Page 73 of Meant for You

“He’s all right,” I said. “I did some work for him when I was here.”

Trix leaned forward. “What did he get?”

“Two steamed cherries inked on his chest.”

Lila’s face screwed up. “What the heck? Is that him letting everyone know he’s some great despoiler of virgins or something?”

Grifter choked on the mouthful of drink he’d just taken. “Babe, he likes to play the slots.”

Lila’s brows lowered in confusion. “Is that some kind of euphemism?”

He barked out a laugh. “The slot machines. Gambling.”

“Oh.” Lila blushed, and Riff’s smile vanished, gaze dropping to her lips.

“Hard pass,” Trix said. “I’m not interested in a dude who loves gambling so much he’s tattooed an ode to it on his chest.”

“You can definitely do better,” Everly said.

I squeezed her hip and kissed the side of her neck, and she covered my hand with hers and gave me a squeeze back. I didn’t think I’d ever been this happy in my life. No, I knew I hadn’t. Everything felt so fucking good. I had my girl back, but not just my friend—I had all of her. She was mine in every way she could be.

I was fucking besotted and I didn’t give a shit. I planned on being that way for the rest of our lives.

“What about you?” Trix said to Lila. “Anyone you like?”

Trix had missed her friend’s bonfire make-out session with Riff and hadn’t been at the bar when he’d followed her around by his dick.

Lila blushed harder, looked down at her drink, and shook her head, probably because Riff was looking at her with an intensity that was fucking extreme.

The band moved to the front of the room, getting ready to play, and people moved toward the stage.

Riff shifted in his seat when the silence dragged on, tapping his fingers on the table. “Well, Bambi,” he said, voice rough as hell, even as he flashed that pretty-boy smile that fooled people into thinking he wasn’t what he was: a hard-as-fuck biker who had done a lot of shit in his life to survive, shit that had marked him. “You gonna pick someone to pop that cherry of yours, sweetheart?”

He chuckled, because he was joking. But as silence fell over the table, and we both watched Everly and Trix look at each other with oh shit-widened eyes, Grifter instantly knew he’d stuck his foot in his mouth.

He straightened in his seat, gaze snapping back to Lila.

Color hit her cheeks. “I’m not a virgin. I’ve had sex.”

An uncertain smirk curled his lips. “Just the once, huh?” He laughed just as uncertainly.

Lila stared down at the table, face so dark with embarrassment I inwardly winced. Her silence was confirmation that Riff was probably right.

You could see the moment it fully dawned on Riff. His nostrils flared, fingers tightening around his beer bottle, gaze sharpening. No, sweet little Lila wasn’t a virgin, but she was innocent as hell.

Everly jumped off my lap and held her hand out to Lila as the band started their first song. “Let’s dance.”

Lila climbed to her feet, taking the out her friend had given her. Looking mortified and not meeting anyone’s eyes, she took Eves’s hand and let herself be led away.

“Good one, dickhead,” Trix said as she moved past Riff.

He grabbed her wrist, stopping her, and motioned to Lila. “What the fuck was that?”

“Her last boyfriend was a major asshole. Fucked her confidence. She doesn’t like to talk about it.” Trix pulled free of his hold and followed her friends.

Grifter looked uncomfortable. “Fuck,” he said, gaze sliding to Lila on the dance floor. “I didn’t know…I didn’t think she was, that she hadn’t had much…”

His phone started ringing and he snatched it from the table, scowling at the screen. Cursing, he put it to his ear. “What?” He listened, then cursed viciously several more times. “I’ll take care of it,” he bit out, gaze moving to the dance floor, to Lila. “I fucking said I’d take care of it.” Then he disconnected.