Page 18 of Monster
“I have a few ideas.” I rubbed against him.
His eyes narrowed. “Later. If we are going to do this then there are a few things we need to sort out.” His voice was gruff.
“Like telling our families?” I was kind of looking forward to that part. I wanted to watch the blood drain from my dear father’s face.
Maybe he would have a heart attack and solve all my problems. I could only hope.
“No.” Monster’s voice was harsh. “Like making it official and putting my property patch on you.”
14
MONSTER
There wassomething about having Angel behind me, her laughter filling my ears, that felt natural. And that all by itself was unnatural. I didn't know why she affected me the way she did, but I couldn't lie to myself and pretend she didn't. She had affected me from the moment she had said hello in Las Vegas. I had thought it was instant lust. She was beyond sexy and she owned it. But I was starting to feel unsure.
Angela was deeper than she pretended to be. She wore her bitchy hard outer shell like a shield, but there was something soft under it. Something she desperately tried to hide. I didn’t know why it had taken me so long to figure it out. Angel needed someone on her side, someone to protect her. She tried to pretend her darkness was the same as mine but I was a master at seeing past the masks people wore. And the girl laughing in my ear was wearing a good one.
I had never thought of myself as a protector, hell, I’d even laughed at Cyber and Havoc’s sudden personality changes, but I finally kind of got it.
Reaching behind me, I let my hand trail up her denim-clad thigh. Her arms tightened around my waist as her cheek pressed against my back. For a moment I was lost. I didn’t know what made me touch her like that and I sure as hell didn’t know what the sudden flash of feeling was that swept through my body.
It was more than lust, more than hate. I wanted to help her. Did that mean I wanted to marry her? I wasn’t sure about that but...maybe.
Keeping my hand on her leg, I pulled my hog into the parking lot of a cluster of stores. They were nothing much to look at. Faded around the edges, they were places that had seen better days. That part of town was almost forgotten. But it was one of the places I felt most at home.
“What are we doing here?” Angela’s hands were rubbing up and down my stomach, her voice breathy in my ear. “Something about me wearing your property patch right? That’s a leather waistcoat like yours, right?” Her laughter tickled my cheek. “I’ve always looked good in leather.”
I could believe that. She looked good in everything and even better naked. “No, nothing to do with that. I will need to talk to Fang before that happens. I just thought...” I carried on without letting her say a word. I knew she wanted to. “...we might have something to eat.”
Her hands fell away. “Here?” Something that sounded awfully like disgust filled her voice, making it higher than usual.
“Yeah, here, don’t be put off by how a thing looks, Angel. Looks can be deceiving. That diner over there...” I pointed to the corner of the lot to our left. The building was nondescript, its blue and white paint fading. I knew it was nothing to look at. “...has some of the best food I’ve ever tasted, just wait and see.” I took a deep breath. Part of me still couldn't believe I was doing this. “Plus, I thought you should probably meet my family. Seeing as we are kind of engaged and all.”
“Your parents own it?” I could feel her looking around.
Without meaning to, I laughed. “I don’t talk to my parents, Angela. I own this place and a few of the shops as well. The diner is run by the only member of my family I have anything to do with. Come on, Keeley is a sweet girl. She won’t bite.”
* * *
“Keeley,”I called out the moment we pushed open the door. The place was, as always, packed. A dive it might be, but it was stupidly popular amongst the locals. The Savage Sons included.
The pretty blonde looked up from her place behind the counter and the moment she saw me her face broke into a wide grin. “Monster.” Rushing around, she was almost on me when she caught sight of Angela. She stopped dead in her tracks. “And you bought a friend.” She finally managed.
“Sure did, Keeley, this is Angela. Angel, this is Keeley, my cousin.”
I could feel the tension build as both women eyed each other up. The place didn’t go silent or any of that nonsense but the atmosphere was suddenly thick. If Keeley decided she didn’t like Angel then this relationship was over. Apart from Cyber, Keeley’s approval was the one I wanted the most. We were family by blood. She had always been good to me as a kid, and now as adults, I looked after her as much as she would let me. She ran the diner for me and kept her eye on my other ventures which left me time to do the other things I enjoyed doing. Her liking the woman who might be my future bride was important. If she didn’t, I would walk away.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Angela.” Keeley broke first, stepping forward. She hugged Angela awkwardly. Shock washed over Angela’s face as she glanced up at me.
I shrugged. “She’s a hugger.”
“Well, it’s nice to finally meet one of Monster’s girlfriends.” Laughing, Keeley stepped away. Her eyes shone with the brightness of her smile.
“Fiancée.”
The smile slipped. Shock washed over my little cousin’s face but she hid it quickly. “Well isn’t that…good news.” Her eyes flicked to my face, the question in her eyes clear.
“I’ll explain later,” I promised. I had a lot of explaining to do and I knew it. “Now how about some food? I’m starved.”
