Chapter 2

Grit

Fuck!

Damn, she hasn’t changed. Well, personality-wise, that is. She’s still a stubborn little ass. Hardheaded and sassy as ever. Physically, on the other hand, hot fucking damn. I didn’t think the girl could get any more beautiful or more tempting, but she’s gone and grown into quite the woman. Her body has matured in all the right places, and damn, are her curves sexy as hell. She’s a walking temptation, and the men at the bar will eat her alive. Which is why I need to get my ass down there and make sure everyone knows to keep their fucking hands off, or they’ll be facing the consequences. I’d make Trigger fire her ass, but knowing Hailey, she’ll make good on the threat she just threw our way, and there’s no way I’m letting her leave me again.

Bentley and I both stare at the open door she just hightailed it out of, and as soon as her car pulls out, he turns to me, looking worried as hell. He’s concerned she’ll get hurt, and that makes two of us. But that’s never going to happen because I’m going to make damn well sure it doesn’t.

“Yeah, I’m going,” I tell him and head straight out the door.

I have my helmet on and am ready to climb onto my bike and chase her mouth-watering peach of an ass down when I hear Bentley’s voice. “Don’t forget your fucking promise, Burken.”

I grit my teeth, feeling the tension tightening my shoulders. How could I fucking forget when he’s here to remind me every single day that the girl I love, the only one I could ever picture by my side until I’m old and gray, is off-fucking-limits.

“Yep, heard you loud and clear. Have a good day, Officer.” I give him a clipped salute that matches my clipped tone, then straddle my bike and drive the fuck away from the house I once considered my home. And away from the guy who I once considered family. A brother. I still do, and always will, but I can’t say the same for him.

After the morning he saw me leaving Hailey’s room, the morning she was heading off to college, Bentley made me an enemy. And ever since, the guy I considered my best fucking friend has iced me out of his life. Except when he needs something like he does now. Then he’ll gladly pick up the phone and make his fucking demands, always letting me know what will happen if I don’t follow through with his orders. For an officer of the law, he sure knows how to blackmail someone like a motherfucker.

I park my bike right next to Hailey’s car instead of next to all my brothers’ rides like usual. My girl isn’t going to be leaving here tonight without us having some words. She may be getting her way and will be keeping her job in this place, but she’s going to have to start covering her sinful little body up. If I had my way, she’d be dressed up as a nun, covered from head to toe in a huge frock. I’d have her serving up some holy spirits if I had a say in the matter. But even still, I doubt it’d deter anyone. No matter what she wears, she’ll still be tempting to all the devils who frequent this place.

Honestly, I’m not even worried about them because that will be handled. I’m worried about myself and the fact that I’m up at this bar every night after work, winding down with the guys over a drink. Seeing her in those tiny shorts which curve that perfect plump round ass and reveal every single inch of those sexy smooth legs of hers, along with seeing her tits trying to break free from the cotton restricting them, is only going to wind me up instead. I’m going to lose my mind and my fucking nut every time I’m up here. Fuck!

I storm into the place, and head straight to my usual table. The guys are already seated with drinks in hand, looking at ease while my nerves are on fucking edge. “You good, Grit?” Axle asks, clearly reading the tension rolling right off me.

“Been fucking better,” I state, not elaborating on my shit. If he knew what my true problem was, he’d be fucking livid. And I know that anger would be put into action. And that’s why I keep my mouth shut. Why I’ve kept my mouth shut for four fucking years. “Girl shit,” I state, hoping he’ll accept my answer and drop it. “Speaking of girls, can you get yours over here so I can get a drink?”

He nods with a smirk and then makes a big show of getting his woman, Riley, to come to our table. I look over and see his girl heading our way, and trailing her is my girl. I guess Hailey is training with Riley tonight. Good. Now, I can keep an eye on her and introduce her to her new bodyguards.

Riley comes to stand by the table, and Axle immediately pulls her between his legs. “Axle, I’m working.” She pretends to protest, but she stays right where she wants to be, wrapped in his arms. “Hey, guys, I want you to meet our new girl, Hailey. Hailey, this is Axle, my fiancé. And that’s Trigger, RiffRaff, Shiv, and Grit.” She points at me last, and Hailey turns and scrunches her cute little nose up.

“Grit?”

I can’t help myself. She’s too damn cute. And I’m a damn glutton for punishment. I pull her between my legs and wrap my arms around her waist.

“It’s what I go by now, babe.” She raises her brow, still not understanding my sudden name change, so I elaborate. “Since I patched in with the club. It’s my road name.”

Now it seems to click. Although, seeing the little annoyed look that crosses her face before she quickly masks it with a fake smile lets me know she’s not happy with the fact that I’m part of the club now. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s afraid of the Savage Knights based on what she’s no doubt heard about us from that brother of hers, or if she hates the fact that I’ve always used them as an excuse for not coming out to see her. Honestly, no club business would have ever kept me away from my girl, but it was the script I was given, so I played my part. And I obviously played it well because now my girl resents my brothers because of it. A fact I’m going to have to remedy ASAP.

“What do you do for the club, Der…I mean, Grit?” I like it better when she calls me Derek, but the guys will give me shit about that, so I keep my mouth shut. I go to answer her question but RiffRaff beats me to the punch.

“He keeps us all in line, pretty girl. He’s our own personal law enforcement.”

Hailey’s nose scrunches up again, and she turns back toward me.

“Like Bent?”

I shake my head. I’m not like her brother. He and I may have the same belief system as far as wanting to keep the streets clean and both of us having absolutely no tolerance for criminal motherfuckers who want to sell drugs to kids or the shits who like to hurt women, but we just have a different way of handling those motherfuckers. Oh, I believe in justice all right, just like her brother does, it’s just Savage Knight justice is a bit more of the punishment fits the crime kind.

“No, babe.” I shake my head. “I’m the sergeant at arms. I enforce the laws of the club. Make sure all the men abide by the rules. And no one stirs up any trouble for us.”

Once again, that darn little nose of hers scrunches right up. This time I lean forward and brush mine against it.

“This cute little thing is going to get stuck like that if you keep it up.”

Her cheeks turn pink, and I wonder if I’ve embarrassed her. I reach up and brush my thumbs across her rosy skin and can’t help but stare at her beautiful face, which takes my breath away. Damn, I’m so in love with her. I loved her like a sister once upon a time, but somewhere along the way, from the night before she left for college, crying her pretty little eyes out about having to leave me, and during all our late-night chats on the phone while she was away, I fell in love with the girl. I fell so hard it feels like I’m drowning in the emotion.

“So, are you gonna tell us where you met your girl, Grit? Because wherever she came from, that’s where I’m moving to.” Trigger’s deep voice cuts through my thoughts, and Hailey and I both turn our attention toward him. Although he’s merely teasing and just flirting in kind with my girl, he’s just pissed me the fuck off. Hailey is now smiling at the shit, and I have this sudden urge to punch the guy in the nose.

“She’s not my girl,” I grit the words out between clenched teeth because each one feels like a lead bullet leaving a loaded gun. “And she’s from around here. Born and raised.”

Hailey’s body stiffens as the words leave my mouth. Obviously, she’s sensing my anger, and now she’s reacting to my sudden change in mood. Either that, or she’s pissed I answered for her. She used to always go off on Bentley anytime he’d speak for her. Whether it was at a doctor’s appointment or ordering in a restaurant, she wanted to do the talking. A quality I’ve always admired about her.

“You saying she doesn’t belong to you?”

Once again, Trigger fucking pisses me off with his question. She fucking does belong to me. She is my girl. Well, she fucking should be. And would be if it weren’t for that damn brother of hers. Because I’m pretty sure if he weren’t standing in my way, she’d give me everything I want and more. I’ve known for years that my girl has had a crush on me. And when I had her wrapped in my arms earlier, I felt her body grow all soft and her nipples grow all hard. I also heard the sexy little noise she made when I nuzzled into her. Yeah, if I was allowed to touch her, I bet she’d fucking purr for me.

“Back the fuck off, Trig.” I narrow my stare on him, and finally he heeds the warning in my eyes and backs down.

But then RiffRaff decides he wants to chime in and push me even further to my boiling point.

“Well, pretty girl, if you ever find yourself alone on a Friday night and want some company, don’t hesitate to find me. I’ll be happy to take you out.”

Yep. Riff’s going to pay for that shit later. Fucker.

Hailey looks surprised by his comment. Since I know my girl so well, I can tell she’s not interested. But whether she’s just trying to be polite or trying to piss me off, she gives him a flirtatious smile. “Thanks, um…RiffRaff. I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Now, can I get you guys anything else to drink? You need something, Grit?”

She turns toward me with her little notepad in hand, and I’m about to give her my damn order all right. I definitely need something, and it’s definitely something wet and causes a slow burn when it goes down, but it’s definitely not something they serve here in this bar. I need my girl’s hot little pussy riding my tongue and smothering me with her juices, and then I want her hot little mouth going down on my dick nice and slow, burning me up from the inside out. Fuck!

I shake the thoughts that will never get to see the light of day and grumble, “Bourbon on the rocks.” Since I can’t have the drink I actually want, I have to settle for something that will hopefully make that fact seem not so unbearable.

She writes my order down and rushes from the table. The minute she and Riley are out of earshot, the guys are on me like fucking fleas.

“Dude, what the fuck? If she’s not your girl, then why the fuck are you cock blocking me?” Trigger’s the first one to bite and is making my nerves fucking itch.

“I told her brother I’d keep her safe and make damn sure no one messed with her. And I’m keeping that promise.”

Trigger looks in my girl’s direction, his tongue running across his bottom lip like he wants a damn taste. “I’ll keep that little angel safe, and that brother of hers will have nothing to worry about when I make her mine.”

I’m leaning over the table and am in his face the moment the word mine leaves his mouth. “She is not fucking yours and never will be. You got me.”

The fucker points his hard stare at me, refusing to back down, and I’m about to beat his ass to a bloody pulp. But then a smirk forms on his face and he’s nodding his head. “You fucking love her.”

I back away from him like I’ve just been burned, sinking down into my seat. He’s dead right about that. I do love her. More than anything in this world. More than I thought was humanly possible, but that changes nothing.

“Sure as hell do. She’s family to me,” I state, just so he’ll back the fuck off. “And no one is going to touch her. Consider her club property. Keep your hands off and keep her safe.”

“Bullshit,” Trigger counters, causing my fists to clench even tighter than they already are. “I’ll tell you what. You admit that you’re in love with that girl, and I’ll stay away. But if you don’t admit the truth, then consider her free game.”

I seriously want to punch the guy whom I consider one of my closest friends. He’s got me backed against the fucking wall, and he knows it. Club rules are: if we don’t claim a girl for ourselves, then fair is fair and any brother is allowed to pursue her. If someone is blood, they automatically get protection from the club and are off-limits unless permission is granted. But here I am, the enforcer of those rules and trying to bend them in my favor. If I don’t claim her, officially, Trigger can do whatever the fuck he wants, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Fine. I’m in love with her. You happy?”

Finally, Trigger retreats wearing a big ol’ shit-eating grin.

“You heard the man,” Axle pipes up. “The claim has been made, which means she’s off-limits and under our protection.” He tips his glass in my direction before he takes a sip.

Relief should be hitting me, and I should be joining in a celebratory drink with him since I’ve just claimed the woman I’m in love with. But right now, I am not relieved, and there is nothing worth celebrating. Because no matter how much I want her to be mine, Bentley will never let that happen. And when he gets wind of my claiming, he’s going to come after me and make good on his threats. Fuck. I have some major recon on my hands later, and I’m not fucking looking forward to it.

“Damn, you guys are dropping like flies,” RiffRaff, our resident manwhore states. He’s shaking his head like he can’t even fathom the thought of being tied down to one woman for the rest of his life. Yeah, he can spout that shit all he wants, but I guarantee the moment he meets his one, he’ll be singing a different tune. He just hasn’t found her yet. On the other hand, I found mine all right. I just can’t fucking have her.

“Seriously.” Trigger shakes his head. “You guys are snatching up all the good ones. This place is all dried up. And the second a sexy little thing comes along, one of you bastards has already swooped in and claimed her. What the hell?”

“I’ve known that girl since she was in pigtails, Trig. There was no swooping in. I’ve always been there.”

“So what’s the deal then? Why are you trying to deny what you two obviously feel for each other? Because the way you two were looking at each other just now, damn…if I’d watched you two any longer, I would have grown a pair of ovaries.”

The guys all chuckle at his remark, but personally, I’m not fucking amused.

“Two words,” I state. “Officer Bentley.”

“What the hell does he have to do with it? Does Officer Dickwad have a thing for the girl? Because that girl clearly has a thing for you, so he should get a fucking clue and move the fuck on.”

I shake my head. “She’s his sister.”

“Oh, fuck!” His eyes shoot right up to his hairline. Yep, he can say that again. “Let me guess. Because you’re one of us, you’re not good enough for his precious little sister?”

Trigger’s irritation oozes out with every word, and I can’t say I blame him for hating the officer. Bentley has turned into a real dick and sometimes makes shit hard for our club. And he has definitely made his opinion about us known around town. I don’t like that shit either, but I know Bentley wasn’t always this way. He once was the guy playing pranks and clowning around in school and getting into trouble for it. He once was the guy who had me laughing for hours and knew how to have fun and let loose. But then, life happened, and shit hit the fucking fan. He lost his parents to a car accident, became a parent at the young age of twenty to a teenage girl, and then faced some pretty crazy shit when he first joined the police force. So yeah, that shit took its toll, so now in the place of my best friend is a jaded asshole with a major pole up his ass.

Trigger’s not far off with his summation of the situation, but if I give him the real reason Bentley doesn’t want me near his sis, all hell will break loose.

“Nah, it’s because he and I both know that girl deserves better than my sorry ass. You know I’m never going to settle down. I don’t do relationships. Never have and never will.”

The gasp to my right has me tensing. I turn and see my girl standing with her tray; the drinks rattling on the thing as her nerves take hold. Pretty sure she just heard what I said. And by the look on her face, it’s clear I just landed a punch right to her sweet, little crushing heart. Her hand trembles as she places my drink in front of me. “Here’s your drink, Grit.” Her voice comes out just as shaky.

Before I can even tell her thank you, she turns and is practically running back to the bar.

“Why the fuck didn’t you warn me she was there?” I aim my anger at Trigger, who doesn’t fucking deserve it. But I’m fucking dying inside.

“Why the hell are you so worried about her knowing the truth? If you really believe that shit you just spewed about not being good enough, you’d want to drill the fact into her pretty little head so she’s not off fantasizing about a future she’s never going to have with you.”

He’s shaking his head at me because he knows I’m not being straight with him. I’m not lying. I’m just not giving him the whole truth. “I’ll let you off the hook tonight, Grit, because there are too many ears in this place.” His eyes peer right in on me. “But I suggest you think long and hard about what you want, and don’t let anyone fucking stand in your way from having it.”

If only it were that simple. And if only it wasn’t the fucking law standing in my way.