Page 29 of Redeeming Rabbit

“So am I. Look at you. Seriously! Hot. As Fuck. No amount of weight gain or loss will change that.”

She didn’t look convinced. “I doubt you’d still find me attractive if I was morbidly obese.”

I gave her statement the honest consideration it deserved. “Gotta admit, I’m not too fond of the word morbidly. Sounds hazardous to your health. I’ll tell you what, there’s a gym in the club's basement. Anytime you want to work out there, I’d be glad to pump iron with you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that a euphemism?”

I shrugged, enjoying the conversation far more than I should have. Why was it so damn fun just to talk to her? “Could be. Look, I can respect your hustle, but you shouldn’t miss out on a good time because you’re worried about your weight. Size doesn’t have shit to do with why you’re sexy as fuck. It’s your…” I gestured wildly, trying to encompass all the things that made her exceptional. “Yourpostal-ness. The whole damn package.”

Her lips quirked. “Now you’re making words up.”

“Doesn’t make them any less true.”

“But a big part of my personality is my dedication to succeed. Bailing on my responsibilities could prove to be a slippery slope. Tonight, I skip the gym. Next week, I’m jobless and selling my body for crack cocaine.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. We gotta build up to drugs slowly. Skip the gym, party with bikers, call in sick to work tomorrow.”

She gasped again, this time barely fighting a smile. “I could be stripping for dollars by next week.”

Like hell, she would. At least not for anybody but me. And now I couldn’t stop thinking about peeling her out of her clothes. “Let’s not plan more than one day ahead lest someone think our bad decisions are more than a spur-of-the-moment lapse in judgment. I like to stay away from anything that might be considered premeditated.”

“Good point,” she conceded.

“Thank you. So, tonight, we’ll forget about tomorrow. We’ll shoot pool, throw darts, and have a good ole’ time with my friends Jack and Jim.”

The light caught her irises. They were more brown than green today, sort of amber. Beautiful and dangerous. Like the whiskey I’d just referenced.

“So… you’re saying I should abandon my responsibilities, drink, and make poor life choices?”

I snapped my fingers and pointed at her. “Yes! That’s what I want my tombstone to say. What do you think they’ll put on yours? Worked her ass off and died of boredom?”

“You’re a horrible influence.” But she was smiling.

“The worst. So, come on. What do you say? One lousy day off work. That’s not too much to ask. And after abandoning you with that asshat, your boss owes you a comp day.”

“Your logic is frightening.”

“Thank you.” I bowed. “Besides, it’ll give you time to figure out what you want to tell her about your lunch with that fucker.”

“I don’t know that I’m comfortable drinking with a bunch of strange men.”

I chuckled. “You’re lookin’ at the strangest of the lot. The rest of ’em are harmless.”

“I won’t be in any danger?”

Bikers, in general, had a shit reputation, so her concern was valid, but not even a gang of one-percenters could get by me to hurt this woman. “None. I swear. Besides, you should vet my brothers and see for yourself that it’s okay for Tina and Dylan to be around them.”

“You think Tina and Dylan will wind up spending time at your clubhouse?”

“Sure will. As soon as Kaos sweeps her off her feet.”

Elenore eyed me. “Careful, Roger, or I might think you’re a closet romantic.”

“No closet about it, I’m romantic as fuck. You’d know that if you weren’t over there judging this book by its cover. Come on, Poe. You know I won’t let anything happen to you. I’m even willing to bet you’ll have a good time.”

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she reached for her phone. Long, slender fingers flew over the buttons, and then she lowered the phone. “I didn’t lie to my boss. I asked for a personal day, and whether we do this will depend on—”

The phone beeped.

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