Rome's Chance (Reapers MC #6.6)(4)
Rome didn’t go for the mouth, though. Instead, his lips brushed my ear as he whispered, “Let’s go get dinner tonight, maybe ride over Loup Loup Pass to Okanogan. I’ll pick you up on my bike, so wear something comfortable.”
His breath tickled my skin as he pulled back. Then he tapped my nose before turning and walking away with a swagger not even a nun could ignore.
Not gonna lie—watching his ass in those jeans was the highlight of my morning. And I’d be riding behind that ass on his bike in just eight hours.
Now all I had to do was figure out how to convince my sister that sometimes, less is more when it comes to skin exposure…
“You look fantastic!” Lexi said that evening, then frowned. “I think my bra looks better on you than it does on me.”
I leaned over and adjusted my boobs, then glanced back at the mirror, which was attached to a vanity table I’d found for her at a garage sale. She was right—it really did look better on me, because my figure was fuller than hers.
Probably because I wasn’t a teenage kid.
It’d been a real stroke of luck when she offered to loan it, because that gave me an excuse to make it disappear. We still hadn’t had The Talk, and I wasn’t sure how it would go when we did, but I knew one thing for sure—at the end of the night, she wouldn’t be getting her push-up bra back.
If I got lucky, I could claim it died when Rome ripped it off my willing body before carrying me off into the sunset to have his way with me… Except I wasn’t really sure that I wanted that. I mean, he was hot and I’d had my share of fantasies about him, but I hadn’t actually talked to him for eight years.
For all I knew, the guy was a total douche.
But even if Rome was a douche, he was a totally fuckable douche, and I was only human. It wasn’t like I had to marry him to have a good time.
“What’s that?” Lexi asked, her voice suddenly suspicious. I looked at her, confused.
“What?”
“You’ve got this dirty, smug look on your face. You’re thinking about getting laid, aren’t you?”
Damn, but this kid saw way too much. “I don’t have to answer that.”
“I put six condoms in your purse,” she responded thoughtfully. “Do you need more?”
“Are you sure you’re only sixteen?”
She raised a brow. “I was born forty years old, Randi. Just like you. We just express it in different ways. Taking care of Mom was a lot of work for you, and now it’s a lot of work for me. Let me have some fun for once, all right? My big sister has a sexy biker on the hook. I want to enjoy the moment vicariously.”
I stilled, the words catching me off guard. Lexi had been so silly and happy since I’d gotten home, but that pain in her eyes was real. Shit. This wasn’t okay. It wasn’t okay at all.
“We need to talk tomorrow,” I told her, looking around the small bedroom she shared with our nine-year-old brother, Kayden. It was small, with bunk beds and dirty laundry everywhere. “It sounds like there’s more going on here than I realized.”
“Talking tomorrow works for me, but for now, all you need to do is strut your stuff and enjoy,” Lexi said, her serious mood evaporating. “Go out. Have fun. Then come back and tell me all about it.”
With that, she flashed a smile at me and then headed down the hallway, singing to herself. She could’ve been four years old again. Damn, that girl was hard to wrap my head around. Grabbing my phone, I checked the time. Ten minutes after seven. Hmm, he was late. Was there any chance he’d stand me up? Now that would suck.
Except we hadn’t even exchanged numbers, so if he was running late, it wasn’t like he’d be able to text me.
Oops.
I double checked my makeup (casual but careful) and straightened my boobs—which looked seriously good, because Lexi’s bra was top quality—then wandered down the hallway after my sister.
I found her in the living room, eating a bowl of cereal with Kayden. Cartoons blared from the TV—a giant flatscreen that my mom had somehow managed to buy, despite the fact that she couldn’t afford real food for the kids.
“Don’t worry, Rome will show up,” Lexi said, staring at the TV. It was like she could read my mind or something. “I saw how he watched you.”
As if summoned by her words, a motorcycle roared outside. Kayden ran to the window.
“Your boyfriend is here!” he shouted. I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, then hustled for the door, because no way I wanted Rome coming into the apartment. God only knew what might happen if Lexi took another run at him.
Moving quickly, I grabbed my little purse and headed out to meet him by the curb. He cut the engine, then pulled off his helmet to look at me with those gorgeous, dark brown eyes of his. His jeans were worn, cradling his body like I wanted to, and he wore a button-down flannel shirt—the neck open just enough to show me a hint of a white T-shirt—under his Reapers MC vest.
Oh, holy crap, somehow between this morning and this afternoon, I’d forgotten how attractive he was.
I mean, I’d remembered him as being hot, and when I’d seen him in the grocery store, I’d felt felt that heat. But he’d also taken me totally off guard. I’d halfway convinced myself that I’d imagined how much I wanted to jump him.