The Biker's Fate Chapter 385

Grace

I let myself into rrick’s place and dropped my keys in the dish by the door. "r?"

"Back here!" he called, then walked out into the living room, shrugging on his cut.

"You going out?"

"Compound," he said. "If that counts as ’out,’ then, yeah."

"Okay, so I’m cooking for one, then?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You’re cooking?"

I dropped my purse on the sofa and nodded. "Was thinking about it."

He humd, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Random pussy or my sister’s cooking. That’s a tough decision."

I punched his arm. "Ohmigod, rrick. You’re disgusting. Forget it, I’m not cooking for you now."

He laughed, rubbing the place where my fist connected. "Where did you learn to hit so hard?"

"Devon," I said, walking into the kitchen to see what I could find to cook.

"I think I’ll have a conversation with old Sparky tonight."

I rolled my eyes. "Good luck with that."

"I’m gonna head out. You good?"

"Yep. Have fun."

He walked out the door, locking it behind him, and I tried to figure out if I could make sothing healthy out of our ager choices.

An hour after I’d opened my refrigerator, I was stretched out on the sofa, open bag of crinkled chips in my lap, licking my fingers in an attempt to clean away the evidence of my ’dinner.’ I ended up wiping my hands on my jeans before pushing myself up from the sofa just as my phone rang on the side table.

"Hello?"

"I heard you’re cooking," Flea said.

"You heard wrong. I thought about it, but this family sized bag of Wavy Lay’s jumped out at , and I tried really hard to wrestle it back into the cabinet, but the fucker’s strong. He won."

He chuckled. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yep. Karma’s a bitch, though. Half of him is now in my belly."

"Okay, so you’ve filled yourself with shit... you want so protein?"

"I don’t have any protein. Hence the chips finding their way down my gullet."

"Want to pick up protein for you to cook and bring it over?" he asked. "Or I could swing by and take you out."

"Or... you could hit Burgerville on the way over?"

"Yeah, I could do that."

"Ohmigod, seriously?"

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"Tillamook cheeseburger, fries, chocolate milkshake."

"Shit, that was fast," he said with a chuckle.

"I’m starving," I complained.

"Okay, babe, I’ll see you in a bit."

"Okay, Flea. Thanks."

I hung up and did my best to clean up the chip crumbs before rushing to the bathroom and brushing out my hair. I wasn’t sure why Flea was coming over, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth... and I was going to try and look cute for said gift horse.

He arrived about twenty minutes after I brushed a little lip-gloss on, and I rushed to pull the door open. "Hi."

"Hey, babe," he said, stepping inside. "You got beer?"

"rrick’s got beer," I said. "Yes."

He grinned. "That works."

He grabbed himself a beer while I unpacked the food and then we sat at the dinette and chowed down on the best burgers in the world.

"Shit, you were hungry," he observed.

I nodded, swallowing the huge bite I’d just taken. "Does it surprise you?"

"That you were hungry?"

"No, that I can eat my weight in at."

Flea laughed. "Yeah, I guess it does a little."

I wiped my mouth and grinned. "I dance; therefore, I eat."

"Makes sense."

"So, um, why are you here?" I asked, rushing to add, "Not that I’m complaining, I just figured if you and r were both at the club tonight, you were busy."

"Nah. It was a regular night. I guess I wasn’t feelin’ it."

I smiled. "Well, anyti you feel like you’re not ’feelin’ it’ and want to bring food, I’m all for it."

"Good to know." He tipped his beer toward . "Your brother needs to buy better beer."

"I don’t think he was expecting you to drink it all."

"Won’t drink it all," he countered. "It’s dog piss."

I chuckled. "You could always bring your own."

"I’ll keep that in mind for next ti."

I busied myself with scrunching up my wrappers in an effort to hide how happy I was that there’d be a next ti. Chucking everything into the trash, I sat back down at the table.

"You good if I hang out a bit?" Flea asked.

"Yes, if you want to."

"Don’t want to assu you’re free," he said.

"If it was tomorrow, I wouldn’t be."

"Oh, yeah? What’s tomorrow."

"Class. I have a private one with Cassidy."

"You still take classes?"

I nodded. "I probably always will. Otherwise, I’ll get soft."

"It’s cool you got that kinda work ethic."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, babe, it is."

I settled my chin in my hand, elbow to the table, and studied him. "What’s your deal?"

"My deal?"

"Yeah. I can’t figure out why you’re being so nice to ."

"I’m a nice guy."

I narrowed my eyes. "Is that what it is?"

"Why wouldn’t it be?"

"Hmm."

"Hmm, what?"

I was suddenly feeling really insecure.

Drop it, Grace. Just go with it. Don’t overthink things.

"Just don’t want to be the pity friend," I admitted, not dropping it.

He frowned. "What the fuck is that supposed to an?"

I rose to my feet and headed into the kitchen, busying myself with the dirty dishes. "Forget it. Just ignore ."

I heard the scrape of a chair and then he was standing between and my only way out of the kitchen. "Fill in on what you an, Grace."

I faced him. "I’m being insecure. It’s a thing. I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have friends."

"Oh, yeah? Poppy’s not your friend?" he challenged.

I sighed. "Poppy’s family. Poppy doesn’t count."

"Fair enough, but just so we’re clear, I’m not friends with people I don’t genuinely like, so no more bullshit talk that I’m doin’ anything out of pity. Clear?"

I nodded, focusing back on the sink.

"Grace. Need you to hear on that."

"Got it."

"Look at when you lie to ."

I gasped, eting his eyes. "I’m not lying."