Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
My phone chimed with a message, and my throat tightened when I saw that it was from Ben. He was letting me know that he was about to pull in, and that thought had my heart racing. “Are you sure about this?”
“Nope.”
“Lace!”
“I’m kidding! It’s going to be fine. Besides, it’s too late to back out now.”
The words had barely left her mouth when there was a pounding at my door. “Hey, Elsie!”
“Yeah?”
“There’s a dude at the gate. Chains said he was here to see you.”
“Great! I’m coming.”
I opened my door and found Wyatt and Rooster standing in the hall. Wyatt’s mouth dropped the second he saw me. I could feel the heat of his eyes as they skirted down my body, sending chills down my spine. Damn. I loved when he looked at me like that. For a moment, I thought he was going to say something, but he simply stood there, glaring at me like a hungry predator.
Rooster’s expression was fierce as he asked, “So, you were expecting this guy?”
“Of course, I was.” I inhaled a quick breath, then slipped past them. “He’s my date.”
“Your date?” Rooster followed as I headed towards the back door. “And you didn’t think to mention that he was coming here?”
“I did mention it... I told Cotton about it this morning.”
“You did?”
“Of course, I did.” I stopped and turned to face them. “I wouldn’t bring someone here without telling him.”
Rooster crossed his arms and gave me a scowl. “So, who is this guy?”
“Nobody.” I shrugged. “He’s in one of my classes. He’s perfectly innocent.”
“No one is innocent, Elsie. No one.”
Our exchange drew the attention of Savage and Torch. They’d both come out of their rooms and made their way over to us. Savage looked and sounded just like Cotton as he turned to Rooster and asked, “What the hell is going on?”
“Elsie invited some guy over here.”
“Did you run it by Cotton?”
“Yes,” I groaned with frustration. “I ran it by Cotton.”
Our little plan was going south, and it was going south fast. Things only got worse when the back door opened, and Chains stepped in with Ben. Even though he was just as tall and muscular, his khakis and a neatly pressed button-down made Ben look small and weak next to the guys. Chains looked positively livid when he announced, “He says he’s here to see Elsie.”
“Elsie?” Ben looked understandably rattled when he turned to me and asked, “What is this place? Who are these guys?”
“We’re Satan’s fucking Fury, asshole.” Rooster stepped towards him, stopping just inches from his face. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Ben Nichols. I’m... ah.” He stepped back, only stopping when he bumped into the back door. “Like I told the other guy, I’m just here to pick up Elsie. I don’t want any trouble.”
Even though he was behind me and I couldn’t get a good look at him, I could feel Wyatt’s eyes on me. They were burning against my flesh as I reached for Rooster’s arm and said, “Please, stop. You’re making too much of this. We’re just going to the movies.”
“I think it’s best if I just go.”
Ben gave the back door a push, then slipped outside. I gave Rooster and Chains a harsh look, then rushed past them and out the door. Ben was just about to get in his car when I finally caught up to him. “Ben! Please wait!”
“What the hell was that?”
“That was the guys being overly protective.” I knew it was much more than that, but I didn’t know how else to explain it. “I’m really sorry.”
His expression softened as he said, “It’s not your fault.”
“It kind of is.” I glanced behind me and sighed when I saw that Rooster and Wyatt were standing at the back door watching us. “I should’ve told them you were coming.”
“You could’ve told me, too. It would’ve been nice to know that I was coming to the Satan’s Fury clubhouse. I could’ve been a little more prepared.”
“Yeah, that was bad, and again, I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” He paused for a moment, then asked, “Do you still want to go grab a bite?”
“I’d like that.”
“Great.”
He walked over and opened the passenger side door, then waited for me to get inside. Once I was settled, he closed the door, then got in next to me. As soon as we were both buckled in, Ben started the car, and we were on our way. We hadn’t been riding long when he turned to me and asked, “How the hell did a girl like you end up living at the Satan’s Fury clubhouse?”
“Remember me telling you that some friends helped me out when my parents died?” He nodded. “Well, they are the friends. I had no place to go, and they took me in.”
“Your parents died just before you turned eighteen, right?”