CHAPTER TWO

– brANDEE –

The woman who hired me steps into the room. Her white hair is down, showing the blue ends that swing through the air as her head whips our way. Dammit. Great way to start a new job, headbutting the woman's son. On the other hand, during my job interview, we talked about a lot of things, which gave me the knowledge that Blue has a medical background.

It's why I ask, "Blue, could you check if the headbutt I gave your son broke his nose?"

I wince at what I just asked, and admitted to, especially when I now notice the anger on her face. Though, after hearing my words the anger is instantly replaced by amusement.

A chuckle slips from her when she asks, "You gave him a headbutt?"

Blue takes a moment to glance at her son's bloody nose and keeps a huge grin on her face. She stalks to one of the shelves on the wall and grabs a first aid kit to take some gloves out. Instead of pulling them on, she rummages through a drawer of the desk and pulls out some papers. Placing them on the desk along with a pen, she finally puts on the gloves.

"All right, Heath, let's have a look," Blue murmurs and I step back to let her take my place as she guides the guy's head back.

His tattoos on his lower neck, peeking out from his collar, hinting at the possibility of having his whole back inked are mesmerizing. I guess they should be since he's one of the owners of the tattoo shop next door. He's basically a walking billboard to promote what they do. I wouldn't mind getting inked by him, though. It's the blue eyes that pull me in.

Mine are a disarray of blue, but his are a solid bright color, drawing me into the deep. Add the sandy blond hair, sharp jaw, ruggedly handsome features, strong shoulders, all the muscle of a professional fighter, and I'm ready to drop my panties and have some fun.

Except, I can't because we need this job and the woman checking out her son made me sign a contract that includes me not fucking the staff. Especially Heath and Hayden. Yes, she put her sons' names in there. At the time I thought it was funny, but now? After seeing one of her sons? Yeah, I can imagine women risking a job to get some action with a badass, handsome biker.

Not to mention, he's potent. Instant attraction I've never experienced. Like I'm not even in control of my own body. There's a pull causing our bodies to close in on one another while naughty, dirty, raunchy thoughts fill our brains and we want to act on them and would have if we weren't interrupted. Twice.

My sister and I just moved to town and we can't afford to pick up and move again. The awkward headbutt caused by the jump scare I got when that prospect interrupted us was the wake-up call I needed not to freaking kiss him. I almost did. The man is a babe magnet for sure because that's what it felt like; as if we were automatically drawn to one another to fuck like rabbits and not come up for air any time soon.

"Next time you should throw a little more force into it," Blue states and snaps the gloves off.

Heath snorts. "Thanks for taking my side, Ma. You do remember I'm your kid, right?"

"Pssshhh. All my kids can handle themselves, there's no need for me or your father to take your side." Blue waves her hand and dumps the gloves into the trash can next to the desk.

She then takes the pen and shoves it my way. "Sign here."

Confused, I bounce my gaze between the pen and the papers on the desk. "I already signed a contract. What's…oh, if it's about the headbutt–"

Blue cuts me off. "Oh, it's about the headbutt alright, but it's not what you think. I'm gonna tear up the other contract you signed, so you need to sign this one." I'm still confused until she turns to Heath and declares, "I like her. A lot. I'm having her sign a standard contract so the no fucking rule is dropped. Please use the head on your shoulders before you use the one between your legs when it comes to this one. And I'm not talking about kissing her and risking another headbutt. I'm talking about thinking before you act on instinct."

I'm still baffled when she thrusts the pen in my hand and snaps, "Sign."

The snap in her voice makes me follow through and it earns me a grin when she takes the pen from my hand, along with the signed papers, and walks out the door without another word.

"Well, that wasn't weird or anything," I mutter.

The corner of his mouth twitches. Damn. I wouldn't mind kissing the hell out of that man. Between his muscles, length, rugged handsomeness, and attitude? Everything screams great sex. It's been a while since I've had some action, and none of that was with someone as potent as this man right here.

He steps closer and my breath catches. His pupils dilate when he stares at my breasts, lust takes over his face. This is a bad, bad idea, and yet I find myself inching closer. The pull this man has on me is hard to resist.

His hand comes up and tingles shoot through me when his fingers make contact with the back of my neck. A growl rumbles through him and I want to grab his shoulders, dig my nails in, and kiss the hell out of him.

"Yo, Prez," a man rumbles from the hallway.

"Fuck," I snap and jump back while Heath releases a few curses as well.

This is the third time we almost kissed and yet again, we're prevented from doing so when something rudely rips us apart. It's not just a sign; it's a neon flashing billboard warning that we shouldn't be doing anything. At all.

"I gotta get to work," I state, mostly to myself, and practically run from the room.

I bump into another biker who's wearing the same leather cut as Heath and mutter a quick, "Sorry."

"No worries, darlin'," the guy states and then adds, "The name is Yates."

I keep moving while I state, "Brandee."

Heath's voice growls out something low I can't hear. To be honest? I don't want to know what he says, so I rush away from the guy as fast as I can. Shit. If I knew this place was swamped with bikers, I wouldn't have applied for a job. Bikers equal danger, and it's something I'm painfully aware of.

"Bran," Lyla's voice pulls my attention in the direction of the training area.

It's near the punching bags and dummies and covered in mats. I was heading in the direction of the front desk, but I turn toward her instead.

"Wanna spar?" she asks once I step onto the mat, and she doesn't wait for a reply when she throws the mitts my way.

I easily catch them and shoot her a grin. "Always."

My sister and I were raised by our father. Our mother disappeared from our lives when we were barely a year old, and we never heard from her again. Dad trained fighters until he was killed three months ago.

He was filling up his car at the gas station, minding his own business when he was caught in the line of fire of some idiot who was aiming for another man walking out of the gas station. At least, that's what the police report states. I wasn't there, but my sister, Dee, was with him when it happened. She saw the whole thing go down.

"Hey, are you sure? You seem distracted," Lyla quips.

I give a quick shake of my head to clear it and let her know, "I'm fine, let's do this."

Being a trainer, sparring partner, and managing the front desk…all of it is in my job description, and it's a routine I know and love. It's why I have a huge grin on my face when I hold up my mitt-covered hands.

Lyla and I were talking in the office about sparring together when Heath barged in and started spouting shit at her. We discussed the fact that we're both trained and the same size. She mentioned there aren't many girls her age to spar with.

We trade some light kicks and block punches to get into a routine. This is what I love most about being in a gym. Normally, I'd spar and train with my sister. We lived and breathed this life up until three months ago.

We're both working up a sweat and it feels damn awesome to be in my element after the weeks of havoc my sister and I just went through. Yet, a short whistle catches both of our attention and we instantly drop our hands. Turning, we see Heath standing at the edge of the mat.

"You." He points at Lyla. "Heed the warning I gave you." His gaze shifts to me. "You, don't repeat club business you overhear by mistake to anyone. Understood?"

I give him my middle finger, but it's useless due to the mitt I'm wearing. Heath's chuckle lets me know he's aware I just flipped him off.

"Gotta work, ladies. Bran, it's been a pleasure," he rumbles and turns to walk away.

Without thinking I reply, "If a headbutt is your version of pleasure then come see me whenever you need another bloody nose."

He glances over his shoulder and the corner of his mouth twitches. "Next time we'll do a few rounds in the ring, see if you're able to draw blood when we're on equal footing."

I've never been one to shy away from a challenge, so I tell him, "Name the time and place 'cause you and I will never be on equal footing, champ."

I throw in the champ part to let him know I'm aware he's a boxing champion. His mother raved about how her sons had the same title she held all those years ago. Fighter blood runs in the family; just like it does in mine.

"Never say never, plucky." He shoots me a wink and saunters out the door.

"Plucky," I muse. "Why the hell would he call me that when I told him my name is Bran? Such a weird guy."

Lyla comes to a stop beside me and joins me in staring at the door Heath just left through. "Brave or courageous, that's what plucky means." She bumps her shoulder against mine. "From the shit you fired back and forth? If you really headbutted the president of AF MC? I'd say you sure as fuck are plucky."

I grin and Lyla chuckles.

"Come on, show me some moves, plucky," Lyla challenges and I roll my eyes.

"Great, if you're gonna use it too I'll never get rid of that stupid nickname," I grumble.

Now Lyla is the one grinning. "Not any time soon if I can help it."

We start to spar again and are at it for the next hour. My shift flies by and before I know it, I'm walking out of the gym. The car I share with my sister is sitting right in front of the tattoo shop and I can't help but throw a look inside. There are several people talking to one another, but I don't see Heath.

My sister honks and I glare at her when I climb into the car.

"Was that really necessary?" I grumble and strap on the seatbelt.

"Yes, you were staring at the tattoo shop and you don't need another piece of ink," Dee replies as she guides the car onto the road.

I check my phone and scroll through my timeline on various social media apps.

A few minutes pass when Dee says, "We're having nachos for dinner, I bought everything we need, so I hope you're hungry. Anything I need to know about your first day at work?"

"Remember the weird lines in the contract I had to sign? The ones I messaged you about?" I quip and shove my phone back into my pocket.

Dee parks the car in front of the apartment building and gets out of the car.

I slam my door shut when she quips, "About the no fucking the boss's sons rule? What were their names? Hot and Heavy, right?"

Hot and heady, that's certainly one way to describe Heath.

"Yeah…about that." I wince.

We head up the stairs and Dee opens the door to our apartment; she waits with her reply until we're inside. "What did you do?"

I throw my gym bag onto the couch. "Why the hell do you assume I did something?"

Dee rolls her eyes. "We both have the same temper, remember? Well, I have a double dose, but that says something about yours. What I'm trying to say is…we share the same sharp tongue."

"Among other things," I mutter and release a deep sigh before I admit, "I was talking to Lyla in the office and suddenly a guy stomps into the room. He didn't notice me and started to reprimand her about something. After their discussion ended Lyla walked away and then Heath noticed me."

"Heath and Hayden," Dee muses. "That's what they were called. Oh, damn, so you were alone in the office with one of the boss's sons. Then what happened?"

I plunk my tired ass into one of the chairs. "I swear within two seconds flat we were talking about genital piercings."

Dee sits down on the couch across from me and says with a sarcastic tone, "Which was not your fault, I'm sure."

Shrugging, I continue, "We were about to kiss when someone stepped into the office, and out of reflex I gave him a headbutt," I ramble, deciding to throw it all out there in one go.

She blinks a few times and then she's laughing her ass off.

I rub my temples. "He was bleeding so I grabbed his head to check if I didn't break his nose…we would have almost kissed again if his mother hadn't walked into the office. I swear the man is a living and breathing babe magnet, or so it feels like it. There's this magical tension, a pull that's hard to ignore, I can't describe it."

Dee snorts out her laughter and doubles over.

"Great, glad to amuse you with the awkward moments of my day where I almost got fired," I grumble, causing my sister's laughter to cut off, so I add, "In the end, Blue tore up the contract and made me sign another one."

She narrows her eyes. "Another one? Why the fuck would she make you sign another one?"

I close my eyes and lean my head back. "Something about her liking me and dropping the no fucking rule. She told Heath to think with his head, the one on his shoulders before using the one between his legs."

Dee jumps to her feet and pats my shoulder, causing me to open my eyes.

"Atta girl," Dee praises and saunters into the kitchen. "I'm gonna fix the nachos and throw them in the oven."

I follow her into the kitchen to gape at her. "You're not gonna give me shit about almost losing the job?"

Dee starts to pull the ingredients from the cabinets and fridge while she keeps talking. "Nope. What's there to give you shit about when you managed to get the boss to drop a weirdo no fucking rule from a contract? Nothing I tell you. So, give me a second-by-second playback of your day, and don't leave anything out."

Stepping closer to the counter, I grab a knife and start chopping the sweet pepper while I tell her all about my day. We work side-by-side and once dinner is done, we eat in comfortable silence.

I'm sitting on the couch, reading a book while Dee is taking a bath when my phone lights up with an incoming message. Reaching forward, I snatch it off the table and frown at the unknown number along with the message.

UNKNOWN SENDER:

Seven, tomorrow night, same place, H.

I murmur the message out loud and suddenly realize who it's from; Heath. Tomorrow is my day off and it's Dee's turn to work. Her shift is from nine to three so I would have all the time I need to return to the gym at seven. However, everything about this spells disaster. I mean, there hasn't been one man I've been this awkward with since…ever.

For real, who the hell fails a first kiss not once, not twice, but three times? Right. Some warnings can be ignored, but fate intervenes for a freaking reason. I might not know what it is, but the universe is trying to tell me that hooking up with this man isn't a good idea. Shit. The first megawatt spotlight should have been hitting me when I signed the contract that included not getting hot and naked with Heath or Hayden.

brANDEE:

It's your nose, my head is ready when you are ??

I add his name to the unknown number and his reply is instant.

HEATH:

You can give me head anytime.

HEATH:

*Your

HEATH:

You can give me your head anytime. Fuck me, I'm tired.

brANDEE:

You should go to bed to sleep if you're tired and skip the ‘fuck me.'

HEATH:

Tomorrow. Seven.

I decide not to reply and am about to lean forward when Dee strolls back into the living room with her hair up in a bun and her face flushed from the hot bath she just took. Waiting for her to sit down next to me, I hand her the phone and let her scroll through the messages. Taking the bottle of water, I take off the cap and drain the whole thing.

Dee places the phone on the table in front of us. "You should definitely do him, even if the whole thing spells disaster with a capital D. The D in question stands for dick by the way."

The last little bit of water goes down the wrong way and I choke. My nose stings while I try to cough up the water that feels as if it hit my lungs. Dee laughs while slapping me on the back and I try to bat her hand away.

My voice is raspy and raw. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"No, Bran, I'm trying to get you some cock action. You even got the all-clear from his mother, and he implied his cock is pierced. If the roles were reversed, you'd be the one pushing me toward a potential orgasm delivery dude. Besides, after all the weeks of insanity we've had? You deserve some pleasure. Need I remind you of the pierced member? Have you ever had one? I haven't. Do it, for the sake of trying all new things at least once. If not, I'll be happy to take one for the team."

I wince and grit my teeth. This spells disaster. Not just because of Heath…there are a lot of different things that will screw things up. For one? He's a biker. Our father despised them, and how ironic that he was killed by getting caught in the crossfire of one.

"Hey." Dee wraps her fingers around my wrist and gives me a gentle squeeze. "You know I'd never steal your thunder, or any dude that spikes your interest, right?"

Unease fills my veins and I don't know why. Is it jealousy? That doesn't make sense. Dee and I are close, like she just mentioned, we've always been loyal, true, and respectful toward one another.

"I know," I muse. "It's just that…I don't know, I can't explain it."

"Sometimes, some things don't need to be explained," Dee simply states and grabs the remote. "Now, what are we going to watch? We have one hour to kill before my head has a date with my pillow. You know, early day and all…work, dodging weirdo boss' sons and everything."

She grins while I roll my eyes. I guess I have one hour to kill too because on my day off I'll be cleaning the house to keep my head and hands busy so I won't think about my sister possibly running into Heath.