Page 28 of Love Gamble

It might not be much, but she knows how long I’ve been waiting for Damon to finally stake his claim on me. And while that might not have been that exactly, it was still way more than he’s given me since our kiss.

There’s not much to tell, but I share it all anyway.

And we do a happy dance together, forgetting about all the other stress in our world right now.

“Now when are you revealing your mural?” she then asks.

With all the chaos, I’d almost forgotten about that. “Maybe we could do it tomorrow? We can invite everyone over for dinner. I think it’s nice for us to all be together while shit is hitting the fan.”

I just hope Tatum doesn’t do anything stupid. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Damon or River.

“Sounds perfect. I’ll organize some food,” she replies, tucking her dark hair back behind her ear. “And I’ll send out a group message.”

How wild the biker world is—a group fight today and a party tomorrow.

But just like that, things are looking up.

And maybe I won’t be dying a virgin.

Chapter Thirteen

Damon

The next time I see Corey is at her mural reveal party. I’ve been waiting to see the finished version ever since I’ve seen her working on it here and there, and although the timing isn’t great, for her I’m trying to act calm and let go of the pressure I’m carrying right now. Between trying to gather more intel on the Lost Lions MC and making sure we’re on high alert, I’m a walking stress ball.

The women have gone all out as usual, with plenty of food, drinks, and good music. I suppose it’s kept them busy and distracted today, which is a good thing. This is the first party the prospects will be attending, and although it’s probably going to be a little more family-oriented than they’d be expecting, it’s still going to be a good night with all of us together. However, we’re all still on alert, and taking turns checking the perimeter and cameras.

Corey comes out in tight ripped jeans, black heeled boots, and a white crop top, showing off her stomach. “You look beautiful,” I tell her when she approaches me.

It feels great to finally tell her this. To finally go after what I want.

I don’t care: whatever is standing in our way, we will handle. The timing is never going to be right, and I’ve been kidding myself thinking I can just leave her alone, even if it might be the easier option.

Easy never gets you anything.

She smiles and looks down, her long eyelashes fanning on her cheeks. “Thank you, Damon. You’ve been full of compliments lately.”

“We need to have a chat. Tonight?”

I want everything out on the table. I want to tell her how I feel and explain to her why I was so hesitant to admit that I want her. I want her to know where my mind has been at, and I want to know her thoughts, too.

“Sure.” She nods, and I take her hand in mine.

“Do you need me to do anything?”

“Um, you could carry out the last platter,” she says, pointing to a big wooden board filled with everything from cold meats to fruit and dips.

“On it.” I carry the platter out and place it with the rest of them. Whoever made all of this took a lot of time. I pick up a kiwi fruit in the shape of a star and inspect it.

“Pretty cool, hey?” Julianna says, picking up a strawberry and taking a bite. “We found a caterer to do it all because we couldn’t be bothered.”

I laugh. “And fair enough. It all looks amazing.”

After about an hour, we all gather in front of the back wall, draped with a large white sheet, and look up.

“I just wanted to thank Julianna for letting me paint my little heart out,” Corey says to the crowd, one hand on the sheet. “And yeah, I hope you all like it.”

She pulls down and shows us all what she’s been working on.

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