Page 22 of Grave Curse

“This is Olive’s brother, which you would have found out if Tyr hadn’t dragged you across the street. Hey, Red.” Roxie greeted the giant with a bright smile. “So glad you could make it. This is the lady who tried to help Olive yesterday. Ginger, this is Red, Olive’s big brother.”

“If I had known Olive had you tucked away somewhere, I never would have bothered trying to change her tire.” I had to crank my neck around and up, and up some more, just to make eye contact. I was six feet tall, but this guy had to be half a head taller than me. “Did you get the tire fixed?”

“Not fixed. Replaced, along with the other three tires. They were all pretty much useless.”

I blinked, not because of his generosity, but because he had the unexpected voice of an angel, a rich tenor with no hint of a Chicago accent. I could listen to this guy read the Periodic table and be content. “That was nice of you.”

“That’s what big brothers are supposed to do, I guess.” He shrugged before gesturing to the seat next to me. “May I?”

Wow. A biker with manners. Would wonders never cease? “Sure.” I scooted everything over and promptly realized I was now trapped inside the booth with a man I didn’t know.

Awesome.

“So.” When no one seemed interested in filling the void once Red had settled in the seat next to me, I valiantly searched for something to say. “Olive seemed really stressed out the other day. Is she feeling any better?”

“She’s fine. Better than you, from what I hear.” To my surprise, he reached over and plucked my bandaged hand off the table. I’d re-bandaged it earlier in the day, so while it didn’t look nearly as good as Tyr’s dressing, it still did the job. “Olive mentioned that she felt bad you got hurt while trying to help her.I’m sorry about that, too. Can’t stand the thought of this delicate little hand getting sliced open.”

Delicate? “There’s nothing little about me, and there’s no need to apologize. No one made me try to change that tire.” I stared at the hand holding mine, waiting for my pulse to quicken and my skin to tingle with a rush of heat because an over-the-top macho man was touching me. Nothing happened. It was like holding hands with a mannequin, and in a heartbeat I knew why. Tyr. With one powerful kiss, Tyr had officially cockblocked every other male on the planet for me.Bastard. “You know what they say, that which does not kill you makes you stronger, right?”

“Nietzsche’s best quote.”

Lord help me, he was tattooed, pierced and well-read, and all I did was sit there like a lump that didn’t know what hormones were. Discreetly I slipped my hand from his to reach for my fresh drink, then drained the damn thing out of desperation. I should be a steamy-hot mess for this fine specimen of ultimate manhood, but was I? Nope. Apparently I was too busy fixating on one mind-blowing kiss from a man who wanted the world to believe he hated me.

I was so screwed up.

Across the table, Roxie made a little sound of delight. “Look at that, the two of you are already speaking the same language. Red, did you know the woman you’re sitting next to is actually a closet bookworm? One entire wall of the breakroom in Vixen’s Den is covered in books—mysteries of any and all kinds, whatever she can get her hands on.”

“My TBR pile is out of control, which is probably the most uncool thing I’ve ever publicly shared with anyone.” I watched the corner of his mouth curl into his scruff, a trace of amusement that hinted at a full-blown smile. “What about you? Any embarrassing secrets you’d like to share?”This will be our little secret…

Damn it, shut up, Tyr.

Red’s eyes had to be called hazel, a kind of light khaki brown, and they were focused on me like I was the only one in the room. “None that I could mention in public.”

“Scaredy cat.” I doubted he’d ever been scared of anything in his life, but the martinis were starting to kick in and I was feeling spicy. Gingersnap spicy.

Man, I loved it when Tyr called me Snap…

“In public,” he reiterated, leaning ever so slightly into my personal space. “I wouldn’t mind telling you all about it in private.”

Whoa, Nelly. “I’m sure there are things you can share with the rest of the class right now, though. Like your name, for instance. Is Red your actual name, your nickname or your road name?” If he knew what a road name was, that meant he was from the life, and that meant I needed to know who he rode with. If it was Hades…

Catching our server’s eyes, I signaled for another round.

The man beside me lifted a shoulder, causing the black leather to creak. “It’s short for Red Flag.”

“Red Flag, huh?” I looked over at Roxie, who looked more than a little flummoxed. Red Flag as a name was clearly a red flag in real life, and I could see the uncertainty I felt mirrored in her eyes. “Isn’t that something, Rox? Sounds like a road name for sure.”

“Yeah,” Roxie said weakly, looking like she now questioned every decision she’d ever made in her life that had led to this moment. “That’s… boy, that’s really something.”

If Red detected the mood change, he didn’t give any indication. “How’d you get the name Ginger?”

“My mom saw the color of my hair when I popped out and named me on the spot. That’s pretty much what you’d expect from a sixteen-year-old who thought it was the height of coolto get knocked up while still in high school.” The booth seemed too small for the both of us. Until that moment I had no idea I was claustrophobic. “She kind of knew what to expect when she had me, though, because we looked a lot alike—same hair, same skin, same height. Gotta say, you and Olive don’t have any of that going on, at least in the looks department. How does that work?”

“Different mothers. Genetics are weird, but family’s family, and you helped mine out yesterday.” Again he took my hand, looking down at the bandages. “Not everyone would have done that for a complete stranger. That’s why I wanted to meet you face-to-face. I wanted to thank you for being kind to Olive.”

The surprising gentleness in both his tone and hold on my hand surprised me. “No problem.”

“I also wanted to meet you because Olive said you were smokin’ hot and ran a stripper shop. What can I say, the kid knows I’ve got a type.”

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