Page 22 of Fighting a Riot

His phone dinged immediately.

Suit yourself. I drove, so we could even deliver…but I’ll let you work.

His fingers itched to text her back. Getting food delivered from Trixie and Nora tempted him, but he had to keep his distance.

He wasn’t good for Nora.

She wasn’t a woman interested in a quick fuck… or maybe she was, but she wouldn’t treat it the way club bunnies did. Physical release and nothing more.

No.

Nora was the settling-down type, no doubt.

She deserved that. Giving her the chance to find that was the least he could do for her.

The sound of a phone ringing wasn’t right on board the Shiverin’ Dragon pirate ship. Yak cracked an eye open, and his dream of manning a pirate ship faded fast. His cell phone had stopped ringing and his alarm clock indicated it was twelve-fifteen in the afternoon.

“Fuck,” he said on an exhale and closed his eyes. Then his cell rang again.

“What?” he answered.

Trixie’s voice sounded frantic. “Yak, I’m so sorry to wake you, but I can’t make it.”

He rubbed the heel of his palm against his eye. “What’re you talkin’ ‘bout, Trix?”

“Wake up, man. I’m supposed to take Nora to her appointment and I’m stuck in traffic.”

At the mention of Nora’s name, he sat up in bed. “Shit. Are you serious? Where are you?”

“Like a good twenty minutes away, but it’s taken fifteen minutes just to go one mile.”

He shook his head. “Shit. Can Abby do it?”

“She’s working, Yak. This was your idea and it’s a damned good one. Why can’t you do it?”

He sighed and swung his legs out from under the covers. At least his morning wood had subsided.

“You scared or something?” Trixie asked.

He froze for a split second. “No. I’ll get her to the appointment.”

“Oh, wait a minute. We’re moving. Oh, there’s a fender-bender. Sorry, I freaked out for no reason, Yak.”

He fought a sigh. “You’re on your way then. No need for me to—”

“Yeah, it’s all good. I freaked out because I know she’s worried about this appointment. I mean, who wouldn’t be, right?”

“You’re right. Drive safe, Trix.”

Twenty minutes later, he was on the verge of sleep when a horn blared outside the house. With a groan, he shoved out of the bed. There was no reason for someone to be in the drive honking their horn, but he needed to see what was going on regardless.

The side door had an in-set window and he saw Trixie’s Camaro sitting in the drive. She couldn’t pull any further forward because Yak’s bike was in the way.

“Shit,” he muttered.

His slides were by the door, and he shoved his feet into them and went outside. He stopped three feet away from the house. Nora stood with her back to him, locking her door. She turned around and Yak’s mouth went dry. She wore skin-tight jeans with frayed holes on one thigh and the lower calf of the other leg. He forced his eyes up and took in her baggy, royal blue sweater. It had a loose cowl neck and looked like it was as soft as a baby’s bottom. The weather had turned chilly, but not cold enough for a sweater like that.

“Is something wrong?” Nora asked him, when she came even with Trixie’s car.

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