Page 54 of The Biker and the Loner
I scratch a nonexistent itch on my nose. "Uh, yeah, I've been dealing with some stuff."
"Someone messin' with you?" Mask asks from beside me with murder in his eyes. "Name and address and I'll put 'em in the ground for you, Pretty Ley."
Mask is the most violent of the bunch, always ready to "put ‘em in the ground."
With an eye roll, I reach down to playfully tug his ear. "Calm down, Mask. No one's messing with me."
"Hmm, that feels good," he says, leaning his ear closer toward me. "Do it again."
Laughing, I tug his ear again. "Anyway, I brought you guys subs and sides from Owly’s."
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Ranger rumbles as he throws down his pool stick and starts across the room. I pick up the food bag I’d marked as Scratch’s and walk over to him.
"Get gone," he tells the Club Cat without taking his eyes off me. "My woman's here."
"Yo, if there's a meatball sub there, it's mine," Judge growls from the bar as the men flock the takeaway tray.
As the Club Cat pouts and leaves, Scratch grabs my hand and yanks me down on his lap. He takes my jaw with one hand and kisses me roughly, swiftly, before ripping his lips away. "You took a while."
The taste of his joint lingers in my mouth. "A bigger order meant a longer wait.”
"Why’re you spending your money on these assholes?"
"You never used to complain before."
"You weren't my woman then," he argues.
"And I'm supposed to change who I am because I'm your woman now?"
He thinks about it then shakes his head. "Nah." He chucks my chin. "Just thought my sub was gonna be special delivery. Not lumped with these assholes."
"Stop being a little bitch," Onyx says from beside us around a mouthful of food. Eavesdropper.
Scratch ignores him.
"But your orderisspecial. I got you an extra-long, with double steak serving, provolone, American,andwhiz cheese."
He licks his lips. "My baby keeps hitting the nail on the head." He tugs up the V of my shirt that, it would seem, is showing too much cleavage. "Now tell me about this friend you're going to see."
"Oh, it's Zac. He's getting a new tattoo for his birthday coming up and he wants me to be there for support."
"Zac…" he muses with a frown. "Is that the little turd from the bar?"
"He's not a turd," I defend.
Scratch lifts a brow at me. "Why you gotta be there for support? Why nothisgirl?"
This makes me laugh. "Probably because he has too many of them."
He scoffs. "What kind of a pussy needs support to get new ink anyway?"
"Stop it," I chide, punching his shoulder. "He's more Kenny's friend than mine, but since she's not here I've been doing a lot of filling in."
Tapping my leg, he mumbles, "Ease up a bit."
When I do, he pries his phone out of his pocket and pulls me back down. After entering his passcode, he pulls up Kendra's contact.
Scratch:SIS. YOU THERE?
