Page 6 of Bowser (Dragon Riders MC 2)
What I couldn't give to have this man hold me at night.
Get over it, Hope.
On the one hand, I should’ve been grateful. The idea that I could even entertain something like that after my ordeal spoke volumes about where I was. My fear was that I’d never be able to share something like this with a man ever again. And here I was, daydreaming about doing it again with a man that seemed like a kind, old soul. I’d always felt that way. Even as a young child, I always felt like I wasn’t quite like those around me. I didn’t indulge in regular things people did. I wasn’t obsessed with technology or addicted to fast food. My ideal living space wasn’t a mansion on a mountain in Calabasas, but my own cottage on a piece of property where I could cultivate my own food and raise my own animals. A simple life. A life that didn’t come with such stress. A life where televisions weren’t always running, and computers weren’t always in people’s faces.
Bowser struck me as that kind of person, too.
And I loved that about him.
His voice ripped me from my trance. “Let me go get my plate and I’ll come sit down.”
I smiled. “Sounds good.”
I plopped another piece of sushi into my mouth as he left the room. And for a man who was as tall and broad in his shoulders as Bowser was, he didn’t make a sound while he moved down the hallway. Everything about him entranced me, even if I wasn’t ready to entertain the idea of a relationship with someone.
But… maybe someday.
If he was still available.
I leaned back, ready to receive Bowser and his company for the evening. Or at the very least, until we were done eating. The second I heard a bike roll up, though, I knew our dinner plans had been cancelled. A few of them pulled up, actually. Three, if I wasn’t mistaken. I’d gotten good at pinpointing the sound and sparsing it out. Mostly, because I didn’t have much else to do with my days.
Other than read, of course.
Hell, most days I couldn’t even go outside. I mean, we were out in the middle of the woods. Nowhere! We were nowhere! And yet, I’d gotten in trouble for walking down to the lake the other day. I shook my head and picked up my book. Voices wafted down the hallway that weren’t meant for me, so I blocked them out as best as I could. I didn’t want to get up and shut the door just in case I wanted to eavesdrop on what they were saying. But I also didn’t want Bowser to think I was upset with him.
Because sometimes? Shit just happened.
I plucked away mindlessly at the sushi as my eyes scanned the book. And as pictures unfolded in my mind, I lost myself in the world again. I had become addicted to this Wheel of Time series. And each book I read became more bountiful and wonderful than the next. It made me laugh, and it made me cry. It made me want to throw my book across the room and stand up to cheer the main characters. I took note of the author’s name and vowed to find more books by him.
If, and when, I got out of this place.
You’ll get out; stop being like that.
I reached my chopsticks down for another piece of sushi, but all I found was an empty plate. My stomach was disappointed, but it was probably for the best. I had gained some weight back with all of Bowser’s decadent cooking, and I was happy about that. The last thing I needed was to be losing more weight, so I always ate as much as I could.
That, and I missed my curves.
Every once in a while, one of the guys talked a little too loud and it pulled me from my trance. Which only made me more curious as to what they hell they were talking about. Still, I tried to focus on my book. I set the empty tray off to the side and held my glass of soda, sipping it while I tried to conjure Mr. Sanderson’s world again.
But once I smelled Bowser’s cologne wafting down the hallway, I knew all hope of reading anymore was lost.
“Bowser?” I called out.
He peeked around the corner. “You done with dinner?”
“Yeah. I’m done. You can take it whenever you have time.”
He stepped inside. “Sorry about that. Some guys dropped by to—”
“It’s fine. Really. Just make sure you eat. Big men need to eat, too.”
“Did you just call me fat?”
I giggled. “More like, you’ve got so much muscle I’m not sure how you keep that much food in your system at once.”
He picked up my tray. “I do what I can. Though, I have a weakness for sweet treats. Probably why I’m in the gym so much.”
