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I gave him a quick smack on his ass on his way by, heading up the hall to the bedroom myself. I needed to shower, but I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face at the growl he gave me. He had to have liked it, though it wasn’t something that he normally got.

  I felt a lot better after I showered. I threw on some clothes and headed back out to the kitchen, but both men were gone. Zach likely had shit he had to do during the day, and there was no point for him to be there watching the empty place.

  A quick glance at the clock told me that it was already time to be getting the shop ready, so Adam must have headed down there. I put the dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned the coffee pot before I headed down to the tattoo shop myself.

  He was already busy at work with a customer, but the phone was ringing.

  “You want to get that?” he asked as I walked into the room. I had answered the phone for my father plenty of times, so if felt natural to be behind the counter again. Hell, there had even been a time in my life when I wanted to work at the shop with my dad.

  I answered the questions for the person on the phone and hung up when Jonas leaned over. “Hey, I’ll give you five bucks if you go down to the coffee shop and get me a cherry mocha latte,” he said.

  “I want one, too, only without the cherry,” Adam announced.

  “I’ll take mine black,” Tanner chimed in. I hadn’t even told Jonas that I’d go, but I couldn’t help but smile at the way they’d all agreed to send me. Hell, I was happy to be the one to run out and do errands for them. I grew up in town, I knew where everything was, and I still knew many of the faces behind counters in the shops. My father had been a prominent member in the community, so many of the people knew who I was, too.

  “Alright, alright,” I said as I grabbed a piece of paper and jotted it down. I shoved it in my back pocket and headed out of the shop, trying to hide the smile that was on my face the entire time. I didn’t know if they were trying to make me feel like one of them on purpose or if it was something that was just happening.

  Either way, I was starting to feel like I belonged here once again.

  When I got back to the shop, I distributed the coffees, then assisted someone else who had a question. It helped each of the guys out for me to answer the phone when it rang, and I also helped Jonas and Adam both when it came to cleaning their stations and getting things set up for the next client.

  In my free time, I would work on the sketches I had in my book. Some of them were just doodles I did because I was bored, others I really wanted Adam to hang in the shop. I might only be a temporary person here, but it still felt good to know that he’d have my art when I was gone.

  The thought hurt when it ran through my mind. It had been so easy for me to settle back into life here. Hell, it had been so easy to settle into Adam’s life. He and I fit together so well. I wasn’t sure if it had something to do with the fact that we knew each other already, or because we were meant to be together.

  Stop it. You know you aren’t meant to be together. This is all something that’s happening because you fucked up your own life. Adam is just there to help you get through this, then he’s going to move you along.

  I didn’t like the thought, but I knew it was true. Adam didn’t seem to really have plans for this to be anything permanent. He wanted to help me because of who I was, and we could have some fun along the way. But, I knew deep down inside, when this was all settled, he was going to get me settled somewhere else.

  He still thought we weren’t supposed to be together, and I knew there wasn’t anything I could do that would change his mind. I had to just live in the moment, and make the most of what we were doing now. When this was done, I would move on, and he would go back to his old life before I showed up.

  The thought brought a pang to my heart, but there was no changing reality. I wanted to believe fate had brought us together, but I had to break out of that fantasy.

  I was in danger. Adam was helping me. That’s all there was to it.

  13

  Adam

  I woke up with Erika cuddled right up against me, sleeping soundly. She felt so good right up against my body, I wanted to wrap my arms around her and pull her into me. I had the sudden impulse to do so, when almost at the exact same time, a panic attack ran through my body.

  Holy shit, I could get used to this. It’s so nice having her around all the time, not to mention having her in bed with me. God, we haven’t even had sex again, she’s just here, and she’s making life so much better than it was.

  Okay, think about it rationally. You have to be fucking careful here, you can’t let yourself get used to any of this. You have to keep a level head, and you have to focus on why she’s here to begin with. It’s not because of you – it’s because of that guy who’s after her.

  I sighed as silently as I could. I didn’t want to disturb her, and I worried if I was too loud getting out of bed, she would wake up. She had been under so much stress, I knew it would be better for her to get some sleep, even if she did want to be with me as much as she could.

  That was part of the problem. It was becoming incredibly difficult for the two of us to focus on why she was there to begin with. Why we needed to do this.

  I slipped out of bed, clipped on my prosthetic, and slipped into some sweats and a t-shirt before I headed out to the other room. No matter what I thought about Erika, nothing was going to change the fact she was eight years younger. That was a long time. Too long. I was too old for her. She had to find someone her own age.

  Either I would or I wouldn’t, but I wasn’t going to strap her down to me when she was so young and full of life. She was going through a lot right now, but she didn’t understand the life I’d live, or the one I was now living. I wanted her more than I was even willing to admit to myself, but she was off limits.

  Nothing more than a dream I’d had, and one I’d continue to have long after she had moved on.

  Spencer was on the couch now. He and Zach had talked it over, and they decided the best thing to do would be to switch night by night. It seemed like a more fair option to both of them, and I didn’t care which of them was out there. I just knew I was going to need backup in case shit hit the fan.

  And as far as any of us knew, shit was going to hit the fan.

  Spencer was awake, but laying on the couch and watching the news. It was turned low enough I didn’t hear it until I walked out into the living room. “You can turn that up if you want, man, you’re not going to bother anyone.”

  “Wasn’t sure how nice your walls were,” he said.

  “They aren’t fantastic, but hell, you’re the one doing me a favor out here. You aren’t going to bother me, at all,” I said. “Hungry?”

  “I don’t eat breakfast. I could use some coffee, though,” he said.

  “Coming right up,” I headed out to the kitchen and made the coffee, then I returned and handed him a cup.

  “She still asleep?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I didn’t want to wake her up. She’s been under a lot of stress, and I don’t want to add fatigue on top of it,” I said.

  “How does a girl like that end up in a situation like this?” he asked as he shook his head.

  “I really don’t fucking know. I’ve known the girl since she was a kid. Her dad used to own the shop and I worked there. That was before you moved here, so you probably don’t know that,” I said.

  “I didn’t know Cooper had a daughter,” Spencer replied. “Any other kids?”

  “Not that I know of. I’m sure she would have gone to one of them if there were,” I said with a shrug. We fell silent and watched the news for a few minutes. I got along with Spencer well enough, but he was a reserved, quiet man. He didn’t like to open up to anyone, so it was difficult for anyone to talk to him.

  Nathan was really the only guy he liked to hang around, though he did tolerate the rest of us in the group.

  “You know, I really appreciate what you and the boys are doing for me,” I said. “I couldn’t d
o this on my own.”

  “We’re a family, of course we’re going to be there for you,” he said.

  “Not all MCs are like that,” I replied.

  “Well, they should be,” he said. “Carl really wanted unification.”

  “Carl’s a good president,” I agreed. “I don’t think we’ll ever get another like him.”

  Spencer grunted, but said nothing, and I knew he was thinking about Zach. I liked Zach, and I thought he was going to make an excellent leader for the MC one day. But, he certainly wasn’t his father, and I would even tell him that to his face. It’s not what I meant when I was talking about Carl, but I didn’t want to get into that with Spencer.

  It was hard to talk about Zach with the man without things becoming heated. The two of them had gotten into more than one fight through the years, and I was sure there would be a lot more to come. But right now, we didn’t need there to be any kind of fighting in the MC.

  Right now, we all had to stick together. I was happy with how they were all coming together for me. For Erika. Hell, even for the good of the town. No one wanted a man like Kline around, even if he wasn’t there to get the girl.

  We continued to chat quietly in the living room until Erika got up. She came out in her own sweatpants and a t-shirt, and I tried not to stare at the fact it was obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra. I hadn’t noticed when she was in bed whether she had been or not, but with her standing in the kitchen and getting her cup of coffee, I could see clearly that she wasn’t.

  She looked beautiful first thing in the morning. Her hair was messy from sleeping, and she had that fresh face from washing the night before. She was gorgeous, and I refused to let my mind even consider that she could be mine.

  At the same time, I noticed Spencer was also keeping an eye on the situation. He was always the kind of man to be suspicious of what we were doing in the club, and I had a feeling he was assessing what was going on between us. Not that there would be any issue if I was sleeping with her, but I was sure he didn’t want that to factor in to what we were doing.

  “Good morning,” she said as she walked into the living room.

  “Morning,” I said. Spencer grunted. I knew there was no sense in asking him to be nice to her, but I did notice he made room for her on the couch. For Spencer, it was a big gesture. I didn’t wonder why he was still single. But, there were many times when I did wonder if there was a chance he would ever settle down with someone.

  Erika sat down and sipped on her coffee. She didn’t say anything, and we all turned our attention back to the news. I knew Spencer had to get going. He was going to head to work in a few minutes, but he already said he’d be back on lunch.

  “We all know that he’s going to be here soon, and we don’t want to be caught off guard if he somehow got here early,” Spencer said as he left.

  “I appreciate it,” I informed him again. He grunted with another nod, and with that, he was gone. Erika was sipping on her cup of coffee, but I knew she was going to comment.

  “He hates me,” she said.

  “He doesn’t hate you,” I replied.

  “They all do,” she retorted. “I’m the one who did this to the town – to all of you guys. They hate me.”

  “Stop saying things like that. If they hated you, they wouldn’t have agreed to help us,” I said as I headed for the kitchen.

  “They agreed to help you. I’m the one who needed help, but you had to go the rest of them and get backup. What if I had just gone straight to Carl and told him I was in danger? Do you really think that he would have given a shit?”

  I could hear the tension growing in her voice, and that made me feel tense, as well. I knew she didn’t mean it that way, but I hated to hear anyone speak against Carl.

  “Carl is a good man. He does the right thing when he’s needed,” I said simply. “Now, stop feeling sorry for yourself and finish your coffee. We’ve got to get down to the shop.”

  She gave me a look. I knew she hated it when I told her what to do. She didn’t like it when I told her to stop complaining about things like that, but she didn’t argue with me any further. She finished the rest of her coffee and went to get dressed, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

  I heard her get in the shower, and I moved quickly. I knew a lot of the problem with her was the worry over what was about to happen. We all knew today was the day Kline was supposed to arrive in town. If he made all his connections and none of the flights were delayed, he was set to arrive late in the afternoon or early on in the evening.

  I wanted to be prepared.

  I slipped into my clothes and grabbed the shotgun I kept under my bed. I grabbed a few extra shells and shoved them in my pocket, and then I quickly headed out the door. I didn’t even bother turning off the news. She’d see that it was on when she came back out of the bathroom and take care of it.

  Right now, I had to get this thing behind the counter at the shop. I wasn’t sure when the bastard would arrive, and if he showed up in the shop, I wasn’t going to be caught off guard. I knew it wasn’t actually legal for me to have the gun in there – especially loaded – but I didn’t give a damn.

  The cops never came by, and if I was in need of the weapon, I would have it.

  As I slipped it in place under the counter, I couldn’t help but shake my head. I’d thought my fighting days were over. But with the MC, it seemed that those days followed me around no matter where I went. I couldn’t say that I was tired of it, but I was surprised.

  Then again, I had joined this life for a reason. Perhaps I liked the thrill of the fight more than I wanted to admit. Perhaps there was more to this than just helping the girl I used to know when we were young.

  Whatever it was, I had the rest of the day to get ready for what would go down.

  And, I was damn determined I’d be ready.

  14

  Erika

  I got out of the shower and dried off, then headed out to the living room. That morning, I woke up once more to Adam’s muscular arm around me, and I intentionally snuggled back into him. Just like before, he pulled me close, but it didn’t take long this time for him to start stirring. I hadn’t meant to wake him up, and I quickly pretended to be asleep as his breathing told me he was fully awake.

  I waited, wondering what he would do if he thought I was asleep, curled up against him, and was surprised when he merely got up. I could feel the hesitation in him as he did so. He clearly wanted something else – something more – but he wasn’t going to take it.

  Was it Spencer being out on the couch that stopped him? Was it the fact that he just wasn’t an aggressor in bed? I wasn’t sure about any of it. I just knew that I was fine with being the aggressor in the relationship if that was the only way I was going to get sex out of the man.

  He was cuddling with me, and I knew he had liked it when I smacked his ass in the kitchen the other day. There was no denying what he said to me before he went to bed a couple of nights prior, and he hadn’t told me no when I had fucked him the first time.

  All these things were telling me that he wanted me. He wanted to have sex with me, he just wasn’t the one taking the reins.

  So, I would.

  My plan had been to walk out into the living room naked and start making out with him. I’d arouse him and have him take me on the counter or on the couch. Somewhere in the living room, or for all I cared, I’d get him to bring me back to the bedroom and we could fuck there.

  No matter where we fucked, I was going to have him again.

  But, when I walked out into the living room, he was gone already. He had even left the TV on.

  With a sigh, I shut it off and took care of the dishes like I’d gotten used to, then I got dressed and headed down to the tattoo shop. It was only ten, and the first client wasn’t supposed to show up until noon. Tanner and Jonas were always coming in right at the last minute, so I knew I had time.

  “I’m here!” I called out.

  “Good!” he called back. He
was in the back room getting things ready, and for a brief moment, I considered going back there and taking him. I knew it wasn’t going to take much to get him aroused, and I was growing desperate.

  Hell, if Kline was going to arrive that night, there was no telling what was going to happen. As much as I didn’t want to think about it, I knew I had to be real. He could kill me. He could kill Adam. He could kill another member of the MC, or he could kill all of us if he was bringing enough men with him.

  There was no telling what the man would do.

  If Adam and I were going to have sex again, I wanted to make the most of it while we still had the chance. I was tired of running, tired of guessing. Hell, I had even grown tired of the sexual tension that always existed between me and Adam, and him never doing anything about it.

  But you know you don’t mind being the one to instigate. If you want him, you clearly have to be the one to make the move, and he’ll go along with it. You can do that tonight – if you’re still here, that is. What if you’re not? Or what if he’s not?

  Are you really going to spend the rest of your life glad that you only had sex with him one time and that you were the one who was doing most of the work? Wouldn’t you rather there was at least once more? One more time to show you that it really did mean something?

  I stopped in my tracks. It was a crazy thought, but it wouldn’t get out of my head once it entered. I would rather that we had more than one time together, but there wasn’t going to be a chance now.

  Or was there? Public sex had never been anything that I’d considered doing before, but now, knowing that we had a couple of hours to ourselves, I thought about it. I wasn’t sure how I’d approach him, so I made the decision not to.

  I’d let him come to me this time, but I was going to make it so impossible for him to say no, I wasn’t going to have to do any of the work. I glanced back toward the room he was in. Adam was still getting the various things he’d need for the day put together to bring out to the front lobby, so I had time.

  Instead of opening the blinds like I usually did, I laid the chair back flat. I knew how it worked, I’d set it up many times when I was a teenager.