by Atlas, Lilly
“This is going to break your mother’s heart.”
He knew just what to say to ratchet up the guilt. Holly steeled her spine, remaining upright while her insides were crumbling to dust. Blinking back tears, she opened her mouth to speak but found it dry as the desert.
“I won’t stop gunning for them, Holly. If this whole little announcement is to try and convince me to stop investigating the club, you wasted your time. That club is full of evil mean and foolish doormat women who are nothing more than a piece of property.”
Holly almost laughed out loud. Clearly, her father had yet to meet Izzy. It shamed her to admit she’d love to watch him call her a doormat to her face.
“Dad, you may have come across clubs like that in the past, but this one—”
“What? Is different?” He laughed. “Please tell me you didn’t fall for that line of bullshit. I’m going after the club, Holly. Mark my word, by the end of the year that clubhouse will be nothing but an abandoned building in the woods. I just hope you don’t get caught in the fallout.”
So do I.
Her father stood, and her heart sank. “I’m not hungry anymore,” he said.
“So this is how it’s gonna be? You won’t even share a meal with me?”
“I’m not going to tell your mother about this. You can do that yourself. I won’t be the one to break her heart.” He turned, took two steps and froze. Standing not ten feet from the table, gaze locked on Holly, was LJ.
A shiver skittered down her spine. She’d be lying through her teeth if she didn’t admit the sight of him watching her with such intensity sent a dark thrill through her. That look promised sensual delights she’d grown to crave since meeting LJ.
Her father strode forward, resting his hand on the pistol hanging from his belt. A hush fell over the diner. The weight of every nosy gaze in the place fell heavy on her shoulders. When her dad reached LJ’s side, he whispered something to the man who made her heart skip a beat.
Other than a hardening of his eyes, LJ didn’t react to her father’s words. He stayed steady and strong as he focused on her. “You have a good day, Sheriff,” he finally said as he walked forward. The jangle of bells five seconds later indicated her father had left the diner.
Without paying a lick of attention to another soul in the diner, LJ veered straight for her table. Instead of taking the spot vacated by her father, he slipped into the booth next to her.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey. What did he—”
“It doesn’t matter.” LJ captured her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “This here is what matters,” he whispered before giving her a kiss sweeter than any he’d given her so far. Her body went haywire, nerves dancing with pleasure. But it was her heart that bloomed with a dangerous happiness.
After one last soft kiss to her lips, LJ settled one arm across her shoulders while signaling for Jazz to come get his order. “What’d you get, sugar?”
Just like that, her internal turmoil quieted. “Is it too late in the day for me to get waffles? Because that’s what I ordered.”
With a snort, LJ said, “Fuck no. You had them yet? They’re fucking great. I’ll get ’em too.”
He dropped a kiss on top of her head. Holly smiled as she settled into the crook of his arm. As his warmth, his scent, and his strength surrounded her, it’d be so easy to slip fully under his spell.
But just as she was about to release the conversation with her father to the universe, his words rang through her head.
God, Holly, you’re so naïve.
Was she? Was she doomed to crash and burn in embarrassment when it turned out her father was right, and the MC disbanded due to arrests of all its members?
The thought was sobering. Enough to make her second guess recent choices.
She glanced up at LJ who was waving one of his brothers over. One arm still around her shoulders, his eyes sparkled. The club brother said something Holly failed to hear. LJ threw his head back and laughed. The sound had Holly smiling. Full of happiness, lightness, and humor. She refused to believe this man had an evil core.
The tension with her father would blow over. It had to. They were family, and a close one at that. With time, he’d see how well LJ and his club treated Holly. LJ might never be her father’s favorite person, but they’d get through it. And her whole family would be better off with a new and healthier dynamic.
God, Holly, you’re so naïve.
Only time would tell. Something about the big man next to her made it impossible to walk away, no matter the risk.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“ARE YOU SURE you’re okay with me borrowing your truck?” Holly asked LJ for what had to be the tenth time that morning.
He rolled his eyes. Clearly, Holly was the one who wasn’t entirely okay with borrowing his truck. “Sugar, what did I say the other million times you asked?”
“You said, ‘what’s mine is yours, sugar, so stop fucking asking,’” Holly said, mimicking his much deeper voice.
LJ laughed. “That’s right. So, stop fucking asking. Here.” He handed her one of the homemade donuts she’d brought over. “Stuff this in your face so you can’t ask again.”
“Pfft.” Holly stuck her tongue out at him, which had him laughing again, but she passed on the donut. “I just didn’t want to assume anything, and I’ve never driven a truck that big. You’re under no obligation to let me borrow it.”
It was Saturday morning, and Holly planned to swing by the diner to iron out some kinks in their To-Go plan. She’d mentioned wanting to make sure she had the register down, all the display cases ready, and to get a feel for the flow of the place. Working there would be a totally different vibe than eating as a paying customer. Or so Toni, Jazz, and Holly had informed LJ when he pouted and asked why he couldn’t have Holly for the entire day.
“Assume away, woman. Seriously, you want something just ask for it. I’ll give it to you, every time.” And he would. If it was in his power to give, it was hers.
Except for one thing. A night spent in his arms. That gift wasn’t his to give.
She bit her lower lip then opened her mouth as though she was going to say something. LJ waited, but she must have changed her mind because she shook her head and slipped a diner T-shirt on. Teal, like the rest of the staff wore. A denim skirt and Chuck Taylors topped off her outfit. She looked, young, fresh, and totally fuckable. Which he’d just done about ten minutes ago. And every chance he’d gotten over the past few days.
“Well, thank you, LJ. I’ll take good care of it. Her? Does your truck have a name?” She shot him a saucy wink.
“Funny.” He snagged her around the waist and playfully got her in a headlock. Holly made everything fun. The simple act of getting dressed turned into playtime, which often turned into sexy time. Case in point.
“LJ!” she squealed once she realized she couldn’t escape his hold.
Keeping her trapped against him, he snuck a hand under the T-shirt and up to her tits. One finger slipped down into the cup of her bra and stroked her nipple. It beaded for him like a well-trained pup.
“LJ.” This time his name was a breathy sigh.
“Tell me you get it, sugar. Tell me you get that I’ll give you anything. Do anything to make you happy.” With one blunt fingernail, he scraped over her nipple now rock hard from the attention.
She shuddered against him, that delectable ass cradling his dick in exactly the right way to make him hard. “LJ, I have to go.”
“I know. Tell me first.” He gently bit her neck.
“You’d do anything for me. Get a-anything I n-need.”
“That’s right.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now don’t crash my truck or I’ll be forced to punish you. All night long.” As the teasing words fell out of his mouth, he tensed. All night long wasn’t possible. Would she call him out on it?
Thankfully, she seemed blissfully unaware of his slip up. She shuddered again, this time with an accompanying groan as he
released her. “You realize now I’m going to drive straight into the first stop sign I come across.”
With a laugh, LJ swatted her ass. God, he loved the way that thing jiggled for him.
“Thanks,” she said as she grabbed the keys off his counter. “The towing company should be by in about an hour. Hopefully whatever is wrong with my hunk of junk car will be an easy and not too expensive fix.”
“Sugar, I told you I have a brother who could look at it.”
She held up her hand, and the urge to suck those fingers into his mouth hit him hard. “I know, but I need to do this myself. I can’t rely on you for everything, LJ. I can stand on my own two feet and get my own car fixed.”
In case you’re not there in the future.
The unspoken sentence wasn’t necessary. Between her father’s hard-on for the MC and LJ’s refusal to spend the night with her, how could he blame her for keeping some emotional distance? The question shone in her eyes frequently, in fact, just as he was telling her he’d do anything for her, he saw it.
She wanted to know why he kissed her and sent her off to her own bed the last four nights. Alone. After blowing each other’s minds. But she hadn’t asked. Too sweet and probably too worried to rock the damn boat.
“Okay, I’m out.” She strode over to him, rose on tip-toes, and presented those glossy lips for a kiss.
LJ gave her a peck. Or at least he intended to, but the second their lips touched, he couldn’t resist plunging in for more. His tongue invaded her mouth, swallowing down her moan, and inhaling the minty flavor of the toothpaste she’d borrowed. His actions were a weak compensation for the inability to spend an entire night with her. As though he could kiss her into believing his feelings and intent.
“Wow,” Holly said, taking a step back. With her hair a little more mussed than it had been a few minutes ago, she had that just fucked look about her. “A girl could get used to that kind of goodbye.”
She took a step, nearly fell on her face, then laughed when LJ caught her under her arms. “You made me weak in the knees, Jack.” After winking at him, she made her way to the door.
“Come on, bud,” LJ said to Biscuit who’d flopped on the floor in the kitchen and watched the scene unfold, as was his typical MO. “Let’s make sure mommy gets out okay.”
With a giant yawn, the mastiff climbed to his feet and lumbered after LJ. They stood side by side on the balcony in front of the apartments, gazing down at the parking lot below.
Holly climbed into LJ’s massive pick-up with a scrunched brow. He hadn’t been kidding when he told her he was happy to lend her the truck while her car was laid up. But now, seeing her frown at the backup camera, he couldn’t help but have doubts. Well, she’d have to learn how to drive the beast some time or another and baptism by fire seemed the quickest way to go.
After navigating out of the parking spot and successfully avoiding taking out the cars on either side of her, Holly waved and gifted him with a triumphant smile.
“Inside, buddy,” LJ said to the dog with a pat on his head.
Biscuit looked up at him and whined. “Come on, you big baby. Mommy will be back in a few hours.” What he didn’t say was how much he got that whine. Part of him wanted to join in the pitiful song. Once back in LJ’s apartment, Biscuit plopped down next to the couch. Though he’d seen it at least a hundred times by now, LJ never failed to feel envy of the pooch’s ability to fall asleep in under two seconds and stay in that state no matter what occurred around him.
For a few hours, LJ puttered around his apartment, completing tasks he’d been putting off since spending all his spare time with Holly. He washed some clothes, wrote up a few estimates for construction projects, and was about to chill with a Netflix binge when there was a knock on the door.
With a deep bark, Biscuit lumbered up and loafed over to greet the guest. Or guests. Copper, Rocket, and Zach stood outside his door. “Shit, did I forget we had something today?”
Copper chuckled and rubbed Biscuit’s head. The dog immediately stopped barking and practically purred at the attention.
Worst guard dog ever.
“Nah, brother,” Copper said. “You’re good. Just had some shit to run by you. Sorry for busting in unannounced.”
“Ain’t a thing. Come on in. Want a beer?”
“Hell yes,” Zach said while Rocket and Copper both nodded.
As he went to the fridge to grab four beers, LJ took a moment to shake off his nerves at the arrival of his president and half of the MC’s executive board. Even though he’d been affiliated with the club for nearly sixteen months, he was the baby brother. A brand-new patch. While he respected the hell out of Copper and considered the man fair and levelheaded as a president, LJ was acutely aware Copper could make his life a living hell if he so desired.
Two long-necks dangling from each hand, he returned to the small living room, made even tinier by the presence of three additional huge men. Biscuit had returned to his spot next to the couch, snoozing once again. At least someone managed to be anxiety-free.
“What’s up, Prez?” LJ asked as he handed out the beer, then tossed Copper a bottle opener.
“Shell received a letter today. Delivered by a courier, all official and shit.” He popped the cap off his beer then took a long sip, seeming to need to get a handle on his frustration.
LJ raised an eyebrow. “What kind of letter?”
“It was a certified letter, made out to Shell, signed by a judge.”
LJ accepted the bottle opener from Rocket after his brother opened his beer. “What did it say?”
“It was an official denial of the permits we need for the charity run. It clearly stated if we ignored the edict and organized the event anyway, we’d be subject to fines and possible arrest.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” LJ said, but none of the men appeared remotely jokey. “What a shit fucking move.”
“Tell me about it,” Zach said. “Fucking charity run for fucking children. It’s a low fucking blow.”
“We’re not giving a shit, right? We’re still putting it on?”
Copper nodded. “Yes, but we need to brainstorm some ideas so we can do this without risk of arrest. If it were just me, I wouldn’t give a shit, but I ain’t putting Shell at risk of being locked up.”
With a snort, LJ, said, “Bet she had some choice words about that.”
Zach and Rocket snickered while Copper rolled his eyes. “Don’t feel comfortable repeating it with kids in the room.” He glanced at Biscuit.
LJ laughed. Copper was officially the worst at curbing his language around Shell’s daughter, Beth. The four-year-old spitfire called him out on it daily. “What do you need from me?”
The apartment grew silent except for the gentle rumble of Biscuit’s snore. A ripple of unease crawled up LJ’s spine.
Fuck.
Something was up.
Copper stroked his bearded chin. “You’ve been hanging with the sheriff’s daughter.”
And now the unease turned to straight-up dread.
“I have…” Suddenly this visit felt more like an ambush.
The sigh that left Copper was heavy with the weight of running the club. Being the head of the tight-knit group couldn’t be easy on a good day, now throw in an overeager sheriff gunning for them, and it was a shock the man was as calm as he appeared. The men he led, the brothers in the club, were a family. And Copper took his role as head of the family deathly seriously. Which meant he suffered when his family was under attack.
Suffered and turned near feral in his desire to protect his family.
And that’s why LJ knew the next words out of his prez’s mouth were going to suck.
“The sheriff doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet. At least none we’ve found yet. Sure, he’s spent his career destroying clubs like ours, but it was all above board.”
“Bullshit,” LJ said. “He’s been harassing us with drummed-up claims. There’s no way he didn’t pull the same shit or wor
se throughout his career.”
With a nod, Copper said, “I agree. He’s just covered his tracks well. Which brings us back to you. And his daughter.” As Copper let that weighted statement hang in the air, he studied LJ. So did Zach and Rocket.
He felt like a bug under a microscope. One headed for a good squashing.
“Where’s shit at with her?” Copper asked, then shook his head. Before LJ had a chance to answer, he spoke again. “Fuck it, I ain’t beatin’ around the bush. Need to know if you’re willing to pump her for information.”
“Bet he’s pumping her for something,” Zach muttered.
“You trying to be fucking Maverick now?” Copper asked with a scowl, but his chest rippled with restrained laughter.
Zach shrugged. “Sorry. Too good to pass up.”
As was typical, Rocket remained quiet through the exchange. His silence shouldn’t ever be mistaken for apathy or stupidity, however. His intense gaze studied LJ. The entire time, LJ’s stomach was rolling and his mind was reeling as he struggled to come up with a way to refuse the first favor his president ever asked of him.
Until that very moment, he’d have said Copper could ask anything of him and he’d do it without hesitation. He respected his president enough to trust in his leadership without question.
But now? Faced with the possibility of betraying Holly? Now he was well and truly fucked. It’d be over. Whatever he and Holly were to each other would end the moment she found out he was using her for information. And could she even provide it? Shit with her father wasn’t exactly roses at the moment, all because of the club.
Christ, what kind of fucker would he be to ask her to remedy her relationship with her father—which was only strained because of him—only to turn around and use that repaired relationship to betray her?
“Well, I guess that answers that,” Copper said. It was hard to tell because of the thickness of his beard, but LJ swore his prez smirked.
