Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
She noticed a guy standing at the bottom of a tall staircase and visually traced the winding path to the top. There, a large office with enormous windows overlooked the activity below. The shadow of a man stood silhouetted against the glass. A picture of the heavily tattooed biker she’d met in the Devil Daddies MC’s compound popped into her mind.
“Lucien,” Vex confirmed for her as he followed her line of sight. “Your friends are waving. Should we join them?” He pointed to a group on the right side of the bar in office clothes who flailed their arms above their heads to get someone’s attention.
“That’s them. Come on!” Angel took his hand to lead the way through the crowd. She felt almost like the old Angel as she approached her work family. Almost. Having Vex at her side bolstered her comfort in the crowd.
“Hi!” she said enthusiastically.
Everyone set their glasses on the bar to greet her with hugs and pats on the arm. They studied Vex, who stood at her back.
“I’m sorry, I should have introduced you. This is Vex. His MC runs Inferno.”
One young man asked, “How did you two meet?” Angel barely remembered him as an intern who’d joined their department a few days before the Ravagers had abducted her.
“I carried her out of a burning building,” Vex answered for her.
“Just like in a romance novel,” Tom, a dark-haired man, suggested.
“Well, not quite,” Angel admitted before changing the subject. “So, have they hired someone new for my position?”
“Are you kidding? They’ve simply divided the load among us. We are not handling your job as easily as you did. How did you juggle all those moving pieces? We’re pulling our hair out.” Bobby said. His bald-headed state made them all laugh.
“Bobby went in lobbying for them to rehire you. Sorry. They’re stuck on following their stupid regulations,” Ellen said.
“That’s okay, Ellen. Rules exist for a reason,” Angel said.
“Until a lawyer makes them change them. You should sue,” Doug suggested. “I know a good attorney.”
“Thanks, Doug. You’re a gem. I’m not eager to force them to give me back my job. I need some time to recover first. Let’s talk about something more exciting. What’s the gossip in the building? Did they ever find the person who was stealing someone’s lunches from the fridge?”
She smiled at her friends when they launched into a recount of everything hilarious and crappy that had happened. She would miss this group. They’d worked so well together. Most had joined the department several years ago.
Vex stood behind Angel, close enough that his heat reassured her that she was safe. No one could get past him. She relaxed, leaning against his powerful frame. Her hand reached to tug at his jeans after several minutes.
“Yes, Angel.” He spoke into her ear. “Would you like a drink?”
She nodded instantly and hesitated. She needed to stay alert in the middle of all these people. Would they have something other than the margaritas, wine, and beer her friends had ordered?
“Nonalcoholic?” he suggested. “Strawberry?”
“Yes, please,” she agreed eagerly.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a message. Angel followed his gaze to see a biker in a club vest turn toward Vex and nod. The man headed immediately for the bar.
A short time later, Vex turned slightly to thank the biker who delivered her drink. “I owe you one, Street,” Vex told him as he claimed the frosty glass.
“Thank you, Street,” Angel said as she memorized his name and face. “You’re the one who retrieved my things from my apartment. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate having….” Her eyes drifted to her work colleagues. They wouldn’t understand that she’d needed her stuffie.
“My pleasure, Angel. Text me if you need anything else. I hope you like the drink,” the younger biker said as Vex handed Angel the tall, frosty glass.
Angel took a small sip. “Oh, yum!” She drank again. “That’s awesome.”
Street winked and wisely left when Vex growled at him for flirting. Angel patted his chest and lifted her mouth to Vex. She tightened her grasp on his shirt when he staked his claim on her. Angel’s cheeks burned when he leaned away. She drank more of the icy concoction to cool herself down before turning to her colleagues. Thankfully, they didn’t say a word. Angel pretended she didn’t notice the knowing looks they exchanged. She didn’t care.
Seeing his Little girl’s energy beginning to flag, Vex texted an order of several kinds of appetizers on his phone and asked for them to be delivered to the private dining space. “Hey, everyone. I need to feed Angel, and I bet you’re hungry as well after work. If you’ll follow me, I’ve ordered some food for the group.”
“I’m starving! I almost hijacked that last order that the waitress took by. Lead on, Vex,” Ellen said quickly.