I double check anyway. “Are you?”
“I promise. In fact, if you want to prove he’s so innocent, go ask him for his phone number.”
I glance over at the biker from the booth again. I meant it when I said he was huge. He’s taller than the tallest guy I dated, who was six-foot-two – not short at all. Ghost, the biker, is at least a head taller than that.
“I can’t,” I mutter, sipping on my pumpkin beer and hoping my sister changes her mind about challenging me like this. Why are older siblings like this? She still thinks I was born for her to run experiments on.
Averie gets smug and takes a big, happy sip. “Idare youto get his phone number. Now you have to do it.”
“Are we fiveyears old?”
“I triple dog dare you.”
“That’s not even a thing.”
“I quadruple dog dare you.”
The biker glances over at our table and I get a good look at his face for the first time. I look away before he catches me looking back.
“People don’t trade phone numbers anymore.”
His jawline is sharp. I can’t deny that he’s pretty good looking. He might be a little old for me though. Can I even afford to think like that?
“You think he posts on Instagram?” Averie says, sticking to her dare. It’s like she wants to stress me out. Or get my mind so agitated about this biker that I forget about my ex-boyfriend. That would be a lot easier if he hadn’t cheated withhis sister.My stomach bubbles nervously – and it’s not the beer.
“I thought you said he was probably a criminal.”
“You’re getting his number, not going back to his demon lair.”
“He looks forty. I hope he has at least an apartment.”
“He looks like he would give you his number. Go get the ego boost and fuck Derek. He’s a weird, immature asshole who fucked his sister. Could you really trust a man like that around kids?”
My sister has a way of making me feel worse when she’s trying to make me feel better.
“Okay, fine. I’ll get his number. But please, we have to be done talking about Derek and focus on binge drinking.”
“Okay, nerd,” she says with a wink. “Go get him. If he touches your ass, I’ll break his arm.”
She is definitely not capable of that, but I don’t doubt that Averie has pepper spray on her in case anybody comes at her sideways. I leave my beer at our table and slowly walk over to the biker.This is crazy. This is crazy.He turns around andlooks at me. He can tell I’m coming towards him, which just makes it worse.
His eyes drop to my feet and slowly travel all the way up to my chest, where they linger before our eyes meet. Regret floods me. This man is visibly dangerous. Covered in tattoos. He was probably drunk before I even walked in the door and it’s not even that late. He grins at me and there’s a nervous flutter in my chest that’s most likely my drunken conscience telling me to run before it’s too late.
My voice gets stuck in my throat. If a good guy like Derek who playedMagic The Gatheringand ran fifteen miles a week could cheat on me, what chance do I stand with a taller, more muscular, more dangerous man who probably views women as objects solely for his pleasure and has slept with the entire city just this weekend.
I shatter my nerves.
“H-hi.”
He chuckles. “Hello.”
“What’s your name?”
“Ghost to you, unless you let me buy you a drink.”
WHAT? Okay, this isn’t what I planned at all. I can’t let this guy buy me a drink when I’m supposed to get his number and run. He looks over my shoulder when he catches me glancing back at Averie, who doesn’t even give a shit. She’s on her phone, most likely messaging back one of her more needy clients.
“I can’t.”