Page 20 of Magnetic Temptations

Mane leans over and whispers, “She’s talking about her sniper rifle and her motorcycle in case you were wondering. She calls her rifle baby and her motorcycle her girl. It’s a weird love-like relationship between the three of them.”

“What are you going to name your bike?” I ask her. She’s always ridden, like all the females she grew up with, but she’s recently decided that she wants one as a mode of transportation.

“I’m not sure,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “I figure once I meet her it’ll come to me.”

“So it’ll be a she, huh?”

“Hell, yeah,” she giggles. “Women are way more reliable than men are.”

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

MANE

Hydro’s roar of outrage can be heard all the way down the stairs and into the common room. I wince when something shatters behind the closed doors. I hold my hand out to my mom and wiggle my fingers. “Pay up, woman.”

“I never would’ve thought he’d react so aggressively. He’s so mild tempered anytime I’m around.” Mom scowls, digging in her purse and pulling out her wallet. “Are you sure you want to take from your mother? This is all the spending money I have.”

That’s bullshit. All she’d have to do is bat her eyelashes at my dad and he’d hit up the bank to give her whatever amount she needs to keep a smile on her face. I mean, he lives to keep her happy at all times.

“Puhlease…” I draw out the word, halfway rolling my eyes at her attempt to guilt trip me. I don’t let them completely roll because even though I’m an adult, she’d smack me in the back of the head. “Don’t be a sore loser, Mommy Dearest, how many times have you taken my allowance from me after I lost a bet?”

“That’s different,” she says, waving her hand through the air.

This time, I turn my head away from her so she can’t see me and let the roll fly. A sudden whack to the back of my head has me turning around and scooting further away from her. “What was that for?” I ask as I lift my hand and rub the sore spot where she struck. The woman has some power in her arms.

“You rolled your eyes,” Mom sasses.

“I would never,” I say, attempting to sound innocent.

Mason chuckles beside me as he hangs his head. “Busted.”

“Hey, don’t throw me under the bus, you’re supposed to be on my side, mister,” I chide, as he wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into him.

He kisses the top of my head and states, “I’m always on your side, baby girl. But moms have a superpower, they see things that should be next to impossible for them to, and you can’t ever hide eye rolls from them.”

“Fucking X-ray vision,” I grumble.

“Church! Right now, fuckers!” Hydro roars as he ushers Ella into the room. “Kings, y’all’s attendance is required.”

“Have fun, dear,” Mom snickers as she pats my shoulder in commiseration. “The girls and I are off for a mani and pedi while you deal with all of that.”

“That’s not fair,” I whine, sounding like a petulant five year old. “Can’t you wait for us so we can go with you?”

“Don’t be a spoil sport, daughter. There are times when messes need to be cleaned up, and this isn’t one of mine. See you for dinner?”

“Maybe,” I say, pouting. “I may be busy, you know, cleaning up my mess.”

Mason is silently laughing as he laces his fingers through mine and helps me stand. “Come on, beauty, let's go see what kind of damage control we need to do.”

“You going to shield me from Hydro, Mason? Because he looks livid.” I wave to the moms over my shoulder as they gather their things to head out.

“Hydro’s not a threat to you, Mane. Stop stalling, the faster we get in there and face the music the quicker we can come up with a game plan.”

As we make it into the room set up for church, I swallow past the lump in my throat because Hydro is pacing, stopping every now and then to shoot Ella a venomous look. Judd and Jagger come strolling in behind us, their feet pausing as they take in the scene. “Well, this is going to be fun,” Jagger moans.

“We knew he’d get worked up,” Judd exclaims. “Anything that puts Ella in danger gets him riled.”

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