Page 59 of Dozer

“Okay.” She took my hand and led me outside. “Ready to meet my dad and Diego?”

Not particularly. “Whatever you need.” I’d agreed to thisfavor.Another F-word getting me into trouble.

As far as meeting parents went, I didn’t have a lot of experience. I never went to proms or did much dating in high school. I wasn’t much for chasing pussy because I was too busy being pissed off at my mother. About that time, I latched onto Levi.

Neither one of us had relationship experience. She was saving herself, wanting love to mean something. Until Pippa, Levi was the only girl I’d ever met who’d be worth putting in the effort. One issue… With Levi, there was zero sexual chemistry.

My attraction to Pippa was like a nuclear fucking bomb, leveling me as if I were ground zero. Last night, she detonated every defense I had, leaving me raw and exposed.

Now, she was holding my hand, her scent filling my nose, and my dick was hard. My memory was too fucking good because her touch and her voice had me craving another taste.

“Dad, I want you to meet someone. Dozer, this is my dad, Leo.”

I leaned in and offered my hand. “Kevin Monroe, but everyone calls me Dozer.”

“Sit,” he said and pointed to a chair next to him.

And so it began, the parent inquisition. What did I do? Was I in school? What did my parents do? I played the game. My dad was former Special Forces, not cooling his heels in the country club. I was a mechanic but didn’t mention I worked in a chop shop or that the bike rebuilds I did with Blade were with stolen parts.

The question I couldn’t avoid, Pippa handled. We’d met through Hana. Apparently, even Pippa’s parents couldn’t resist Vance’s hellion sister. At the mention of her name, Leo scanned the crowd.

“We’re going to say hello to Gabi,” Pippa said to her dad and slipped her hand into mine.

“Thank you,” she said as we walked away.

“Is there somewhere we can go for a moment alone?”

She nodded. We made our way around the side of the house.

A cluster of trees surrounded a wood and wrought iron gazebo. Outdoor lighting hung from hooks around the perimeter.

I sat on the cushioned bench, leaned my head back, and took a deep breath. “That’s a lot of fucking people.”

She giggled as she sat next to me. That sweet, fucking sound slipped under my skin. “Sometimes it gets overwhelming, but it’s not like this all the time.”

It was peacefully quiet out here. We were alone. She played with the hem of her dress. With her headbowed, her hair fell around her shoulders. Her gaze met mine. I suspected we both thought of the same thing. Tension from her family simmered into a sexual tension between us.

I lifted my hips and reached for my cigarettes and lighter, adjusting my dick at the same time. “Is this okay?” I asked, shaking a smoke from the pack.

She nodded, and the corners of her mouth twitched. “Do you have a joint stuffed in there?”

“You want me to get you high in your parents’ backyard?”

“I do.”

I slid the cigarette back into the pack and pulled the joint from the edge. I lit it and drew in a long pull. Before I could hand her the joint, she braced her hands on my chest and waited for me to get her high.

My mouth opened. Her lips hovered over mine, and she breathed in my exhale. I curled my fingers into her hair. She was going to push me.

“This is our thing,” she whispered. “Just ours.”

Pippa took the next hit, holding her breath, waiting for me to decide.

“Fuck.” My lips parted, and I breathed her in. I smoked weed with her, wanted to kiss her, feel her lips on mine, and taste her tongue.

“Hey, Pipsqueak, we’ve been looking for you.”

Levi held the jock’s hand as he led her into the gazebo.

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