Fanning the Biker's Flame - Piper Davenport Page 0,25
and I’ll fill you in?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t know.”
“You remember meetin’ Otter and Shiloh?”
“No.”
“Otter’s the big guy with the long beard and Shiloh’s the redhead who was attached to him all night.”
“Oh, right. Yes. She was sweet.”
He pulled his phone out and fired off a text, then focused back on me. “Well, they have a guest house. Doom and Otter just finished the reno and it now has a bedroom, bathroom, small living room and kitchenette, so it’s not as big as this place, but it’s a sweet pad and it’s available if you want it.”
“What’s the rent?”
“Less than here.”
“How do you know what I pay?” I challenged.
“Because I looked.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It’s confidential.”
He shrugged. “Do you want the place, baby?”
“I’m mad at you, don’t call me ‘baby.’”
“How about you pack up anything you don’t want seen by my brothers? They’ll take care of the rest and you’ll be out of here on Thursday.”
“What if I don’t like the guest house?” I asked snottily.
He closed the distance between us and handed me his phone. “I’m pretty sure you’ll like it.”
I glanced at the screen. “This is it?”
“Yeah. Otter just sent the pics.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line in an effort not to ooh and aah. Good lord, it was adorable. Shadow leaned down to get eye-to-eye with me and I made a big show of swiping through the pictures to avoid looking at him, and let out a quiet gasp when I landed on a photo of me. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, my face turned toward the window and I was off in some other world, but I looked happy. “When did you take this?” I asked.
“Yesterday.”
“I look…”
“Beautiful.”
“Stop it,” I whispered.
“Stop what, baby?”
“Stop being nice to me when I’ve been a complete hippotwatamus to you.”
He settled his hands on my shoulders, sliding them gently down my arms. “Come here.”
I didn’t go there. “I’m still not happy you tried to run my life.”
“But you like the place.”
“Photos are just photos, Nolan,” I pointed out.
He pulled me against him and kissed my temple. “You workin’ tomorrow?”
“Yes, I have two clients in the morning and a class just after lunch.”
“Plan on going over to look at it in person tomorrow after your class. I’ll set it up and text you the details.”
“You’re still in the doghouse.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be allowed back inside after you see the place,” he retorted.
“No promises.”
He smiled. “I have to get to the station.”
I grabbed his vest. “Be careful.”
He leaned down and pressed his nose gently to mine, then kissed me. “Always.”
Then he was gone, and I felt totally deflated.
And insecure.
I called Jane.
“Well, hello there, bestie. How goes the delicious man?”
I bit my lip. “Um… well, we had our first fight.”
“Already?” she asked, but her tone was one of indifference, because the fact was, she knew me.
I filled her in on the past hour, not leaving anything out. Jane was the only person in this world to whom I told everything. All my sins, all my wins, total honesty.
When I was done spilling my guts, Jane laughed. “Oh my god. That poor man.”
“That poor man?” I cried. “I’m the abused one here.”
She snorted. “He just saved you five-grand by pointing out your landlord is really a slumlord, then he gets you back all your money, and then some, but on top of that, he finds you a place to live that’s way fucking cuter than where you are now, for less money,” she said. “Yes, you poor thing. The abuse and all.”
I flopped onto my sofa. “Maybe I overreacted a little.”
“You think?”
“It still doesn’t negate the fact he pushed in and bossed me around, not letting me figure it out.”
“Hmm-mm, yep, this is true. The monster.”
I dropped my head back and groaned. “I’m gonna have to apologize, huh?”
“Yup. You betcha. Ya sure do,” she said in a Fargo-esque accent.
“Will you ever be on my side?”
“This is me being on your side. Time for you to find some happy, Posey Mosey. And in order for you to do that, you’re gonna have to get your head outta your butt.”
“Whatever,” I breathed out.
She chuckled. “Do you need me to take your class tomorrow?”
“No, I’m going to see it after class.”
“Okey dokey, artichokey,” she said. “I’m off on Wednesday, so if you need help packing up, let me know.”
Unlike me, Jane had a full-time desk job. She worked dispatch for the sheriff’s office and although she loved it, it was stressful,