Chapter 18

There was one good thing about getting your house broken into in the middle of the night because your sister was an idiot and having to phone your parents and then go spend the night with them:

when they had to get up early to go to work and you didn't so you could avoid the talk the next morning where they would want to know all about your idiot sister; how she put you in danger; how you put yourself in danger; why you didn't tell them right off the bat;

and why you've been keeping your perfect Army man boyfriend to yourself.

So, sleeping in, I avoided talking to Dad and Meredith.

However, when I went to the kitchen for coffee, on the counter I found a note from Dad which said:

s - Tonight, dinner. 6:00 sharp. Be there.

Your window probably won't be fixed for a week so pack a bag.

Don't disappear or I'm calling Cam and sending Leo after you.

Love you, Dad.

They say men are attracted to women who are like their mothers and women are attracted to men who are like their fathers. This must be true considering I'm attracted to hot, uber-macho, bossy guys.

I also had a note from Meredith which said:

Morning honey, There are fresh bagels in the fridge, Einstein's. Whipped cream cheese, your favorite.

See you tonight!

Hugs, Meredith PS: I cannot tell you how happy I am for you after meeting Hawk! He's so cute! And he's sweet! And he's smitten! YAY!

Cute? Sweet? Smitten? With underlines? And... yay?

Obviously my Dad wasn't attracted to women like me. Good to know.

After coffee, a bagel and note reading, I had taken more than my usual going-to-sit-at-a-computer-all-day care with my appearance because I kept running into hot guys. Usually, I worked in yoga pants, camisoles or babydoll tees and lightweight hoodies. If it was summer, I might switch it up with shorts.

That morning I'd used Meredith's makeup and curling iron (why she needed a curling iron with curly hair, I did not know but she had everything that had anything to do with being a girl, one of the many reasons why I loved her) and I curled my long hair into a mass of curls and waves with a heavy fall of hair at the front. I also put on makeup, something I never did unless I was going out. The rest, I couldn't help because I'd packed in the middle of the night after a break-in, meeting a new hot guy and another bizarre and annoying (but, unfortunately, hot) confrontation with Hawk. So it was just jeans, a light blue tee from Thrifty Stick (a cool boarder shop on Broadway, I didn't board but, like I mentioned, I could shop anywhere), with a black skull and crossbones above my breasts that had a red "T" and "S" on and red bands around the neckline and sleeves, black belt, boots and thin, hooded, cardie sweater.

And I was glad I'd curled my hair and done my makeup and I was also glad I had on my killer, wire-rimmed, cop shades with the gray semi-mirrored lenses when I drove up to my house and saw it had a bunch of motorcycles and a big, black van parked in front of it.

Holy, freaking, crap!

I drove into my driveway trying to steer my little, blue Hyundai in while still keeping my eyes on what appeared to be an army of bikers hanging out on my lawn and going in and out of my house.

Clearly my house wasn't hard to break into, as had been proved last night, and it had been made easier by the fact there was only a board where the window should be but now the door was wide open and the board was gone. In fact, the entire window was gone.

And Tack was standing on my lawn with Dog and he was wearing cool mirrored shades too and they were pointed toward my car.

I barely pulled up the parking brake when he moved away from Dog and started in my direction. Therefore, when I got out, he was there, pinning me between my car and the door.

I looked up at him instantly comparing. Shorter than both Hawk and Lawson but he could seriously work facial hair. And I wasn't having a flight of fancy the day before. On the hot-o-meter he rang the top bell and he rang it loud.