by J. L. Leslie
She laughs at this, nodding her head. “Yes. I’m anxious for him to get back from San Diego.”
I can play the gentleman and accept that she chose him over me. He was part of the life she always wanted to live. With me, she had to hide who she really was. With him, I guess she lives her life as a Raven out in the open.
“What are you doing at Diesel’s? I never took this place as your scene.”
“Meeting someone.” I don’t tell her who. Dax may decide to fill Raiden in on my business with the Ravens, but I prefer to keep what I’m doing to myself.
I honestly haven’t decided if I’m making the right decision or not. I know that I’m playing a dangerous game. Things used to always be black and white for me, no gray in between. Then somehow the colors got blurry.
“Katy’s right over there at our table,” she tells me. “Come on, we’ll walk over together.”
I shake my head. “I’m not here to meet up with her.”
“So, you’re both being stubborn assholes?” she sighs.
“I can assure you, I don’t need relationship advice from my ex,” I scoff. “You can run along and sell some weapons or something.”
Raiden playfully punches my arm, and I let out a laugh. “If I were giving you relationship advice, it would be to snatch her up before your competition does.”
She gives me a pointed look, then walks away. My eyes follow her as she heads over to a table where Sully and Katy are sitting. They’re not alone though. I see now why she said what she did. Damn it.
~Katy~
I sip the beer Kane hands to me, despite the fact that I’m already pretty tipsy, and despite the fact that I think he’s a total asshole. After he picked me up at Wal-Mart, he dropped me off at Leon’s garage.
When Alexandria–Sully–finished up at work, we went jewelry shopping. Not regular jewelry shopping though. Special jewelry for her hoo-ha piercing. Well, hers and Lincoln’s piercing as well. I haven’t decided what to call his. I don’t want to go around calling it a cock piercing. I certainly don’t feel comfortable calling it ‘The Vinger” or ‘Linc’s Ding-A-Bling’ like Sully does. Needless to say, we had a detailed conversation about how pleasurable Lincoln’s ding-dong ring is, which prompted us to come to Diesel’s for drinks. Apparently, we were in need of a girls’ night out after discussing how his new vibrating jewelry is going to work.
It didn’t take much convincing for Raiden to join us when she finished her shift at Mercy Memorial Hospital. Shortly after that, some Ravens showed up. Now, Sully is sitting in Lincoln’s lap, grinning at me, and I can barely look at him. Damn it, Sully.
“They’re like fucking rabbits,” Kane grumbles. “Why don’t we go shoot a game of pool or something? Get the hell away from these two.”
“Um, yeah, sure,” I answer.
I’m a little wary of the man I know now to be Kane Bryce. Sully seemed to be surprised that he was the one who came to get me instead of passing the job off to a prospect. She said he’s been patched in for quite a while, so he could’ve ordered any prospect there to do it.
As I follow him, my eyes go from the Raven on his back to the tattoos on his head. I realize that it’s a skull with flames around it as though the flames burned the flesh off the bone. I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would tattoo their head. Then again, my sister pierced her hoo-ha. Not something I would do.
Kane racks while I grab two pool sticks. I haven’t played in a while, but while I was in L.A., it was my favorite pastime. I was rarely allowed outside the Sinners’ clubhouse. Mack controlled every aspect of my life. If I left the clubhouse, it was with him and only him.
“You can break,” Kane tells me.
I hand him a pool stick and line up my shot. As I lean over the table, my eyes drift towards the bar. Blue eyes gaze back at me. A frown mars Griffin Knowles’ handsome face. I straighten up for a moment, staring back at him, then lean back down and take my shot.
It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve spoken to Griffin. When I first got here, we were practically inseparable. I leaned on him a lot. He helped me get settled into my apartment. He was the person who took me to reunite with my sister. He was the man I called on a daily basis, and he calmed my fears. Gave me reassurance.
I was able to talk to him, and it was nice. He understands in a way that Sully doesn’t. He knows how badly I needed to escape and how much I’m still trying to. Then he tried to kiss me, and I panicked. Not that I didn’t want him to kiss me, but because it could ruin everything.
“Why you staring at that dickhead?” Kane questions me. “You got something going with the DA?”
“I thought you were the strong, silent type,” I comment, raising an eyebrow at him.
He cocks his eyebrow right back. “I just call it like I fucking see it.”
“I don’t have anything going with the DA.”
“You wish you did,” he replies, and maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but I find myself feeling a little braver than I normally am as I walk over to take my shot. I push against his side, nudging him out of the way.
“Not sure how it’s any of your business. You have club whores sucking you off at your beck and call, right?”
“That’s their job,” he smirks, and his hand smacks me hard on my ass, causing me to miss. “Why, you jealous?”
I let out a yelp and jerk upright. My ass stings and my face heats with anger. I give him a hard shove to his chest, but he doesn’t budge.
“Don’t you fucking touch me again.”
“Don’t put your ass out there as an invitation to be touched,” he warns. “Now, get out of my way. It’s my shot.”
I step away from him, still simmering. It pisses me off that I can’t tell if my face is heated from anger now, or from arousal. I refuse to be attracted to Kane Bryce.
~Kane~
Katy glares at me, breathing hard. I can tell she’s frustrated because she liked it. She’s a woman who thrives in this type of surrounding, despite trying to appear that she’s withering in it. She’s a lot like her sister. This comes naturally to her. Sully has embraced it. This woman denies it.
Damn, it makes me want to know her story. Find out why she’s running from this life when it’s holding its arms out for her. Welcoming her. Calling out to her.
I know this life is for me. I tried to run from it once. I was caught up in some bad shit when I was a teen. The gang I was affiliated with in New York was no fucking joke. Hence, the tattoos on my head.
Once I accepted that this is who I am, I was no longer afraid of it, I was free. I may still have some demons, but they don’t haunt me. They simply live with me.
As we continue to play, I grab a couple more beers from the waitress that passes us. Katy seems hesitant, but she accepts. I know beer is a great way to loosen a woman up. Katy McGuire is definitely one of the most uptight bitches I’ve ever met.
“Eight ball. Corner pocket,” she says, cocking an eyebrow at me. See, like I said, loosening up.
“Doubt it.” She sinks it, and I roll my eyes, teasing her. “That smack to your ass is what helped.”
She scoffs. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, trust me, it did. You play good when you’re pissed.”
Her cheeks flush, and I swear, she’s fucking adorable. I’m not a man who thinks women are adorable. I either think you’re good looking or ugly. I really don’t go for that poetic shit of being beautiful or gorgeous. Adorable is not a word I ever speak out loud. But, in this moment, Katy McGuire is adorable.
She’s slightly tipsy, her blue eyes glassy. Her brown hair has a little wave to it from how she’s getting a touch sweaty in this bar. Her cheeks are pink, and she breathes as though she’s just out of breath, exhilarated from playing pool.
“I’m not pissed,” she denies, not wanting me to know that I affected her in any kind of way. I know that I have.
“Aroused then?”
“Definitely not.”
I laugh at this and offer to play h
er another game. When she loses, I tell her it’s because I didn’t smack her ass. She’s annoyed. I can see it all over her fucking adorable face.
“Another?” she challenges, and I nod.
I stand behind her as she breaks, enjoying the view of her behind in her tight jeans. Before she straightens up, I smack my palm over her left ass cheek. She jerks around, breathing hard, her lips parted. Definitely arousal.
I smirk. “Just helping your game.”
Chapter Five
~Griffin~
“You’re scowling,” Lincoln says as he approaches me. “It’s becoming your natural look.”
I ignore him and take a sip of my beer. I do tear my gaze away from the pool tables. If Katy wants to allow that fucking Neanderthal to manhandle her, that’s her damn business. I don’t have to watch it happen.
“If you want to lay claim to her, then fucking do it,” Lincoln advises.
“Is that how you bikers do it?” I sneer. “All caveman like? I don’t need to beat on my chest and throw a woman over my shoulder to let her know she’s mine.”
Lincoln leans against the bar beside me. “Well, whatever it is you’re doing, it isn’t working. It didn’t work with Raiden, and it isn’t working with Katy.”
See why I fucking hate him? “What the hell makes you think that I need a woman in my life, Lincoln?”
He shrugs at this, a smirk on his face. “I know I’m fucking beautiful, man, but we only see each other so often.”
“I know you love me,” I grin.
“Keep smiling like that and I’ll have to bend you over my knee,” he warns.
“Please do. I love it when you get rough,” I deadpan and hear a snort behind me. Katy fights back a smile as she looks between Lincoln and me. I hadn’t even realized she was finished with her pool game. Lincoln shakes his head as he saunters off.
“I just need to get to the bar,” she explains, her arm brushing against mine as she flags Diesel down.
“Having a good time?” I ask, taking a sip of my beer. She nods, and I can’t help the jibe that slips from my mouth. “Must feel like old times for you.”
I see her swallow. See the way she averts her gaze down to her hands that are resting on the bar. See the slight tremble in her fingertips. Shit.
“Katy…”
Instead of ordering, she leaves the bar. I watch her grab a jacket from the table she was at, then she slips away from Sully and Raiden. I don’t know that they even realize she’s exiting Diesel’s, not just going to the bathroom or something.
I turn and put my beer on the bar before following after her. She’s waiting just outside the entrance, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Katy, Jesus Christ, you can’t just leave without letting someone know.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “I did.”
Her answer is snippy, her tone sharp. I run a hand through my hair, breathing out a sigh. “I apologize for what I said. I shouldn’t have brought up your past.”
Her glare softens, but she doesn’t uncross her arms. “I know I thanked you for finding me, Griffin, but maybe I should’ve stayed where I was. I’m not certain who I am here.”
I step to her, cupping her face with my hands. My face is so close to hers. I should tell her that she gets to be whoever she wants to be now. To hell with that. I should just kiss her. But I won’t. She’s already easing away from me.
“My ride is ready.”
Her words sink in as she steps toward Kane. She gives me one last glance over her shoulder as she follows him.
Maybe I should beat on my chest and yell that she’s mine. Damn it.
~Katy~
My heart pounds in my chest as I walk away from Griffin. My head is screaming for me to turn around, go back to him. That leaving with Kane could be the biggest mistake of my life. I should look at the photos on my phone to remind myself of what being with a biker can do to a person. To me.
For some reason, my feet don’t listen to what my head is telling them to do. Some part of me is overriding everything else. They continue to follow Kane until I’m climbing on his bike behind him.
I wrap my arms around his waist as he pulls away, heading in the direction of the Ravens’ clubhouse. Sully will pick me up from there shortly. As I hold on tight, memories of being on the back of a bike flood my brain. When I rode with Kane earlier, I tried not to think about it, but now that alcohol is flooding my system, it’s hard not to.
Sully and I grew up in a small town in Tennessee. I had seen a bike before, but had never been on one. Riding with Mack that first time was so incredible. So exciting. It was exhilarating, fun and sexy. He had only driven me around in his truck before. Said he wanted to show me he could be a gentleman. That being a biker didn’t mean he wouldn’t treat me the way I deserved to be treated.
The night he took me out on his bike was the night everything changed between us. He was different from the boys I had dated in high school. I knew there was something dangerous lying beneath the surface with him, but I wasn’t afraid of him.
When he drove me home on his bike, I had thrown caution to the wind and invited him inside. He was my first, and he was my only. I thought I loved him.
The bike comes to a halt, and Kane kills the engine, effectively killing my trip down memory lane too. I place my hands on his shoulders as I get off. The clubhouse is somewhat quiet when we walk in. Most of the members are either at Diesels or I assume out on patrol or in San Diego. Raiden said that was where Luka was.
Kane heads straight for the bar and grabs a bottle of whiskey. I notice he doesn’t get any glasses when he sits down on a barstool. I look around, suddenly feeling out of place when he calls my name. He motions for me to come sit down beside him. Kane slides the whiskey bottle over to me once I’m settled on the barstool beside him.
“Thought you didn’t have anything going with the DA,” he comments.
I take a sip from the bottle and shake my head. “I don’t.”
“Didn’t look that way when I walked outside of Diesels. Looked like you two might want to bump uglies any second.”
“You have such a way with words, Kane.”
“I don’t sugarcoat shit,” he replies, taking the bottle back.
We go back and forth like this for a while. He says something, takes a sip. I say something, take a sip. He’s not exactly being the strong, silent type Sully mentioned.
We don’t get into any deep conversation, but it feels good to talk to him. Eventually, our conversation becomes one that I didn’t think I would be having with him.
“I personally prefer The Fast and the Furious over Gone In 60 Seconds,” I say, and his eyes go wide.
“How is that possible? Gone In 60 Seconds has Eleanor. I mean, it’s Eleanor.”
I laugh, then take the last sip from the bottle. “I know, but it doesn’t have Vin Diesel. Sexy, muscled, and bald.”
He arches an eyebrow, and I laugh, realizing what I just indicated. My head is starting to swim from all the alcohol I’ve consumed tonight. I sway on the barstool as Kane stands and approaches me. He turns me, jerking me to him until my legs are straddling his waist. His fingertips skim over my denim-clad thighs.
“I was talking about Vin Diesel, not you.” I put my hands on his chest, but it doesn’t stop him from leaning forward and capturing my mouth with his. Electricity zings through me. My body feels as though it’s on fire as flames lick down my arms and legs. I moan against his lips, returning his kiss for just a moment, before pushing him away. It’s too much. I can’t, not with him.
He grins. “Katy, I’m sexy, muscled, and bald.”
He lifts me off the barstool and crashes his mouth against mine. I can feel his erection pressing against me as he walks. My protests are lost, and I already know that I’ll blame this mistake on the empty whiskey bottle sitting on the bar.
Chapter Six
~Griffin~
I practically growl as the dust settles around my car. Things didn’t improve as I
returned inside Diesel’s last night. Ian agreed to work with me, but not until he hears it from Dax that he should. I’m offering to take him off supervised probation and do away with all his fines, and he’s balking. Idiot.
I stop at the door to the Ravens’ clubhouse and look up at the security camera before heading inside. According to Lincoln, Eddie set up the place with high-tech security after the Rykers blew up Victoria’s Diner. Now, the security camera always sees who comes and goes. If they don’t want to let me in, I won’t be allowed in.
“He’s in his office.” I’m informed by a guy who’s still rubbing his eyes. I suppose it’s still early, but I have other things to do today. I can’t wait around on the Ravens to decide to wake up and get moving.
I walk down the hall and stop for a moment when a door opens. Kane comes out, buttoning his pants as he walks. I wait for him to pass me in the hall before continuing to Dax’s office. When I pass his door, my step falters, and I double back. Katy sits on the edge of his bed, her hair mussed. She doesn’t see me at first, probably because she’s looking for her jeans.
“They’re in front of the dresser there.” I point out through gritted teeth.
The look in her ocean-blue eyes is of pure guilt. Shame. “Griffin–”
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” I interrupt her. “You don’t owe me anything.”
I leave when she stands. Seeing her like that, in her shirt and panties, makes me want to strip her down. Get every single mark of him off of her. Lay claim to her, as Lincoln put it.
She calls my name as I enter Dax’s office. I ignore her and close the door behind me. Dax has a printed map of California spread out over his desk. He’s using a marker to make pinpoints. When I sit down, he begins folding them up.
“You know, there are apps for that,” I retort, and he rolls his eyes.
“Everyone always wants to be digital. Digital can be traced,” he replies.
“As long as you don’t make one of those pinpoints in Verdana, I don’t give a shit what you do.”
