hits, you’ll know it. You might have to kiss a lot of toads, and your forever love may not fit all of the criteria on your wish list. But you’ll know when it’s right. When you meet the man who looks at you like you’re so special, you can feel how much he adores you. The one who is there for you in good times and bad, he’s the man who deserves a chance. Just remember, love is patient and love is kind—”
“And hopefully he has a really hot behind,” Magdeline added with a snort-laugh.
Rose chuckled.
The intercom beeped, and Shelby, the receptionist, said, “Chloe?”
“Yes?”
“The juniors are here for orientation, and Madigan Wicked returned your call. She said she’s tied up until tomorrow but will try you then.”
“Great. Thank you, Shelby.”
“One more thing,” Shelby said. “You got another call for the reference on Janet Kirsh. I put it through to your voicemail.” Janet was a single mother who had worked for LOCAL for a couple of years in the accounting department. She’d left a little more than a year ago to move to Florida.
“Okay. Thank you. I forgot. I’ll return the call before the end of the day.” Chloe and the ladies pushed to their feet.
“Is that about our Janny?” Rose asked. “Wasn’t she looking for a job last Christmas?”
“Yes. She must be having a hard time finding the right company to settle in with,” Chloe explained. Janet had been a stellar employee, but Chloe was contacted every few weeks for references on her.
“That’s a shame. She was a doll,” Arlin said. “And her little boy is just the cutest.”
“He called everyone Gamma,” Rose said thoughtfully.
What Chloe remembered most about Janet’s bright-eyed little boy was the way Janet talked about him like he was the greatest gift she’d ever been given. “Maybe this reference will land her the right job. Thank you for the talk, ladies.”
“And for interrupting you know who,” Arlin said with a wink.
Chloe shook her head at the women who had become like the grandmothers she’d never had, and not for the first time, she felt blessed to have them in her life. “I never said that.”
“All your secrets are safe with us,” Magdeline said as she embraced Chloe.
Chloe embraced Arlin and Rose, too, and after they left the room, she thought about the things they’d said.
Feeling safe, valued, and loved has to be constant…When you meet the man who looks at you like you’re so special, you can feel how much he adores you, the one who is there for you in good times and bad, he’s the man who deserves a chance.
She remembered the way her date had looked at her last night like she was a business associate and how Justin had looked at her like she was the only woman in the room. Even when she’d first seen Justin standing by the bar, their connection had been magnetic. She’d actually had to cross her legs and squeeze her thighs together, because every time he looked at her like that, her pulse revved up and her girlie parts threw a little party. She was female, after all. She knew sexy when she saw it, and Justin Wicked was sex personified. He was also charming and funny. He didn’t just walk; he swaggered with confidence and bravado. He was tough and rugged and insanely hot with his always-tousled brown hair, intense blue eyes that looked a little haunted, and hard, broad body that Chloe had spent too many sleepless nights thinking about. And that slightly crooked, cocky smile…Shocks of heat sparked beneath her skin. The desires he ignited felt dangerous and forbidden, which made him even more enticing, though she knew they shouldn’t.
Justin made her feel things no other man had ever come close to, and she definitely felt safe when she was with him, but after the childhood she’d endured, she knew falling for a tough biker wasn’t safe for her heart.
Chapter Three
JUSTIN SAT AT a table with his cousins and brothers in the Dark Knights’ clubhouse Wednesday evening for church, just as he had every Wednesday evening for nearly thirteen years, since he’d officially been accepted into the Dark Knights. From the outside, the clubhouse was nothing more than an old brick schoolhouse located a few minutes down the road from the Salty Hog. Justin could still remember how desperately he’d wanted to earn the honor of wearing the Dark Knights’ patches and attend their meetings when he was a teenager, and the rush