Page 34 of The Biker and the Baker
Leyana laughs and shakes her head at me as if she thinks I’m in denial. Standing, she says, “Come on. Help me clear the table.”
Chapter 8
Pia
After clearing thetable, Leyana and I serve dessert. Cheesecake, bread pudding, chocolate mousse cake, flan, and chocolate balls.
With every move I make, I’m acutely aware of Onyx’s eyes on me. Hewantsme to know he’s watching me. The sonuvabitch relishes in making me uncomfortable.
Of course, I continue to ignore him. Refusing to play his games, I laugh and chat with everyone but him.
As the sky begins to darken above the pointy pine trees and the tea lights start to glow brighter, the crowd begins to dwindle. Toni and I retreat inside and, alongside Leyana, we do the dishes and clean up the kitchen together.
“You have a likable spirit,” Toni tells me as we towel-dry plates.
“Right?” Leyana chimes in from where she’s cleaning the granite countertop. “I’ve been feeling her out all evening but I’m finding nothing but dopeness at every turn.”
“Same.” Toni angles her head to look at me straight. “You’re good people?”
I offer an awkward smile apt for this awkward moment. “I’d like to think so.”
This is the kind of conversation they should be havingafterI leave; discuss among themselves whether I was “good people” or not. But if I’ve learned anything in the past three hours that I’ve been here, it’s that these people are not the behind-your-back kind. They’re direct and forward, both with their words and their stares. They come off more as a protective family than friends, extremely close-knit. So it makes sense that they’re not beating around the bush with me.
Leyana chortles. “Well, good. Because I’m certain we’re going to seea lotmore of you.”
Toni hiccups with a stifled laugh and I can’t help rolling my eyes.
They’re so confident that Onyx is going to get his way with me, that I don’t bother trying to convince them that there’s no chance in hell.
Once I’m done helping out in the kitchen, I head outside in search of Lissa. She’sstillunder the willow tree with Mice, chatting, laughing, flirting. What on earth could two strangers have to talk about that long?
Most of the guests are gone, leaving only Grunt, Onyx, Scratch and Cookie, chatting by the cooler box.
Getting my phone out from my clutch, I shoot a quick text to Lissa.
Me:Ready yet? You’ve been chatting forever with him.
The phone lights up in her hand, and I watch as she reads the text then fires one back.
Lissa:A few more minutes. We’re finally connecting.
Lissa:He’s just so dreamy.
More like weirdly tall and lanky, but hey, what’s freakish to one person is dreamy to someone else.
I’m ready to go, but I’m her ride so I can’t leave. This one’s on me, though, because Iamthe one who dragged her here on the false promise of seeing Mice. A false promise that turned out to be true and screwed me over.
As I tuck my phone inside my clutch, I turn my head out of instinct and catch Onyx watching me over Cookie’s shoulder. The man is like a predator, I swear.
Desperate to get away from his assaulting gaze, I slink off into the shadows of bushy plants and trees. In my haste to flee, I stumble onto a graveled pathway. The sudden sound of running water makes me whip to the right, and there I come across a large fishpond, lit and beautiful with scaly life.
Fishes of all sizes and colors glide about. A narrow bridge arches over the pond, with garden lamps on both ends.
I cross over, admiring the amazingness of the pond below. When I get to the other end of the bridge, spread before me is a huge garden of trees, flowers, and gnomes that I’m unable to appreciate without sunlight. I wander around, taking it all in.
It’s gorgeous, and the more steps I take, the more I realize just how vast this residence is.
Farther out to the edge of the property is what looks like an RV with bright blue LED light spilling from beneath it. Like a beacon calling to me, I move toward it.
