Page 30 of Thunder

She did not like the tone of Lexi’s voice, but her eyes weren’t in sync with it.

“Are you over Thunder? I mean really done. No passing go or collecting the money. If he were to grovel, would you give him a shot?”

That was the million-dollar question. “I can’t say one hundred percent, but I don’t think I can simply forgive and forget. So, yeah, I guess I am over him on that level.”

“Okay, so he asked for a lap dance last night and since you’re over him, it won’t bother you that he may or may not have popped wood.”

Andy felt the blood drain from her face and tears sprang forth uncontrollably. She was most certainly not over him. Lexi dropped to her knees beside Andy’s chair and took her hands in her own.

“Shush now, I can explain everything, well, almost everything. But I needed you to answer me with your heart and not your head before I decided if I was going to dress you for the prince or just to have a ball.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Lexi stood and took her seat again.

“Try to keep up, will you? I’m the Fairy Godstripper and now that I know you and Prince Not-So-Charming belong together. I’m going to bibbidy boppidy boo that shit and make it happen.”

Andy crossed her arms, slightly amused with her friend. Lexi had that effect on people. “And what if I don’t give a shit about a chubby lap dance?”

“First, queen, you do, and second, it wasn’t like that. But, hypothetically, if you truly didn’t give a shit, I would’ve taken you out and gotten you laid by two of the hottest fuckers I know in the best male revue on the Strip.”

Lexi shuddered. “Now that I don’t need them for you, I think I’ll give them a call for myself. Damn it, will be—”

“Focus. Tell me about the dance.” Andy sounded defeated, hell she felt a little defeated.

“Okay, so your man popped a half chub. Well, more of a quarter one. Which was fucking impressive, by the way. You go, girl.” Lexi gave her double finger guns.

“Anyway, that happened when I started, because, well, I am that good even when I’m pissed. And I was fucking pissed. Pissed that he was going through with it out of some sense of… anyway, he had his eyes closed. The second he looked in mine, waah, waah, waah.” She made a deflating motion with her index finger. “All gone. I’ve dealt with enough men to get what was happening, even if I hadn’t overheard him and Trip talking.”

“What were they saying?” Suddenly the lap dance was forgotten. She trusted Lexi implicitly and blindly believed her.

“Well, that’s the part I can’t say. The reason I have my name attached to their businesses in various ways and shit is because they trust me. They know I won’t discuss their shit with anyone, even you. I may be pissed at some of them, but I would never betray them. Even if it is personal.”

Andy was deflated by her friend’s words. “I can, however, use that information to nudge two people to dance a dance, drop a shoe, and get busy.”

Andy groaned. “Can we move on from the fairy godstripper thing? It’s getting old.”

“Hell to the no. I’m going to even get an outfit, and a wand. But my wand with be a lady wand. And my outfit will be assless.”

“Jesus, lady. You squirrel more than anyone I know, even me, and that’s saying something for sure. So tell me, oh great one, how are you going to get me back in his bed and his words out of my heart?”

“Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy. I’m going to get him to voluntarily, if unwittingly, activate caveman mode. Once he flips that switch, he’ll fuck you, apologize, and explain why he did what he did and said what he said. Not necessarily in that order, but still.”

She took a drink of water as if they were simply discussing the weather. “Once that happens, you’ll be able to understand and process what went down. Erasing that shit or at least fading it. Then, you can go back to being the badass, take no prisoners bitch that you are, with a good man, well, a whole club of them at your back. You’ll fall madly in love and ride off into the sunset on his dick and the back of his bike.”

Andy allowed herself to indulge in Lexi’s fantasy. She needed to. It made her feel, just feel something other than misery and self-doubt.

She’d replayed what had happened a million times. She admitted to herself that from his perspective, she appeared to be running a game. Of course, the only thing about her stronger than her hands was her stubborn streak. Andy was at a loss as how to approach Thunder. Yeah, she thought of him as Thunder now. Mostly because Nick was the one who hurt her and Killer was the one she only recently remembered fucking.

“What do I do, Lexi? I’ve never really emotionally approached a guy after all that. With Justin, after he did what he did, I got the hell out, in the nick of time at that. With everyone else, we had an understanding going in, so there were no hurt feelings or attachments. With Thunder… I mean. Shit, I really like him. I mean, I know it seems stupid since we really don’t even know each other at all, but I have this gut feeling about him and I’m a little, make that a lot, freaked out.”

Andy hated that she’d allowed Thunder to be important to her on any level. After Justin, she swore off relationships. She had sex. Scratched an itch and moved on. There was no need to give that kind of power over to another human. Not when they could use it against you. To tear you down little by little. Chip away at everything that made you, you. Nope, no need. But with Thunder, she wanted a relationship. She wasn’t ready to get married and sign mortgage papers, but she could see herself in a relationship for the first time in years.

“How did this happen?” she mused to herself, but of course, Lexi responded.

“Because bikers. That’s why. They wreck you for other men. They’re a breed unlike any others.”

“I don’t know what to do. I have literally never tried to enter a relationship on purpose. I don’t have a clue where to start.”

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