wasn’t more important than the crack pipe in front of her.
Zag put a hand on Bobby’s shoulder. “Don’t look back, kid.”
If there was one thing he’d learned about fucked-up parents like theirs, it was that they weren’t worth a single ounce of thought. They sure as hell weren’t worried about their kids.
And yet the entire drive over to his house, all he could think about was the revulsion on his mother’s face when she threw him out of the house that last time. Like he was a streak of dog shit she’d found on the bottom of her shoe. Worthless and disgusting.
Fuck, he hadn’t thought of her in years.
Sometimes this altruistic shit was overrated.
Chapter 6
Jessica
J UNE 10
I pushed the food around my Tupperware with a sigh that was lost in the snores of my boss on the other end of the break room. After five hours on my feet at the front desk of the casino, I should’ve been starving, but nothing sounded good. What I really could’ve gone for was a long, tall biker with a side helping of attitude, but I was trying not to think about him.
I didn’t even know his name for crying out loud—I mean Zag, really?—and I kinda doubted he remembered mine at this point.
I couldn’t deny that it hurt. Apparently I’d been fooling myself last Friday night that he was different—that I was different to him. The connection I’d felt probably hadn’t been anything special to him. I mean, he would’ve stuck around and gotten my number the next morning at the very least. Not left me all alone in his house. I hadn’t even warranted a goodbye. The last hopeful romantic corner of my soul curled up and died at the thought.
God, that was depressing. The first notes of my ringtone had me diving for my phone. I hit the “accept” button but didn’t hold my cell up to my ear. Instead I tossed a look over my shoulder and slumped with relief at the sight of my boss still asleep on the break-room sofa. The longer he slept, the better my shift was guaranteed to be.
I tiptoed out of the room, then held the phone to my ear and whispered harshly, “Hello?”
“So you are there, princess. What the hell took so long?”
Zag’s rough voiced sliced through me and I didn’t know what to think. My heart raced with my mind as I tried to find something to say. “Zag?”
“Yeah.”
“I, uh, I don’t…I mean, how’d you get my number?”
He laughed and a wave of goose bumps swept over my body. My nipples tightened, brushing against the itchy material of my uniform with my twitchy movements.
“The usual way. I stole it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his honesty. He wasn’t giving me any illusions about who he was. But my excitement at his next question had me questioning my own sanity.
“You busy?”
“No, I mean yes. I mean…” I shook my head at my confusing answer. “Right now yes, but I’m off in a couple of hours and then I’m not.”
Yeah, I really cleared up the confusion with that answer. My head fell against the wall behind me with a soft thunk. I contemplated banging my head a few more times.
“Christ, is everyone working tonight?” Zag whispered almost to himself.
But I heard it still and couldn’t help but wonder who “everyone” was. Maybe I wasn’t his first choice for a booty call. I didn’t know if I should feel jealous or insulted.
The jealous idiot inside me answered before I could stop myself. “Actually, I think someone’s coming in early. I’m pretty sure she can cover my shift for me. She owes me—I’ve done it enough times for her.”
Desperate much? This time I didn’t hesitate—I let my head bang into the wall a few more times. Desperate.
Thunk.
Idiot.
Thunk.
Think before speaking.
Thunk.
“I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
Because normal people don’t drop everything and run off their job just because a gorgeous biker booty calls them. I tried to sound like I wasn’t the desperate, horny woman that I was. “Nah, it’s okay. She owes me.
Zag put a hand on Bobby’s shoulder. “Don’t look back, kid.”
If there was one thing he’d learned about fucked-up parents like theirs, it was that they weren’t worth a single ounce of thought. They sure as hell weren’t worried about their kids.
And yet the entire drive over to his house, all he could think about was the revulsion on his mother’s face when she threw him out of the house that last time. Like he was a streak of dog shit she’d found on the bottom of her shoe. Worthless and disgusting.
Fuck, he hadn’t thought of her in years.
Sometimes this altruistic shit was overrated.
Chapter 6
Jessica
J UNE 10
I pushed the food around my Tupperware with a sigh that was lost in the snores of my boss on the other end of the break room. After five hours on my feet at the front desk of the casino, I should’ve been starving, but nothing sounded good. What I really could’ve gone for was a long, tall biker with a side helping of attitude, but I was trying not to think about him.
I didn’t even know his name for crying out loud—I mean Zag, really?—and I kinda doubted he remembered mine at this point.
I couldn’t deny that it hurt. Apparently I’d been fooling myself last Friday night that he was different—that I was different to him. The connection I’d felt probably hadn’t been anything special to him. I mean, he would’ve stuck around and gotten my number the next morning at the very least. Not left me all alone in his house. I hadn’t even warranted a goodbye. The last hopeful romantic corner of my soul curled up and died at the thought.
God, that was depressing. The first notes of my ringtone had me diving for my phone. I hit the “accept” button but didn’t hold my cell up to my ear. Instead I tossed a look over my shoulder and slumped with relief at the sight of my boss still asleep on the break-room sofa. The longer he slept, the better my shift was guaranteed to be.
I tiptoed out of the room, then held the phone to my ear and whispered harshly, “Hello?”
“So you are there, princess. What the hell took so long?”
Zag’s rough voiced sliced through me and I didn’t know what to think. My heart raced with my mind as I tried to find something to say. “Zag?”
“Yeah.”
“I, uh, I don’t…I mean, how’d you get my number?”
He laughed and a wave of goose bumps swept over my body. My nipples tightened, brushing against the itchy material of my uniform with my twitchy movements.
“The usual way. I stole it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his honesty. He wasn’t giving me any illusions about who he was. But my excitement at his next question had me questioning my own sanity.
“You busy?”
“No, I mean yes. I mean…” I shook my head at my confusing answer. “Right now yes, but I’m off in a couple of hours and then I’m not.”
Yeah, I really cleared up the confusion with that answer. My head fell against the wall behind me with a soft thunk. I contemplated banging my head a few more times.
“Christ, is everyone working tonight?” Zag whispered almost to himself.
But I heard it still and couldn’t help but wonder who “everyone” was. Maybe I wasn’t his first choice for a booty call. I didn’t know if I should feel jealous or insulted.
The jealous idiot inside me answered before I could stop myself. “Actually, I think someone’s coming in early. I’m pretty sure she can cover my shift for me. She owes me—I’ve done it enough times for her.”
Desperate much? This time I didn’t hesitate—I let my head bang into the wall a few more times. Desperate.
Thunk.
Idiot.
Thunk.
Think before speaking.
Thunk.
“I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
Because normal people don’t drop everything and run off their job just because a gorgeous biker booty calls them. I tried to sound like I wasn’t the desperate, horny woman that I was. “Nah, it’s okay. She owes me.
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