Sinful Biker

by Terri Lane

  "My soon to be ex-wife," Jimmy said.

  "She's here?" Riley asked.

  Linne nodded.

  "Well, let her in. We're all dressed," Jimmy said.

  Linne unlocked the door and the woman barged in, "Well, I'm wondering why the door was locked!"

  "Honey, I always lock the doors when I'm having conversations with my students."

  "That may be so, I don't know, but I doubt it," she replied. "What are you doing with these two, again?"

  "I had extra questions that Linne couldn't answer about the coursework," Riley told her, extending a hand outwards, towards the soon to be ex-wife.

  "I think you should go," Jimmy told her.

  She said, "I will, fine, I will!"

  Linne reached out a hand and guided her to the door, but then a group of men entered, pushing her back. There were three of them and they looked to be brothers with brunette hair and brown eyes, tan skin, and bulging muscles.

  Jimmy's eyes went wide as they pushed his soon to be ex wife to the side.

  "What are you here for?" Jimmy asked.

  "We heard this is where to find the shifter," the main in the lead said.

  Jimmy shook his head, "You're barking up the wrong tree."

  One man said, "See this?" He lifted up his shirt and a fresh burn could be seen all across his torso. "You'll pay for that."

  "I told you, I—" Jimmy was cut off by one of the men approaching him so close that he was able to punch Jimmy square in the mouth. Jimmy popped back up and had his hands in front of his face, guarding. Riley jumped a second man and got his head in a sleeper hold and yelled out.

  Riley said, "Hurt him again and your friend gets hurt!"

  Linne ran to the phone system near the door and grabbed it, calling for the campus security.

  Jimmy threw a punch when it was apparent the hostiles had no intent of backing down. It didn't connect with his opponent but gave them an opening to attack Jimmy's middle. Jimmy was then taken backwards while Riley choked out his opponent and brought him gently to the ground before setting his sights on the third man, who was about to attack Jimmy.

  Riley backhanded the other man, then pushed him into a row of desks, causing a flurry of moving wood and metal as the other man fell into the desks.

  Riley jumped onto him with his elbow protruding and hit him over the head with his bony elbow, then jumped off of him, checking to see that he was down.

  Then, he turned his sights on the man attacking Jimmy. He walked up to him from behind him and poked him on the shoulder. The man turned and Riley punched him across the jaw. The man fell down with a thud just as campus security ran through the door.

  "No need," Riley said.

  One of the security guards asked as he looked around, "What happened here?"

  "There were some guys trying to threaten us and Riley and Ji—" Linne stopped herself and then said, "Professor Hawthorne fought them!"

  "That is what happened," said the other woman in the room, Jimmy's soon to be ex-wife.

  "Then we need to book 'em," said the guard. Then, to the other campus security guard, said, "Call the police."

  "I can't take this!" said the blonde woman.

  "Please go down to our security office and file a report," the security guard told Jimmy's soon to be ex-wife.

  "I'm out of here!" she said in a huff.

  "Don't worry," Jimmy said as he looked at Riley and Linne. "We'll stick around."

  Linne looked to Jimmy with her amber eyes and a smile while Riley nodded.

  That they would.

  THE END

  = Bonus Book 20 of 20 =

  Brother Blues -

  Stepbrother MC Biker

  Time seemed to pass so very slowly. Kathy sighed and tapped her fingers on the wooden table. The room was quiet, save for the dull whirl of the fan overhead. She could hear her mother in the kitchen, the soft murmur of voices and the clashing of pans. It was normal, it was ordinary and it was comfortable.

  Well, it would be, if they were not waiting for someone to arrive. The waiting made Kathy anxious. She shifted in her seat, glanced at the clock and bit her lip. She was tired of waiting, but she still had over half an hour to go. Too long, far too long. She glanced at the door to the kitchen. Reassured that no one was about to pop in, she leaned on the table, a habit her mother had always hated.

  The room was just as she remembered it being when she was a child. Cozy, warm and suburban, about twenty years out of fashion and very homey. It was the table that she had sat at for most of her life. Eating dinner and talking with her parents. It was the table that she had sat at for hours on end as she frantically tried to complete huge projects that just didn’t seem to want to be finished.

  It brought back a slew of memories and it made Kathy smile, even now. She had had a good childhood, there was no doubt about it. Sedate and comfortable and safe. She had a similar life now, comfortable and ordinary, working a nine to five job, renting a little apartment and going through the motions. It was safe, it was comfortable, but now, there was an unknown factor coming into her world.

  The last year or so had been a little bit of a whirlwind for Kathy in terms of her parents’ situation. She had never expected the happy couple to divorce, but the fact that the split was so amicable had made things a little easier. It was easy to see that they had been drifting apart for a while, and both just thought it best to go their separate ways now that Kathy was all grown up. She could not find it in her heart to hold it against them. It was their happiness, their lives, at stake. She had no right to complain.

  When her mother, June, had decided to marry again, Kathy had been happy for her. She was a lovely woman and the man who she had met, Joe, seemed nice enough. He was a sedate man from the suburbs, just like her dad was. He worked a nice office job, was modest and kind and very ordinary. He had his pension all set up, had sensible goals for the future, like one holiday per year and a smaller home for his retired years. He was all the things that her mom seemed to want out of a man, and Kathy was left wondering why her mother hadn’t just stayed with her Dad, if she wasn’t looking for anything different.

  The wedding had been a sweet affair, pretty and simple and intimate and Kathy had been thrilled to be a part of her mother’s special, special day. It made her heart soar to see her happy, even though she could not hope to math her mother’s joy.

  The day was marred only by the fact that Joe’s son had not bothered to show up. Joe only had one son, a man around Kathy’s age. Alex. Joe did not talk about Alex much, but when he did, he spoke fondly of his childhood years. They seemed to get along well, at least, from the way Joe spoke about him. Yet he had not shown up to his own father’s wedding and that had left a bad taste in Kathy’s mouth.

  Alex. She knew that he used to love machinery and cars when he was little. She knew that he was brilliant in math. She knew that he was about her age, and that he had taken things a little hard when his mother had passed away. But that was all. Any other details had been lost. And now, almost a year after the wedding, Kathy was going to meet him.

  Alex apparently lived in the same town as Kathy, which was a bit of a drive from her parents’ home. Her mother had picked her up, and planned to drop her off again after dinner, seeing as Kathy didn’t see much of a point keeping a car in a city, where the public transport was pretty great. Alex didn’t seem to visit them much, but he happened to be in town today.

  Kathy had a sneaky suspicion that Joe had really pushed for this, whether for Kathy’s sake, or for June’s, she wasn’t sure. There was a determined set to his jaw, even when he greeted her with a big smile. Joe was a nice guy, but all parents could get firm, Kathy supposed. So now, she was sitting at the kitchen table, while June and Joe were busy in the kitchen, preparing the meal and setting things up.

  Kathy was left feeling nervous and unsure of what the rest of the day would bring. She had never met Alex, and she wasn’t all that fond of him, seeing as though he had missed such an impor
tant day, and not shown up since then.

  She imagined him walking in, a big shot with a great job and no time for his family. Her blood boiled at the thought that his parents might have worked hard to put him through school and this was the thanks that his father was getting.

  Still, Kathy took a deep breath and calmed herself as best she could. This was really important to her mom, and she was in no mood to spoil it for her. Her mother deserved happiness and Joe was a nice guy. She resolved to put aside her differences and be friendly.

  Her mother bustled in only moments later, a smile on her face as she put down a few dishes and a roast chicken. It was Sunday, which was the day for having a roast, in June’s opinion.

  “Want some help, mom?” Kathy smiled.

  “No, no, no…you sit.” June smiled and went back to gathering more plates. Joe came out of the kitchen, hands full of glasses, balancing a pitcher of water and setting it all down. When June came out of the kitchen with the last plate, he smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder, “Thanks, June.”

  She smiled, shaking her head, “You did just as much as me!”

  Kathy smiled. The way they looked at each other warmed her heart. They were good for each other and it was nice to see Joe helping her mother out. She liked knowing that her mother was being looked after, especially since she lived the next town over.

  Kathy was so lost in thought that when the doorbell rang, she almost jumped out of her skin. She gasped and rested a hand against her chest, blushing at her own shock.

  Thankfully, no one seemed to notice. June jumped almost as much as Kathy did and Joe turned to the sound. There was a moment where no one moved. The air crackled with nervous energy and there was another moment of silence before June moved towards the door, “That must be Alex!” Her voice was chirpy and bright, but there was a worry beneath it that Kathy didn’t understand.

  Her mother moved out of sight and so did Joe. Kathy pushed herself to her feet, not wanting to seem lazy, but not wanting to come across as too eager. She wanted to be friendly, not creepy.

  “Alex, so good of you to make it!” Her mother’s voice was the picture of suburban hospitality, warm and polite.

  “Yeah. Thanks.” A voice rumbled through into the kitchen, deep and low. Kathy’s eyes widened in surprise as the sound sent a shiver through her. She cursed herself and straightened up, hoping no one would notice.

  “Kitchen’s just through here, son.” Joe was talking now, “You’ll want to meet Kathy.”

  “Sure.”

  When Alex walked through the door, Kathy thought that her heart was going to stop. Alex was absolutely nothing like she had expected. She had expected a slick man with an office job, sedate and safe, if a little bit arrogant. She expected a dispassionate man who didn’t care much about his family. She expected a younger version of her father or a man like all of the others she knew.

  She had not expected this. He was tall, easily towering over his father. He had broad shoulders, wide set and strong and Kathy could tell that he worked out. Really worked out, not ran on the treadmill for ten minutes before calling it a day. He wore a black shirt and a leather jacket clung to his skin.

  Dark eyes flashed as they met hers and his hair was dark and terribly cool. It wasn’t cut for an office job, it wasn’t ordinary. Nothing about him was ordinary. His boots his the floor with a thud as he walked into the kitchen.

  Kathy was struck by how out of place he looked in her mother’s kitchen. This cozy, average little house where children had been raised just did not fit with Alex, wild and tall and crackling with a dangerous type of electricity that seemed to emanate from his skin and curl around everything in its path.

  Kathy felt a flash of heat cross her cheeks and burn down her body until it found its place between her thighs. He was gorgeous. He was nothing like anyone she had ever met. He was her stepbrother and this was ridiculous.

  Clearing her throat, Kathy was suddenly very conscious of her outfit, of the way her dress clung to her curves, revealed her cleavage and stopped just above the knee. It was definitely modest enough for family dinner. It was polite and it was decent, but she suddenly wondered if it was the right choice. Was it modest enough, flattering enough, sexy enough without being slutty?

  Kathy felt terribly warm. Still, she smiled, “Hello. You must be Alex.” She moved from behind the table, offering her hand, “I’m Kathy. Lovely to meet you.”

  Alex stared at her for a moment and it felt like his eyes were boring straight through her clothing, staring at her skin and stripping her bare. He raised an eyebrow and left her hand hanging there between them for what felt like an uncomfortably long time. Then he took it in his own, a smirk on his features.

  The smile definitely did not reach his eyes as he brought her hand to his lips in a mockery of a kiss, “Charmed.” There was a teasing lilt to his voice that did not feel entirely friendly, did not feel entirely like he was being friendly at all.

  There was a predatory look in his eyes, something dark and disconcerting and Kathy slowly drew her hand away. For a moment, there was silence, as if June and Joe didn’t really know what they were meant to do about dinner.

  Then June seemed to compose herself and smiled, “Please, take a seat.”

  With a shrug, Alex pulled one out and sat down. He picked the chair right at the head of the table, without a second thought. Like he was head of the family, like he knew he belonged there and didn’t expect anyone to interfere with him, to challenge him.

  Well he had another thing coming. Kathy smiled, reminding herself to be friendly, to be polite, to make him feel welcome, “Alex, Mom prepared a place for you especially. Just over here.” She tapped the table lightly before pulling out the chair for him.

  Alex looked her over, looking almost amused, but not quite, “I’m pretty comfortable here, sweetheart.” His voice was just as low and deep as she remembered from the introductions, and yet somehow, it seemed to have grown soft, so soft that Kathy was sure no one else could hear him speak.

  Her heart thudded in her chest as anger reared its head, “Well, that’s where Joe sits.”

  “My old man won’t mind.” He seemed too self-assured, so confident in himself and his place that Kathy wanted to scream. Alex shrugged, leaning back into the chair as if it belonged to him. This was her mother’s house, her childhood home and this man, this man who had not even bothered to show up to his father’s wedding, was acting like he owned the same place.

  Anger burnt within Kathy, and as she opened her mouth to retaliate, to tell him exactly where to get off, she felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder. It was an unspoken warning and Kathy knew it. Her mother wanted so badly for this to go well, for Alex to like her.

  Kathy loved her mother with all of her heart and she could not bear to disappoint her. So she closed her mouth and swallowed her retort, the acid lingering on her tongue and burning on the way down. She felt sick, backing off like this and letting this man have his way, but she couldn’t disappoint her mother.

  She needed to be friendly and polite. The manners that she had been brought up to use threw water onto the flames of anger. She sighed and folded her hands in her lap, tightly beneath the table. Joe pulled up another chair and smiled. There was worry in his eyes and Kathy could tell that he was stressed about the whole situation.

  Kathy couldn’t say she blamed him. Here he was, trying to impress his new wife and her daughter, being the perfect gentleman, doing everything her mother could possibly ask for, and now his son was here, being rude and arrogant and painting his father in a terrible light.

  He pulled out a chair for June and pushed her in before he started to carve up the chicken and dish it all up. After serving up June, he served up Alex and Kathy and then himself. He poured the drinks and sat down.

  “Thank you for making dinner, June.” He repeated the praise from earlier and Kathy could see her mother flush with pleasure.

  Alex made a dismissive sort of noise and began to eat
, without waiting for anyone else. Kathy had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying anything. Her mother would not want her to make a scene, after all. She would want this to run smoothly and Kathy would do everything she could to honor that… but if she was ever left alone with him, she would be giving him a piece of her mind! Who did he think he was, being so disrespectful to everyone? He didn’t own the place, in fact, he’d never even been there. The least he could manage was a thank you to her mother, and to his own father.

  Steeling herself, Kathy smiled, “Yes, thanks, Mom. And Joe, thank you for serving up.”

  She shot herself a dark glance at Alex. To her annoyance, he just smirked, his eyes flashing with something, Kathy wasn’t sure what. Anger, amusement? Something else?

  He oozed confidence, strong and arrogant and he knew he had power over the situation. Kathy glanced over his jacket, noticing, for the first time, the patches that littered his jacket. They were familiar, but Kathy could not quite place why.

  Familiar. She had seen jackets like his around her town. With a start, she realized that he was wearing biker’s patches. He was part of the big motorcycle club that ran in her city. Her heart thudded in her chest at the thought. Excited, worried. No wonder Joe hadn’t talked much about his son’s work or hobbies.

  As Kathy looked up, Alex caught her eye and grinned, “Like what you see?” He spoke with an easy confidence, low and soft, but somehow heard by everyone in the room.

  Kathy found a blush rising to her cheeks, “Isn’t it a bit warm to be wearing a jacket?” She shot back, a cool edge to her tone even as she smiled a polite, friendly smile.

  He grinned as he caught on to her train of thought, “Never too hot to be without it.” He smirked, “But if you insist.”

  It was as if Joe and June has disappeared from the room altogether. Kathy’s eyes widened as Alex moved. He pulled off his leathers, revealing the toned muscles beneath and making Kathy feel glad that she was sitting down.

  Her knees trembled as he moved, revealing toned muscles and dark streaks of tattoos that marked his skin. He was like no one she had ever known. None of the guys at her school, or in her neighborhood had ever held this type of magnetism, this bold confidence that Alex seemed to shoulder with ease.