Page 10 of Bowser (Dragon Riders MC 2)
I rushed up his porch steps. “Did Link give you a time on that?”
He shook his head. “Nope. He’ll send out another text when it’s time. You know how he is.”
I followed Knuckles inside. “Well, all I know is that Skeleton still has that fucking escort business. And we know where that damn motel is. So, I say we hit him again where it hurts.”
“It’s a decent plan, since the heat has died down on everything.”
“I think if we’re going to save one girl, we should save all of them. And then take a couple of Skeleton’s guys and beat them until they talk.”
“Good luck getting Link to sign off on something like that. But you know I’m always down.”
The wonderful aroma of coffee filled my nostrils. “Let’s get some caffeine in me and see how I feel then.”
He chuckled. “Haven’t had any yet?”
“Nope.”
“So, Hope slept in?”
I eyed him carefully. “Come again?”
He grinned. “Never mind. You want this black?”
“You know damn good and well I do.”
He handed me a full mug. “All right, then. Chug that baby and let’s get to brainstorming. Then, we can figure out how the fuck to smoke Skeleton out.”4Hope“Hope?”
I whipped my head up at the sound of his voice before I furrowed my brow.
“Bowser?”
He knocked again. “Okay if I come in?”
I closed my book. “I mean, sure. Yeah. But what are you doing here?”
He slowly opened my door. “What do you mean?”
“Is something wrong?”
“Why would you think that?”
I paused. “Because you’re here in the middle of the day.”
He blinked. “It’s seven o’clock at night. I was going to ask you what you wanted for dinner.”
“It’s what?”
His eyes fell to my book. “I take it that one’s good?”
“Uh, yeah. Yeah. It’s—yes. A very good one.”
“Why does it sound like you’re trying to convince yourself of that?”
I ignored his question. “I’m fine with whatever for dinner. You know, so long as it doesn’t have—”
He grinned. “Sardines and olives. Trust me, I remember.”
“Good. Great. Okay, then.”
My eyes met his and I watched his stare fall over my body. My gut jumped at the movement. A flush worked its way down the back of my neck. Bowser closed his eyes and straightened his back, which made me smile. I’d been around him long enough to know his ticks. Long enough to know what might be bouncing around inside his head at any given moment.
And right now, he was trying to keep his composure.
“I’m gonna go do a quick patrol, then I’ll be back to whip us up some steaks. Shouldn't take long, since the mashed potatoes are already done,” he said.
I nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll be here.”
“Have you been there all day?”
I paused. “Yes.”
“Right. Okay. I’ll, uh, see you in about an hour.”
“And again, I’ll be here.”
It almost felt like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. Instead, he nodded before exiting my room and closing the door behind him. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. I listened to his soft footsteps fall down the hallway until the sound of silence graced my ears. I heard the front door open and close and then an engine struck up.
And as the engine faded into the distance, it pulled me out of bed.
“I need to clean up,” I murmured.
I took a quick shower and brushed my teeth. I piled my hair high on top of my head, relegating myself to washing it tomorrow. I dried myself off and pulled on some comfy sweatpants I had practically lived in since this all started. I found a tank-top that had quickly become my favorite shirt and tossed it on, enjoying the freedom of dressing myself however I chose. I looked over at my book on the edge of the bed, but I didn’t feel like sitting back down to read. In fact, I didn’t feel like staying in this room a second longer.
So, I ventured out into the kitchen.
I followed the decadent smell of whipped potatoes until I stood in front of the stove. But even the incredible garlic-and-butter smell didn’t entice me, even though I hadn’t eaten all day. I moved over to the fridge and opened it up, gazing around to see if any snacks caught my fancy.
They didn’t, though.
However, when I opened up the freezer and saw the alcohol? My mouth watered.
“Bingo,” I whispered.
I pulled six separate liquor bottles out. I had no idea what to do with them, though. I stuck my head back into the refrigerator to see if we had any soda or mixers, but I still didn’t know what I was looking at. I felt lost, and without a phone to look up recipes, I didn’t even know where to begin. The only drink I knew how to make was a Jack and Coke.
But that was only because Skeleton constantly made me make it for him.
