“No,” she said honestly. “But I want to believe that you’ll be true to your word. I guess I’m just sick of you not believing me, but this test will help prove that I’m telling the truth, and then we can deal with the rest—as long as you don’t disappear.”
Something flickered in his eyes. “I won’t disappear.” She nodded, not ready to believe him, but a part of her needed to.
As she turned toward her car, one hand drifted to her stomach as though she was already trying to protect her unborn baby. The question was—who or what did she think she needed to protect him or her from? Dani knew one thing—whatever happened next, this baby was already changing everything. The verdict was still up in the air if things were changing for better or worse, but she’d figure that out soon enough.
Baby Daddy (Dirty Daddies Book 2) Universal Link-> https://books2read.com/u/bWwXpD
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Nitro
Nitro had made some bad calls in his life, but standing in front of his girlfriend’s front door, dressed as Cupid, wearing his pink wings, fake bow, glitter, and everything else that went along with it, was shaping up to be his worst decision yet. The plastic wings itched against his shoulders, the cheap elastic was cutting into his arms, but he grinned anyway, hoping that his romantic gesture might make his girl happy. He’d planned it down to the minute—a quick surprise, a laugh, a kiss, then dinner reservations and a bottle of good whiskey. Valentine’s Day might not have been his thing, but he’d been trying his best this year, all for her. The problem was that the universe had a wicked sense of humor.
He pushed open the door to her apartment with the spare key she’d given him—something that now seemed like the dumbest move in history—and what greeted him was a scene that would be forever burned into his memory. His girlfriend. Hisformergirlfriend, rather, was tangled in her bed sheets with his best friend, Hank.
Nitro stood there, frozen. The stupid heart-tipped arrow slid from his fingers and clattered onto the floor, as thoughannouncing his presence to them. “Aw, hell,” Hank groaned when he noticed him standing in the doorway.
Tia pulled the blanket up to her chin as though he could unsee everything that he had just seen, and stammered, “It’s not what it looks like!”
Nitro just blinked at them, laughter bubbling out of him in a way that was all wrong. It wasn’t amusing laughter. No, it was the brittle sound of a man cracking down the middle. He had reached his limit, and there was no taking back what had just happened, even if he wanted to. And he didn’t want to. As far as he was concerned, Hank and Tia could have each other because he was finished with both of them.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he rasped. Then, he turned around and walked out of Tia’s apartment before he did something that would put him behind bars.
The ride to the club was a blur. The open road, cold wind, and that emptiness that came after the sting of betrayal faded and left only the hollow ache beneath it. The roar of his bike drowned out the noise in his head, but it wasn’t enough to completely block it out. The images of his ex and his ex-best friend played through his mind on a loop. By the time he pulled up to the Iron Vipers’ clubhouse, the last of the daylight was bleeding out behind the horizon.
The place was packed for a Tuesday night. The neon lights flickered over the bar, as a sea of leather cuts and laughter filled the room. Nitro felt as though he was walking into another world and not the clubhouse that he knew and loved so much. Nitro peeled off the ridiculous wings and tossed them into the trash before stepping completely inside. The last thing he needed nowwas the guys giving him shit for dressing up as Cupid. He was a fucking idiot to think that showing up at Tia’s place dressed like that would save their failing relationship. If he had known that their relationship was on the rocks because she was fucking his best friend, he wouldn’t have given that bitch the time of day. He felt like a complete fuckup, and there was nothing that could help him feel any better. Well, maybe there was something. He needed a drink. No, he needed drinks to help him forget tonight.
The guys greeted him, a few whistles and teasing comments about his outfit flying his way. He managed to smirk, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Sliding onto a stool at the bar, he ordered a double shot of whiskey and stared at the amber liquid like it held all the answers he’d ever need.
That’s when she walked in—Aurora Ryder. The redhead didn’t belong there—not in the way most of the bikers and their Ol’ladies did. Every time he had talked to her, she seemed like a nice girl, and the clubhouse wasn’t a place for nice girls. He had to give it to her, though; she looked comfortable stepping through the noise and smoke, like she belonged anywhere she decided to be. Her hair caught the light from the neon sign, glowing like she’d stolen the sunset on her way in. She ordered her own beer, glanced around, and her eyes landed on him.
Nitro had seen a lot of women come through the club, but something about her was different. Maybe it was the way she smiled at him—warm, knowing, and somewhat curious. She didn’t flinch at the difficult-looking biker in a tattered leather jacket, but she should have. She didn’t look away either, even though he did. Instead, she walked straight toward him, beer in hand, and slid onto the stool beside his.
“Tough night, Cupid?” she asked, lifting a brow as she looked him over.
Nitro stared at her for a beat, caught between surprise and amusement. “Yeah, you could say that.” The few times she cameinto the Iron Vipers, she hung out with a few of the other Ol’ladies—including Tia.
She nodded at his drink. “Next one’s on me, then.”
He huffed a laugh, which garnered him some attention from the guys sitting around the bar. “You sure? I don’t exactly scream good company right now.”
Aurora smiled—slow and confident. “You look like you could use someone to talk to and maybe a few more drinks.”
“Well, who am I to argue with a pretty woman?” he drawled. She had no idea what she had just signed up for, but before the end of the night, Nitro was pretty sure that she would. She’d run for the door once she found out just how down on his luck he was, and he wouldn’t blame her one bit.
The bartender brought them another round of shots, and they clinked glasses. Somewhere between that first sip and the next, Nitro’s mood shifted—just a fraction. He didn’t know Aurora’s story, and didn’t know why someone like her ended up in a rough biker bar on Valentine’s night, but he was damn curious.
“What brings you into the clubhouse on Valentine’s?” he asked. She took another drink of her beer, seeming to hesitate in answering his question.
“I thought that we were going to talk about you and why your night is so awful,” she insisted. He could tell that she was avoiding his question, but she was right. When she offered to buy him a drink, he promised to tell her what had him so miserable—or in this case, who had made him that way.
“You really don’t want me to tell you all the sad details of my life, right?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded, “If it involves you telling me why you’re dressed like Cupid, then yes, I do want all the sad details.” He wasn’t sure if she was just a she devil or if she actually cared why he was so miserable.
“Fine,” he grumbled, downing another shot of whiskey. “You remember my Ol’lady, Tia?” he asked.
She nodded, “Yeah, where is she?” she asked, looking around the bar.
