Time in the hole must have twisted his mind if he was entertaining the idea of being with her again. She hadn’t measured up the first time around, and the pain of that knowledge reared its ugly head yet again.
Despite his absurd declarations, seeing Puck left her rattled. Even now, her heartbeat was going fast. She’d managed to maintain a cool demeanor while in his presence, but her hands still trembled slightly. Puck was always so impulsive. Clearly, some things never changed.
Her lips twisted in a wry smile. Funny, she’d seamlessly transitioned into using his new name. It fit him. Mischievous. Mercurial. Clever, oh-so clever. And, she reminded herself sternly, never to be underestimated.
While it was crucial that he not be taken lightly, it was a waste of time to dwell on or overanalyze their conversation. First of all, she’d probably never see him again. She worked mostly with inmates who struggled with substance-abuse issues, and his drug test had come back squeaky clean. She wasn’t teaching the anger-management class, so if he stayed out of trouble, he wouldn’t be back. And Puck wasn’t risking another fight to sabotage his chances of getting back to Sammi.
Secondly, he was unpredictable. One moment, he supposedly wanted her. The next, who the hell knew. He’d flip-flopped before. No reason to imagine he wouldn’t do it again. Barely any time in her presence, and he was already pronouncing that he’d have her in his bed again. She rolled her eyes. Puh-leeze, what a flake.
The only one he was steadfast with was Sammi. Ava had always admired the way he took care of his little sister. Seeing what Puck had done when his mother died had inspired Ava. She’d made a conscious decision to separate the resentment she felt toward her father from Kat and had cultivated an independent relationship with her. It began even before Kat’s mother took off, leaving her father and Ava to finish raising her. And it’d paid off. She had a loving relationship with someone she adored.
Just because Puck was loyal and dedicated to his sister didn’t mean he was capable of that kind of consistency with a partner.
But seeing him had been a shock. Eight years on and the man had filled out from the nineteen-year-old boy she’d known. Filled. Out. Even wearing an orange jumpsuit a size too large, she’d noted the outline of his hard chest, tufts of chest hair peeking out from the V of his opened collar. Or his strong forearms, the cords of sleek muscles bulging as he’d laid his arms on her desk earlier.
And his face. Jesus, he was handsome, in that rugged way of his. It could wreck a woman’s resolve. Any woman besides me, that is. She’d experienced the lack of devotion that lay beneath that gorgeous olive skin of his. The image of him hovering so close to her, shimmered in her mind’s eye. His jet-black curls bouncing slightly as he moved his head. His deep chocolate-malt eyes staring at her, ringed by long black lashes. Hair and eyelashes like his were wasted on a man. Then there were his high cheekbones and that strong nose above a generous mouth. She knew exactly how those lips felt, pressed against her own, sliding down her throat or over the slope of her breast. Or even lower…
She sucked in a breath. Don’t go there. It’s the lack of sex that’s affecting you this way. She’d left the past behind after Sasha’s death. The drugs, the partying, and most definitely, the man. Losing her best friend so soon after their breakup had been a doozie.
There was a soft knock on her door. A knock she recognized.
“Come in,” she called out.
Derick popped his head in. “Busy?”
“Not at the moment. Come on in,” she invited him in with a wave of her hand.
Derick had showed interest in her, which she found surprising, considering how badly she dressed the three days a week she worked at the jail. Being the only social worker with a degree in Criminal Justice at the Agency, she’d been a shoe-in for the position. At five foot nine, she was tall for a woman, so she always appreciated height in a man, and Derick definitely had that. He was neither as fit nor drop-dead gorgeous like Puck, but she wasn’t looking for a random hookup. Not that she overthought her mild flirtation with Derick. It was simply nice to chat, lightly tease, and joke with a guy. That was it.
“On my fifteen-minute break,” he said, holding up the Styrofoam cup of coffee. He placed another one on her desk. “Here’s one for you. Cream and sugar, how you like it.”
He’d done that before, and she appreciated the gallantry of his gesture. Taking a sip, she smiled at him before placing the cup down. “I always feel the need for an extra coffee on Mondays. Thanks.”
Sitting down across from her, he crossed an ankle over his knee. Steadying the cup on his knee, he asked, “How’s the day going so far? No one giving you trouble, are they?”
Derick always started his conversations this way. Making sure no one was bothering her. “All good. A day like any other.”
“So…you knew the last guy?” he inquired in a careful tone.
“Yep,” she replied succinctly. No way was she going into her past with Puck. It had been bad enough seeing him. Seeing the way his eyes had lingered on her. It risked going to her head, rummaging inside, and rearranging it ways she could not permit. Could she even do her job correctly with him? Her chances were about as good as a roll of the dice. Hopefully, her professionalism wouldn’t be tested again.
At one time, she’d fallen hard for him. It had been deep and wild. Wild like the breaking waves, crashing against sharp, rugged cliffs. That’s where she’d end up if she wasn’t careful. Crushed against a jagged rock, left to bleed to death. Like before.
After a small lull, Derick asked, “First time you see someone you know?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “Has it happened to you?”
“On occasion. Had my elementary school teacher in here once on a drunk-and-disorderly conduct charge. Explained a helluva lot about fifth grade.”
Ava let out a peal of laughter. “I bet it did. It’s a little shocking to see someone you know, but we’re working in the county jail, so it’s to be expected, I suppose. People from all walks of life pass through here.”
Derick brought his coffee cup to his lips and swallowed.
Another lull. Racking her brain to move on to a different subject, she asked, “Anything special go on out there today?”
Derick shifted his foot on the linoleum floor. “Nah, it’s quiet. Winter’s slower. Less arrests makes for less inmates. Less inmates makes for less work,” he replied in a singsong.
“True,” she replied, nodding. Derick may fall on the boring side of the spectrum, but he’d always been kind and respectful toward her. That was worthy of her esteem. Better than falling in love with a hot, charismatic mischief-maker who broke one’s heart.
Jiggling his foot a little, he pressed his lips together and then pushed them out in a silly raspberry sound. “Here goes nothing,” he mumbled. Taking in a deep inhalation, he lifted churning eyes to her and said, “Maybe you wanna go out and have dinner sometime?”
Ava blinked rapidly several times. They’d been taking breaks together for a couple of months, and he’d never gone further. Frankly, she’d given up on him, wondering if she’d misread his cues. What bad timing. If he’d only asked the day before… Sheesh, if he’d asked an hour before, she would’ve jumped at the opportunity. Damn Puck. His reappearance had pulled her up short. “Uhm…” she trailed off. What do I say? What do I do? Gah!
Jumping to his feet, he blurted out, “I sprung this on you. I get that. Shouldn’t have done that.”
“No, it’s not that, Derick. I just…it’s just…” Dammit, she was stammering. The memory of Puck was too hot and new, like a match thrown on a powder keg of lust that’d been sitting in a corner, undisturbed for so long that she’d forgotten it existed. The bastard had fallen back into her life, completely unwelcome, and stirred up a hornet’s nest of emotions.
“Well, thanks for the chat. Nice break on the days you come here. I love my fellow officers, but sometimes we know too many details about one another. If I had to listen to one more story about Brian�
��s mother’s digestive problems, I’d have to use my gun on myself.”
Awkward. Ava chuckled self-consciously. Unsure how to respond, she followed his lead and pretended he hadn’t asked her out. “No worries. My door’s always open. If you’re going back on the clock, can you bring over the other guys who got into the fight with Mr. Rossi?”
“Sure thing,” he said. Lifting his coffee cup in a goodbye salute, he stepped out into the hallway. Just before closing the door, he cautioned, “Never a good thing to get sappy about someone we see in here. We gotta remember. They’re here for a reason,” and softly shut it behind him.
Smacking her hand on her forehead, she groaned loudly. She had to get her head on straight quick because she’d let a perfect opportunity pass her by. Hopefully, he wouldn’t avoid her, because next time he stopped by, she intended to ask him out.
Chapter Five
Puck was back in his regular cell. Thank fuck. After almost five days with only his mind and a Bible in a six-by-eight-foot solitary cell, he was about to lose his damn mind. Baring his gritted teeth, he shuddered at the memory of the walls closing in on him. Nah, he was pretty sure he had lost his damn mind. Kingdom, his president, and his old lady, Sage, who was Puck’s lawyer, kept a careful eye on him. Or as much as was possible from the outside. They were most likely the reason he was already back in with gen pop. Pregnant or not, Sage worked relentlessly for him and Whistle.
It’d been hell, but it wasn’t like he’d had much of a choice. For a new inmate like him, a fight was inevitable. The only question was when it was going to go down.
Puck had spent most of the mind-numbing hours focused on Ava, daydreaming about her and…plotting. Hey, it was better than going insane, worrying about how Sammi was holding up, or how he was going to get out of this fuckhole. Lying on the top bunk, over the threadbare piece of cloth the county passed off as a blanket, Puck hung one ankle over the other and went over his plan. There was no doubt in his mind that this was more than a coincidence. They’d lived in the same small city in New York for eight years and never crossed paths. And their paths could’ve crossed because her father was in the Renegades MC. Although not a real club like the Squad, there weren’t that many bikers in this city. They tended to overlap.
But it happened after enough time had passed and they’d both matured. Their stars were finally aligned, and Puck was determined to have her again. Tomorrow, he had an appointment with Sage before his preliminary hearing with Judge Korman. Dumbass that he was, he’d opened his big mouth and answered the arresting officer’s questions in the cop car. His confession was due to the adrenaline rush from taking down Kerri’s abusive ex. His misstep had cost him big because it supplied Korman with enough evidence to go ahead with a grand jury.
Puck shut his eyes. Since he was likely stuck in jail for a good amount of time, he’d convince Sage to get him seen by the social worker. Lucky for him there was only one, and her name was Ava. Once he was alone with her behind closed doors, he’d set his plan into motion.
There was a scuffing of shoes by his door. Eyes snapping open, Puck rolled onto his side. Whistle poked his head in.
“Hey, brother,” he called out to the youngster. “They let you out, too?”
Whistle stepped inside the small space, circled around the open toilet, and jumped up on his bunk bed. Puck moved his long legs, clasped Whistle’s hand and gave him a gruff hug.
“Whattup? You go crazy in there after a few days, or what?” asked Whistle with a chuckle.
“Mad-dog crazy. Fuck, the echoes alone can drive a man insane.”
“Yeah,” Whistle replied. “Good to see you back, brah. I’ve got my preliminary hearing later today. Sage thinks I’ll get bail this time around.”
“Good, I can’t have you around me. You’re too fuckin’ tempting for the motherfuckers up in here.”
Whistle’s gave him a lopsided grin. “You’re jealous, is all.”
“Yeah, that’s it,” he scoffed and smacked him lightly on the side of his head. Whistle had started hanging out at the club at the age of seventeen, although Prez, the president of the Squad at the time, decreed he couldn’t prospect until he was legal. Along with Prez, Puck had adopted Whistle.
“Appreciate what you did for me, getting your ass thrown in here to check up on me. Don’t do it again, though. I need you on the outside. The Box is the hottest spot for MMA fighters, and Loki’s being run ragged, especially with Abby pregnant.” He scratched the growing scruff of his chin. “Cutter was splitting his time between the Squad Bar and the Box, but he was put full-time on the Box. That leaves me alone with the bar, and I was charged with figuring out how to make the place pull in a profit. You need to move in there because some underhanded shit is goin’ on. Live and breathe that fucking place. I need you to do the dreaded liquor inventory. How much stock we have at the beginning of inventory, how much stock we have at the end, and how much stock we receive in between. Not sure if someone’s stealing or giving out product for free, but I kid you fucking not, we ran out of Hennessey.”
“Someone’s stealin’,” said Whistle with a sage nod of his head.
“Can’t jump to any conclusions when we don’t have an inventory usage report, can we? It’s the most popular alcohol we serve. I want your eyes open and everywhere, Whistle. The Squad can’t afford to carry a whale like that for long. Babies are poppin’ out of two old ladies within the year. That makes their men nervous. They want to know they can provide for their families. We gotta hustle and make money.”
“Sure thing, boss man.”
“And you need to settle down,” Puck continued, firming up his tone.
Eyes wide, Whistle pulled back. “Whaaat?”
“You heard me. You’re too fuckin’ wild. How old are you now?”
“Twenty-one, goin’ on twenty-two.”
Puck grimaced. “Yeah, too fuckin’ old to be pulling this shit anymore. At twenty-one years old, I was saving for a down payment on a house. Going to fuckin’ parent-teacher conferences for Sammi. I kid you not, motherfucker. You buy yourself a sleeping bag or borrow Loki’s roll-up bed since he doesn’t use it anymore, and camp out at the bar. Ask Loki how to do inventory, take a class online, I don’t care fuck-all what you gotta do. Do it and figure out why we’re bleeding cash like a gutted heifer.”
“Fucking hell, Puck.”
“Don’t curse at me. I’m the one stuck in here, twiddling my fucking thumbs while the world is going about its business. I’m charging you with a job. You find out something, you come here and tell me. Unless it’s an emergency. Then, you hit up Kingdom. Hear me?”
“Yeah,” Whistle grumbled.
“You’ve been living the high life. Crashing at the club is fine, fucking bitches is normal, but you’ve got to do something with yourself, yo. You won’t be so quick to get your ass back in here if you have goals. I’ve fucked around like you, but I always had my eyes on a prize.”
“Count Time,” was bellowed out into the common area outside their cells. Whistle slipped off the top bunk and landed on his feet. He stepped aside for Puck to join him on the floor, and they walked out of his cell. Each took a side of the entrance, backs to the wall, as the CO strolled down past the cells with clipboard in hand.
Chapter Six
Ava’s door was usually open unless she was in a meeting, in a session, or she had to concentrate on paperwork. She was typing away on her keyboard, updating case reports, when there was a light knock. Glancing up, her fingers lost control when her eyes landed on Puck. What the hell is he doing here?
Officer Bryant prodded Puck inside. “Hey, Ava. How ya doing? Here’s your two o’clock.”
“Uhm…I don’t recall having an individual with Mr. R-rossi this afternoon.” she stumbled a bit over his last name. She pressed her lips together and clenched her fingers into fists.
“I just put them where they tell me,” he said with a shrug.
“My lawyer didn’t contact you?” Puck asked.
&
nbsp; “I don’t think so, but I’ve been swamped since I got in today, so I haven’t checked my voicemail messages yet,” she replied, waving her hand over the piles of case files and other paperwork. “Or done more than glanced at my emails.”
Puck dropped into the chair facing her. “I can explain.”
Ava’s eyes narrowed slightly. She glanced up at Bryant’s bored face and back at Puck’s composed, determined expression. Taking in a deep breath, she asked Bryant to take off his handcuffs. He did so, gave her a nod, and shut the door behind him.
Ava saved her work and logged out of her computer to give herself a chance to process Puck’s presence. Jeez, his size alone was unnerving. He was so much bigger now. Her eyes flicked over the top of her computer screen and then quickly skittered away. Not only was he bulkier, with huge biceps that flexed as he crossed his arms over his broad chest, but he oozed power. The kind that could wriggle through any chink in her armor.
From the first moment she set eyes on him years ago, their attraction had been explosive. Their sex life as well. As much as she hated to admit it, she hadn’t had an orgasm with a man since Puck. She could make herself climax, and she could certainly enjoy herself with men, she’d just never had the two occur simultaneously since him. Another annoyance on her long list of grievances.
Puck's Property: A Bad Boy Biker Romance (The Demon Squad MC Book 5) Page 3
