Chaos series by Kristen Ashley

“Nope. And not gonna win the Nobel Prize like that dude from A Beautiful Mind. But that guy was a genius and he was bonkers too.”

“He wasn’t bonkers, Kell. He was ill. He had schizophrenia,” I informed her.

She smiled. “We genius folk who are bonkers can call each other bonkers. It’s in the handbook.”

I started giggling.

She joined me.

I stopped giggling abruptly and said, “Thanks for understanding about…” I paused before finishing lamely, “everything.”

She shook her head again, no longer giggling but her lips were curled up.

“Sister, I got a ton a’ friends but only four real ones. That’s because the others like having fun with me but they don’t get me. You don’t have to thank me for shit. You give that understanding back and that’s just the way it is.”

“I think I feel the need to hug you now,” I told her.

“Beat that back too,” she returned. “The only time I feel physically affectionate is while riding the rush after crowd surfing and there’s no concert on my imminent schedule, which is bumming me out.”

I raised my brows. “That’s it? There’s no one you feel physically affectionate for at the present moment?”

“If you’re asking if I’m getting it regular, no. Which is also bumming me out.”

“Time to go on the prowl,” I remarked.

“There was a time when I’d try to drag you with me but I’m thinking Low would frown on that.”

I was thinking she was correct because he always had. He hadn’t said much when Justine, Kellie, and I hit the town or a party without him. But back then we were all young, fun-loving, and attractive, so he also didn’t hide he didn’t like it much either.

We might not be able to claim the adjective young anymore, but we were still fun-loving and attractive, and at this early juncture, I didn’t think it would be good to test Logan on that unless he was at my side.

Hard for Kellie to be on the prowl with a hot biker hanging around.

“Perhaps you should take Justine with you,” I suggested.

Veronica didn’t mind that Justine went, mostly because both of them had been through the romantic wringer before finding each other. Neither would stray and both knew it.

Logan knew I’d never stray either but he was a badass biker. They got aggressive about that kind of thing.

“Gonna set that shit up,” Kellie declared.

“And Claire. She’s probably due to get dumped by one of her six boyfriends soon. She’ll need to fill that slot.”

Kellie grinned.

I grinned back.

And I did it thinking again life was as weird as it was wonderful.

Because we’d discussed something that lay buried between us for years. Something she and Justine had guessed, but I’d never dug it up for them.

Now it was out in the open.

And we were as we always were.

She was right.

I had a lot of family around me.

I also had a lot of love.

*  *  *

I caught Logan in my rearview on the way to the place we were meeting Deb for lunch and I almost got in a wreck due to experiencing a mini-orgasm on first sight.

It was cold, but sunny, no chance of snow.

So he was on his bike.

But to keep warm, he not only was wearing his cut.

He was also wearing a black bandana around the bottom half of his face, shades over his eyes, and his unruly, thick, dark, overlong hair was untethered.

He looked like exactly what he was.

A modern-day outlaw.

It was hot.

I found a parking spot that had a free one next to it. I parked and, as I expected, Logan backed in beside me.

I jumped down in my high-heeled pumps, slammed my door, and turned, seeing him off his bike, lifting a leather-gloved hand to yank down the bandana.

“I will seriously make it worth your while if you consider doing me wearing that bandana,” I announced before I even said hey.

I couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses but I saw all his white, even teeth because he smiled huge.

Then he stated, “Gag you with it, blindfold you with it, but, babe, nothin’ hinders my mouth when I’m doin’ you.”

“Those alternate scenarios are acceptable,” I declared immediately.

He burst out laughing, doing it with his arms shooting out to take hold of me so I slammed into him when he yanked me to his body.

I rested my hands on his chest below his shoulders, head tipped back, smiling up at him, watching him laugh.

I hadn’t seen him laugh that freely or for that long since I got him back.

I’d have to see to that.

Immediately.

His laughter quieted down to chuckles, through which he said, “See we got our plans for tonight.”

“Stop it,” I retorted. “I nearly crashed having a mini-orgasm seeing all that’s you in my rearview, that bandana over your face. I don’t need another one or it’ll take you forever to get me where you want me to be so you can get what you wanna get.”

He pulled me closer, dipping his chin to bring his face near mine.

“You had a mini-orgasm?” he asked.

“Yep,” I answered.

“What’s a mini-orgasm?”

“It’s yet another boon to being a woman you men won’t ever understand since it’s something you men don’t get but we can have them willy-nilly. Say, while watching the TV show Vikings or driving our cars to salad bars with a hot biker trailing us.”

He was still smiling big when he continued questioning. “What are the other boons to being a woman?”