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Shell sprang off his lap so fast she would have fallen on her face if Toni hadn’t wandered up “Whoa, girl! Where’s the fire?” she asked as she caught Shell by her upper arms
With a nervous laugh, Shell said, “No fire Just spiky heels I’ in”
Toni’s smile was full of compassion, and if Shell wasn’t mistaken, maybe a bit of pity What the hell should she expect? Every das for Copper Didn’t matter that she tried to hide it Didn’t uys and it didn’twould ever come of it Even if Copper fell to his knee to would come of it Secrets and lies ensured that Choices Shell had o destroyed any chance she’d ever have with Copper Yet her daet the e
“You okay?” Toni whispered, still clasping Shell by the arms “Looked like you needed a rescue over here”
Shell sighed “Yeah, thanks for that He’s just drunk and…I don’t even know,” she whispered back
“I got your back, girl,” she whispered, then straightened and leaned toward Copper “Hey, El Presidente, I’irl here She’s needed on the dance floor Iet yourself a cup of coffee or soh” Toni raised an eyebrow and smirked at Copper
Stepping out of Toni’s hold, Shell gave Copper a good look and chuckled under her breath Glassy green eyes stared at her as though they couldn’t quite see her His much-in-need-of-a-trim hair was mussed, and there was some kind of stain on his shirt The Handler’s control-freak president was a hot mess
“All right, get the fuck out of here,” he said as he stood then stumbled
Shell automatically shot forward to help him but was yanked back by Zach “No way, short stuff,” he said as he uy will flatten you like a pancake I’ll take care of hi Copper toward his office
Shell gnawed on her lower lip, staring after them Hopefully, Zach wouldn’t let hiuys, that was a wasted wish
“Coirl,” Toni said as she curled an arm around Shell’s shoulders and ushered her to the dance floor “What do you have, an hour of babysitter ti our moneymakers, yeah?”
Tearing her gaze away frorin that probably wasn’t as cheerful as she’d been going for “Yeah, sounds perfect Lead the way”
As she followed after her friend, Shell blew out a breath then shoved the events of the party to the back of her ht, when she was alone in her bed, she’d indulge in the fantasy She’d dissect every touch and every word out of Copper’s mouth
It was aback to Townsend from Syracuse, New York the year before Whenever Copper did so that ave herself one hour to obsess about it at night She’d use that hour however she liked Drea whatever he’d done to hts of hi every inch of her body
Just one hour When it was over, she jumped back into reality To the world where Copper lived one life, and she lived another Where they were friends, but could never a more
Her choices had made damn sure of that
CHAPTER TWO
“YOU AND SHELL were looking rin that disappeared behind his giant coffeeAt least five days a week soroup of the Handlers ate at the diner Copper was always a them
It hadn’t always been that way, though Up until about a year ago, the diner ned by the parents of Zach’s ol’ lady To say they were anti-biker was the understatement of the century None of the men in his club was allowed to set foot in the diner, let alone sit for a cup of coffee After they passed, and Toni took ownership, she changed that rule Shell had been working there since before Toni caht, she cleaned a large office building in town
Copper sed his oversized bite of waffle, brow furrowed “The fuck you talking about?” The previous night was a blur of alcohol, loud hter, but no matter how he racked his brain, he couldn’t even reanized the party, and would have at least wished him a happy birthday Then there was Zach’s statement which led him to believe he had some interaction with her