Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“No, nothing bad is going to happen. I promise. I can handle this.”
“What about Diana? Is she just going to be forgotten?”
“What do you want to happen? I can make it all disappear, Babe, or I can make the arrangements where we can get a gravestone or something.”
He watched as Nikki pressed her lips together, clearly thinking about the possibilities he had just given her.
“I want her to be able to rest. To go and see when I can. I know we didn’t have the greatest of friendships, but for a long time she was still my friend, or at the very least, I was still hers.”
He saw her lip wobble.
“Stop. Don’t. Don’t cry, Baby.”
“We argued and now she is gone. I wanted her out of my life, and now there is no chance of us ever making amends.”
The tears started to fall, and they broke his heart. Now he was getting even more pissed off, because whoever stole Diana away from her, whoever made Nikki cry and feel this way, was going to pay. They were going to answer to him.
He cupped her face. “I’m sure Diana knows that. I’m sure she does. I bet she wishes she could have done the right thing.”
He didn’t know Diana well. She always had an agenda at the club, and any woman who came with plans of snaring an old man, well, it rarely ended well for them. It was why Nikki had been so refreshing. She had come to the club for her friend but wanted nothing in return. That made her a precious gem. One he intended to keep. He had nearly lost her, and he wasn’t going to allow that to happen again.
“Thank you,” Nikki said. “Can we … have a wake or a memorial, or a small funeral for her?”
“I’ll get everything arranged.”
“Thank you, Hawk. Thank you.”
She stared at him and he looked into her eyes. He wanted to kiss her so damn badly, but he also knew this was not the time or the place. Damn, those lips looked inviting, though. He held himself back. Especially since her mother called at that very moment and said it was time for dinner.
“I better go.”
“Go?” Nikki asked.
“Yeah. I just wanted to check on you, make sure you’re okay.”
He made his way to the door with every intention of leaving.
“You could stay,” Nikki said. “I mean, my mom makes enough to feed a whole army. It’s quite shocking how much she makes.” She let out a nervous chuckle. “And you rode here, and you’re doing all of these things.”
“I’d do them anyway for you, Nikki. You know that.”
She ran her hands down her thighs and got to her feet. “Then I’d like you to stay for dinner?”
“I’d love to.”
He was not going to push her into begging him. This was a bridge, a lifeline, and he was motherfucking taking it.
She offered him a smile, and then reached out to take his hand.
“Hold on?” he asked, halting her as they were about to leave the room. “Just … out of curiosity, your mom, she’s a good cook, right?”
“Yeah, she is. Her food is amazing.”
Nikki giggled, and he’d take that sound. He’d take anything she could damn well give him, and then some more.
She still held his hand as they made their way downstairs, and he felt like punching the fucking ceiling. It felt so good to finally be holding his woman, walking with her again. He knew they were a long way off from making this good, but this was a start. It was much better than her shouting at him, and him being left out in the cold.
****
“You know, you should come,” Darlene said a few days later.
Nikki looked down at her friend and boss. “Me?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think I should.”
“Why not?”
“Because … I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel right.”
“Everyone is going to be there, okay? Hawk’s going to be there, all the club women are going to be there. It is Halloween, and you’ve got to have some fun in your life, and besides, look what you did.” Darlene pursed her lips.
Today, Darlene had told her it wasn’t about having fun. This time, it was about just … doing, just enjoying herself, and creating a Halloween-inspired look. She had taken inspiration of the sultry, of the vampires, and created her a very sensual and sexy look.
The red of her lips were dark, almost as if she had sucked blood hours before, rather than recently. She hadn’t used any makeup that was going to last longer than a day. Darlene had said she could use some of the costume stuff, but she was holding back on that for when it was absolutely necessary.
“I’m surprised Hawk hasn’t invited you to this party,” Darlene said.
“Why would Hawk invite me?”
“Oh, come on. I know that man is smitten with you. Stop even trying to pretend he’s not. He is all over you, and I for one think it is cute and adorable, and did I mention cute?”