WRECKED: GODS OF CHAOS MC, BOOK FOUR by Honey Palomino Page B

dessert, Cherry?” Slade asked. He was sitting at the far end of the table, his cell phone glued to his hands as he texted.
    “Peach cobbler, but what do you care?” Cherry asked. “You can’t get your hands off that phone long enough to eat anyway.”
    “Hey, I’m talking to my own little Peach,” he said.
    “Well, if it was anyone else, I’d deny you dessert. But since it’s Diana, it’s okay. Send her my love. And that little boy, too!”
    “Will do, Cherry, will do,” he said, flashing his crooked smile at her before going back to his phone.
    Cherry shook her head and retreated back to the kitchen. I drank my beer, watching as she pulled a huge casserole dish out of the oven. The sweet, warm scent of peaches and cinnamon filled the air and everyone began moaning and chattering enthusiastically. She sat it down in front of me and I just stared.
    “I take it you’ve had peach cobbler, before, right hon?” she asked.
    “Actually, I haven’t,” I answered.
    “What?” she exclaimed. “Well, that’s just not right at all. Let’s fix that!” She grabbed a spoon and dug into the golden flaky crust, exposing the thick peach filling. My mouth watered, the smell drifting up and floating right into the pleasure center of my brain.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything so amazing in my life,” I muttered, watching with wide eyes as she placed a huge portion of it on my plate.
    “Dig in, darlin’!”
    And I did. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as soon as the tangy sweetness touched my tongue. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t speak, all I could do was shovel it in my mouth as fast as I could. It was piping hot, but I didn’t even care. It was worth the pain of burning my tongue.
    “I think she likes it!” Cherry said, triumphantly raising a spatula over her head. Everyone cheered as a hot blush crept up my cheeks. I wasn’t used to all this attention or having this many eyes on me. But as I looked around at all of them, I realized this was something I could get used to very quickly.
    They may not have been my family, but I let myself pretend they were for just a second, just to feel it. My heart swelled as I swallowed the last bite of cobbler on my plate.
    “More?” Cherry asked.
    “My god, yes,” I pleaded, as they all laughed again. I began laughing too, and for the first time since I’d arrived, I felt my shoulders relax and the tension in my chest fade away. I took a deep breath as I watched Cherry put more cobbler on my plate.
    “Thank you so much,” I said to her, her big smile beaming down at me. The wrinkles around her eyes only added to her charm. I loved her instantly. She patted my back and walked away.
    I looked over at Wreck and saw him staring at me quietly, his eyes intense and thoughtful. I nodded at him and smiled, before stuffing another bite of cobbler in my mouth.
    He smiled softly in my direction and for a hot second, everything else faded away.
     
     

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Wreck
     
     
    They say there’s no originality in the world. If you have a thought, an idea, you can bet someone else has had that same thought or idea before. They also say everyone has a doppelgänger. Someone that looks just like you.
    But I’ve never ever heard of someone having the exact same laugh as someone else.
    Vanessa’s laugh was exactly like Frankie’s, it was uncanny. It was fucking eerie, is what it was. As soon as I heard her in the kitchen with Grace, goosebumps appeared on my skin.
    My brain was playing crazy tricks on me. Was I really so fucked up that I was continuing to do this? Put some twisted reflection of a dead girl onto a living one? What the fuck was wrong with me?
    Maybe it’s just been too long. Too long since I’ve held someone. Too long since I’ve laughed with someone the way I laughed with Frankie. I’d spent my entire life feeling like I wanted to crawl out of my skin, become someone else, become someone, anyone, who hadn’t gone through the