They’re always willing and ready for an argument. I’m more like my dad—we like to wait and let the other person prove they’re an idiot without our help.”
I laughed.
“She’s crazy loyal though,” Lily said, taking a sip of her drink. “We’re all kind of protective of her, because she never gives up on someone once they’ve got her trust, you know?”
“I can see that,” I replied. It didn’t take a genius to know where the conversation was headed.
“From what Draco says, you’re the same way.”
I just looked at her.
“That you’re loyal.”
I wasn’t sure how to reply. Yeah, I was loyal to Draco. The guy had saved my ass more times than I wanted to remember when we were locked up. Having a friend his size on the outside was a bonus, having a friend his size on the inside saved your fucking life. He’d argue that we both looked out for each other, and that was true. But I knew that the scale wasn’t balanced. How could it be? He’d been the kid of an Aces MC member and built like a tank, I’d been a nobody who was so pretty, people sometimes did a double take when they saw me.
It wasn’t vanity that made me aware of how I looked—it was survival. I’d learned young that the way you looked, even if it was pretty—especially if it was pretty—made people treat you differently and sometimes that wasn’t a good thing. Sometimes it was very bad.
“He’s a good friend,” I replied finally.
“He says the same about you,” Lily said, smiling at me. That’s when I realized their smiles weren’t exactly the same. Lily had a dimple and it was fucking adorable.
“Lily,” Rose called as she walked toward us. “The boys think they can beat us at beer pong.”
“Who gave our boys beer?” Lily asked in surprise. “They’re not old enough for fucking beer.”
“They’re going to play with soda,” Rose replied, waving away Lily’s concern. “Come on, they’ve already pulled the table outside.”
“How the hell do they know how to play beer pong?” Lily asked stubbornly.