Page 34 of Ringer's Freedom

“I know, Princess. Does the family know he cheated on you?”

“Nah,” I sigh, shaking my head. “I know how good he is and how much your dad needs his skills. I wouldn’t want anyone put out, even if he is a douchebag.”

“That’s pretty nice of you, Princess.”

“What can I say, Ringer. I’m a nice girl.”

Ringer’s smile drops from his face and his eyebrows rise. “Are you, though?”

“Am I what?” I ask, feigning innocence. I know exactly what he’s asking, but the devil inside of me wants to hear him say it.

He takes another step towards me, dropping his voice. “Are you a nice girl?”

“That’s for me to know,” I whisper.

“And for me to find out?”

“Hm. We’ll see,” I tease.

Quick as a flash of lightning, I reach up on my tiptoes and nip at his nose. Before he can retaliate, I’m throwing my leg over his bike and settling my ass on the back seat.

Arms encircle my waist and he traps me against the bike with his body. Bringing one hand to grasp my chin, he guides my face to his.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Princess. I will find out one day.”

I yelp as he nips at my nose in response. I swat at his chest and he lets out a laugh as he turns around and adjusts himself onto the bike in front of me.

“Where to?” he asks, sliding his aviator glasses onto the bridge of his nose and then flipping his hat backwards once again.

I shrug in response, pressing my hands together around his hips.

“Where is The Castle?” he asks over the loud groan of his engine.

“You want to go to The Castle at three o’clock on a Tuesday?”

“I haven’t been yet, and I’d like to see it before tomorrow night.”

I give Ringer directions to the strip club the club owns that his brother has an unhealthy obsession with. Nausea sweeps through my belly when we pull into the parking lot as I think about the last time I spent a Wednesday night here. Bunny got me so fucked up on Moscow mules that I spent the following three days in bed. The girl sure knows how to pour them heavy but delicious, so they sneak up on you.

As soon as we enter the club, I spot Ryan behind the bar and skip over to him, planting my ass on the nearest stool.

“Hey, lady,” he greets. Stepping up on the barstool rung, I lean over the bar to give Ryan a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, boo.”

“What’re you doing here on a Tuesday?” Ryan asks, drying off a glass and setting it in front of me.

“That better not be for a Moscow mule. I will puke on this clean bar.”

He raises one brow as he fills the glass with ice and uses the soda gun to fill the glass with dark liquid.

I smile at him in thanks and take the glass. “My car had a flat, so I hitched a ride with Ringer. He wanted to come see the club before it’s a shit show tomorrow. I assume he also wants to see his brother.” I nod over at Ringer and Ghost, who looks like a kid in a candy store as he shows his brother around.

“Are you going to come by tomorrow?”

I let a cackling laugh slip free. “Doubt it.” I suck down another blissful sip of Dr. Pepper and push the empty glass to him across the bar. “Wednesdays are forbidden from now on. Sasha had to come peel me up off the floor of my bathroom last time.”

“Don’t overindulge, silly goose.”

---