Page 12 of One Night with the Biker

Dayton swore he was smitten with Ainsley and would keep her safe for me. If I survived and Ainsley still hadn’t warmed up to Dayton, I’d kill him and bring her back home.

And if I bit it? That was a real concern of mine. Ainsley might be stuck in a loveless situation, although I was counting on that asshole to romance her and show her how special she was to him.

A ringing phone peeled in the morning’s silence. Immediately, I knew it was Ainsley based on the ringtone,Wind Beneath My Wings. Seized by worry, I rushed to my nightstand, but she’d already disconnected.

Fuck! It was just after seven on a fucking Saturday morning. Ainsley slept in until eight or nine. Kylie’s big blue eyes poppedopen, and she shot into a sitting position, her auburn hair a mass of tangles and curls falling around her.

“Church bells woke me up,” she mumbled and fell back against her pillow.

Grabbing my phone, I snickered. “Nope, babe. It was just Ainsley.”

“JustAinsley?” She snorted. “If only.”

I stiffened. No one fucked with my little sister and came away unscathed. Before I issuedonewarning to Kylie, since I liked her, my phone rang again.

“What’s wrong?” No use for pleasantries. She wasn’t calling me so early for shits and giggles.

Her sniffle traveled through the line and my heart seized.

“What’s the matter, Ainsley? Talknow,” I roared.

“I just…I just had a nightmare,” she said hoarsely as if she’d been sobbing for hours.

“A nightmare?” I asked skeptically.

True, they plagued her from time-to-time, but she hadn’t had one in months.

She sniffled again. Ainsley wasn’t a crier, so what the fuck happened?

“I shouldn’t have called. It’s…it’s nothing. I just…I just…I can’t accept Dayton’s proposal.”

Fuck, she was back to this shit. I thought we’d settled the argument.

“I don’t love him, Roman. I…pleasedon’t make me. I moved out to give you space to live your own life. I swear I won’t interfere…just…please. I want love.” A little sob escaped her. “Romance. Passion.”

Distaste roiled in my gut. “Passion?” I barked. “That has to do with fucking. Generally, a lot of fucking and before you have a fucking ring. It’s not happening, Ainsley. Dayton likesand respects you. He’ll make an excellent husband and give you everything I can’t—”

Hysterical laughter broke through her tears. I couldn’t imagine what the fuck had her so upset. I knew Ainsley. She was a snark, but naïve as hell, which was partially my fault. Kylie,Trinity, bitches older than her, had grand ideas of romance. Not Ainsley. Until I ignored her pleas not to kill Trinity, she’d been a top student. She was a responsible young woman and took no bullshit.

“Are you on the rag, Ains?”

Another sobbed escaped her. “No.”

Fuck, this was bad. She didn’t hand my ass to me on a platter for a question she deemed personal and none of my fucking business.

“Is Nova still there?” She’d told me she was spending the weekend with Ainsley.

“She’s asleep.”

I squinted. One reason Ainsley demanded that big fucking bed was because of her girls’ nights that sometimes turned into slumber parties. The small apartment didn’t have room for an air mattress, although I’d recently ordered the manager to find my little sister a bigger place for the same price. Motherfucker was still salty that I painted Ainsley’s bedroom floor green. But she’d wanted it, so she got it.

If Nova was really in that apartment, she would be next to Ainsley and awake because of the sobs. A fucking apocalypse couldn’t awaken my sister. Nova was a notoriously light sleeper. When I took on the responsibility of Ainsley, I, unfortunately, became responsible for her best friend whenever she visited. That kid still pissed me off regularly. Case in point, when she hit on me and pitched a bitch because I turned her down and asked her if she was out of her fucking mind.

“I have to go, Roman.”

“Put Nova on the phone.”

“I told you she’s asleep.”

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