Jerk: Delinquent Rebels MC Read Online Free PDF Page B

April shook her head. Aside from groceries and reorganizing an already organized apartment, her day was wide open. However, she quickly realized she’d given him an open, and she drew a breath to tell him a lie instead. The words fell flat when she saw him smiling, genuinely so. “Maybe after this we could—”
     
    “April?” She turned away at the familiar voice, and her lips spread into a warm smile at the sight of Johnny Grissom. He hurried toward her, a plump golden retriever in tow, and set his bags down to hug her. “Oh my god! I didn’t know you were back in town!”
     
    She hugged back, surprised at the outburst of affection. They’d been decent friends in high school, and, for a time, Johnny had been one of April’s school girl crushes. He was a year older, dashingly handsome, and had a reputation as the golden boy of his class back in the day. He hadn’t changed much with his strawberry-blond hair and dark blues eyes. Bulked up, yes, though he was starting to carry the beginnings of a small beer belly.
     
    “Hi,” she said, laughing as they broke apart, his dog snuffling around her feet intrusively. “I… I didn’t really tell anyone. I’m just here to help my mom out.”
     
    “Yeah, I heard she was getting married,” Johnny told her, nodding. His gaze then flicked over her shoulder, and his smile grew. “To this guy’s dad! How you doing, man? Family outing?”
     
    He reached around her to shake Van’s hand, his free hand resting on April’s waist. She’d only just noticed it there, the pressure so light that she barely felt it—but Van was glaring daggers at it. Holding back a smile, April watched the two men shake hands, total opposites in appearances, each holding the other’s hand just a little too hard. Neither, it seemed, wanted to be the first to let go.
     
    “What are you doing these days?” April asked, and she caught the flare of Van’s jaw again as the two men broke apart.
     
    “Fighting fires,” Johnny replied with a nod. “You know… It’s a huge rush. What about you?”
     
    “Oh, you know… This and that.”
     
    They chatted for a few minutes, rehashing some of their lost time, and not once did Johnny remove his hand from her. By the time they said their farewells, his dog practically dragging him toward a meat stand and April promising she’d take up Johnny’s offer to go for drinks sometime, Van looked like he was about to hit the guy.
     
    “Nice guy,” she said, hoping to add just a little extra salt to the wound before grabbing her bags again. Van followed her in silence, both of them headed for the exit of the market. By the time they’d reached Main Street, leaving the parking lot full of sellers and buyers behind, it seemed his mood have improved a little.
     
    “Why don’t I carry these home?” he suggested, and while she knew she’d regret it, she shook her head.
     
    “I can manage,” she insisted, dragging the bags away from him. He put up a bit of a fight at first, then he finally let her take everything. April hid a wince; all her groceries probably weighed as much as she did. When she caught him watching her, she cleared her throat and said, “I wanted to combine groceries with a workout, so… here we are.”
     
    “I want to take you to lunch,” Van told her, as she struggled to find a way to comfortably carry everything. She let the statement sink in, and then she shook her head again—half-wondering if she’d regret that too.
     
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
     
    He didn’t ask her why she thought that. Instead, he reached into his wallet, produced a small card, and handed it to her. Against her better judgement, she took it and stuffed it in her pocket.
     
    “Ladies drink free at the bar tomorrow before eleven,” he explained, and she felt a blush creeping across her cheeks. “I work from eight to one… You should drop by. Free drink.” He paused, perhaps sensing her hesitation, and then added,