My heart leaps into my throat when someone slams their palms down on the table. I look up to see Chrissy grinning down at me. Chick scared the hell out of me. I remove my earbuds and smile back at her.

“Hola, chica,” she greets me.

I slide from the booth, put one arm around her and kiss her cheek.

“Man…I still can’t get over this kiss thing.”

“It’s a Miami thing. ¿Que pasa?” I ask as we take opposite sides of the booth.

“Nothing much. Wanted to talk about my birthday plans.”

She reaches over and snags a few fries from my plate as I ask, “You decide what you wanna do?”

“My parents wanna have a party, to which you’re invited, of course.”

“You sure that’s a good idea? I don’t want to make Chris uncomfortable. It’s his birthday, too.”

I haven’t spoken to him since that night at Chiquita’s. I’ve tried contacting him a few times with no luck, so I’m leaving it up to him whether he wants to talk or not.

“You’re my best friend. I need you there.”

“And I want to be there. I just don’t want to ruin it for him.”

“You may be right. I’ve never seen him this…withdrawn before.”

“I hate myself for what I did. It wasn’t fair to him.”

“Eventually, he’ll understand that you had to do what’s best for you.”

“I hope so.”

She reaches toward my plate again, and I push it to the center of the table so she’ll have better access.

“Okay. I won’t push you on the party, but we’re going dancing after with a few of my other friends.”

“No problem. Where do you wanna go?”

“Scythe. It’s an eighteen-and-over club just outside of town.”

“And how do you expect me to get in?”

She leans back with a smirk. “Shouldn’t be a problem since your papi chulo owns it.”

“He’s not –”

“Yeah, yeah…says the girl who spent the night in his bed.”

I bite my lip and look down at my plate sheepishly. I haven’t told her about last night.

“What’s that look?”

“I stayed with him again last night,” I whisper.

“You bitch! Did you have hot, monkey sex?”

“Hot what?” I giggle. “No, he won’t. Not until my birthday, even though it’s perfectly legal. The age of consent here is sixteen.”

“It is? I didn’t know that. So, what happened?” She asks, leaning forward eagerly.

“We talked and then we slept.”

“What did you talk about?”

“My life before I came here.”

“Oh. So, are you going back tonight?” She asks.

“I don’t know.”

“Why not?”

“He hasn’t asked. The other night…I was upset about Chris.” Without even saying a word, I know Gage expects me to keep quiet about what happened. I know it’s something I can only talk about with him. “And I was tired. I just fell asleep while he was having church or whatever with the other members.”

“And last night?”

“Last night, he asked me to stay.”

“This guy’s really into you, Ray. The way he blew up when he walked in and saw you? Shit, I wish someone was that protective of me.”

‘Protective’ is not the word I’d use, but hearing from someone else that he cares makes me feel better. “What about you and Ron?”

Her smile returns. “I think I just might get some birthday sex.”

“Jesus. Already?”

“You forget I’ve known him practically my whole life. And it’s been a while. I’m tired of my own fingers.”

“And he’s the one to break the dry spell?”

“Definitely. He’s just…fun…and I know exactly what I’m getting with him. Nothing like my boring, loser ex who cheated on me.”

“Like me?”

“Ray –”

“It’s okay. I accept the ‘loser ex’ title. I deserve it.”

“It’s not the same.”

“It is. But don’t let me interrupt. Tell me about Ron,” I prod, trying to redirect the conversation.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay...well...hanging out with him and the other guys last night, it’s kinda changed my perspective on the club.”

“How?”

“I mean, I know they’re not saints, but I know now that they’re not as bad as everyone makes them out to be.”

“Me, too.”

“And Gage…I had my doubts, but you know him better than I do so if he’s okay in your book, then he’s okay in mine.”

“Speaking of books, have you checked out my Kindle library?”

We set up the Family Library so we could have free reign of each other’s books.

“Yeah. Saw some new stuff. Why?”

“So, Gage saw me browsing last night and just pops his credit card out and says ‘get whatever you want’.”

“Shit. He keeps doing that, he’s definitely getting into your panties.”

I try, but I can’t hold back my smile. “Whatever. It’s not like that.” Well, not exactly like that. I want him, but it’s so much more.

“What’s it like?”

I take a deep breath, trying to figure out how to explain it, explain what I feel when I’m with him.

“He’s…complex. He’s smart…so smart, but I think he hides it from most people. It’s like he has two personalities. One minute, we could be having the most intelligent conversation and the next, he slips into ‘badass biker mode’ with a dirty mouth to match.”

She places her elbow on the table and drops her cheek onto her palm, listening intently.

“He’s kind and strong and protective. I feel safe with him. I feel –”

“You’re falling for him.”

Am I? Maybe. “Do you ever crave someone’s company? Just their presence? It doesn’t matter what you do. You could be sitting together in complete silence, staring into space, but you’re just…happy. Completely fucking happy.”

“No. But I’m happy for you. I hope this all works out.”

“Me, too.” She squeezes my hand and gives me an encouraging smile. “My break is over. I have to get back to work.”

“No prob. I’ll just go home and check out those books your sexy, biker daddy bought you.”

“Chrissy –”

“See ya!” She laughs and breezes out the door.

Millie corners me before I start taking orders again and ushers me to her office. I follow her, curious as to what is going on. She closes the door and pulls out a poster from under her desk.

“I put on a fair for the kids around here every year at Halloween. I was wondering if you’d like to help out.”

The poster is from last year but it shows all the different rides and activities for the kids. It looks like fun and something I’d definitely want to get involved with.

“Sure, I’d love to! What would you want me to do?”

“Great! I know you draw. Do you paint? I was thinking you could do face painting.”

“I can definitely do that. This is going to be so much fun!”

“Thanks, sweetheart. I’ll get the new posters printed up and get you all the materials you’ll need.”

“Awesome. Thanks for including me.”

I leave her office and go through the rest of the day thinking about all the different faces I can paint. This fair is going to be off the chain!

***

I’m about to go to bed, just after midnight, when my phone vibrates with a text from Gage.

G: I’m outside.

I quickly throw on a robe over my tank top and boy shorts and let him in. Lonnie’s working tonight, so I know she won’t be home until morning. He tips the hood of his jacket back and gives me a weak smile. He looks so tired. I wonder what he’s been up to. He hands me a paper bag, and I peek in to see the pills Dr. E prescribed.

“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” I hide them in my room and return to see him leaning against the wall, head back, eyes closed. “Are you okay?”

He turns to me with a weary sigh and pushes off the wall. His eyes wander over my face as he cups my cheek with one hand and slides the other through my hair.

“I am now.”

His lips brush mine tenderly and a moan emanates from the back of my throat. I curl my fingers around his wrists and move up onto my toes, trying to get closer. I breathe him in, his scent of leather, cologne, and him, going to my head. His tongue flicks out, licking at my bottom lip, and I open for him. He slides in with a groan and I catch his tongue between my lips, sucking gently. His hands move to my hips and I curl my arms around his neck, playing with the hair at his nape. Growling, he picks me up, wrapping my legs around his hips. The kiss changes. It becomes harder, more aggressive. It’s not a passionate frenzy like before, more like a punishment or a release of pent-up anger. My lips begin to throb from the force of it, and I can’t breathe. I fist my hand in his hair and pull back to catch my breath.