I was keeping something from her.
My bestie. My rock. The girl I’d called in the middle of the night and cried to after stupid Frank Harrison had cheated on me in twelfth grade. The same girl who had picked me up later that same night so we could cover his stupid, ugly, orange BMW in eggs.
And maybe a brick.
Or two.
Thank you for posting our bail, Law.
Lynn and I were forever friends. I didn’t leave my room for an entire day after she moved down here. That was how upset I was at not having her around, even though it was for the best.
Her piece of crap boss back in Raleigh didn’t respect having a woman that was one of the best mechanics on his team. It had taken a lot of adjusting to get used to seeing each other less, and what helped us get around it was that we told each other everything.
Everything.
Except I’d failed to mention the tall, drop-dead sexy biker who had barged into my shop and charmed me despite my best efforts.
And I wasn’t sure why.
Great. Now I’m lying by omission to my best friend, and lying to myself. Two thumbs up to me.
Because I did know why I hadn’t told her.
With his quiet arrival and his refusal to leave, my unexpected knight had carved out a slice of existence and served it to me on a platter. And it tasted of the most delicious flavor I’d ever known: normalcy.
Those moments were mine. I was reluctant to share them with anyone else because it might taint the memories of them with reality.
He didn’t engage with me because I was Lawson’s baby sister and it would put him in my brother’s good graces.
He didn’t watch me like I might break into pieces, the same way I caught Lynn doing when she thought I wasn’t looking.
He didn’t patronize me when I slipped and told him way too much about why I was there.
Then he complimented me and walked away without so much as telling me his name. Although I hadn’t exactly asked, either. Or made it seem like introductions would be welcome.
“Who’s throwing this party again?” I asked suddenly, trying to ignore the butterflies that quickly overwhelmed my earlier guilt.
Lynn squealed happily, rushing over to grab my hands and pull me to my feet before racing towards my closet. “One of the Sinners.” She ducked inside the walk-in closet and started tossing items over her shoulder. “I knew you would agree.”
Grinning wide, I started arranging things across the bed. “I didn’t actually agree to anything yet.”
“Shut up and find something cute,” she called out. “God, all your stuff is going to look like tiny on me. Maybe it’ll be tight enough to make up for my lack of giant airbags.”
“Hey!” My offense was fake. Judging by the way she stepped out long enough to wag her brows at me, wearing a dopey smile, she knew it.
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
I threw my hands in the air. “How does that even apply here?”
“Stop talking back and grab something with lots of cleavage. The Sinners being there means most of the town being there. Including the men who work out at the mill.” A sound came from the closet that sounded suspiciously like a contented purr. “I appreciate leather as much as the next girl, but flannel? Let me tell you, honey. Right after I find someone who can end your dry spell, I’m climbing a lumberjack like a tree.”
I snickered at the plans she was making without protesting. It would be easier to distract her once she started drinking and cat-calling every hot guy who crossed her line of sight. I was only going to deliver a simple thank you before calling it a night.
Stay on the path, I told myself. Find him. Say it. Get out.
Opening day is calling.
***
Two hours of hair and make-up later—don’t look at me, Lynn took most of that time choosing a dress she could wear without flashing people each time she took a step—we pulled up down the street from what had to be the biggest log cabin in existence.
My extensive research into the kind of luxury homes lining the Swiss Alps made me somewhat of an expert. And by research, I meant I had scrolled through lots and lots of pictures one night when the rebellion in my soul was floating just under my skin.
Nonetheless, my point stood.
Although calling it a cabin was a teensy bit of a disservice.
Picture a giant hunting lodge plucked from a mountain range and placed on several acres of land surrounded by tall pine trees. The end result would be the clubhouse of the most infamous biker gang around.
Lynn turned her car off and a chill went through me, making me shiver in my seat as it really started to sink in.
The Seven Sinners weren't weekend warriors who got together for road trips. They were the real deal. Hardened criminals. And if nothing else spoke to the power they'd accumulated, the scene before me did.
Vehicles of all makes and models lined the streets on either side, but they were outnumbered by the rows upon rows of motorcycles parked out in the open.
They weren't trying to hide, that was for sure. Then again, why would they? From everything Lynn had told me, and I had overhead from my brother’s conversations, they were untouchable.
Briefly, I wondered if the man I’d come to find was with them, but it seemed unlikely. This town was a biker’s heaven, but not every single person on two wheels was part of the club. And while his manners had left something to be desired, he seemed too calm to belong with a horde of angry outlaws.
“Law doesn't know we're here, does he?” I asked, staring out the window.
He would have a stroke if he knew I was going in there. Then he would have another one when he saw the tight, knee-length black dress Lynn had talked me into wearing that dipped towards my sternum in a large V.
Lynn paused her latest application of lip gloss and turned to me, eyes wide. “I know you did not just imply I would snitch on you to your brother.”
“Sorry?”
“You should be. I would never do something that dumb. Time he got done chewing you out he would go off on me. Lord knows once your brother starts ranting he doesn’t know how to stop. That man can wag his tongue until he starts a fire.”
I snickered because she was so, so right.
“Let’s do this,” she said, snapping her clutch closed with a quiet click. “The sooner we get in there, the sooner we aren’t freezing our perfect butts off.”
“Jackets would’ve helped with that,” I reminded her as we stepped out and the cold immediately pulled me into a bear hug.
“God!” I cried, shivering. “It’s freezing.”
“Jackets would’ve ruined the look,” she said quickly, adjusting her silver dress. Then we hustled forward on our heels.
Praise to everything holy the two scary guys standing outside the door let us in after an efficient pat-down. The interior was black, silver and gold. Brightly lit and somehow even bigger than it looked from the outside.
There was a press of bodies everywhere I looked, and the living room had turned into an impromptu dance floor for those taken by the pounding bass. Moving deeper into the crowd with our arms linked, I spotted the kitchen and whistled. The sound barely reached my ears, but I remained impressed. Someone had made sure it acted as an open bar for the occasion.
“Hell. Yes,” said Lynn when a man built like a linebacker cut across in front of us with flannel sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. “I might’ve missed the Christmas party, but this definitely makes up for it.”
She’s a kid in a candy store. At least until other, weirder noises started coming from her as the procession of impressive physiques continued. While she ogled, I looked around, searching for golden brown skin and a neat beard.
My skin prickled with awareness and I glanced up, finding two figures looking down from the exposed second story. The redhead wore a pleasant smile, but the tattoo-covered man wrapped around her was scowling something fierce.
Was he the reason the hairs on my neck were standing on
end?
“Don’t make eye contact,” a voice whispered right next to my ear. It was familiar. Deep. Warm. Sensual. “Word around town is that’s all it takes for him to snack on your soul.”
Fighting a grin, I turned and nearly ate hardwood floors for the effort.
I wasn’t in danger of tripping on my heels.
But there was a good chance the sudden weakness in my knees as I took him in was going to do the job.
His leather jacket was gone, and without it, there was nothing to conceal the weapons he was showing off under his fitted, red t-shirt. The outlines of his pecs were plainly visible, and so were the capped ends of his wide shoulders. Strength radiated from his tall frame, easily supported by the powerful legs forcing black jeans to mold to their shape.
I was a moment away from either fanning myself or stepping back outside. He was seriously too hot for his own good.
The camera flash of his smile detonated between us, and my eyes swept up to curving lips and chocolate eyes tinged with laughter.
I just checked him out super obviously, didn’t I? A flush crept up my neck.
“What brings you here, Smoothie Girl,” he rumbled, voice easily carrying over the music.
Which is when I remembered we weren’t alone this time.
That we were standing on the periphery of a party flooded with people.
That my best friend was standing next to me, mouth hanging open, watching this entire exchange.
“You two know each other?” she asked, sounding beyond shocked.
Whoops.
Chapter Eight
Tone
Brown and green eyes flecked with gold tightened, and her distress was as clear as a second language.
Later, I would wonder why she hadn’t told the blonde beside her about me.
Later, I would question why she was so adamant about not showing me the smile trying to fight its way onto her glossy, pink lips.
For now, I would cover for her.
Sliding to my right, I gave Lynn a quick sideways hug. “Rain isn’t making you burn the midnight oil tonight?”
Creed’s brother—Raymond, but never call him that—wasn’t part of the club, but he was the best mechanic around, so he got all our business anyway. Although if there was anyone who could’ve opened their own garage in Oakdale and given him a run for his money, it would’ve been Lynn. The woman knew her shit for real.
“Save the charm for another day, Tone.” Her hands went to her hips. “How do you know Naomi?”
Finally, a name. Suits her.
I glanced at the dark-haired beauty, fighting to keep my eyes above her neckline. How the fuck had her hoodie seriously hidden those from view? I didn’t know. But there was way too much tanned skin on display for my state of mind.
Naomi’s expression had chilled considerably, and she looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here.
“I don’t,” I lied, staring right at her. She wet her lips and looked away. “Axle spotted his new neighbor and filled me in. It’s not like we get many unknown faces through here. I would like to know her though.”
Chuckling to myself at how her eyes rolled, I extended my hand. She glanced back. Saw it. Did that thing where she focused on my nose.
Finally, her hand lifted, and I folded it inside my grip, enjoying the softness of her skin.
“Tone,” I said, voice rougher than it should’ve been.
What the hell was she doing to me? Beyond spending a passing, forgettable night with one here and there, women didn’t affect me. Not like this.
Not where I found myself giving a single fuck whether they liked me or not.
“Naomi,” she said after I held on long enough for it to be inappropriate. Hazel eyes found our hands, and the corner of her lip twitched upward again.
“Nice to meet you, Naomi.” Her name felt...different on my tongue.
Exotic.
Meaningful.
A blanket of heat seemed to surge around our single point of contact, and she jerked her hand back.
Did she feel the same buzz I did?
Like something below the surface of my palm had woken up?
Lynn shot curious looks back and forth between us, and while I had nothing against her, I wanted her friend to myself.
“There’s a log splitting competition out back,” I said. “Mathias is out there.”
Lynn shoved me. “You’re just telling me this now?” She turned to Naomi and said something that sounded to my ears like gibberish. “Textmeifyouneedanythingbesafeokaybye.”
Then she disappeared in a quick dash made more impressive by the size of her heels.
Naomi shook her head, black curls bouncing around her delicate face. “So, you two obviously know each other. Is she really that easy to figure out?”
“I know most people. You will also, if you stick around. But yeah, Lynn is one of the least complicated women I’ve ever met.”
Naomi shifted on her feet, drawing my eyes to her calves and thighs. I had to swallow a groan. She was so damn tiny. Even standing there in her heels she barely came up to my chest. But there was nothing tiny about those thighs, and damn if that wasn't one of my greatest weaknesses.
"If?" She squared her shoulders. "You say that like I'm planning on going somewhere."
Where does she find room for all that attitude?
"Figure of speech. I meant nothing by it." I stepped closer to her, nostrils flaring. She smelled like peaches and something sweet. I wondered what belonged to her and what lingered from today's creations. "What are you doing here anyway? You didn't strike me as the partying type."
Her brows curved in a perfect arch. "You don't know enough about to me know my type."
I flashed a quick grin, scooting closer still. At some point, she was going to have to look at more than the lower half of my face. “You wanna bet on it?”
“Bet on whether you know anything other than my name?”
“If I can guess three of your truths…” I glanced over her head, towards the writhing bodies in the middle of the floor. I hadn’t missed Creed staring down from on high. An angry shepherd watching his flock. But this was a golden opportunity, and the guests of honor weren’t here yet anyway. “Then you agree to dance with me.”
“I don’t dance,” she said immediately. Except she was working overtime to keep her lips thinned into a line.
When I finally pulled a smile from her, I was going to take a mental snapshot and find a way to laminate the damn thing.
“Bullshit,” I responded, just as quickly. “You had a rhythm going the other morning when you were behind the counter. That means you can follow a beat. I’m not asking you to do anything fancy. That’s truth number one, by the way.”
Someone staggered into the bubble created by my presence, bumping my shoulder. I missed Naomi’s reaction because I was too busy grabbing the younger guy by his arm before he fell flat on his face.
“Good lookin’ out, T-man,” he slurred over his shoulder after I righted him.
My nickname is already four letters. Why do I need another one? I shook my head. Kids these days.
“You’re just full of good deeds, huh?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m not even being a good host. Here I am talking to you, and I haven’t even offered you a drink.” I hiked a thumb towards the kitchen. “What’s your poison? You might be the Smoothie Girl, but I’ve got mad skills with mixed drinks.”
“A beer is fine,” she said, setting off in that direction. “I need to be up early anyway.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I had to chase a woman, but I trailed right after her without questioning it.
“Why’s that? You got someone else to spy on?” I asked a little louder than was strictly necessary.
She wore no paint on her short nails, but I couldn’t miss the middle finger she raised in the air. I laughed simply because I knew it would annoy her, and her pace increased.
I cut in front of her befo
re we got to the kitchen, pulling the overturned table acting as a partition out of the way and waving her in. “After you.”
“Thanks,” she said softly, passing close enough that her arm brushed my chest. Did she suck in a sharp breath, or was my mind playing tricks on me?
“Yo, Mace.” The short biker wearing a gallon-sized cowboy hat handed off the shots he had finished pouring and glanced at me and the woman now leaning against the center island. I cleared my throat and he got the hint without me having to be rude about it.
Or ruder, I supposed. But given how most of these savages would’ve hit him with an unkind, fuck off, I figured I was being polite enough.
Once he was gone, I sealed us in, ignoring the groaning from the peanut gallery. The top shelf stuff was back here, but there were enough kegs scattered about for them to make do.
Feeling her assessing gaze following my every move, I opened the fridge and grabbed two cans at random. When I turned, hazel eyes snapped up to mine, watching me carefully. I considered posting up on the other side of the island, then thought better of it.
Whether she knew it or not, we were doing battle. I wasn’t going to get anywhere wandering around inside the fog of war created by her cold shoulder. It was time to go on the offensive.
I stepped right into her personal space, close enough she had to look up. “What’s on your mind?” I placed the cold can down beside her and popped the top of my own.
“Honestly?” she asked.
That was probably rhetorical but…
“Honesty would be preferable.” I took a quick sip to hide my amusement.
She sighed, opening the can in front of her. “I walked right into that one. But fine. I’m thinking about you.”
Surprise had cold liquid going down the wrong pipe, and my chest burned from holding in the cough that wanted to come out.
“Me?” Reigning in my shock was hard work. Somehow, I managed.
Naomi sniffed her open beer before she drank from it. I didn’t know what the hell it was for, but I was all about it.
“You were right.” She scowled. Either at me, or the admission. “I’m not huge on parties. Big crowds make my hands sweat and I get a little dramatic about it.”
Tempted by a Sinner (Seven Sinners Book 4) Page 7
