By the timewe pull up at the ice cream place, I’m ready for a sugar fix.
“So, what did you think?”
“Of your offices or Nathan?”
“The offices. I don’t care what you think about Nathan.” He sniffs, making me chuckle. I’m not sure I’d ever referred to a biker as adorable before, but that’s what he’s being right now. Heck, he’s one step away from pouting.
“I think the building is cool. Everyone there was friendly, and Nathan is hilarious. He adores you, by the way. It was obvious in how he spent most of the time showing me around, talking about you, and how amazing you are. If I hadn’t caught him checking out the secretary’s ass when she bent over to pick up a stapler, I’d have thought he had a crush on you.”
He snorts at that. “He’s as subtle as a sledgehammer. I’ll give him that.”
“I like that he isn’t part of the MC,” I admit quietly.
He stops and looks at me, his hand on the door.
“That’s not a dig at the MC, I promise. It’s just...last time all my friends were tied to Ravens. When I was kicked out, they all turned their backs on me, making me realize they weren’t really my friends to begin with. That was a bitter pill to swallow. Nobody was who they were supposed to be, and it made my whole life feel like a lie. I just think it would be nice to make friends outside of the MC, too. So if I have to walk away, I’m not starting from scratch with my friends again. Not that I’m saying Nathan is my friend. He’s clearly yours and would drop me like a hot potato if you asked him to. I just mean, it sparked the idea of making non-MC friends. And now I’ll stop babbling.”
He slips his finger under my chin and tips my head back. “I get it. You shouldn’t get nervous about bringing this shit up. I’m not gonna get defensive about it. It’s not like you’re shit-talking the club. You’re just being cautious.”
I blow out a relieved breath, happy that he gets it. He pushes the door open, so I walk through and wait until he’s beside me. I see people turn to look at us, their eyes moving over me and pausing when they land on Kruger’s cut.
“What can I get you folks?” a man calls out from behind the counter as we approach.
“John,” Kruger greets him with a nod of the head.
“Kruger. Don’t see you in here much without Alex. We’ve missed the little guy.”
“I’ll bring him by soon, but things have been hectic now that Sunshine has had the babies.”
“She did? Tell her congratulations from us. Her next ice cream is on me.” He winks, making me chuckle.
“Mom and babies are okay, yes?” a woman calls out from the back.
I can’t see anyone, but Kruger obviously recognizes the voice. “They’re all good, Marie.”
“Perfect.” The reply comes as I take in all the options with a watering mouth.
“John, this is Delphi. She would like to sample a little of everything.”
John cocks his eyebrow at that. “Itty bitty thing like you? Not sure where you’re planning on putting it all,” he teases.
“I usually have more of a Marilyn Monroe shape than the current Marilyn Manson one, so I’ll take all the help I can get.”
He looks me over again, this time more clinically, before his eyes land on my cast. “You been in an accident?”
I bite my lip, not really wanting to explain.
Kruger takes it out of my hands. “There was an…explosion. A brain injury means that for some reason, the foods Delphi used to like aren’t so appealing anymore, and the things she used to hate, she likes.” Kruger shakes his head, still finding it bizarre. Yeah, well, right there with you, buddy.
His cell rings, so he pulls it out and frowns at the screen. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” I watch him walk away before turning back to John.
“That true?” he asks me.
I shrug. “I’m still trying to figure it out, but yeah, it seems my brain has had a factory reset.”
He cocks his head. “The only explosion I’ve heard about lately involved a grenade. You know anything about that?”
