Taming Blade (Kings Reapers MC Book 5) Nicola Jane (suggested reading TXT) 📖

He looks me up and down with the ease of the disgruntled asshole he’s quickly become. “Fine by me. I only agreed to this date to get in that tight little cunt of yours. Turns out, it wasn’t worth the hassle.”

I watch as he walks away with a slight swagger in his step. I swipe hard at the stray tears, and Anna gently rubs my arm. “Let’s go somewhere quiet,” she whispers, leading me away.

We settle on a wooden swing chair overlooking a dark field at the back of the club. “I’ve never seen Blade like that,” says Anna. “He’s usually the clown of the group.”

“I’m glad I’ve seen his true colours,” I mumble.

“I don’t think that was truly him,” she says. “I think he was scaring you off because he’s worried you might go to the cops.” I don’t reply because it has crossed my mind. I mean, that’s what any normal, law abiding citizen should do. After a few silent minutes, Anna sighs. “They’re good guys. I know it doesn’t seem like it, and God knows, some of the rumours that surround the MC are all bad and sometimes true. Before Riggs, I was married to a mob boss. He was brutal. And I knew he did bad stuff, but he hid it from me. Riggs doesn’t hide who he is and I prefer that. I wanna know what I’m around. People don’t see the real MC. These guys have a tight bond and it’s truly heart-warming. They fought for this country and came together to form a brotherhood after the Army had screwed them up and chucked them away like useless rubbish. Some of them were left broken. Blu, he has terrible flashbacks. Cree, he sees a counsellor. In their own way, they’re all a little messed up.”

“I didn’t know anything about the MC. I’d never heard of such a thing,” I say. “Blade just came to my shop and was flirty. I thought it’d be fun to go on a date with him. Boy, was I wrong.”

Anna laughs. “There’s never a dull moment with these guys, I can guarantee that. But for the record, Blade’s a great guy. I’m sorry he messed up and you got mixed up in it. If you can guarantee you won’t tell anyone about what happened, I’ll get you out of here tonight.”

“You’re gonna trust my word?” I ask.

Anna nods. “I have a feeling about you, Matilda. You and Blade, you’re not over. Your story is just beginning.”

It’s my turn to laugh at her crazy prediction. “You’re wrong. I’m walking out of here and never looking back. This date was the worst I’ve ever had and trust me when I say I’ve had some bad ones. But I give you my word, I’ll stay quiet. I don’t need trouble with the MC.”

Anna smiles. “It’s a pity, Tillie. You’d fit in great around here.”

A week passes and I can’t stop checking my news app to see if the body of the man has been found. So far, nothing. How can nobody be missing this guy, and why hasn’t his body turned up?

I haven’t heard from Blade. He hasn’t been to the shop and I miss him, crazy as it sounds.

“I don’t understand. This other guy is rich, he’ll take you on a great date,” says Sara, eating a forkful of pasta she just made. I inhale the rich-smelling tomato sauce and my mouth waters. Fridays in the shop are always crazy and I skipped lunch, but I notice Sara hasn’t put a bowl out for me. Her persistence in getting me back into the dating game is annoying, especially when I can’t tell her exactly why I’m avoiding it.

“Last week was a disaster. It taught me to stay single and be grateful.”

“Grateful for no sex?” she asks, screwing up her nose.

“Grateful that I can avoid drama. Relationships are way too complicated.”

There’s a knock at the front door and Sara disappears to answer it. When she returns, she looks sheepish. Behind her, Ethan appears, dressed in a smart suit and holding a bunch of flowers. “Did I get the time wrong?” he asks, staring at me with confusion.

I glare at Sara. “Surprise,” she says weakly. “I texted Ethan from your phone and asked him on a date.”

“Christ, Sara. Learn when to stay out of things.”

“I thought it was odd that you’d been ignoring my texts all week and then you just popped up out of the blue to ask me on a date,” says Ethan with a smile.

“As you can see,” I say, pointing to my joggers. “I’m not dressed for a date.”

“You look good enough to me,” he says and I blush. “Look, I get it, you don’t want to date right now, but your good friend here set it up anyway, so why not humour her . . . and me. We can eat dinner, nothing fancy, then I’ll drop you home.”

“Nothing fancy?” I throw Ethan’s words back at him, staring in awe at the London Eye.

Despite living in London for such a long time, I’ve never yet made it to the famous landmark. “I thought I’d go big for a second date—well, first because can we really count one drink as a first date?” asks Ethan. “You know, it took around seven years to build this,” he says as a man opens the door on one of the pods for us, and I gasp. Inside is a table set for two, a candle flickering in the centre. “And cost almost seventy-five million.”

“I see it from my bedroom window,” I say. “But I’ve never been on it.”

“I’m glad your first time is with me,” he says, grinning. “I had to preorder food, so I’m hoping you like lobster?” he enquires.

“I love seafood. Never tried lobster, but I’ve always wanted to.”

We sit at the table and I stare out at the amazing view of London. At night, when it’s all lit