Page 52 of Reaper Released

The girls and I sit at the table. Beauty runs through a few things quickly but then says we’re done, really. She knows what to do, and I’m gonna leave it with her. I’m gonna have to pick bridesmaid dresses if I’m having them and my own, of course, but other than that, she’s gonna sort it all, which is a total relief. Scar asked if she could help, and Beauty jumped at the chance.

“So, while I have you all here, I’ve decided I want you all to be my bridesmaids, so will you come with me in a couple of weeks to pick the dresses…?” The squeals. Fuck, my ears!

“Marie, will you come too? This is probably the only time I’m ever gonna do something this girly. I mean, what the fuck am I playing at here? I feel like I’ve been tricked into my worst nightmare, and it's like a car crash, and I just can’t look away!”

“Jesus, Ray!” Scar barks. “Bit specific and totally morbid, but whatever, anyway, what colour scheme are we going for?”

“I don’t fucking know. We’ll pick when we see the dresses. Now I’m gonna go get drunk with the boys because all this girly crap is making my balls shrivel up and die. I need tequila!” Getting up from my chair, shaking my head, and rubbing my temples, the girls all start laughing. I let out a groan and walk over to the boys.

“Pa, the girls are being wankers. Please shoot me now. Put me out of my misery, I beg of you!”

Bernie laughs too. “Fucking hell, Ray, you’re such a drama queen!” Steel just cocks a brow and frowns at me, then grins.

“What, you're not even gonna save me either?” I give him a pout, and the bastard just full-on belly laughs at me. Next thing I know, I’m being swept up into Viking’s arms, and Tank is crushing around us both.

“Ah, poor baby,” Viking purrs. “Did those mean girls not play nice?”

“Nope!” I do sound like a baby, and they all start laughing, even Tank, so I elbow him in the ribs. “You’re a dickhead, you’re a twat waffle, you’re a cunty bollock, and you are an asswipe, and you are a butt-squatch. You’re a knobhead. You’re a cockwomble, and you, my friend…” I say, pointing at Steel. “Are fucking lucky that I love you because I am never ever, ever doing anything like this again, ever!” Steel just stops, mouth open, staring at me while everyone else goes quiet and starts looking around for anything to focus on but us.

“You love me?” he asks, more of a whisper than anything else, but I look at him, confused. “You do remember I’ve told you before? Do you honestly think I’d say yes and not be in love with you? Seriously?”

“But you’ve not said it in front of actual people before.”

“What, you want me to change my mind? Only love you in… private?”

“No… but?”

“Yeah, you said that already!”

Next, he lunges at me in a frenzy, smashing our mouths together and pulling my lip in between his teeth, nipping and sucking, then plunging his tongue in, and I’m gone, lost and breathless. Once we pull apart, everyone has left us and gone over to the table. Most of them have their backs to us as if they’re trying to block out that image, and I can’t find any fucks to give, so I kiss my fucking husband-to-be again like I goddamn mean it, and then he whispers into my mouth.

“I fucking love you too!”

We all crashed at Pa Bernie’s because we all had far too much to drink by the end; let’s just say it got a little messy. After managing to get back to the club this morning, everyone heads off their separate ways Dozer, and I head to the garage to work, both with a bitch of a hangover and a busy day to boot. Fuck, last night was a bad decision. Well, the drinking part, anyway!

Steel rescues us at lunch with burgers and milkshakes, and I swear, I love him more in that second than ever until he says those four stupid words, the fucking stupidest fucking words ever invented, which immediately cause me to want to punch someone in their junk, throat or both! Maybe that’s just the hangover talking, but fuck.

“We need to talk!”

I’m not in the mood for ‘we need to fucking talk’ talks. “I’ll meet you in your room when I’ve finished, okay?”

So we finish early, as we’re both still hanging, and I call in at the bar for a tequila or four which, to be honest, is the best decision I’ve made all day, so fuck yeah. I go knock on Steel’s door.

“What the fuck are you knocking for?” He screws up the front of my shirt and pulls me to him. “You smell so good!”

“What the fuck? I’m hungover, and I’ve been at work all day. I stink like a polecat!” I sniff my armpits and screw my face up.

He smells my hair and my neck. “You smell like gasoline, and have you been welding? Fuck yeah, that’s it, that’s so sexy.” Then he sniffs my hair again. “And something… fruity.”

“Nice! Petrol, welding and fruit, bork!”

He just laughs and pulls me in through the door, kissing me like he’s not seen me for a week.

“Right, I need to talk to you.”

“Argh, do you have to?”

He just laughs at me again, dickwad, and smiles. He's so devastatingly handsome. I can’t get enough of those eyes, and those dimples are going to be my downfall.

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