Page 4 of Dread’s Beloved

“We should change that.” He pulls his phone out of his back pocket and holds it out to me. “Put your number in.”

Our fingers lightly graze one another. A shiver slithers up and down my spine, and warmth coils in my belly as I create a contact profile for myself.

“I swear Goblin is trying to kill us all with his cooking. That fucker made breakfast this morning and the slop he served is criminal. Sausage was burned on the outside and raw in the middle. The damn scrambled eggs had bits of shell in them.”

I shake my head. “That sounds terrible.” I hand his phone back over.

“I wouldn’t feed that shit to the feral cats hanging around our dumpster.”

“Don’t worry. Next time I got you.”

“You’d better.” He yanks on a strand of my platinum-blonde hair before walking into the office. He shuts the door behind him, and I knock the back of my head against the wall, replaying his smile and the way his finger slid against mine.

I’ve got a silly crush on a man who will never see me as anything more than Dark’s little sister.

It doesn't matter. My divorce isn’t final, and Dread can have any woman he wants.

I drop by Witch’s Brew, the coffee shop my best friend works at to grab a coffee and make sure we’re still on for tonight. I love coming here. The dining area is dark and spooky. Some of their drinks are served in mugs that resemble cauldrons, and the plates are shaped like pumpkins and ghosts.

Sukie gives me a wave and starts making my usual before I have a chance to order. An iced vanilla with a shot of caramel. I browse the baked goods and settle on a pumpkin spice and cream cheese iced cupcake. Also a favorite of mine.

I tap my card and Sukie comes from behind the counter to join me at a table.

“Are we grabbing dinner before we meet up or after we get ready?”

“Whichever. Dark wants us to stay local tonight.” I roll my eyes and bite into my treat.

“Did he say why?”

“Club stuff. You know how he is.”

“Did he ask about me?”

“Kind of.”

She perks up.

“He asked if we were going out tonight.”

She deflates but doesn’t press further. “So where are we eating?”

“Since we’re keeping it local, Burl’s Diner?”

Sukie scrunches her nose, but it’s that or pizza. The Mexican place is for date night, and I stopped going to Tonky’s when Blair started working there. She’s dating my soon to be ex husband and I don’t trust her not to spit in my food.

She used to be part of mine and Sukie’s friend group, but she broke girl code and chose Zane over me. I don’t know how someone can watch a man put their friend through hell then want to be with them or lay with them knowing they are a no-good liar and a cheater.

I can’t believe I ever thought she was my friend, or that Zane had a loyal bone in his body.

The thought is laughable.

Embarrassing, really.

I don’t know what I ever saw in the guy. Not when there are men out there looking like Dread and some of the other members of Grave Prowlers MC. But there are times I wonder how different my life would be had he not cheated. Would we be trying for a baby? Could we have been happy?

“Why can’t we go to Ransom?”

“Dark is being overprotective, and I’d rather not deal with one of his guys following us around all night.”