Page 55 of One Night with the Biker

I digested that information. “Okay,Denali,” I amended. “If you need to leave and think things over, then you should. But don’t immediately contact an attorney. Wait a few weeks. Your perspective might change.”

I grabbed another cracker and took a small bite.

“How could he betray me?” she whispered in a trembling voice and began sobbing. “How could he touch another woman and then come home to me with words of love? Pretending he couldn’t wait to have me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”

“It isn’t your fault. It isn’t even Nova’s fault as much as that kills me to admit. It’s Keir’s. He’s the married one. He took the vows.”

“You’re right,” I said softly.

The door opened, and Reese followed Louisiana inside. Cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, Reese set my bag on the table.

“You two bonding?” he asked, taking cigarette in hand.

Jinx glowered at him.

Louisiana stepped next to Reese. I’d never seen him look so pitiful. Misery dampened his usual rowdiness. His eyes were black, scratches marred his neck, and bruises dotted his face.

I didn’t mean to stare, but his injuries shocked me. I saw no sign of a struggle, yet they must’ve had an epic battle.

“Jinx—”

She growled and Louisiana held up his hands.

“Den…babe. Morning’s going to be here soon enough. If you go with your daddy, you’re going to take my fucking heart with you.”

She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I can’t take what you don’t have.”

Dropping to his knees, he captured her gaze. “I’m begging you, Jinx,” he whispered.

“No, you fucking asshole,” she shrieked. “No, no, no. Beg, plead, cry, bleed, break,die. I don’t care.”

She jumped to her feet and disappeared down the same hallway as earlier. A moment later, a door slammed.

“Told you, fuckhead,” Reese said calmly. He nodded to me. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you to bed.”

Since Jinx would rather have killed Louisiana than sleep next to him and I’d put myself on Ainsley’s shit list too, those two slept in the lone bed, locked in the sole bedroom. Louisiana stretched out on the sofa and I got my sleeping bag from my saddlebags and found a spot on the cold, tiled floor.

Louisiana had kept me outside, picking my brain and going through every scenario possible to convince Jinx not to leave. He was crashing out. Yet, I couldn’t help him. He’d betrayed her and knowing Jinx, she’d never forgive him. Finally, he settled on begging on his knees. He’d even said he’d crawl if she gave him another chance. I told him it wouldn’t work but he refused tolisten. The shit went exactly as I expected.

Her refusal left him restless, which made it hard for me to sleep. Or, maybe, it was knowing Ainsley slept right in the next room, but she might as well have been back on opposite sides of the city. I fell asleep with that thought.

The creak of a door awakened me and my eyes popped open. The first rays of sunlight slanted through the window and bounced on the wall near me. The door that led to outside remained closed, so it must’ve been the bedroom door.

Jinx crept into the kitchen and flipped on the light. She was already dressed, so I knew she hadn’t changed her mind. Sighing, I sat up and shoved the cover aside.

She glanced over her shoulder, then turned away and braced her hands on the edge of the sink.

“He loves you, Jinx…Denali,” I said.

“I don’t care,” she said around sniffles. I wondered if she’d gotten any sleep. She straightened and started moving, opening cabinets to pull out what she needed to brew coffee. “I told Ainsley you’d given me that nickname.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Thanks,” I bit out.

She filled the glass pot with water. “It didn’t faze her. Whether she figured out we had been an item, she asked no questions. I like her a lot.”

“High praise from you,” I said with a small smile, my anger evaporating. Jinx always gave the women I dated some sort of test. I don’t remember any of them ever passing. “You fucking hated Trinity.”

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