Page 22 of Rebel's Fairytale

“Are you spying?”

She shrugged and smiled at him. Quietly, she replied, “I didn’t want to intrude. You handled that really well, Rebel.”

Rebel shrugged. “I don’t like bullies.”

“And you like helping others. And you are proof that reading is cool. And you were trying to feed that boy’s love of reading and his open mind. And—“

Rebel shut her up with a kiss to her lips. “Yeah. And that.”

“Would you be willing to lead a book club for teens? It would be like an hour or two a week? There’s been a request for it, but I don’t have the staff to dedicate to the book clubs, and I’ve had trouble finding someone to lead that one.”

With a shrug, Rebel agreed, “Yeah, I’d like that. Don’t know if I’m qualified, but count me in.”

Ruby raised a brow. “That interaction was proof you are qualified enough. You free next Monday afternoon? I’ll post about it on our site and start building interest. There probably won’t be many kids the first few meetings, but…”

“Like I said, count me in.” He smiled and held up the book. “I need to check this book out. I also need to know if you’re okay with grilled steak, potatoes, and asparagus for dinner.”

“Uh… Heck yeah, tech yeah!”

Chuckling, Rebel followed her back to her desk.

Mary

Rock wouldn’t let Mary go with him to get his tattoo, instead insisting she go down to the diner and have lunch. Pouting a bit, she agreed.

When Rock saw her protruding lip, he smiled and sucked that lip between his own before giving her a heart-stopping kiss, a smack on the ass, and a playful shove toward the diner.

Pushing down the desire to drag him to his room at the compound and have her way with him, she stomped down to the diner and took a seat at an empty table near the back.

She had just ordered a turkey on Rye with a side of potato salad when two women slid into chairs at her table. Pixie sat across from Mary, and Sugar sat to her left.

Mary smiled at them. “Hey.”

Sugar returned her smile. “Hey. Thought you might like some company.”

“And I’m starving,” Pixie added with a laugh as she waved down Kitty.

Kitty strutted over to their table on her stilettos, wearing her short shorts and aTC’s Dinershirt, looking like a tasty meal. “What can I get ya both?”

Mary envied the confidence Kitty had. From what Mary could tell, she was who she was, and she didn’t apologize for that. It was the type of woman Mary aspired to be. She wanted to exude confidence, but she also wanted to feel it.Someday, she told herself.

Sugar and Pixie put in their orders. They spent the next couple of hours talking about everything from kids to the guys to what their dreams were.

As Mary laughed and chatted with the girls, she realized it was the first time in a long time that she felt comfortable just being herself around other women. She didn’t feel like she had to lie about her past or adjust her personality to fit them. She was completely open and honest, and she didn’t feel one ounce of judgment coming from Pixie or Sugar.

It was refreshing and empowering in a way she hadn’t expected. She felt accepted, welcomed, a part of something. The Howlers, and even the Tiger’s Claw members, had welcomed her with open arms. She couldn’t wait to be closer and return the favor, and she desperately wanted to give that to her children.

Her ex had systematically cut her off from the majority of her friends and family, leaving her solely dependent on him. It was part of the reason she hadn’t left sooner. She’d felt trapped. It wasn’t until after she had reconnected with her friend Mallory, behind her ex’s back, that she felt like she had somewhere to turn when things got out of control.

When Mallory’s man, Stone, heard what Mary’s ex was up to, he gave Mary and her children a safe place and called in Rock and the Howlers to help keep them safe.

Now, she realized she had Mallory, Stone, Rock, and all of his family. Her eyes filled with tears as she listened to Pixie talk about baby names and felt the comfort of knowing she and her kids would never be on their own again.

“Why is my woman tearing up?” Rock stopped across the table from Mary with a scowl on his face.

Mary’s eyes landed on the ink on the left side of Rock’s neck. In beautiful, flowing script wasMary. It was large and left no room for misunderstanding. He was hers and he was proud of it.

“Diamond?” Rock started around the table, his eyes never leaving her.

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