“A friend. She’s with someone right now, though. You?” It’s then I notice he’s wearing what Aly explained is a motorcycle club cut. You’d think with my father’s background, I wouldn’t be such a dingbat. Yet here I am. When Mom was around, I was shielded from his job. When she passed away, I moved away as fast as I could after seeing just how much of an asshole he could be, shielding myself from him while fucking my life over with Brock.
“I got a few friends here and there, but am I with another woman? Nope. I think I’m lookin’ at the woman I’m goin’ to be with today,” Bullet says nonchalantly, as if it’s a complete given and I’m ready to run off with him.
“Is that so?”
“If I have my way, it will be. You ready for another beer and to walk around for a bit?” See what I mean? He’s got all the confidence in the world. It’s oozing off him.
“Sure, but I’ll pay for this round since you got the last,” I offer. Maybe since he’s part of the motorcycle club, I won’t have to worry as much and can let my hair down, you know, the reason I’m here to begin with.
“Not happenin’, Valentina. You’re with me, and I’ll be takin’ care of that,” he states as the bartender sets down our drinks. Bullet puts a twenty-dollar bill down, which I know is entirely too much for two beers, and says, “Keep the change.” I grab mine. Bullet does the same then nods his head to follow him. I must be a glutton for punishment because follow him I do.
5
BULLET
I can’t tell if this girl wants me to tear her walls down to see who she really is, or if she’s hell bent on making me work my way inside of that pretty little head of hers.
“Bullet can’t be your real name, is it?” We’re walking side by side, me crowding her space when a large group attempts to walk between us. Dumb fuckers knew with one look that I wasn’t letting that happen.
“Not the one I was born with, no.” I wasn’t wrong about the front being just as good as the back—sweet green eyes, rounded face, lush lips, and a nose that’s upturned in the slightest bit. And that’s not even counting what she’s got going on in the body department. Tits that I know will overfill my hands, a slight sliver of her stomach that shows with every bit of movement, and hips that flare out.
“I take it you’re not going to tell me, then?” she asks before taking a sip of her drink.
“It depends on you, gorgeous.” I see a hint of a flush take over her cheeks, traveling down, and I’m wondering if it’s from the light teasing or the beer.
“I thought I heard somewhere, depends are for women, so wouldn’t that negate if you tell me or not?” fuck yeah, it’s the light teasing judging by the way she licks her lower lip before biting it. There’s no way in hell I’d ever let Dice near this sweet morsel. Thankfully, the other guys have settled down. That doesn’t mean shit in the way of recruits, though. I’d really be fucked if they got a look at her. They’d probably need a mop to clean up their drool.
“I can’t be havin’ none of that. My name’s Corey.” I slide my hand to her lower back, grazing the skin, my thumb sinking into that divot and lightly massaging it. When she doesn’t shy away, I decide to keep it there.
“Corey suits you more than Bullet,” Valentina replies. She has no idea that man disappeared well over ten years ago, back when I was in my thirties, still on the force, a beat cop at first in my early twenties, then making it to detective with narcotics and gang activity. It wasn’t long after that I saw how fucking corrupt my station was, which had me retiring when I hit the age of thirty-six. For the past six years, I’ve been with Diamondback and haven’t looked back since.
“Maybe to some, but not to all. You wanna walk around some more or find some food and a picnic table?” Valentina’s eyes get as wide as saucers.
“Shit,” I mumble under my breath. Whose stupid idea was it to set up the coleslaw fight? That shit is going to be rank as fuck come tonight, not to mention the girls who wrestle in it.
“Uh, yeah, um, food, please. If I don’t eat, I’ll be sleeping in no time, or stumbling my way to the nearest flat surface.” Valentina ignores the area where two women are wrestling, fuckin’ topless at that.
“You gonna fight me on who’s payin’ again?” I veer us away from the fight while an announcer is talking it up, in too much detail.