Page 13 of Lockout

“So…” Seek said, her blue eyes glinting with mischievousness. “What are you going to do about the sexy biker?”

“Yeah,” Isla said. “I want to know more about why you can’t just sleep with him?”

“It’s her rule,” Billie told Isla.

“Rule?”

“She doesn’t sleep with men unless she’s going to be in a committed relationship with them,” Dani explained to the assassin.

“That’s no fun,” Isla said, making a face.

I laughed. “That’s probably true, but when you have a sister and a best friend who are as gorgeous as these two,” I pointed at Dani and Billie, “someone has to set the example. All the guys wanted to date them and I didn’t want them just sleeping with anyone. So I made a rule for myself and hoped that they would follow it.”

“Did they?” Gwen asked with a laugh.

“As far as I know,” I said, narrowing my eyes on my sister. I’d always felt so responsible for her. But it was of my own making. I loved her and wanted her to be safe.

“Eli was the first guy I ever slept with,” Dani said with a shrug. “Too bad he turned out to be scum.”

A glass of wine was shoved into my hand and I smiled up at Sloane. “Thank you, Sweetie.”

She smiled and passed out more glasses. I hadn’t even heard her get up and go to the nearby bar.

“You’re leaving out that most of the boys in school only asked the two of us out,” Billie said motioning to Dani and herself, “after they hit on you.” She rolled her eyes at the group. “We had to put up with being second choice.” But there was nothing but humor in her words.

“Honestly, none of us were very interested in those guys anyway,” Dani explained. “So there wasn’t a lot of dating.”

I turned to Isla. “I sort of kept that rule for myself and now I think it’s so ingrained in me I can’t shake it.”

Isla took a drink of the wine then nodded. “I guess if you want to have morals, I can’t fault you for that…”

We all laughed, and I shook my head at her.

“But what does all that have to do with Lock?” Jordan asked. She glanced over as a couple of the guys disappeared down the back hall.

I was guessing that Lock had just called church. Probably to talk about my…situation. I winced, realizing he was going to drag the club into this even though I’d told him not to.

“He doesn’t want me,” I responded.

All the women looked around at each other. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. Isla broke the silence first. “I know this is my first time meeting you,” she said. “And I don’t know Lock that well, either, but I’m really good at reading people. That man is into you,” she declared.

I blinked. “Yeah, sexually,” I acknowledged.

Isla made a face and shook her head. “No. Well, yes. But no. He watches you everywhere you go. He caught you before you hit your ass when Billie all but tackled you.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. These guys are really protective,” I replied.

She shook her head again. “I’m not explaining it right. Men who want to fuck women, only do the bare minimum…you know?” When we all stared at her with blank expressions she sighed and continued, “They’ll call you for a booty call. Or like…show up just enough that you can convince yourself they’re interested, but they never do more. They don’t hold your hand. Or come get you when your life is in danger,” she added, pinning me with a look.

“That’s a heck of a range there, from holding hands to life saving? There might be a few stops in between,” Gwen said.

“Hang on,” Kit said with a laugh. “How doyoueven know all this?”

“Yeah, emotions aren’t really something you pick up on very well,” Jordan added. “Kinda like your biker. Have you been going through my diary again?”

She shrugged. “No. Well, yes. Don’t worry about that. It’s not about emotions. It’s about behaviors. And I know behaviors well. I watch people for a living.”

“You kill people for a living,” Eva pointed out.

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