Page 27 of Blackbeard
“Can’t fault a man for his appetite, sweetheart.”
Baby Doll rolled her eyes.
“Stay out of this. Everyone knows you don’t evenhavean upstairs brain. All the thinking you do is below the belt.”
Spike opened his mouth and took a breath to speak but she cut him off, slicing her hand through the air.
“Don’t. Just…don’t say anything to that.”
He smirked.
“Sounded like a compliment to me.”
She groaned and leaned onto the table, propped up on her elbows. She idly prodded at her food, waving a forkful of pasta in my direction.
“Great. Now Spike will be full of himself all week. You started this.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s full of himself on a regular basis,” I countered. “And I did not start this, so don’t pin the blame on me.”
Baby Doll wrinkled her nose and tossed her head back, draining her beer. I stole her fork and took a bite of her food. She elbowed me in the ribs hard enough to make me grunt, air rushing out of my abused lungs.
“Watch your back with that snake you married,” she said. “It might be fun to get your rocks off with her, but that won’t mean a damn thing when she has the opportunity to stab you in the back. Literally and metaphorically.”
“So, I take it you two won’t be getting along any time soon?” I replied.
She shook her head.
“Maybe when I’m dead and buried. You know it’s not a jealousy thing. Something is off about her, Blackbeard. Be careful where you step.”
Baby Doll gathered her dishes and returned to the kitchen. I watched her go, replaying her words in my mind.
Typically, she wasn’t catty with other women unless she had a good reason to be, and admittedly, Leigh had been pushing everyone’s buttons.
Baby Doll had a knack for reading people that made it nearly impossible to pull the wool over her eyes. And she didn’t make accusations lightly either. She kept her mouth shut unless she was absolutely certain about something.
I shifted my gaze to Kingpin, assessing his reaction. He regarded me with cool gray eyes, saying nothing, but the grim set of his jaw spoke volumes.
The Forsaken had planted Leigh among us like a fox in the hen house.
For the rest of the day, I stayed at the clubhouse, killing time and drinking more than I should, in an effort to avoid Leigh.
Sure, sex with her had been fiery, burning off that pent up tension between us. I could claim there were no strings attached. I could claim that it didn’t mean anything. But it was a dangerous indulgence nonetheless.
Better to keep my distance.
We lived under the same roof though. I would have to face her again eventually. On the other hand, I couldn’t help wondering—how long was this going to last?
Leigh was young. When the novelty of having a husband wore off, and sex eventually didn’t happen anymore, would she demand a divorce? What happened when she fell in love with someone else while she was still legally tied to me?
By the time midnight rolled around, I finally admitted to myself that I should probably head home. But when I rose from my seat, the world seemed to tip and sway around me from one too many beers. My temples throbbed with a headache.
Nope. I wasn’t driving anywhere in this condition.
Instead, I wandered off to one of the available back rooms, stripped off my clothes, and dropped onto the mattress—something I didn’t do very often if I had a choice. I preferred the comfort of my own bed in my own home after a long day.
That comfort had been invaded by Leigh now. My home didn’t belong strictly to me anymore.
The thought of her sleeping in my bed, wrapped up in my sheets, probably wearing some skimpy little lacy negligee that barely covered her ass and didn’t hide her stiff nipples…
