CHAPTER 2
He smiled, and I felt my mouth dryen. “Well, you certainly stand out,” I said.
I was unable to think of a clever retort, so I could only stare. It shouldn’t be acceptable for men to be this beautiful. I’d trained myself to think of men like Rancid, but the biker next to me didn’t match my mental image of a perfect man. Perhaps in his early thirties, he was a young man. His tight-fitting leather vest accentuated his broad shoulders and slender waist. Moreover, he had a pleasant scent, which was a comfort after being close to Rancid.
It wasn’t until my elbow touched his vest that I realized I was bending in his direction. My face got flushed, and his smile got wider. I instantly stood up, turning to face the bar while attempting to calm my racing heart.
“Anyway, what are you here specifically for?”
Even though it sounded like he was flirting with me, there was something about his inquiry that made me straighten up. Being as honest as I felt comfortable, I answered, “I’m an investigative reporter for a local news station.” I didn’t want them to think I was spying on them, but I wasn’t sure how they would react to the reality. It was a foolish fear, as that was pretty much the main reason I was there, but I thought I would be as honest as possible.
“I saw you on television.” He took a moment to examine me. “Don’t you occasionally tell fluff stories?”
My mouth became slender. “I’m attempting to climb the ladder,” I responded sharply. “Maybe I can get noticed for better segments if I can tell my bosses an engaging story.” I extended my hand. “Eve Parker, even though you probably already knew who I was.”
Instead of shaking my hand as I had anticipated, he took it. He moved my hand over and threaded his fingers through mine, and his palms were rough, making my stomach tense. I looked at our intertwined hands with utter blankness. His thumb traced leisurely lines of pleasure along the back of my hand, and his skin was dry and warm.
What queries do you have then?
I tried to disguise the hungry pulsing between my thighs by pulling my knees in tighter because my heart was thumping too quickly. I realized that his acts were premeditated. I couldn’t control my reaction, even though the man knew exactly what he was doing to me. I remained silent for a time before he brought my knuckles to his lips while maintaining eye contact with me, and I shuddered in response.
Eve, take control of yourself. You may read the story here.
Even though all I wanted to do at the time was jump his bones, I pushed myself to say anything. “And you too?”
He leaned forward and smiled at me once more. With wrinkles at the corners of his blue eyes, he whispered, “Name’s Ash.” “I am the local Savages chapter’s sergeant of arms.”
I took a deep breath. Any club’s sergeant of arms was in charge of keeping the peace within and guarding against outside threats. It seems sense that he contacted me since I was a newcomer and a possible threat. “See, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
“Ask your questions; perhaps we can work together to solve problems.”
His presence unnerved me, so I took a long swallow of my drink to divert my attention. It helped to look away, but I could still feel his gaze on me. I attempted to calm the shaking, but all I could think of was him while his fingers were flowing through mine. Asking questions had been simple with Rancid. As long as I paid him attention and put up with his presence, he would have been content to chat about practically anything. But the dark man next to me was a different animal entirely.
I wasn’t certain that I could handle the challenge.
I cleared my throat and said, “So the Savages.” “What kind of individual is required to join your gang?”
All the Savages are serving or have served in the military. Whichever branch you are in, serving is a must before joining.
I tilted my head to the side and turned to face Rancid. One limp hand was carrying a beer as the older biker slouched in a chair. Whatever he’d been looking for with this mystery Sunny had obviously not happened, because he was alone. I looked away when I saw that his t-shirt had pulled up to reveal a hairy tummy. “Even my ex-boyfriend?”
“Army.” He saw action in Korea and Germany after serving in Kuwait during Desert Storm. He’s a genuine talent who has fallen on hard times.
“And you?”
He laughed. “I guess.”
I tried to ignore the way his hand felt in mine while I observed him. I could have probably freed my hand from his hold, but I was unwilling to let go. It was a long time since I had felt this close to a man. Feeling his touch was...nice. “Marines, if I had to guess,” I replied slowly.
“Well-guessed.” With his eyes fixed on mine, he kissed my knuckle once again, causing butterflies to bloom in my stomach.
A quick elbow propelled me forward and into Ash’s arms as someone jostled me from behind. I blushed once more, wondering if he believed this to be an act of mine. Even though he had an iron-like hold, he wasn’t watching me when I looked up. He moved away from me, got off his stool, and moved between the two men sitting next to us.
Though I was unable to see the other man’s back, the man who had elbowed me was also wearing a Savage Legion patch. But something told me he wasn’t at the same club. He was holding a bottle of beer tightly, as though he was about to use it as a weapon.
Ash’s club member promptly backed down when he took a stand. Ash squinted at the other guy. “We wish to avoid any trouble here.”
Pointing to the other Savage, was the smaller man. “This jerk attempted to take my beer.”
The neighboring jukebox continued to blast loud music, but aside from that you could have heard a pin drop. Many guys were getting up around them, and there was the sound of chairs scuffling down the wood floor. From my viewpoint There was a lot of tension in the air, but I couldn’t determine who was in which club. I was in the heart of what could have been a brawl, because that was my bet on it being a combination of the two groups.
