Page 7 of Reaper's Ride
“You’re the best nurse I ever had,” I joked.
She grinned.
“And the fucking sexiest.”
The corners of her lips twitched. “You say that to all the ladies?”
“Just the ones who save my life.”
Her features softened. “Any decent person would have done the same.”
Sadly, I didn’t agree. Met a lot of good people on the road, but more assholes than I cared to mention. “Well, I’m glad you were there.”
“Me too.”
I stared into her eyes and made a vow.
She was gonna be mine.
Chapter 3 Snooki
Ilifted my hand and knocked on Grim’s door, knowing I was already interrupting a meeting with his officers since I could hear Mammoth and Rael inside.
“Come in,” the president of the Tonopah GBMC called out as I turned the knob and entered his office. “Hey, Snooki. Everything alright?”
It was a legit question. I didn’t bother him often.
“Yes and no,” I admitted. “I think I need your help.”
Mammoth and Rael stood taller, focusing on me with a fierceness that nearly stole the breath from my lungs. Being around the members as long as I had, I knew what they were. I’d seen the Reapers in action and witnessed the possessive, protective males with their ol’ ladies. Truth be told, I stuck around The Crossroads as long as I did because of the protection and the hope that one day I might become as cherished as one of their women.
At one time, I thought Rael would choose me. I’d been so in love with him that it never occurred to me he’d fall for someone else. Our relationship hadn’t been more than sex, but I still hoped. Foolish.
He fell hard for Nylah, his beloved nurse, the night they met.
God, that fucking hurt. My heart took a long time to recover. After that, I didn’t sleep with the members often. It usually happened when the loneliness got to be too much for me. Being with one of the members made me feel desired, cared for, and part of their unique brotherhood. A family that bonded through violence, sweat, and death more than blood.
Rael growled, and my gaze snapped to him, taking in his black and white, skeletal-themed face paint. He always wore it. Irarely saw him without it. On occasion, he’d skip it for Nylah or his boys, too caught up in them to bother with it.
Masks had always been a kink of mine. It was probably one of the reasons I gravitated toward Rael to begin with. Same with Diablo. He often wore red and black makeup, painting a demonic face over his devilishly handsome features. Dio and I shared a friendship that had lasted beyond the times I’d visited his room. But it had been the same as it was for most of the members now. Once they met their women, that was it. The Reaper chose, and these men fell hard, fast, and deep. There was no other woman for them afterward.
I wanted that so fucking bad. But, at the same time, it made me realize I wasn’t ol’ lady material. I had been skipped over too many times. Fucked and forgotten. Just a club girl, good on my knees and back, but not worth the time or heart to invest in.
It sounded bitter. I wasn’t. I just knew my place. There was a difference. I found a routine, interacted with families, members, and prospects, and kept to myself. It was safer than risking my heart again.
“What happened, Snooki?”
Rael’s deep voice nearly sent a shiver down my spine. Oddly enough, it didn’t turn me on. My thoughts went straight to Pagan—the biker with the panty-melting grin, sexy swagger, and bruised ribs.
“Pagan. He needs help.”
“Pagan?” Grim asked. “Is that the biker you’ve been visiting?”
Rael and Mammoth watched my reaction along with Grim.
“Yes. He’s the reason I called Nylah. I don’t think he’d still be alive if I hadn’t had my fingers on his artery before she arrived. The EMTs said he would have bled out.”
“Damn,” Mammoth rumbled.
