Taming Blade (Kings Reapers MC Book 5) by Nicola Jane (mini ebook reader TXT) 📕

And even if they aren’t, they have been. I can tell from the look in her eyes and from what he just said.

“He’ll be busy all night. He won’t know,” she pushes.

“You can see me standing here with this beautiful woman, right?” he snaps, pointing to me. I shuffle uncomfortably as she runs her eyes over me. “Fuck off and go beg another brother,” he adds. A look of hurt passes over her face before she pulls herself together and moves away. “Sorry about that,” he says. I place my bottle of water on a nearby table and head for the exit. “Where are you going?” he asks.

“Home,” I shout over my shoulder.

BLADE

I catch her outside, taking her hand and stopping her. “What are you talking about? Are you upset cos of Charlotte? She’s nothing. We’re not a thing.”

She pulls free and spins to face me. “You were most definitely a thing at one point, but that's not why I’m going home. You spoke to her like crap.”

“She won’t take a hint.”

“Will you talk to me like that after you’ve fucked me?”

I frown. “No, of course not.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not sticking around to find out.”

“You can’t leave your friend here and you can’t walk home alone. It’s not responsible of me to let you.”

“I’ll get an Uber,” she snaps, and I smile at her sassy attitude. Fuck, it’s a turn-on.

“Stay for a while longer. Wait for your friend and I’ll have someone sober drive you both home together.” I see her wavering. “Please,” I add nicely.

She sighs heavily. “Fine. But this is not me giving in,” she says firmly, and I nod, trying hard to hide my smile. There’s something fuckin’ cute about this girl that I ain’t seen before. It intrigues me.

It’s a little quieter when we go back inside. It’s getting late and now half the fuckin’ club’s got kids, so parties die out around midnight these days. Tillie sits on a couch and I join her, ignoring the way she shuffles further away from me to put some space between us.

“It must be a bit below what you’re used to,” I say, looking around the club. She does the same.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I saw your place. It’s in Knightsbridge for a start, house prices around there are ridiculously high.”

“I’m not rich,” she scoffs. “The house is Sara’s parents’ and we rent it. The shop belongs to my grandmother. She’s getting older and wants me to run it.”

“Sorry, I just assumed—”

“You assumed wrong,” she mutters.

“I feel like we’re drifting apart, Sunshine,” I say. I see a smile tug at her mouth, but she presses her lips together to hide it. “Things seem strained all of a sudden.”

“Christ, are you ever serious?” she asks and I shrug. “Is that how you get through life? Making jokes and flirting?”

“Mainly,” I admit. “What’s the point in taking life so seriously? None of us get out alive.”

“My grandmother warned me against hanging out with you. She said nothing good would come of it.”

I laugh. People always turn their noses up at motorcycle clubs. I’m used to the stereotyping. “Oh yeah? Seems everyone is warning you off, including me, and yet here you are . . . again.”

“You picked me up this time. I was out with my friend, drinking to forget, and you told me to follow you.”

“I stopped because you flashed your sexy panties at me. What’s a guy to do when he sees that? Who were you trying to forget?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes and twiddles her fingers. “I saw Travis with another woman tonight,” she mutters.

“Is this Mr. Complicated?” I ask, and she nods. “Ouch, caught cheating. What did you do?”

“Not a lot,” she says. “Turns out I’m the other woman. He lives with her and they have a kid.”

My eyes widen in shock. “Shit, what an arse.”

“It’s fine,” she mumbles. “I wasn’t that into him.” Her eyes water and she blinks a few times. “I mean, I guess I secretly hoped one day he’d sort himself out and see what he had with me. We were never exclusive, but you kinda think after a year of hooking up, he’d want to settle down.”

“Christ, he’s been having an affair for a year!” I gasp and she scowls at me. “Sorry, I just can’t believe he’s been getting away with that and neither of you knew.”

“I’m definitely not the only person he’s hooking up with. I’m sure there’s a trail of women just like me, gullible and stupid.”

“Hey,” I say, taking her hand. “You’re not gullible or stupid. He’s a dick. He couldn’t see a good thing when it was right in front of him. Don’t blame yourself.”

“Please don’t,” she mutters. I give her a blank look and she sighs. “Don’t play Mr. Nice just to get me into bed.”

I feign looking offended before breaking out into a grin. “Okay, you got me. But I meant the bit about him being a dick. Be thankful that you ain’t his wifey. Imagine having his kid, knowing he was fucking around. What is it about him anyway?” She smirks and I groan. “Fuck, don’t tell me, he’s got a massive—” She laughs, cutting me off.

“I like a bad boy,” she says.

“How’s that little prick a bad boy? Did you catch him stealing sweets from your shop?”

She laughs again and I find myself smiling. I like the sound of her laugh. “Let’s just say he doesn’t earn an honest living,” she explains.

“Interesting. He drives a black BMW, knows Queens Road, I must know him,” I say thoughtfully.

She scoffs. “I very much doubt it.”

I make a mental note to ask Riggs to see if we do business with anyone called Travis. If we don’t, then we need to have a word with him because he’s clearly dealing on our streets.

“So, if I can’t woo you into bed, how the fuck do I get you up to my room?” I ask, grinning enough to show her my dimples. That always works.

“I’m not that