by T. O. Smith
For Riley, my reason for everything that I do.
For those of you who followed me to Amazon from Inkitt, you guys are absolutely amazing.
And for those of you who read Ink and decided to continue reading, thank you!
OTHER BOOKS BY T.O. SMITH
Bloody Royals MC Trilogy
Bloody Royals
Black Skulls
Bloody Black Skulls
Saving Tracey Duet
Saving Tracey
Unexpected Babies Duet
A New Start
His Secret
Savage Crows MC
Ink
Sabotage
Hatchet
Copper
Ghost
Alex
Shifter Series
His To Claim
His To Tame
His To Adore
Holiday Short Stories
Christmas With Her Marine
Valentine’s Day With Valentino
Rescuing Eloise
Boss
Carter & Lacie
Silver
Little Reaper
His Dead Bride
Salvatore
Grangers Duet: 2-in-1
Broken Duet: 2-in-1
After Four Years
Protecting Natalie
Chained
Bridget
©May 2021. T.O. Smith. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design: Canva
Editing: T.O. Smith
Proofreading: Taylor Jade
ISBN-10: 8747777262
ISBN-13: 979-8747777262
I sat at the counter, waiting impatiently for the girl behind the bar to make her way down to my end of the counter. There had just been a shift change, which meant things were going a bit insane at the moment.
"I'm so sorry for your wait." Someone said from in front of me when I stared back down at the bar. "How can I help you?"
I jerked my head up to stare at the beautiful, young woman in front of me. She was young – probably twenty-one or twenty-two. She was a bit of a plain Jane – probably didn't really catch attention from many men – but those eyes – fuck, those beautiful, green eyes struck a goddamn cord in me that I didn't even know existed.
And that long black hair – Jesus Christ, I just wanted to wrap that hair around my hand as I fucked that pretty little mouth of hers.
"What's your name?" I asked her, completely forgetting the reason I was at the bar to begin with.
She arched an eyebrow at me as she silently pointed to the name tag on her right breast. I only arched an eyebrow right back at her. "If I wanted to read your name tag, sweetheart, I would have. What's your name?" I asked again.
"Lex." She informed me a bit snappily.
My balls tightened as I thought about groaning her name as I pounded in and out of her from behind, that black hair wrapped around my fist.
Fuck.
"Never seen you around before, sweetheart," I said as I sensually ran my eyes over her. She was so small compared to me – both build and height-wise.
And that struck a protective chord in me.
She shrugged. "I'm new to town." She informed me. "Do you want something to drink or nah?" She asked. “Cause if not, I have other customers I need to serve.”
I tilted my head the slightest bit as I studied her. Those beautiful, green eyes were darkened – guarded – hiding secrets.
"I want you," I told her bluntly.
Her eyes widened as her breath hitched in her throat. I guessed she didn't get that much, but I was a sucker for eyes. And hers drew me in.
"I'm not looking for anything." She told me once she composed herself again.
I smirked at her as I stood up from my stool, getting ready to head back to my table where Grave, Scorpion, and Alex were sitting. "Tough, sweetheart. I want you, and I always get what I want." I warned her.
Those beautiful, green eyes widened in shock as she stared at me with those fuckable lips slightly parted in surprise. I leaned across the bar and ran the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip.
"Until we meet again, sweetheart," I said softly before I turned and walked back to my table – drinkless. Fuck.
But that was okay, because I had something else to keep me occupied tonight, and her name was Lex.
"That looked interesting," Alex said with a smirk on his face as I dropped back into my chair across from him.
"Shut it," I said with a scowl.
Alex barked out a laugh. "That was some aggressive flirting, brother." He said with a grin. My scowl deepened. He looked over at Grave. "Place twenty she's going to become Thor's old lady."
"Don't want or need an old lady," I grunted, suddenly wishing I had grabbed that drink.
"Oh, hell yeah." Grave barked out a laugh. "Twenty that it happens in two months."
Alex rolled his eyes. "I give it two weeks."
Scorpion scoffed. "Give the girl more credit." He said, grinning as he joined in on the teasing. I swear, I hated these men sometimes. "I give it a month."
"I'll place a hundred that it never fucking happens." I snapped. Alex roared with laughter at my annoyance. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Old ladies are nothing but trouble and drama. I just want a mindless fuck for a night, and I'll get only that."
Alex smirked at me. "You say that now, brother, but once you hit that, you'll be begging for more. Before you know it, you'll be claiming her as yours."
Trixie walked up with her purse on her shoulder. Alex instantly stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him as he kissed her.
Honestly, Alex and Trixie were the only couple in the club that I never gave shit to. Trixie was sweet, and she loved everyone. And Alex was fantastic with her. It was sickening to watch in the sweetest way.
But it was hard to give shit to a couple when you witnessed him save her from herself so many times.
Trixie smiled down at me. "Hi, Thor."
I smiled up at her. "Hey, Trixie. Done for the night?"
She nodded as Alex pressed a kiss to her temple. "Saw you talking to Lex." She commented.
"Yeah; when did you hire her?" I asked.
Trixie was now the manager of the bar the club opened a couple of months back. It was a success, and Trixie wanted something to keep her busy while Alex was at work, so Grim and Alex brought the idea of Trixie being the bar's manager to the table, and we all also voted on it being called Trixie's. It was a quick, unanimous vote.
"Couple of days ago." She informed me. "Came in here looking like she had seen better days, but she really wanted a job. She couldn't promise me she would be working for me for long, but she needed help, so I gave it to her. Taught her how to mix some drinks, and she's pretty much been a natural at it."
"What's her story?" I asked. A knowing smirk tilted Scorpion’s lips. I kicked his leg under the table. He muttered a curse.
"Jesus, brother." Scorpion snapped at me.
Trixie shrugged at me, shooting Scorpion a confused look before focusing back on me. "I don't know. I don't ask any of my employees for their back stories. They confide in me if they want to." She narrowed her eyes at me in a warning. "And even if I did, Thor, it's not any of your business." I scowled at that a
nswer. Alex gave her a proud smile and pressed his lips to her temple.
Sickening, yet sweet.
Alex pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Come on, baby. Grim said Storm is having a rough night." Storm was their daughter, and Grim was normally the babysitter for their two little girls. It was strange, considering Grim didn’t get close to anyone, but I didn’t question it. He had a soft spot for Trixie, though no one would ever say it out loud.
Trixie smiled at all of us before Alex grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar to go pick up Alexandra and Storm from Grim's.
I looked back over at the bar where Lex was looking down at her phone, her expression tightly drawn with worry and stress.
That protectiveness pulled at me again as I watched her.
Almost as if she felt my eyes on her, she looked up, those green eyes locking on my dark ones again.
Fucking hell, I wanted her.
I watched as Trixie stepped into the bar with her husband – the VP to the local motorcycle club. The big, burly man that had flirted with me the night before was behind them, his eyes running around the room, silently taking everything in.
Then, his eyes landed on me.
"Damn, Trixie. Already gave the girl keys?" The guy asked, his eyes not once leaving mine. I swallowed thickly, ripping my gaze from his. This man was something else entirely. I’d never had a man come on to me before – not until this one – and he came on strong.
"Thor, leave Lex alone." Trixie scolded.
So, that was his name.
Honestly, I could see why he had gotten the name. It fit him. He had blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, and his eyes were a gorgeous blue. He was big – extremely muscular. Tattoos covered his exposed skin.
It should be illegal for men to look as good as he did.
“I’m just teasing, Trixie,” Thor told her. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, making Alex scowl at him. A blush tinted my cheeks. I had never witnessed a woman receive so much brotherly affection until Trixie hired me here.
And that affection spread out to her employees.
When Trixie found out that I didn't have anywhere to stay yet and that I was completely out of money, she had given me the keys to the bar and told me that I could stay on the couch in the office until I got enough money to get myself my own place. Just like that, I had a roof over my head and food in my stomach every night all while still making money.
Trixie really was too nice for her own good, but I was extremely grateful for her right now. She was honestly saving my life.
Thor sauntered over to the bar where I was at, and he took a seat on one of the barstools, sensually running his eyes over me. Every nerve ending in my body curled. I had to keep myself from swaying towards him.
Was this even normal?
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" I bluntly asked him, narrowing my eyes at him. With Thor, I was way out of my field of expertise. I was used to being unnoticed, but this man had a way of finding me and looking at me that was slightly unnerving.
I didn't need attention drawn to me, no matter how nice it was. One, I was trying to stay low – to not draw attention to myself. My fucking life depended on it right then considering my ex and his club were on the hunt for me. Two, Thor wore a cut. I wasn't stupid. I knew what that meant, and I refused to even give anything with Thor a thought, even if it was just a mindless fuck.
Clubs were trouble – trouble that I really didn't fucking want anymore. My ex had ruined me, and all of his club members treated the club women like shit.
My skin crawled just thinking about it.
"Nope," Thor answered, his lips tilting up into an amused smile. My heart flipped in my chest. Christ, why was he so fucking hot? "I'm here until Trixie closes the bar for the night." He informed me. I sighed. I wasn’t sure if I could keep pushing away his advances for that long. He really was alluring. "You're stuck dealing with me tonight, sweetheart."
"All it'll take is one word to Trixie, and she'll boot you out of here and instruct someone else from the club to come." I reminded him, though I wasn’t sure if I had the guts to admit defeat like that.
He smirked, his eyes flashing with amusement. He shrugged. "Oh, I know, but you're not that kind of coward, are you, sweetheart?" He asked, though judging by the tone of his voice, he already knew the answer. Fuck, how could he already tell so much about me from so little time? He studied me for a moment. "You seem pretty bothered by the fact that a man might be attracted to you and interested in you, Lex." He finally commented.
My breath hitched in my throat as my eyes widened. He had hit the nail right on the head. Jesus Christ. Was he some kind of weird-ass psychic?
I was plain. I wasn't oblivious to that fact, and my ex had made sure that I never forgot it. How many times I had caught him fucking random club whores, not even bothering to apologize for it, instead turning it back around on me, making it all my fault because I didn't have the pretty features or the sexy, model-worthy body to turn him on all the time?
"Come out of your head, sweetheart." Thor coaxed, bringing me back to the present. I drew in a deep breath, focusing back on the man in front of me. "You good?" He asked.
I nodded my head in a slightly jerky motion, desperately trying to bring my mask back up against him. "You need to leave me alone." I finally managed to snap at him.
He wasn’t even bothered by my tone, nor by how badly I wanted him to just go away. "Tell me, sweetheart. Have you ever had a man truly make you feel good – like the fucking goddess you look like?" He asked me. I choked on my spit as my jaw dropped open in shock at his bluntness. Jesus Christ, I had never met a man like Thor before in my life, and his bluntness was throwing me for a damn loop.
"I'll take that as a no," Thor said with a slight shake of his head, disappointment flashing in his eyes. My hands shook. "Damn shame, Lex." He gripped my wrist lightly, tugging me closer to the bar as his dark eyes bored into my green ones with so much intensity that it left me breathless, made my knees weak.
"You give me the opportunity, Lex, and I'll make you come over and over.” My eyes widened, my lips parting. “I want those beautiful, green eyes of yours to look like moss on a cool, summer morning deep in the woods." I licked my lips, completely transfixed by him, incapable of coherent thought. "All you have to do is tell me that you want this, sweetheart, and I'll make every single dream of yours come true."
With that, he released my wrist and slid off the barstool, striding off to the table Alex was sitting at without another word. I clutched the counter with a death grip as I drew in a shaky breath, doing my best to regain my composure.
Holy. Shit.
"You good?" Trixie quietly asked me as she rested her hand on my shoulder. My entire body was trembling. Maybe Thor really was a god because how the fuck did he affect me so damn deeply?
I blew out a harsh breath. "Jesus Christ." I choked out. "How do you do it?" I asked her, referring to her being with Alex. I’d seen how sweet he could be with her, but her husband was intense as hell, too. But she took it in stride so easily.
She smiled at me. "They're intense men, Lex, but they're good men. They won't hurt you, hun. I don't know what kind of hell you came from, but you can put your life in the hands of any man of the Savage Crows MC, and they will protect it with their lives." She assured me.
That sounded like Heaven, but I wasn’t sure I could handle anything with Thor. The man was so into everything he did and said.
"Are they all as intense as him?" I asked. "Alex seems so mellow most of the time, and Thor is very in your face."
Trixie scoffed. "Every member wearing a cut can be intense in their own way, hun. You'll see that later tonight. The men have something to celebrate tonight, so they’ll all be coming in."
My eyes widened as my heart pounded erratically in my chest – with fear or anticipation, though, I wasn't sure. "All of them?" I squeaked. I wasn’t sure if I could handle being around an entire club – not after all the hell that I had g
one through in the last one I was around.
Trixie laughed softly, not understanding my fear, but she couldn’t since I never told her that I was running. "Just remember what I said, Lex. They're good guys. Whatever you're running from, they're people that you want on your side."
My heart pounded even harder in my chest as I stared at her. She knew. I had barely started working here, and she knew. How in the hell did she know?
"I need air." I gasped out, shoving past her as I headed for the kitchen, pushing past two of the cooks – almost knocking them down – in my rush to get outside.
I clutched at my chest as I dropped onto my ass on the ground, desperately trying to drag some air into my oxygen-deprived lungs. Tears sprung to my eyes, my head going to a dark place. I whined, my hands clawing at my shirt.
