Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47579 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
“Stop and have lunch with me.”
Would that gravelly voice ever stop being a turn-on?
“Are you there, Little girl?”
“Sorry, I had to concentrate on the road for a minute,” she lied. “I’d love to spend time with you. Should I stop and pick something up?”
“I have lunch for you. I’ll meet you at the back door of Inferno.”
“I’m pulling into the parking lot. See you soon.” Caroline loved that he wanted to see her so soon. She parked in her normal area and bounced up the steps at the entrance with her laptop bag thrown over her shoulder.
Spotting a biker at the door, she told him quickly, “I’m having lunch with….”
“Wraith. He alerted me, Caroline. I’m Fury.”
“Hi, Fury. Nice to meet you.”
“Don’t keep him waiting,” Fury said with a smile.
“Right. Thanks!”
When she turned the corner to see the back entrance, Caroline spotted Wraith’s bulk. He immediately pushed away from the wall to stalk forward. She jogged forward to throw herself into his arms.
“I missed you, Little girl,” he growled before bending her backward with a fiery kiss that made her forget they weren’t alone.
When he lifted his head, she could only blink up at him.
“You going to work?” Wraith asked, taking the laptop bag that had somehow ended up in his hand and slinging it over his shoulder.
She’d totally forgotten. “Your kisses are dangerous,” she whispered.
“I can live with that,” he said with a smirk.
“I didn’t want to leave it in the car, just in case. It has my world on it,” she explained. When he raised an eyebrow, she amended that, “All my work world on it.”
“A fool would break into a random car in the Inferno parking lot. A man with a need for pain would target the Little girl of a Devil Daddy.”
She shook that thought from her mind. “I saved him a lot of trouble then, didn’t I? Did you promise me lunch?”
“I did. Come on, Precious.”
He took her hand and led her outside. A bunch of Devil Daddies MC members had gathered, hanging out behind the building. Feeling out of place, Caroline tucked herself behind his massive back. Wraith stopped and tugged her from hiding behind him. Caroline was thrilled she’d changed clothes and put on makeup before leaving her condo.
“This is Caroline. She’s mine,” Wraith explained.
They all nodded and stood to greet her. She could feel them studying her and knew they wouldn’t forget her features. Wraith’s claim on her made Caroline important to remember. She recognized a few faces: Scythe, of course, Fury, and Lucien, the owner.
The latter stepped forward to consider her. Caroline didn’t understand all his tattoos, but her biker research clued her in that some were vaguely prison-related. How dangerous was this man? Would he give her another chance after she’d fled from his MC brother? Wraith squeezed her hand to reassure her when her fingers tightened on his.
“Welcome, Caroline. The Devil Daddies MC recognizes you.”
“Thank you, Lucien,” Wraith said as Caroline wondered what that meant. Quickly, she collected herself to say something.
“Yes, thank you, Lucien. It’s nice to meet you all.”
“Such nice manners. You’ve chosen well, Wraith. Is she staying with you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Priceless treasures should be protected,” Lucien stated and nodded to excuse himself as he returned to Inferno.
Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. His tone was free of censure. She’d wondered how Lucien would react to her after she’d run from his MC brother. He didn’t look like someone who’d forgive or forget easily.
Wraith interrupted her whirling thoughts. “Let me introduce you to the others. You’ve met Scythe and Fury. I’ll start on the right: Pirate, Street, and Toxin.”
“Hi,” she said with a wave. She’d never remember all those names. “I hope there’s not a test.”
“Never,” Wraith reassured her before wrapping his arm around her and guiding her away. “Come on, Caroline. We’ll have lunch over there.”
Caroline followed him closely. The bikers were definitely different from the people she’d always hung out with, but they’d greeted her warmly. A thousand questions tumbled around in her mind, distracting her as they walked. When Wraith stopped suddenly, she ran smack into him.
“Uff! I’m sorry,” she rushed to say.
“You’re cute when you’re nervous,” Wraith complimented her.
“I’ve got a lot of questions. Can I ask them when we’re at home?” She definitely didn’t want to say anything wrong here.
“Of course. We can sit on this bench,” Wraith told her, pointing to the secluded spot. He set her computer bag safely on the ground next to them and sat down.
As he pulled things out of a cooler, she couldn’t help but notice that deep lines were carved into his face. “I’m sorry you didn’t get enough sleep.”
“I’m not. I only need about four hours and I’m fine. We had a snafu that caused a flurry of work this morning. It zapped my energy.”
“I hope it is okay now.”