Chapter 4

"Just because it looks and shines like a diamond, doesn't necessarily make it one."

–Edmond Mbiaka

Rayne

I thought I knew every single member of the Reapers. I knew everything there was about each of the men who wreaked havoc whenever they rolled into town. Their loud motorcycles weren't a problem, at least not in my book.

I'd had a boyfriend in high school with a Harley and had taken many wonderful summer rides with him. That was up until I caught the SOB cheating and sent him to the curb.

But the Reapers were a special kind of trouble. Somehow, they had a knack for skirting the law, which pissed me off whenever I saw them harass the townsfolks.

The members had enough money to take good care of their bikes, and they spread it around town like they somehow grew the green paper magically on trees. Anytime one of the members did end up staying in the gray-bar hotel, it was usually the drunk tank and they were released once they sobered up. Only once that I could remember had a member gotten in deep trouble and that was the sleazy little man-weasel that I'd pinned against the wall earlier. Declan O'Malley. The man was bad news. Rumors were he'd spent a full year in county lockup for beating a man half to death at a biker bar that sat just across the county line.

As for the rest of the gang, I knew their names, faces, and every single time they'd been in one of my jail cells.

Yet, somehow, Jameson Lorenzo was not on any of my lists. Was he really a member of the gang? My curiosity ate at me, caused me to want to find out more about him.

I had never even seen the man in my town before tonight. Trust me, I would have remembered if I had.

He was tall, with dark curly hair and a chiseled chin and face like a Greek god. He had the kind of lips that you just couldn't look away from when he spoke. Not to mention that his skin was tan, toned, and, especially to my liking, tattooed.

Plus, under the black pants and T-shirt he was wearing, I just knew there was a rock-hard body to match the dark looks he was giving me.

The part of me that drove me to find all the answers to other's secrets wanted to spend more time with the man in order to dive as deep as I could. Everyone slipped up eventually, allowing me to see the darkness or light they hid at first meeting. What was Jameson hiding?

I knew how to get answers from men like him. Flirting went a long way in getting men to let their guards down.

Besides, what else was I going to do for the night? Boredom often set in on nights like this.

Aria nudged my hip. "Invite him to sit with us for a drink," she hissed into my ear.

Aria and I had been BFFs ever since second grade, when I'd kicked Ricky Jorge's butt for pulling Aria's pigtails and making her cry.

Come to think of it, Aria was pretty much my only friend at the moment. Sure, I had plenty of acquaintances. Like Charlotte Hawthorne, who happened to be standing just behind tall-dark-and-sexy, along with her brother, Tobias, who was Aria's boyfriend of three years and fiancé of half that time. They were a stupidly cute couple and, besides living together for the past two years, had gone into business together. Jazzed Up was by far the best hair salon in town.

Of course, I was biased since Aria always did my hair for free.

"Friends don't charge friends," she always said.

It wasn't as if I went in often. Hell, the last time I'd had a haircut was… too long ago.

I could tell Aria was thinking the same thing. She was currently playing with my split ends, and I could tell she'd continue nagging me if I didn't go in soon.

She'd kept her bright blonde hair short since graduation. The spunky colors she added to her bleached look suited her personality.

Guess I'd better add a haircut to my list of things to do, besides solving a freaking murder.

"My BFF wants me to invite you to sit with us," I said, dryly, since it was obvious that Jameson had heard Aria clearly.

The man smiled and I swear to god, my underpants grew wet. Shifting, I nudged Aria and started pushing her towards a booth.

We all found an empty booth in the back, and Aria sat down after nudging me onto the bench across from her.

"This is Tobias," Aria said, taking her man's hand and pulling him down beside her. "And Charlotte, his sister." She pulled Charlotte next to her brother.

I watched Jameson's reaction. I knew for a fact that most of the Reapers were racist asshats. Tobias had had a few run-ins with a couple of members last month. Nothing that had warranted an arrest, but still, I was keeping a close eye on the situation.

"Hey," Jameson said easily and held out his hand as he took the seat next to me. "Jameson," he said to them both with an easy smile.

Okay, not on the racist asshat list, I thought when I noticed his genuine easy smile around the brother and sister.

"How about we head up to the bar and grab a round?" Tobias said, nudging his sister out of the booth. "Beer?" Tobias asked Jameson.

"Sure, whatever you're having," Jameson said easily.

Tobias nodded. "Come on, Aria." He tugged her arm and, before I could blink, the three of them were weaving their way through the crowd.

"You know what I want," I called after Aria. Then I turned to Jameson. "I should warn you," I said, catching my breath when I got a whiff of his sexy scent.

Was that sandalwood? Shit, the soft scent mixed with the leather did something to my insides.

"Oh?" Jameson smiled and rested his arm behind my shoulders on the back of the booth. "If it's about your friend trying to set us up"—his smile doubled—"I think I'm on to her."

I chuckled, the genuine sound somehow an odd one coming from me since most men didn't earn such a girlie reaction from me. Shit. Was I going soft?

"No." I straightened my shoulders and somehow ended up brushing them against his arm. It sent mini-shock waves throughout my entire body, so I slouched to avoid the contact again. "Since you're with the Swamp Reapers, I think it's only fair to warn you that I wear a badge."

To my surprise, his smile didn't disappear.

"Yeah, I was clued onto that fact the moment you ordered a ginger ale," he said smoothly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Lots of people order ginger ale."

He laughed. "Who? People with upset stomachs? People over the age of seventy?"

I shifted and narrowed my eyes at him. "Okay, so I don't choose to nurse a hot beer for hours." When I noticed his eyebrows rise slowly, I held in a groan. Shit. Yeah, I'd noticed him at the bar before I'd spotted Declan shove Evelyn around.

"Keen eye. Detective?" he said slowly. I nodded. "How did you know my beer was hot?"

"Everyone else's drinks or bottles sitting on the bar were dripping with condensation, leaving little wet rings on the bar top. Yours was dry." I shrugged. "Very dry."

Suddenly, his dark eyes grew more inquisitive. "What else can you tell about me?"

I smiled. I liked this game. Shifting again, I ran my eyes up and down him slowly.

"You're not a smoker," I said and he nodded. "Not much of a drinker," I added. He rolled his eyes.

"I thought we established that already?" he joked.

I smiled. "You're from up north." I felt him tense beside me. His poker face was good. He could have easily hidden his worry from anyone else. If I hadn't been sitting close to him with his arm pressed against my shoulders, I wouldn't have felt the slightest move. "But it's important to you that people think otherwise," I added. He didn't even blink, so I moved on. "You're packing heat." I smiled. His eyebrows rose slightly. "Then again, I'd wager everyone else in this bar is too."

"You?" he asked.

My smile dipped slightly. "Always," I said seriously.

"Go on." He nodded slightly.

"You can't stand Declan O'Malley," I added, taking a chance.

I felt him tense again. "How do you know that?"

"Because, while everyone else in your little club watched me pin the bastard to the wall, only you looked like you wanted to help me. The rest, if they could, would have taken me out back and…"

"Yeah," he agreed, and I watched him run his hands through his thick curly hair.

Then, for a split second, I saw something else. Something I must be wrong about. There was no way.

"Shots!" Aria said, breaking into the awkward silence as she set a tray of bright yellow drinks in little tubes down in front of us. "Let's get this birthday party started!" she cheered, and I groaned.

"Whose birthday?" Jameson asked after downing the very sweet and very strong shot.

"She thinks it's mine," I answered and took a sip of the beer that Aria had gotten me.

No more ginger ale for me tonight. Damn it. Not with Aria here. She'd want me to party and, well, I wanted to cut loose too.

"Thinks?" Jameson asked after taking a swig of his new cold beer. "I thought you two were BFFs. If it's not your birthday, then…"

I smiled. "I don't have one," I said as I watched Aria pull Tobias out on the dance floor. Charlotte had disappeared with a man on the dance floor before the drinks had even arrived.

"You… everyone has a birthday," he said.

I shook my head. "Nope, I don't have a last name either."

His eyes narrowed. "Rayne? First and last name?" I nodded. "Now I'm intrigued," he added.

I shook my head. "I don't tell everyone my past." I nudged his shoulder. "Can you dance? Because it's my pretend birthday and I feel like dancing."

He nodded and then slid out of the booth.

When I put my hand in his offered one, a quick jolt raced up my arm and spread throughout my entire body like a bolt of lightning.

How in the hell was I going to not jump this guy's bones tonight?

I didn't do quick in relationships, and I certainly stayed away from one-night stands. Especially, in a town where almost everyone knew everyone else's dirty secrets.

When we hit the dance floor, I was shocked at how well the man moved, and for two entire songs, I put my work world behind me and just enjoyed the moment.

Sweaty, breathless, and thirsty, I pulled Jameson back to our booth.

Charlotte was there, sipping a cocktail while looking at her phone.

"Didn't hit it off with Carl?" I asked as we sat back down.

"Carl is an ass," Charlotte said without looking up.

"Agreed." I laughed.

Charlotte smiled up at me. "What do you do?" she asked Jameson after she set down her phone.

"I'm a fitness trainer," he answered, slightly surprising me.

The hell he was. I narrowed my eyes as I took a sip of my now warm beer.

"Where?" Charlotte asked.

"Red River Iron Gym," Jameson answered. I stiffened, causing him to glance over at me. "Problems?"

I quickly shook my head and took another sip of my drink. "Bathroom break," I said and waited for him to get out of the booth.

I made a beeline to where Aria and Tobias were slow dancing.

"Sorry, stealing your woman for a few," I called out as I yanked Aria with me towards the bathroom.

"Hey, I was just about to get lucky." Aria laughed.

"Not on my watch," I joked back. When we were locked in the bathroom stall together, I took a couple of deep breaths and closed my eyes. "What in the hell am I doing?" I asked her as she yanked up her shiny golden skirt on the sheer dress she'd worn and started to pee.

"Having a good time with an incredibly sexy man." Aria wiggled her blonde eyebrows.

"I think he's a Reaper," I whispered. I didn't know who else was in the bathroom.

Aria stilled. "The hell he is." She narrowed her eyes and then stood and flushed the toilet.

I figured since I was here… I pulled my pants down and went.

"No way." Aria shook her head. "Him?"

I nodded. "Yup." I closed my eyes. "Why? Why do all the sexy men that cause me to soak my panties have to be so out of reach?"

"Sweetie," Aria said as she leaned against the door to the stall. "Does he know… about you?"

I nodded. "He said he picked up on it right away."

Aria was quiet for a moment while I finished using the bathroom and flushed.

"Why didn't you wear a dress?" she asked suddenly.

"Because then you couldn't be the hottest one here tonight," I teased as we stepped out of the stall to wash our hands.

She stopped me from walking out by laying a hand on my arm. "If he knows about you, then there are two possibilities. One, he's using you, which I just don't see him doing. The way he looks at you makes me think that it's option two."

"Which is?" I asked.

Aria smiled. "Sweetie, he's just as horny as you are and you should strap in and enjoy that ride for as long as you can hold on."

I laughed.

She was right. As we stepped out into the bar again, the moment Jameson spotted me, I saw the spark in his eyes.

Yeah, this was either going to be the best night of my life or I'd hit the ground after being bucked off the sexiest ride in town.