Page 20 of Renascence

“Just not feeling it tonight.”

“Oh, shit. Don’t tell me you found a woman, too?”

Gage and Einstein walk in right in time to hear the question. I throw a death glare at Razor.

“Who’s got a woman?” Gage asks.

The prez and VP stand before our little group, gazes sliding over our faces. Einstein smirks at me.

Fuck.

“I bet it’s Venom,” he says, his grin telling me he’s getting back at me for a little stunt I pulled a while back with his old lady and her kid. He’s the only one who didn’t find it funny.

“Who is it? Anyone we know?” Gage asks, pulling up a chair.

“There’s no woman.”

“Bullshit,” Charger says. “He’s been sulking around here for days, and he just passed up Marisol.”

Einstein laughs, while Gage tries his damnedest not to as he asks, “The brunette? Isn’t she your favorite?”

“What are you two doing here, anyway?” I try to change the subject. “Your old ladies give you your balls back for the night?”

The men on the couch snicker, but Gage and Einstein aren’t bothered.

“Hey, my balls have never been happier,” Gage says, quickly turning to Einstein and pointing a finger in warning. “Not a word about my sister and your balls.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

The prez pushes to his feet, tapping Einstein’s shoulder. “We came to check on things but,” he glances over his shoulder at the girls, “I see you have everything under control. We’re gonna head out.”

“Cool.” I stand also, deciding to turn in. “See you tomorrow, fellas.”

As I pass the pool table, Trixie bends over for a shot and I playfully smack her ass. She giggles but I don’t stop or look back, discouraging further interaction.

Locking the door behind me, I undress and climb into bed. I know my brothers mean well, but if you give them an inch, they’ll gotenmiles. If I even mention Emily, they’ll start designing my tat. It’s a Dealer tradition—you claim a woman, you ink her on your back. It could be her name or a symbol, anything that represents her. I don’t know Emily well enough to tell if she’s wifey material, but it doesn’t matter. That’s not what I’m looking for.

I grab my phone to set the alarm, and before I can stop it, my thumb is scrolling to Emily’s name, tapping it to send the call. I wasn’t expecting her to answer, but her voice comes through the speaker after the third ring.

“Hello?” she answers in a curious voice.

“Did I wake you?”

“Venom? Um… no. I was in bed, but I was reading.”

“What book?”What book? What. Book? Really, that’s the best you can do?

“You wouldn’t be interested,” she replies with a soft laugh. “It’s a romance novel.”

Now we’re talking.“Were you at the good part?”

“The good part? You mean where the hero declares his undying love for the heroine and they live happily ever after?”

“I mean the part where she finally stops playing hard to get and lets the dude fuck her.”

She goes silent, and I wonder if I’ve gone too far. I’m about to apologize when she speaks up.

“I’m only a few chapters in. They haven’t known each other long enough to do that.”