Drunk Dial (Hard Core #1) (Hard Core Series) Read Online Free

time to eat.” She pointed at a diner down the street. “You wanna walk or hitch a ride with me?”
    My jaw dropped when she pointed at a Harley. “That is not your ride.”
    “Uh, yeah, it is.”
    Imagining her riding that thing was hotter than hell, but I couldn’t help fearing for her safety. I’d been riding since I was sixteen, thanks to my old man, but I’d never dated a girl who rode a hog. I didn’t know how I felt about it.
    “Let’s just walk.” My Hummer was parked a few spots away, and the idea of getting her alone in a dark, enclosed space appealed to me, but as much as I wanted to kiss her, I wanted to talk to her first, get to know her better, so she wouldn’t think I was only after one thing.
    “Sure.”
    “Your brother seems like a nice guy.” By comparison, mine seemed like a dick, and I was glad she didn’t have to meet him yet. Especially since I knew, despite my warnings, he would make a play for her.
    “He’s the best,” she said, smiling up at me.
    She was wearing four-inch heels and just grazed my nose. Good thing we’d be spending a lot of time horizontal. “You guys are close then?”
    “Yeah.”
    “He your only sibling?”
    “Nope. I’ve got two older brothers and no old man. Believe me, dating wasn’t easy when I was a teenager.”
    “What happened to your father?” We stopped at a red light, waiting to cross the street, and I could see the play of emotions cross her face. Whatever had happened, she clearly still held a grudge against him.
    “He bailed on us,” she said, shrugging. “Said he wasn’t cut out to be a family man. Too bad it took him three kids before he realized that, huh?”
    “I’m sorry, Lace.” My mom died of cancer when we were young. I didn’t know what we would have done without our dad. He was our rock. “What about your mom?”
    She rolled her eyes, a bitter laugh slipping through her lips. “What about her?”
    “She still in your life?”
    “When it’s convenient for her, which is code for when she wants something.”
    I heard a world of hurt in those few words, and for the first time in a long time, I felt my protective instincts kick in. “That sucks.”
    “It is what it is. I don’t waste time feeling sorry for myself. I’ve got it better than a lot of people.”
    I loved her attitude. She wasn’t looking to throw herself a pity party even though life had clearly dealt her a few hard blows.
    “So Ash got you into kickboxing?” I asked as we crossed the street.
    “Yeah. He said I couldn’t date until I learned to defend myself.” She smiled at the memory. “Turned out most boys weren’t all that interested in dating a girl who could kick their ass, so I still didn’t get many dates. I suspect my brother knew that would happen.”
    I laughed, thinking I’d gone to some crazy lengths to protect my little sister too. “Well, you can’t kick my ass, so how’re you gonna scare me away?”
    She seemed to consider her options before she said, “The jury’s still out on whether I want to scare you away. If I do, trust me, it won’t be a problem.”
    Her warning sounded cryptic, making me wonder what kind of secrets were lurking behind those gorgeous green eyes.
    I opened the door of the diner for her, not at all surprised when the few guys tucked into a corner booth turned her way. Fortunately for them, they noticed me soon after and looked away.
    “What’ll you have?” she asked, scanning the overhead menu. “They make a great meatball sandwich. They melt this smoked mozzarella on it.” She licked her lips. “Mmm, it’s making my mouth water just thinking about it.”
    Watching her lick those plump lips was making my mouth water… and my mind wander. I bet she could do amazing things with that mouth.
    When I realized she was waiting for a response, I tore my eyes from her face and glanced at the board. “I’m not all that hungry. I had pizza before we got here.”
    She laid her hand across my stomach and