Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Back then, I had thought he was my forever. Then he shattered me in a way that it took years for me to recover. Even after my marriage, I was still damaged. Holding myself back. Not able to give Eamon my heart completely. Rome had broken it beyond repair and walked away with my soul.
But I had been young and foolish. I was way beyond that romanticism and belief in fairy tales. I knew what a real relationship consisted of, and the volcanic emotions that Rome had stirred in me were not made for sturdy foundations.
The brunette was smiling wide as she looked down at Rome like he was her sun. God, did I know that feeling.
Shaking my head, I swung my attention away from that scene and back to finding a waitress. Pepper Abe was headed in this direction with another cocktail, but she’d have to give that to someone else if it was for me.
I envied Pepper’s confident stride. I wished I had a sway to my hips like that when I walked. Instead of always feeling self-conscious. She looked at the half-finished glass in front of me, then at my credit card in my hand, and she cocked an eyebrow, as if to ask where I thought I was going.
Sorry, Pepper, I am getting the hell away from my past. That’s where I’m going.
What were the freaking odds? Florida was a big state. How had Rome ended up down here in Miami? The biker thing did make sense. He’d been obsessed with motorcycles back then, spending hours working on that old Harley he’d bought. Come to think of it, I was pretty sure I’d heard his boss—the owner of the Harley repair shop he’d worked at in Ocala back then—mention being in an MC club. That was a four-and-a-half-hour drive north. That would probably be another club. Maybe Rome had moved down here for this club or a bigger bike shop to work at. I didn’t know. I knew nothing about Rome now when, once, I’d known everything about him.
“You trying to leave already? We just got started,” Pepper said, placing the new cocktail in front of me. “This one is a favorite, but only Regina can make it right. She just got here, or I’d have brought you one earlier.”
The pink cocktail looked like it had silver sugar around the rim. I was sure it was delicious, but I couldn’t enjoy it. Not with Rome and the woman he’d stolen from a stripper pole wrapped around his body.
Ugh. I was being snarky again.
Stop it, Salem. Stop. It.
I managed the best attempt at a smile that I could. “I need to go. Maybe next time,” I told her as I glanced at Rome without meaning to. I wasn’t sure what to blame it on. Saying it was curiosity seemed lame when my heart hadn’t stopped racing since spotting him.
Snapping my attention back to Pepper, I held out my credit card and pulled the strap of my purse onto my shoulder, ready to stand up. I needed to use the restroom before leaving, and it would get Rome out of my line of sight.
“I’m just going to head to the restroom while you take that,” I explained.
Pepper was studying me. “You aren’t leaving because they all came in, are you? I know they look, uh”—she glanced back at them—“dangerous, I guess, but I swear they aren’t. The blond one with the brunette he won’t let go of is my brother, Micah. He’s the VP of The Judgment, and I swear to you that nothing will happen to you.”
She pointed at the gorgeous man. Damn, that family had good genes.
I shook my head. “No, that’s not it. I’m tired, and I have the interview in the morning. But this place is great. Thanks so much for your hospitality.” I scanned for the restroom sign, trying not to look in the MC’s direction.
“Restrooms are right back there, behind you,” Pepper said. “And I’m glad you stopped by. I hope we were able to provide you with some distraction. If you end up getting the job and moving here, be sure to come back and see us.”
I nodded. I’d like that, but it wouldn’t be on a night when the MC might show up. Maybe a Monday would be safe. At four in the afternoon.
“Thanks. If I do get the job, The Urban Art Canvas is less than a mile from here. Are you open for lunch?”
“That’s an art gallery, isn’t it? The sky-blue building with the round windows and the columns out front that are covered in graffiti? And, no, we aren’t open until four, but you could always stop by after work.”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“Well, good luck,” she replied. “I’ll go ring you up.”
When she was headed back toward the bar, I went in the direction she had pointed, finding the sign over the doorway that led down a short hallway with gender-neutral rooms lining it. I went to the second door on the right since it was the only one with a green light above it. The others were all red, so I assumed that meant they were in use.