Page 77 of Kismet

“Do you have vodka?” Kylie asks.

“We sure do. What do you want with it?”

“Sprite, please.”

“I’ll take the same,” I throw in as we all make our way farther into this warehouse full of curious bikers.

“Here, I’ll introduce you to some of the guys.” He points to the first guy. “From left to right, this is Cyanide and Makaveli—they’re the President and Vice President. Cash, you know Julian, who’s referred to as Tiny here. And this cocky lookin’ bastard here is Doc. Everyone… this is Cash; he’s a friend and one of the professors at the University, and this is his friend, Kylie.”

We all say our hellos as Stone walks over to the bar. He brings us our drinks, taking a sip of his own, never taking his eyes off me.

“I’m gonna be over here,” Kylie blurts out before walking away, probably sensing the tension between Stone and me that is ever present. Being the social butterfly she is, she can make friends wherever she goes, and she has her sights set on Doc.

“You want a tour?”

My gaze collides with deep hazelnut eyes. They’re a little bloodshot, indicating this probably isn’t his first drink of the day, and they’re blanketed in thick, dark eyelashes. My throat is dry, and I have to swallow a few times before I’m able to form words.

“Yeah. That’d be cool,” I finally reply with a smile.

He turns on his heels, heading down a long hallway, and I follow behind, taking a huge swig of my vodka soda. My eyes immediately—and without my permission—drop to his tight, jean-clad ass, and the way it looks so fucking plump while he walks.

“This over here is the garage,” he states, his right arm extended toward a set of double doors. “They work on their bikes in there, and other people’s too. It’s a fully functioning repair shop. Mouse and Greaser, who you haven’t met yet, are the club’s prospects and they’re also mechanics. They run the garage.”

“Nice.” Being in such close proximity to Stone in a non-professional setting is distracting. I can’t even think straight, let alone pay attention to these rooms he’s showing me.

“And then over here”—he points to the door on the left, across from the garage—“is the storage closet. Nothing really special in there. Next to it is the clubhouse kitchen. There’s also a whole grill set-up out back on the patio, which I can show you later once we start barbecuing.”

He brings us farther down the hall to another set of double doors at the very end. “This is their meeting room. They have meetings every Sunday, I believe.” When he glances over at me, the weight of his stare is staggering, and I lose every single thought in my head as I let myself get lost in his eyes for a moment.

Clearing my throat, it’s becoming clear that coming here was a bad idea. How am I supposed to act normal around him when I feel anything but? And does my presence affect him as much as his does me?

“Do you come here often?” I finally manage to ask.

“Not a ton, but maybe a few times a month. Molly is here a lot—she’ll be here soon—and for a long time, they were the only people I knew in Texas, so I’d come with them.”

“That’s cool,” I mumble before finishing my drink. “This place is nice. Thanks for inviting us.”

He turns his head, gaze colliding with mine, as his lip curls into a grin. “Of course. I’m glad you guys could come. So, that’s pretty much it. There’s an upstairs, but it’s mostly just bedrooms. Wanna go get another drink?”

Bedrooms.If only things were different, I could be getting a tour of the bedrooms right now.

No.Absolutely not. I cannot let myself go there. It’ll only lead me down a path of disappointment.

“Sure, let’s do it.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Stone Philips

“How’re you doing, little bro?”

Molly got here about two hours ago. We all just ate, and Cash and Kylie are talking to some of the guys while I finish cleaning up with Mol. We’ve all had a shit ton of booze since they arrived earlier today—there’s probably not a sober person in here—and it’s been such a good fucking time. The sun is setting, and we’re all about to take the party outside for a bonfire once we finish cleaning up.

“Not too bad. What about you?”

“Tonight’s been pretty sweet, right? Cash is fun. I can see what you see in him.”

“Mol…”

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