Page 28 of Billionaire Daddies Next Door

She gingerly sat up and crawled into my lap. With the sweat coating me, we quickly made mud as she settled against my chest. “I said shut up. That was amazing.”

I hesitated. “You’re all scratched up.”

“I went off the trail. I don’t even want to think about ticks right now.” She cupped my face and kissed my jaw. “I’ll be using this memory to get off for years to come, Smith. Holy hell, that was hot.”

I slowly started to relax. “I should’ve been gentler.”

“If you insist on feeling guilty for something I asked you to do, do it in your head.” She noticed the mud on my chest and frowned. “You’re all dirty.”

I snorted and, seeing she was better than fine, let the tension slip from my muscles. “You should see yourself.”

“We should go check on Mack, right?” She wiped at the mud and laughed when she saw how dirty her hand was. “I am filthy.”

I eased her out of my lap so I could stand and then I picked her up. “Mack would’ve been at our side already if he was done with his bone.”

“You don’t have to carry me.”

“I don’t want you to hurt your feet any more than you probably already have.” I slowly worked my way out of the woods and winced when I felt rocks and sticks biting into my own feet. “Next time we both lose our minds and decide to fuck like animals in the woods, remind me to keep my shoes on.”

“Next time, huh?” She kissed my neck and giggled. “I leave dirt behind every time I touch you.”

I reached the trail and let out a sigh of relief to be on smooth ground again. “Yes, next time. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Let me think about it.”

I slapped her ass and grinned when she grunted at me. “I’ll just keep baking for you. I didn’t realize my secret weapon would be subpar baking, but now that I know, I’m using it.”

“No fair. I don’t know your weakness.”

Seeing our picnic ahead with Mack still chewing away, I smiled at her. “I think you are my weakness.”

Her cheeks went red under the dirt. “Shut up.”

CHAPTER 22

Joanie

Margaret sat in a booth with Brenda and Coco. Coco was in full military gear and looked like she was ready to go to war at any minute. Brenda looked like someone’s version of Mrs. Claus and Margaret was dressed in a velour tracksuit in a shade of pink that hurt my eyes to look at for too long. They drew attention wherever they went but sitting in my diner with a thick binder on the table in front of them, they had all eyes on them.

A new batch of lube had gone awry apparently and Dolls was closed for a good cleaning. Without our clubhouse, all the women of Harmony Valley had gathered at The One and Only. There was never a time when men weren’t filling at least one booth, though, so we’d arrived at a stalemate. Margaret wouldn’t crack the binder with her battle of the sexes secrets with men around but as soon as Mayor Stevens heard the women had gathered, he’d gathered his own troops and brought them straight over. He sat at the booth across from Margaret and glared at her.

I’d chosen to hide in the kitchen with Aaron and Charlie. I was peeking out of the service window like a coward, but I did not want to get in the middle of Margaret and Mayor Stevens. I was nervous that my diner was going to become collateral damage.

“What’s happening?” Charlie whispered from over my shoulder. “I’m too scared to go out and look.”

“They’re just staring at each other. No one’s talking.” I heard the bell over the door ring and glanced out again. “Oh, god. Chase just came in. Maybe this is how all my problems go away. Chase could get shredded in the middle of the fight brewing out there.”

“Hey. That’s my brother.” Charlie grunted at something Aaron whispered. “Even if he is an ass to Joanie, he’s still my brother.”

I turned around to face him. “So, you agree? He’s an ass to me.”

“Yeah, he’s like a toddler flirting. He likes you.” Charlie snorted at my horrified face. “You didn’t know that? Come on, Joanie. You’re smarter than that.”

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” I swiveled my head back around and screamed when Chase’s face was in the window, waiting for me. “You scared the shit out of me!”

“What the hell is happening in our diner?” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I feel like I just walked into an old gangster movie.”

“My diner. And what’s happening is Mayor Stevens found out we were trying to have a female only meeting and he showed up with his lackeys.”

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