Page 67 of Old Flame

What was she doing?

“Oh, I…” What did I say? I didn’t want to lie about Lick liking me or there being some chance I would—or even wanted to—hook up with him. I did not. I was starting to understand Pepper’s refusal to date a biker.

“It’s fine,” Goldie said with a wave of her hand. “The guys all talk. I’m sure Tex has already heard. We aren’t gossiping.”

“No, Tex hasn’t heard.” His tone was clipped as he glared at them, then at me.

I might as well have been mute because I had no words. Nothing was coming out of my mouth.

“That Lick has a thing for Salem.” Nina said it like it was common knowledge and he had to have his head up his ass not to know it.

“We had to give him his food and force him out the door this morning so we could talk about it. He’d walked Salem to breakfast and intended to sit beside her while he ate it.”

I wanted to groan. They were making this sound as if Lick liked me in a way he did not.

“Here you go,” Nixie said.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her set the cup down in front of him. I expected her to go climb back in his lap, but his command stopped her.

“Go clean my room.”

I tensed. Had he really just said that? Did he boss her around like that all the time? I frowned, then stared down at my cup.

“Why don’t you come with me and we can mess it up before I do?” she said in a sultry voice.

Yes, please go before I vomit.

“I don’t want to mess it up. I want it fucking cleaned.”

Ouch. Okay. That was harsh.

My eyes lifted to them before I could stop myself.

“Did Lick come to your room this morning?” he asked through clenched teeth.

I wasn’t Nixie. He had better watch it.

Narrowing my eyes, I glared at him. As if he had the right to ask me anything like that.

“No, he met me outside the kitchen door.”

Some of the tension seemed to leave him.

“Rainbow came back with Lick from Styx last night. He was busy with her all night,” Nixie said with a satisfied smile. As if she was debunking any idea that Lick would be interested in me.

That seemed to appease Rome, and he picked up his cup to take a sip.

“Everyone knows if Lick is gonna take an ole lady, it’ll be Rainbow,” Nixie added.

That was lovely for Rainbow, but I wasn’t in the market to become an ole lady. She could stop with the snarky looks my way.

“Didn’t he tell you to go clean his room?” Nina asked Nixie.

Oh my.

“I don’t take orders from you,” Nixie told her, placing a hand on her hip.

“Watch it, little girl,” she replied with a grin. “You’re just a stripper. I’m an ole lady. Don’t piss me off.”

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