5. Razor

What the hell is happening right now?

I stare down at the little lady currently pulling my six-foot-three, two-hundred-and-eighty-pound self down the sidewalk. One minute I was on my bike, watching the blonde woman I"m definitely not stalking, and the next minute she dropped her phone and dove in front of a car to grab it.

I had no choice but to act. My mind went completely blank and my sole focus was to get her out of danger. The moment I wrapped my arm around her waist, I knew I crossed a line. And when she turned around and locked her eyes on me? I was done for.

Even after studying her photos and checking up on her these last few days, I wasn't quite sure what colors her eyes were. Sometimes they looked green, while at other times, blue flecks shined through.

But now I know. Her wide, hazel eyes will never leave my memory. Swirls of blue, olive, and brown make up her mesmerizing gaze. I swear there was a hint of recognition swimming in their depths when she first looked up at me. God knows I have nearly every contour of her face memorized, but she's never seen me before now.

Or maybe I'm losing my goddamn mind since a handful of my MC brothers went and settled down with women of their own. Am I subconsciously looking for a partner?

That thought has me stopping in my tracks. Literally. The woman whose name I still don't know comes to an abrupt halt with her arm still looped in mine. She teeters on her heels then falls backward. I'm right there to catch her, trying with all of my might to ignore her soft curves and sweet, floral scent.

No, for fuck's sake. Stop this right now, I scold myself. I was only going to look at her from afar. That was the plan. Just follow her around a bit and see if she knows anything or goes anywhere noteworthy. For the club.

At this point, I know I'm just lying to myself. This isn't for the club. It's selfish and dangerous and all for me.

Still, I wasn't going to talk to her, let alone touch her. Now that I have…

"Can you go two minutes without hurting yourself?" I grunt as I help the mysterious woman stand up on her own two feet. The second the words fall from my lips, I wish I could rip them out of the air and swallow them back down.

Her shoulders drop, her entire posture changing so she's folded in on herself. I never want to be the cause of this reaction ever again. She looks ashamed to even take up space, which is so different from the woman I've come to know over the last week of not-spying on her.

I open my mouth to apologize, but my voice won't work. Can't remember the last time I said sorry unless it was sarcastic or insincere. With this precious woman, however, I truly hate myself for making her feel less than.

"I know I"m a bit clumsy," she says, straightening her spine and rolling her shoulders back. "I mean, that"s kind of the whole reason we met." Her voice is back to its normal, cheery tone like nothing ever happened.

Her words have my stomach tying itself into knots. She has no idea how we really met and I hope she never finds out. I get the sense she doesn't trust easily. Hell, anyone who has been in an MC on the wrong side of the law doesn't trust easily, if at all.

She peers up at me, a smile plastered on her face despite the way I just snapped at her. I don't want to think about how many times she's been yelled at and harassed at the Serpents' clubhouse and she's had to smile her way through just to survive.

I want all of her smiles, but I want them to be genuine. I want… I want to make her happy. Happy, safe, and fulfilled.

What is wrong with me? Where are these thoughts coming from?

"Anyway," she says, looping her arm around mine once more. "Don't make it weird. I'm just buying you coffee for saving my life. No big deal."

"Seems like a fair trade," I say for some reason.

The curvy little lady looks at me over her shoulder, those hazel eyes sparkling with playfulness. God, what that does to me. I'd play with her. Fuck, I'd love to dive into her sweet body and find all the things that make her tremble and scream out in pleasure.

So goddamn inappropriate.

"Did you just make a joke?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

I stare blankly at her and shrug. This makes her throw her head back in laughter, the rich sound filling the air as I breathe it in. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips, but I manage to resist it. Barely. When was the last time I felt like smiling?

"It's okay. I won't tell anyone you have a sense of humor," she whispers before giving me a wink.

I let her continue to lead me down the sidewalk until we reach a coffee shop at the end of the block. Once inside, she skips right up to the counter and greets the barista with a friendly smile. How she can be that enthusiastic about anything is beyond me. The energy required to give a shit about anything other than the MC left me years ago. Watching the blonde woman who has captured my attention, however, I think I may just have found a reason to start caring again.

"...And I'm paying for whatever he's getting, too. Whatever he orders, make it a large. Oh, and a cinnamon roll." She looks over her shoulder at me, and I'm caught up once again in her beauty. "You like cinnamon rolls, right?" Before I get a chance to speak, she answers her own question. "Of course, you do. Everyone loves cinnamon rolls."

Truthfully, I've always been neutral on cinnamon rolls and all pastries, for that matter. But now my favorite food is cinnamon rolls.

I order my drink - coffee, black - and stand off to the side to wait for whatever presumably outlandish coffee beverage she ordered.

"So," she says, breaking the silence. "I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Aurora." She holds out her hand for me to shake and I stare at it, not sure it's a good idea to touch her again.

In the end, I clasp my hand around hers, my large, rough fingers wrapping around her delicate skin. Of course, she has a name like Aurora. Beautiful and ethereal, like the woman herself. I think it's also the name of a Disney princess. A rugged, jaded, old biker like myself has no right to dirty up a princess like Aurora, which only makes her all the more tempting.

"This is the part where you tell me your name," Aurora whispers as if I forgot my line on stage during a play. How is she so adorable? And shit, did I just think the word adorable?

"Razor," I choke out. Her eyes widen and she looks down at the counter, then across the seating area in the cafe. I realize she's looking for an actual razor, which is pretty… adorable. "My name is Razor," I clarify.

Aurora's cheeks glow the slightest shade of pink and I get the insane urge to kiss them.

Our drinks are called out, and yup, I was right about Aurora's beverage. It's piled high with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and mini chocolate chips. Her eyes light up when she sees it, and I vow here and now to get her this drink as often as she wants if it makes her this happy.

Aurora weaves around a few tables until we arrive at a booth tucked away in the corner. I appreciate the privacy. I don't make a habit of coming to coffee shops or really any activity where I have to mingle with the public. For this woman, though, I have a feeling I'll do pretty much anything she asks of me.

She takes a seat and I join her, glad to have my coffee cup in hand so I have something to fidget with. "Is Razor your real name?" Aurora asks, her eyes tinted blue under these lights. Her expression is filled with genuine curiosity and a part of me softens toward her. She truly must not get out much. The entire time I've been observing her, Aurora hasn't left the compound until today.

"Razor has been my name longer than it hasn't," I reply.

Aurora narrows her eyes at me, though there's a grin curling up one corner of her lips. "That's a very mysterious answer, mister," she says in a little sassy voice. "What do you do for a living?"

I hesitate, not wanting to give away all of my secrets. Who knows how she'd react to learning I'm a member of a rival MC. "I'm in the protection and security business," I finally land on. As the Enforcer for Rebel Hearts, that's not technically a lie. It still didn't feel great rolling off my tongue so easily. I don't like lying to Aurora, even if it's a lie of omission.

She nods, then takes a spoon and scoops up her whipped cream topping, licking it from the utensil. My eyes latch onto the movement as I follow her pink little tongue lapping at the cream.

I tear my eyes away from her, willing my dick to calm the fuck down. The woman isn't even trying to drive me insane, but still, I want to taste the cream on her lips and suck her tongue into my mouth until she moans and begs for more.

"Uh, what do you do?" I ask, curious as to how she'll answer.

Aurora pauses for a moment, considering her next words. "I'm a maid and a cook." she finally lands on. "It's for a… private family."

I nod, impressed with how well she took the question. Like me, she's not technically lying. She's also not telling me the whole truth.

"Do you like your job?"

This causes Aurora to freeze, her drink only halfway up the straw to her lips. She blinks a few times, pulling herself out of whatever spiral she was in.

"It's kind of my only option at this point," she says, her words measured. "I don't know that I've ever had the luxury of liking my job. It just… needs to be done."

Now, that may be the most honest thing she"s said to me all day. She feels trapped, just like I used to be. I knew I recognized a pain so deep inside of her that she doesn"t know if she"ll ever be rid of it.

I open my mouth to say… I don't fuckin' know. Something. Anything. But then her phone beeps with an incoming message.

I watch as she curls in on herself, her head dipping down while her shoulders hunch up around her ears. I don't have to guess who the text is from. Someone from the Serpents.

"Wow, I, uh, didn't realize how much time has passed. I really need to get back to the… to my job," she finishes as she shoves her phone into her purse. "Sorry to cut this short. Here, you have the cinnamon roll. It's all for you." Aurora pushes the plate containing a giant cinnamon roll the size of her face closer to me. "I know it doesn't come close to showing you my gratitude, I just…"

Her phone beeps again, making her jump. I hate that for her.

"Go on, I wouldn't want you getting in trouble."

She gives me a grateful smile, then grabs her groceries from the seat next to me and takes off. I wait exactly two minutes before walking out the door and following her back to the Serpents compound. I'm in too deep now. I know her name, I know how she smells and how she feels in my arms. It's a terrible idea to pursue anything, and yet…

I pull up to the old farmhouse, putting my bike in neutral and walking it the last block to my well-hidden stakeout spot. As I get settled in for another night of watching over Aurora, I'm already thinking of ways to make her mine.