Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“Do you think Kelly would like this?” A young male voice drew Bliss’s attention from the necklace in her hand and the memories in her mind to the man standing at the jewelry counter a few feet away.
Bliss recognized the father and son duo from the high school football games she had attended with The Last Riders. Jace, who had been the star quarterback for Treepoint High the previous year, was a younger version of the man who indulgently waited for his son to pick a present. His father, Drake Hall, was the local realtor whose loud yells from the stands had made his presence known to her and everyone around him.
She also recognized the young man standing next to him, Cal. He had also played on the football team as defense, and Drake had yelled just as loudly for him during the games. Bliss remembered Rachel, Drake’s cousin, telling the women in the club one night at dinner that Drake had become Cal’s guardian when Cal’s father had been arrested for helping Lily and Beth’s father kidnap them and Razer. All the women had been upset when they had learned Cal’s baby sister had been put in foster care.
Bliss watched Drake from under her lashes. It was hard not to. His hard, sensual looks would make any woman take a second glance, but the body that went with them was enough to make her lick her lips. He was tall, muscular, and his biceps stretched his shirt tightly. She had to admit she was a sucker for a good set of biceps.
Bliss had caught him staring at her more than a few times in the past. If it weren’t for the rules of The Last Riders that forbade her from having sex beyond club members, she would have approached him eagerly. Instead, she had ignored his lingering gaze. However, Bliss reminded herself she was no longer held back by any of the rules the club imposed. She could do whatever she wanted.
Sauntering closer, she caught a glimpse of the heart necklace dangling from Jace’s fingertips.
“Depends on what you want to tell her,” Bliss cut in to the men’s conversation. “If you want to tell her she’s your one and only, buy it. If you want to keep her guessing, pick something else.”
“Like what?” Jace’s curiosity was immediately caught.
Bliss’s fingertip tapped the glass display case, pointing to a popcorn necklace with two dangling pearls.
“That’s cool.” Jace motioned to the saleswoman, who pulled the necklace out of the display case. “What do you think, Dad?”
“I think you should take her advice. She would know better than I would what a teenage girl would like.”
“Cal?” Jace turned to his friend.
The other boy stared at it briefly. “Don’t ask me. I think you should give her a gift card.”
“That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend,” Jace wisecracked.
Bliss was still tuned in to what Drake had said. She sincerely doubted she would know better than him; those lines of experience on his face showed he had broken more than his fair share of women’s hearts. She noticed the interest in his eyes deepen at her silent perusal.
“Thanks for the help,” Jace said after telling the saleswoman he wanted to buy Bliss’s suggestion. “My name is Jace, and this is my dad, Drake Hall.”
A smile tugged at her lips when he held out his hand for her to shake. Bliss took it.
“Your girlfriend will love her gift.”
“It’s a make-up present. She found out I went out with another girl.”
“That should do it … for a first-time offense.”
Jace laughed. “What if I do it again? Buy her the heart necklace?”
Bliss’s gaze narrowed on him. Yeah, like father like son.
“No, buy her your favorite shade of lipstick so she can give you something to remember her by when she kisses your ass good-bye.”
Jace and his friend moved to the side to pay for the necklace, his smile dying away with her sarcastic reply.
“That was a little harsh.” Drake’s amused voice drew her attention from his cocky son.
“Maybe you should have taught your son about loyalty and how to treat a woman when you were teaching him the ABCs.”
Drake gave her a wicked smile. “There are some things that are better for a man to figure out on his own.”
“I have a feeling Jace is a chip off the old block,” she stated.
Drake laughed, causing several of the customers to look at them curiously. “You do realize you’re getting angry about Jace cheating on a young woman you don’t even know when you just met him a few minutes ago.”
Bliss couldn’t even explain to herself why she was so angry. “No woman likes to hear about men cheating on their women.”
“You have a problem with men cheating? Belonging to The Last Riders, I thought cheating would be second nature to you. Does it only make you angry when you’re not the one they’re cheating with?”