Crow winks at me as he walks away, and Abbie and I share a look. “You’re crazy about him, aren’t you?”

   Sighing, I reply, “You have no idea. Or I guess you do. I want to be around him all the time, but then I remind myself that I’m an independent woman and I don’t need no man.”

   Abbie starts laughing, her shoulders shaking. “I know exactly what you mean. I don’t know what I’d do without Temper—he’s everything to me. He’s my family, my lover, and I know he will always have my back and be loyal to me. I know that you and Crow haven’t been together long, but soon you’ll realize you can be both head over heels in love with your man, and still a strong-ass woman.”

   “You’re very wise,” I say, watching as Crow speaks to the new customers, making one of the women laugh at something. “And he’s too damn charming for his own good.”

   “He is, isn’t he? But he’s all yours. Trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about. Besides, I live with him and I’d personally kick his ass if anything shady went on.”

   We fist bump.

   “Speaking of, I’m thinking of having a party at the clubhouse next weekend. It’s been a while since everyone has been together, so what do you think? Want to lose your biker party virginity?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

   “I’m there,” I reply instantly.

* * *

   Crow leaves work early to head to Kamikaze, and when George, my dad’s lawyer, calls me for the millionth time, this time I answer and tell him I will drop by his office after I finish work. When I get there, I can tell he’s extremely unhappy with me.

   “I’ve tried to contact you so many times,” he says, sitting opposite me, scowling over the desk, tapping the paperwork so it’s in line. “Your dad had a very clear will, everything goes to you. His house, his money, his cars, everything. And it’s a substantial amount of money.”

   “How much?” I ask.

   He slides me a piece of paper and, eying him, I lift it up and look at the amount.

   Holy shit.

   Business must have been pretty damn lucrative. My dad never bought anything flashy or designer, or lived out of his means. He was just a normal guy in a normal house with a normal car, or at least that’s what I thought.

   “Wowzer” is all I can manage to say.

   So I’m a millionaire now. Something I never thought in my wildest dreams would ever happen to me. I don’t even know what I’m going to do with this money, but it feels like a lot of pressure.

   George makes me sign some documents and gives me all the details that I need to know.

   “Thank you,” I say, standing up and offering him my hand. “And sorry for being such a pain in the ass. Being here just made it all real, you know?”

   And I never wanted it to be real.

   He nods. “He was a good man.”

   “I know,” I say, offering him a sad smile.

   I walked into his office with five hundred dollars in my account and I’m leaving with just over a million to my name. As I step outside, I look up at the sky.

   “And I’d give it all away in a second just to have you back for one day, Dad.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

   “Hey,” Crow says with his phone pressed against his ear. “Okay, just take whatever you need from my card. Stay safe, you hear me? Okay, bye.”

   I mustn’t be able to hide my expression because he tilts his head and asks, “What?”

   “Nothing. Just wishing I had a sibling like you who would make my life extremely easy,” I say, smirking.

   “I know, I’ve spoiled her,” he grumbles, sitting back down next to me on the couch. “But you know our parents aren’t here—they are off enjoying their empty nest, living their best lives—so I make sure I’m there for her. I’m in a lucky position where I don’t have to worry too much about finances, so of course I want to make sure she’s taken care of. Does it annoy you?”

   “It’s your money,” I say, lifting my legs up and laying them over his. “But...”

   “I knew there was a but.”

   I grin. “There’s always a but. She’s never going to learn to be independent, or hardworking, or any of those things if you just give her everything.”

   “Yeah, I suppose those are important qualities,” he says in a dry tone. “It’s just always been this way, and she’s used to it. I don’t know how she’d do without my money, if I’m being honest.”

   “You don’t have to cut her off. Maybe just make her get a job or something. I don’t know, it’s up to you, but that’s what I’d do,” I admit.

   We head to work, and I happily sit down at my desk when we get there. “You’re lucky I love my job here,” I say to Crow.

   “Why?”

   “Because I can afford not to work now, so if I hated it here, I could quit in some dramatic-ass way. Maybe knock over a motorcycle or something,” I joke, closing the desk drawer.

   Crow just smirks, crossing his arms over his bright green T-shirt, accentuating his strong biceps. “Well, lucky is the right word then, isn’t it? Considering you basically run the place now, and it would probably fall apart without you.”

   I’ve really gotten the hang of this whole admin thing, and I love organizing everything for the business. The new staff members, Pia and Alex, have taken over customer service and helping sell the merchandise, and know way more than me about all the bike parts, leaving me to simply do reception, which has been way less stressful. It’s also meant that I can properly do all the bookkeeping and accounts and handle the phones.

   “I’m glad you are aware of that.” With no one else around, I go to him and steal a sneaky kiss. “The eye candy around here is pretty good, too.”

   “I was just thinking the same thing,” he murmurs, holding on to my neck and bringing me in for another kiss. “But it’s also very distracting. I find myself looking over at you constantly, wondering what you’re doing.”

   “I’m usually doing the exact same thing,” I laugh. “Sitting at the computer, or I’m on the phone.”

   “Yeah, and you’re looking sexy while doing it,” he says as he nuzzles my neck. “And fuck, you smell so good, too. If no one was here right now, I’d lift you up on that desk and—”

   “You two just can’t help yourselves, can you?” Cam asks, making me jump. She is standing in front of my desk and blowing a big bubble with her gum. “I need you for a moment, Crow. There’s a problem with one of the bike parts—I think we’ve ordered in the wrong part.”