Page 84 of Lucky In Love

Biker Romance

Shifter Romance

Tiger Shifter

MC Romance

Paranormal Romance

First Date

Meet Cute Short Story

Romantic Suspense

To anyone who has been lucky enough to crash into love

Whether that has been with a person,

A book,

A friend,

A pet,

Yourself,

NEVER LET GO.

Chapter One

Shelly

Sitting at an intimate table in Esmeralda’s Bar and Restaurant in Lombard, Illinois, Shelly internally groaned at the ache in her cheeks from the fake smile that she still had plastered on her face. The place was gorgeous with its dark, gem-toned tiled floors and walls, along with the scattered plants and vines throughout the room. It would be the perfect place for a fantastic beginning… with anyone else.

The date she was on was excruciatingly boring. He was handsome enough — with his blond hair, brown eyes, and straight features — but Lance White was as plain as his name suggested. He was an accountant, who not only collected stamps but also felt the need to show her pictures of his favorites as well as proof of what each stamp was worth. She was about to fall asleep from lack of stimulating conversation.

Shelly didn’t have anything against nerdy guys. Hell, she didn’t even think the word nerd was a bad thing. If he was an accountant who collected stamps, but also liked cats or dogs, hiking, and was funnier than hell, with a freak flag he kept hidden until his ironed button-up… Shelly Boland would be all about him. It was the lack of anything other than his stamp obsession that was doing him in.

Nodding at whatever stamp he was currently going on about, she picked up her glass and took another sip. She had decided to stick to water since she didn’t even want to give him the impression that it was going anywhere near come in for a nightcap territory. As she set her glass back down, she tried to figure out the fastest way to wrap things up, not knowing how much more she could take.

“Well, I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be right back, beautiful,” Lance said and winked at her as he rose from his seat, placing his cloth napkin on the table next to his plate.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Shelly gave a nod of acknowledgment.

Thank the gods! A moment of peace!

She watched her date walk across the dining area of the restaurant and down the back hallway that led to the bathrooms. As soon as he was out of sight, she tossed her napkin on the table and reached for her purse, that was sitting on the floor next to her ankle.

Bent over, her face nearly pressed against the crotch of the jeans of the man who had walked up to stand next to her. With her purse in hand, she straightened and looked up to see the identity of the stranger.

A ridiculously rugged and handsome man with dark brown hair that was buzzed short on the sides and too long on the top, light blue eyes, and a neat reddish-brown full beard down to his collarbone was standing there. He had on a pair of dark blue jeans, a black tee, a black leather jacket, and black boots. With a smirk on his face, he took her free hand in his and said, “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

As she stood, slinging the strap of her purse across her body, Shelly let him lead her out of the restaurant, thoughts racing. Leaving with a man she didn’t know was reckless, irresponsible… a bad idea. The leather jacket and biker boots should have been a clue that he was a walking sin, but it didn’t really hit her until she spotted the black, two-wheeled chrome monster they were headed toward.

Okay, Shells. Moment of truth. Are you going to do the irresponsible thing for the first time in your life and climb on the back of that bike with this man? She searched her gut for any alarm bells, but there were none. Throwing caution to the wind, she shrugged and grinned. Yes, yes, I am.

“Glad you’re wearing jeans,” the stranger said as he stopped next to the motorcycle and lifted the helmet from the seat.

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