“So are you?” Bea demanded as I moved into Loulou to press a kiss on her smooth, tanned cheek then one on each of the babies asleep in the stroller she pushed. “In the thick of it with an alpha?”
She sounded eager, which wasn’t exactly a surprise.
We two girls were the hopeless ones in our Fallen biker babe squad. The ones with unrequited love like rose tinted glasses over our eyes.
Only, I loved a man I’d known and (mostly) admired my whole life. Sure, Nova was a manwhore, but he’d never hurt anyone.
Bea, on the other hand, had her girlish heart set on much darker sights.
The club enforcer.
Priest.
He was everything cutting and cruel and criminal.
Bea was everything sweet and sugar and sunshine.
They did not make sense, but Bea wouldn’t hear it from anyone even when they teased or cajoled.
So I got her hope, but I wouldn’t feed into it.
Even if Priest was interested in her (which I was fairly sure he was not given I thought he might have been a functioning psychopath), I wouldn’t have her with him. He’d suck the light out of her just to brighten his own dark world, and I couldn’t imagine what kind of reciprocity there was in that for Bea.
“No, babe,” I said with a soft, sad smile. “I’m not in the thick of it.”
Bea’s full, bubble gum pink mouth turned down at the corners. I tugged on one of her curls then wrapped an arm around her waist to give her a squeeze in silent solidarity.
“That’s not what I heard,” Loulou said slyly, tossing her thick blonde mane over her shoulder. “A little biker birdie told me they saw you kissing a certain inked up playboy at Eugene’s a few weeks ago. I tried calling you a few times about it, but I’m still waiting for you to return my call.”
I bit my lip sheepishly then laughed at the smugness of the biker queen’s face. “I swear to God, the club is worse than a group of old women when it comes to gossiping. Seriously, do they have to tell you everything?”
Lou grinned her sly, feminine grin that spoke to the sheer strength of her charms. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever known, and thanks to her husband’s constant affirmations and attention, she was definitely aware of it.
“They don’t have to tell me anything…they just know I love keeping their secrets, and a happy Lou is a good Lou to have around.”
I laughed, the depth of it warming my belly. I’d forgotten in my drama how good it was just to shoot the shit with my girls. With King’s passing and Z getting out of jail, it had been far too long since we’d gotten together for one of our girl’s nights at Eugene’s or shopping sprees at Hannah’s Revved & Ready biker babe boutique.
I vowed to rectify that.
“So,” Bea said, jumping lightly on the balls of her Converse sneakered feet. “You’re dating Nova now?!”
“No,” I snapped then winced. “Sorry, no, I’m not. I just don’t want there to be any rumors, okay?”
“But you did break up with Jake,” Loulou surmised.
For a girl who was barely an adult, Lou’d always been wise. She was twenty-two years old, a scant two years younger than me, and she had a kickass husband, a club of loyal soldiers in leather who’d die for her, and two twin babies that were cute as hell.
I couldn’t fault her for being a little smug and hella perceptive.
“He kind of broke up with me,” I admitted. “After Nova conned me into kissing him in front of Jake. It was bad.”
Lou laughed. “Only Nova would have the balls to do something like that then have the idiocy not to claim you as his as soon as those ties were severed. I don’t know how that man sees straight with his head so far up his own ass.”
“Loulou,” Bea exclaimed. “Just because you married a man who swears every other word doesn’t mean you have to be crude too.”
Lou rolled her eyes, but I only smiled because I thought the two of them were hilarious, and I liked the attention off of me.
“You guys okay since the kiss?” Lou asked, bringing us back on track, her eyes pinning me in place so I’d answer her question.
“It’s complicated.” I shrugged.
Bea and Lou shared a look then they both turned to me with slow moving grins.
“Oh, babe,” Lou drawled, “You are so in the thick of it.”
My phone pinged, and immediately, Bea peeked over my shoulder as I pulled my floral case from my rattan purse to read the text.
Nova: Bad play, Li. I find out you’re avoidin’ me, your ass isn’t in my chair at Street Ink at noon on the fuckin’ nose, I’ll tan your ass. You get me?
So apparently Nova wasn’t hip on someone else doing the walk of shame in the morning before he could wake up.