Page 65 of Manny

“Glad to hear it.”

“Manny’s right,” Lace says. “He might be a little quirky, but your secrets are safe with him.”

I pique a brow. “Quirky?”

She smiles, and I’m glad Bandit and I are not at each other’s throats. Bandit may still be a major stick in the mud, but I’ve also learned a few things about him tonight that changed my opinion about him. He opened up, and he definitely didn’t have to do that. He came to check on Lace, risking being seen by Riot, and then the shit would’ve really hit the fan. “That’s better than being boring.”

“Nobody could ever accuse me of that.” I smile.

Bandit clears his throat. “Like I said. This conversation never happened.” He’s insistent about this, and I get it. I doubt any of the brothers would give a shit, but he has a child to think of, and right now it feels as if he has no clue what he wants.

“Got it the first time.” I start to slide out of the booth, Lace following behind me.

“I’m glad Charles is gonna be okay,” Bandit says, holding Lace by the elbow as we make our way to the door. He just can’t help himself.

“Me too, though I told him off for climbing up ladders. He forgets he’s seventy-five years old,” Lace replies.

I tag behind, following them back around to the parking lot. When Bandit spies my ride, he raises an eyebrow. “You brought her on the back of your sled?”

“Of course.” I shrug. I know it’s a big deal in the MC. If a chick in the club rides on the back of your motorcycle, it means you’re claiming her and she’s your ol’ lady. Since I’m not patched in, those rules don’t apply to me. The club often lets me tag along on the runs, though most of the time I’m busy getting the food ready for when they get back.

Bandit’s words about me not being patched ring through my mind. I shouldn’t rehash things, but it’s an old habit, and old habits die hard.

“It was fun,” Lace adds.

I know what Bandit’s thinking; this is a big deal. But he’s overthinking it. “Huh.”

He pulls her to him as I lean against my motorcycle, helmets in hand. He cups her face, his eyes flick to mine, then back to Lace.

“Bandit,” she whispers.

He grins. “What happened to Jonah?”

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you a goodnight kiss.”

Do I really wanna see this? Then again, maybe I do. He’s obviously doing it for show, or he wouldn’t have made sure he knew I was watching.

Something tells me that Bandit doesn’t wanna run away from any of this. In fact, this may be exactly what he needs.

14

JONAH

I can’t help it.Things have been rocky tonight. I need to know if me and Lace are still good. Some shit went down tonight, and having Manny smirk across at me doesn’t help. So this is for him. If Lace kisses me back, then I know we’re still good. And Manny can suck it.

“What makes you think you deserve one?” she throws back at me.

“Haven’t I been the perfect gentleman, considering the circumstances?” I tip my chin over to Manny.

“You really think so?”

“Uh, huh.” I press my forehead to hers. My lips follow suit and she lets me kiss her. My dick, which has been painfully hard all night, wakes up and I feel the throb deep and low. I don’t give a shit. Manny can watch until I’m good and ready to let her go. My tongue finds hers and I deepen the kiss. She clutches onto the lapels of my cut, a small mewl leaving her throat. It satisfies me in ways I didn’t know possible. Or maybe it is the fact that Manny’s watching and there ain’t nothing he can do about it.

The one thing I learned from tonight is that I don’t like upsetting Lace. If I can do anything to get the frown off her face, then I will.

I’m also lying to myself when I keep repeating that I’m not into Manny. I’m lying through my teeth. What I am worried about is him spilling the beans. All he has to do is open that fat mouth to Deanna, his bosom buddy, and not only would Prez know, but the entire club.

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