Give You A Kid? No Way!

Chapter 9

Aria

Poppie got into the car and slammed it so hard, the vehicle shook.

"f*****g bastards," she growled as they watched them roll out of the parking lot, their bikes obnoxiously loud.

Although Aria had turned on some music, she'd picked up on some of the conversation. Apparently, Dante and Jax had been questioning her about some dead guy. It was odd that they'd even look at her as a suspect and Aria could definitely understand why Poppie was so pissed off.

Aria turned down the music. "They must be delusional to think you'd have anything to do with that dude's death."

She stared at her in surprise. "You heard, huh?"

Aria nodded. "Your cousin really is a dickhead. I don't care how cute he is."

Poppie sighed and started the engine. "Cute? Don't ever let him hear you say that. His ego is as large as the empty space in his head."

Aria chuckled.

"Hopefully, you won't ever see him again. He's not allowed in Shore Lake, so more than likely you won't."

Aria's jaw dropped. "Not allowed in Shore Lake? For real?"

She nodded.

"What does that even mean? Does he have a restraining order or a warrant for his arrest?"

"Something like that."

Aria sighed inwardly. Poppie and her "Something like that's" were frustrating at times. She wanted to know more but it was obvious from her mood that she was back to not wanting to talk about her personal life. Aria had to respect her privacy though.

Poppie

Poppie was seething inside. She didn't even do anything and was being treated like a criminal.

Damn those vampires and damn her cousin for making her feel like she'd done something wrong!

It was no wonder that her brother kept telling her to stay away from Dante and his crew.

Fortunately, Aria had seemed to miss the conversation about the vampires. Explaining that would have... literally sucked.

Poppie really just wanted to drive off a f*****g cliff, she was so over everything. Knowing that she needed to keep her cool, however, she changed the subject and pretended that everything was fine even though she was worried about the pic Dante had taken.

Someone would have to recognize her.

At least the bartender and maybe even the guy who'd been watching her from his stool when she'd been dancing. Now... what Dante and Jax would do with that was another story. She doubted they'd try and have her arrested but they would definitely bring it up to the Council. She was sure of it. Along with the vampires.

She thought of Tristan smiling at her.

Why did he have to be so damn yummy looking?

She was still obsessing over him and it was irritating. Even now part of her wanted to rip his throat out... the other wanted to jump his bones. Or at least try to. She didn't know if vampires were capable of s*x, even with the rumors, but Poppie was now dying to find out.

She groaned inwardly.

What in the hell was wrong with her?

She was out of control, daydreaming about smashing a vampire.

Who even did that?

Aria

Poppie had grown quiet and from the funny smile on her face, was amused about something.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

Her smile quickly disappeared. "Uh, I was just thinking about my warped family. Anyway, did you bring your bathing suit?"

"I told you before, I don't really have one. I do have shorts and a tank though. That should work."

"I've some extra swimsuits at the cabin," she glanced at Aria's chest, "they might be a little tight on top."

Even though Aria was short and petite, she'd been cursed with large boobs. She hated them, mainly because of the unwanted attention she'd received growing up. It was also hard finding bathing suit tops that fit properly.

"I don't need a suit. I'll be fine."

"Girl, we're on vacation and getting tans this week. I don't care if we have to sunbathe in the nude, we're going to lay out and get some color on both of our pasty white skin."

Aria looked down at her arms. She had to admit, a tan would be nice.

"If you don't like any of my suits, we'll buy you one in the morning. Then we'll take my brother's boat out on the lake and catch some rays. Maybe even do some fishing."

Aria smiled. She'd never gone fishing before. "That sounds like fun. Do we need a license?"

"Yeah, we can buy those at the gas station."

"Okay, cool."

Poppie reached over and squeezed her hand. "I'm so excited. We're going to have so much fun!"

Relieved and happy that Poppie was in a better mood, she grinned and agreed with her.

When they finally arrived in Shore Lake, Aria couldn't help but be impressed at how picturesque everything looked. It seemed too perfect almost; like something out of a fairytale book. It had everything from quaint little stores selling homemade goods to friendly looking locals walking down cobblestone streets.

"Wow, look at all of the boats," Aria said as they drove past a large marina where some luxurious boats were docked.

"I know, right? My brother slips his yacht there. I'm sure you'll get to see it sometime."

"Nice."

Once they reached the edge of town, Poppie explained that the cabin was another half hour away.

As they drove through the winding mountain roads, Aria felt as if she were entering a new world—one where everything glowed with beauty and magic. The trees seemed to whisper secrets and stories that only those who ventured through this area could hear.

When they finally reached the cabin, it was situated on a lake surrounded by lush trees and tall mountains in the distance. The sun shone down on it like a spotlight, highlighting its majestic beauty.

Poppie parked the car in front of a large garage and turned off the engine. She smiled and sighed in happiness. "Man, it's good to be home."

"This place is incredible."

"You haven't seen anything yet. Come on."

Aria stepped out of the car and stared in amazement, taking in all of the details: the cedar log walls, large paned windows with spectacular views of the lake, and an expansive deck that surrounded the cabin. Even more amazing was that there appeared to be a luxurious fenced-in swimming pool with a cabana and a tiki bar on the other side of the cabin.

"That's new," Poppie said, smiling toward the pool. "They just finished it two weeks ago. It's like our own little tropical resort now. Mick wanted it ready for the party. We should check it out once we get settled in."

Aria noticed there was also a hot tub. She'd never been in one and was excited to try that out as well. "Yeah, that would be great!"

Poppie's phone vibrated. She checked the screen. "It's Mick. He's in his office on a conference call right now. He'll join us in a little while"

"Okay."

Aria followed Poppie up the porch steps and into the front door. When they walked in, Aria had been expecting some kind of grand entrance hall or something equally impressive - but instead she found herself standing in an open-plan rustic-style kitchen/living room area that still managed to be incredibly cozy despite its size.

"There's another kitchen downstairs, connected to Mick's man-cave."

"Dayum, must be rough."

She grinned. "I know, right?"

"This place is beautiful," she said, admiring the faint smell of cedar in the air as well as the large stone fireplace with a hearth so large it looked like four people could fit inside.

"And unusually quiet. Typically we have my brother's posse hanging around and eating all of our food. I wonder where everyone is."

Poppie had mentioned to her earlier that there were always people coming and going and not to be alarmed. "They'll be on their best behavior with you around. Mick would have their balls if they did anything inappropriate."

Aria laughed.

"Come on, I'll show you around." Poppie linked her arm through Aria's and, for the next twenty minutes, gave her a tour of the cabin. When they were finished, Aria couldn't help but feel a trace of envy, but was happy that her friend got to live in such a beautiful home.

"By the way, you get to stay in that last bedroom I showed you, next to Mick's."

Aria was thrilled. It had a king-sized pillow-top bed, a bathroom with a jacquizi and walk-in shower, and a cabinet with a hidden television that appeared with the touch of a button.

"This is the only place you haven't seen yet. It's Mick's office," murmured Poppie as they approached a closed door at the other end of the hallway. Just then, her phone went off and Poppie checked her message. She smiled and looked at Aria. "He must have heard me. He wants us to come in."

Aria suddenly felt anxious.

Poppie opened the door and Aria followed her inside.