Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Her lip quivers, and Bam, sensing disaster, flees like a coward. “I’ve gotta—I hear my phone ringing.” He darts into his bedroom and slams the door shut.
I return to the kitchen chair and pull Andy onto my lap again. “It’ll be different this time. I won’t be alone. I’ll be prepared, but I can’t let it go. Not for your safety, not for Julie or my mom or any of my brothers.”
“I don’t like this.” She presses her lips together.
Because of my idiocy, I’ve made her afraid. Just another reason I need to clean up this mess.
Chapter Thirty
ANDY
I’m not sure what to make of the whole Riders holding their territory thing, but I do know I can’t stop it. No matter what I say to Niki, he’ll do what needs to be done, especially if there is a threat looming.
What I can do is get him to rest now that he has some food in him. I need to take care of him. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t be in this mess and almost have died. I can’t help but feel an immense amount of guilt for bringing all of this to his doorstep. Not only putting him in danger but everyone around him, including his mom and sister.
"Hey." Niki kisses the shell of my ear. His hold around me tightens. I'm still sitting in his lap. "Don't cry on me." I blink quickly, trying to get the tears to clear. The many thoughts racing through my mind let me know that’s not happening anytime soon.
"Then let me up." I sniffle.
"Babe." He changes his tone to a gentler one, which always makes me melt for him. "This isn't on you."
"You never would have been there if not for me." It’s the truth. I know without a doubt that he’s going to try to spin this somehow so that I don’t feel bad about it. The facts are the facts.
"Okay, then the next girl who has an issue with Rico. What about her?" Shit, I hadn't thought about that. "Either way, it needs to be handled. Think of how he treated your mom too."
I nod in agreement, knowing he's right. "The previous owner was nice. Then Rico bought the place out."
"Then it was only a matter of time before he popped up on our radar if he's doing this shit."
"I get it. I won't try to stop you." This is his life and a part of who he is. I need to accept and understand that. That’s all he’s even been for me. I bring my hand to his cheek to softly cup it. He leans into my touch. "But for tonight, can I take care of you, and you take a second to see straight?"
I mean that figuratively and literally. If he goes in pissed off, there’s a higher probability that he’ll fuck things up. He needs to have a level head and be thinking smart. Even I know that much.
“I can do that,” Niki agrees, placing a soft kiss on the palm of my hand. His agreement makes a little of the anxiety I’ve been feeling slip away. I know it will be short-lived, but I don’t want to sit in it for tonight. “I should shower.”
“That always makes me feel better, too.” I wiggle to get off his lap. He releases his hold on me, but I don't move far away. Niki is right on his feet with me.
“Glad we agree we both need one.”
“What?” I laugh as he ushers me toward the bathroom.
“If we both get naked in the bathroom, then you can’t run in it and hide.”
“Oh my God.” I’m not going to live that one down, but I’m letting it slide because Niki appears to be in a better mood.
“It was cute.”
“Cute?” I scoff, entering the bathroom with him. For the two boys living here, they keep it clean. “A girl wants to be sexy.”
“Trust me, when you’re naked, you’re sexy as fuck.” He tugs on my shirt, letting him take it off.
“Your head though.” I brush my hand over the back of his skull feeling for the goose egg that was there when we first found him.
“It’s fine. I’m fine or I will be once we get in there.” He tilts his head toward the shower.
If you had told me a month ago I'd be down with getting naked with a man in the bathroom, I would have never believed you. But this feels right. Everything about Niki has made sense since he came into my life. I couldn’t imagine not having that now.
"Let me help you too." I undo the buttons of his jeans. He's quick to help me get him undressed. The rest of my clothes fall away too before we step into the shower together.
Niki grips my waist, tugging me into him so that our bodies are against each other. I can feel how hard he is for me. His mouth comes down onto mine. The kiss is gentle at first but quickly becomes more intense. I get lost in him, the same way I always do when his mouth is on mine. Before I realize it, water is cascading down our bodies, Niki having turned it on.