Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
That’s fine by me, I certainly don’t want to deal with it. I spend a little more time looking around, but it’s depressing looking through her interrupted life. “My head needs rest. I just want to hug Logan and eat something bad for me.”
Lash grins. “We’re right here, baby. All you have to do is ask.”
“Like a burger.”
“Oh. Mind if we tag along?”
All three look at me expectantly.
“Sure, why not? Logan will love it. Get ready for non-stop questions and bug facts.”
15
DAKOTA
“Lash! Stiff! Jackal!” Logan comes running so fast he trips over his own feet.
Only Jackal’s quick hands save him, stopping Logan with his nose only an inch off the ground, then hauls him back onto his feet by his backpack. “Take it easy, buddy. We’re not going anywhere.”
Diana gives me a questioning look. She pulls me to the side, her eyes locked on the guys. “Who are they?”
“Old friends of the family. They’re helping me with Georgia’s apartment. I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Her eyes follow us all the way back to the car and motorcycles.
“Can I ride?” Logan looks hopefully up at Stiff, who’s closest.
I shake my head vehemently. “No way, José. Into the car seat like usual.”
He sighs like I just killed his dreams.
“Your mom’s right,” Jackal says, backing me up. “It’s not safe, but we’ll look into something so you get a try another day, okay?”
Logan lights up at that, and grins all the way from pre-school to the burger place Stiff picked out. And if he was lit up before, he’s practically a shining beacon when he sees the inside. There’s a whole room with arcade and pinball games. It’s not quite Pizza Castle, but close.
His eyes are big as saucers. “I wanna play!”
“Food first.” I cut him off at the pass and steer him over to the counter.
A couple minutes later, we’ve found a table without direct line of sight to the games so Logan can focus long enough to get some food in him before going wild. He’s sitting between Lash and Jackal, beaming. Watching Lash with Logan, it makes me wonder what Lash’s little brother would say about their relationship as children. I bet Lash was a lot more important to Eric than he thinks. None of them treat him like most adults treat kids. They talk to him like he’s a little biker, with slightly less swearing, and Logan is eating it up.
I probably look like a love-struck teenager the way I’m sitting here with my vanilla milkshake and just watching them. I always wished Logan had a dad that wasn’t a useless asshole, and this is exactly how I imagine that would be. Maybe not the motorcycles or the weapon-shaped bulges under their clothes, but the rest? Yeah.
As soon as the last fry is stuffed in Logan’s mouth like a hamster, he’s out of his seat. I start to pull a twenty out of my wallet so he can buy credits, but Jackal stops me. “We’ve got it.”
“Be careful, he’s not a cheap date,” I warn.
They take off, Logan’s gangly legs pumping while the men keep up with easy strides, Lash throws a wink my way over his shoulder.
Stiff nudges my foot with his boot. “We’re good, right? You and me?”
“Yeah, totally.” I dip a fry in my milkshake and suck the salty ice cream off before chewing. “The other night was just…” Was just the first time in over two years that I’ve had an orgasm involving someone else and it was from humping on the couch. That’s totally not an embarrassing thing for a grown adult. “Fun.”
I dip a second fry, but before I can eat it, he leans over and steals it straight out of my fingers with his mouth. His beard tickles my hand, and his hot tongue flicks over my thumb. “Hey!”
“Hmmm, not bad, but I think it would be better with chocolate.”
“Obviously not,” I scoff. “It’s too many flavors. More is not always better.”
“Sometimes it is, though. Come on, I haven’t played pinball in years.” He takes my hand and tugs me out of the booth.
We get a card from the desk and fill it with credits. The pinball machines are lined up against a wall away from the room with the arcade machines. They’ve got six of them, and they all seem to have a theme, like superheroes or aliens. I have no idea where to start.
“I’ve never played pinball in real life,” I admit. “My Dad’s computer had a pinball game, but it’s probably not the same.”
“It’s the same general idea. All of these have different tracks, and if you pay attention, they usually tell the story of whatever the theme is. Pick one.”
I look at the line of mostly identical looking machines and my eye catches on one that looks like a shipwreck with a treasure chest and a pirate flag. “That one.”