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  “I’m filling in for Rachel O’Neil,” Olive says.

  “And who are you?” he asks me.

  “She’s my bodyguard.”

  He looks me up and down, utterly confused, and shakes his head. “Good enough, I guess.” He laughs. We drive up the long winding driveway to the giant house on top of the hill.

  “I think I hit the jackpot on this one.”

  I pull to the front door and stop.

  “Good luck, superstar.”

  “You’re not coming in?”

  I don’t feel awesome about letting her walk into this place blindly, but I’m watching as people are being frisked at the door, and I’m pretty certain my gun and pepper spray won’t make it through. Curiosity definitely has the best of me, but I don’t need any excitement in my life right now. I’m done with excitement. I’m ready to bury my nose in a magazine full of the top one hundred autumn slow cooker recipes, and if I get bored, maybe I’ll study for a little bit.

  “I’ll be right over there.” I point to the nearest parking spot. “Are you going to be all right?”

  “Only one way to find out,” she giggles. As she steps out of the car, she wobbles on her high heels, almost tripping.

  “Love you, Olive,” I shout. “Knock ’em dead.”

  Chapter 2

  I park over by the edge of a hill overlooking the town below. It’s a clear, beautiful evening, the sky illuminated by the moon hanging high overhead. The treetops look like they are glowing under the blanket of stars.

  I get out of the car. The first warm nights of the summer are upon us, but it’s not humid at all. It is perfect. There’s a big boulder on the side of the hill and I sit down, stretching my legs out. It’s been a long, strange trip to get here, but at this moment, I feel peaceful.

  I can hear the music blaring from the party going on behind me, but I don’t care. I feel like I’m in my own little world up here, safe from all my problems down below. I listen as the peep frogs sing their songs of the season, lightning bugs flickering away, lighting up the forest in random spurts.

  “It’s awesome up here, isn’t it?” I hear a voice say. I’m startled, snapped out of my solace and smacked with the reality that I’m among strangers.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” he says. “I didn’t think anyone would be out here.”

  I turn around to see who’s talking to me, and my brain turns to mush. He’s gorgeous. Tall and built, with a scruffy black beard covering his chiseled jawline. His eyes are as black as the night sky. Tight jeans, leather cut, one hundred percent trouble waiting to happen. Nothing wrong with a man in uniform, even if that uniform means “I’ll break your heart and steal your wallet.”

  I instantly feel self-conscious in my leggings and t-shirt. I was so worried about getting Olive perfectly presentable that I didn’t even think about myself.

  “Slow your roll, sister,” I think. I’m in no mental state for even a one-night stand with this big bad wolf. I can still enjoy looking at him, though.

  “What are you doing out here by yourself?” he asks. “Where’s your old man?”

  “In jail!” I want to say. But that’s probably a little too much too soon.

  “I don’t have one. I’m actually just waiting for a friend.”

  “Oh. Do I know you?”

  “I don’t think so.” I stand up and offer him my hand. “I’m Sloan.”

  Bad move. Now we’re touching. Olive is wrong. My lady parts are not broken at all. Now I’m just being crazy. I don’t even know this person. For all I know, he could be a murderer, or even worse, married. My mind is screaming run away, but my legs won’t move.

  “I’ll get out of here,” I say.

  “You should stay.” He sits down on the rock and motions for me to join him. “I’m Gavin, by the way.”

  Fuck. Even his name is sexy. It could be Ted Bundy or Charles Manson; as long as it’s attached to him it would still be hot.

  “Vice President, huh?” I ask, reading the patch on his vest. “Sounds pretty important.” I’d heard of the Mountain Misfits MC before, just like everyone else in town. Nobody knew much about these guys, but rumor had it they were the worst of the worst outlaws, living out their days high up in the mountains to avoid prosecution from society below.

  The only crime this guy is committing is on my ability to act sensibly. I’m not afraid of bad boys. I am, however, a sucker for bulging biceps covered in ink and crisp white t-shirts.

  Chapter 3

  Gavin:

  I can tell why she’d want to keep her distance. She definitely doesn’t belong here. It’s not in how she dresses or how she talks, but more in the way that she’s staring out into the tree line, like she’s looking for something far beyond this mountain.

  Something about her makes me want to pull her in close, though. She’s definitely sad. Beautiful, but sad. If I had a girl like her, I’d probably spend the rest of my life doing everything I could to see her happy.

  I pull out a flask of moonshine from my pocket and take a pull. I offer it to her and she shakes her head.

  “Normally, yes, but I’m driving,” she says.

  I’d be more than happy to accommodate her for the evening, but I’m not getting that vibe from her.

  “You live around here?” she asks.

  “Actually, I live here.”

  “Nice house,” she says. “I would’ve never guessed it was up here.”

  “That’s what we’re going for. Actually, it’s the clubhouse.”

  “Oh, so you’re like in a gang?”

  She doesn’t seem judgmental in the way she says it, just casual, as if it’s a perfectly normal concept to her.

  “I mean if you want to call it that. More like a family of men who love motorcycles and the mountains.”

  “And strippers?” She laughs.

  “Only the best for my little brother’s high school graduation.”

  “Oh, Lord,” she giggles. “That’s what this is?”

  “Who the hell are you, Sloan? What are you doing here?”

  “Honestly, my free-spirited best friend decided she was going to give exotic dancing a whirl. I got roped into driving her. I’m supposed to be her bodyguard, too.”

  We both start laughing at the ridiculousness of this. Her smile is so genuine and soft. In the moonlight, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. In the moonlight, she looks like the woman who’s going to be my wife someday.

  “Did you see her in there by any chance?” she asks. “Bleached blonde with big fake boobs?”

  “Could you narrow it down a little bit? Why aren’t you in there dancing, too?”

  Her face turns bright red. It’s so adorable, it’s driving me insane.

  “Trust me, nobody wants to see that.”

  I do. I’m seeing it right now. But not on some pole. Not in front of my brothers. Only for me. This girl isn’t like the rest of the dirty birdies, as we so affectionately call the typical club sluts, but I don’t want her to be. I want her for my own personal use. My own private plaything.

  “So what do you do then?” I need to change the subject before I let my imagination get away from me.

  “Technically, I’m in school still.”

  “Are you going to be like a doctor or something?” It’s not that she looks old by any means, but I’d peg her for a woman closer to my age than someone who’s just starting off their college career.

  “Well….” she trails off.

  “Well, what?”

  “Technically, I am a doctor. I’m going to be a surgeon. If everything goes as planned, that is. I am working on my fellowship at the hospital right now. I have about a year and a half left.”

  Whoa. She just went from out of my league to a whole different planet. I’m surprised we even speak the same language. I don’t think any amount of mountain man charm could lessen the rift between the two of us.

  “Now you think I’m some sort of snobby nerd, I’m sure.” Sh
e’s staring at her shoes, looking ashamed.

  “No. Not at all. I just don’t know any surgeons. Now that I know you’re super smart I’m going to have to rethink my strategy for tricking you into getting in bed with me,” I tease. I was just trying to lighten the mood, but I definitely got her attention in the process.

  “Trick me, huh?” she says, staring me right in the eyes. “Have you considered just asking me politely?”

  “Well, now I’m going to have to question your intelligence.” The way she’s got her finger to her lips, her head cocked to the side like she thinks she’s got me right where she wants me, the rift between us is closing quickly by the second thanks to my rock-hard dick. “Do you have any idea what kind of game you’re trying to play here?”

  I close in on her, my breath hot on her neck. I’m trying to make her uncomfortable. I want to see her squirm. The best worst decisions tend to come from moments like these.

  “You want polite, Sloan? I’ll have you saying ‘please’ in languages you didn’t even know you could speak by the time I’m done with you,” I growl in her ear.

  “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” she giggles. I’m about to lose it.

  I pull her on my lap, her legs straddling my waist as our lips touch for the first time. Passionate, needy, I push my tongue in her mouth without hesitation. I want her to know how badly I want to be inside her. I don’t normally kiss girls I fuck, but Sloan’s not a girl I fuck. She’s a girl I get fucked by. She’s the kind of girl who rips your heart out and burns your house down while you watch with a smile on your face, knowing whatever happens in the next ten minutes is worth a lifetime of hurt.

  I run my hands up the side of her shirt, tugging it as I go and she pulls away, looking over my shoulder at the house above.

  “Relax,” I assure her. “Nobody’s gonna see.”

  She puts her head in her hands and lets out a frustrated sigh. That’s when I hear it too.

  “Sloan!! Sloan!! Where are you?” A high-pitched squeal echoes from the hills.

  “I gotta go,” she whispers. She hits me with a peck on the lips before smoothing her shirt and taking off running. “Sorry!”

  Sloan:

  She better be bleeding from the head or missing an arm, and I mean that in the kindest way possible.

  Sure, banging a random biker on a boulder probably wouldn’t go down as my shining moment in life, but opportunities like this don’t come up too often when you’re working in an emergency room eighteen hours a day. I’m young. I have my whole life ahead of me to worry about white picket fences and good decision-making.

  “Olive!” I yell, waving my arms. “I’m coming!”

  “Where the hell did you come from?” she asks. Her face is streaked with tears. She’s got her shoes flung over her shoulder and she’s ripping off her fake eyelashes.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I say, trying to catch my breath. “What happened to you?”

  “I chickened,” she sobs. “I couldn’t pull the trigger. I…” Her eyes grow wide and her jaw drops. I cringe. I hear his footsteps coming up the pavement and I hang my head. So much for ‘nobody’s gonna see’.

  “Are you ok? Did somebody put their hands on you?” he barks.

  “Who are you?” she asks.

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Why do you both keep saying that? Wait a minute…”

  She looks at him and looks at me and shakes her head.

  “Are you all right or what?” he asks. His tone is perturbed but concerned and I actually find it kind of endearing. He doesn’t know her from the next stripper, but his knee-jerk protectiveness shows me he’s a good man underneath the ink and leather.

  “I’m fine, thank you. Everyone was very kind and very polite. I just don’t think I’m cut out for this kind of work. I thought I was; hell, I think my guidance counselor even suggested it as a career option, but the truth is, I don’t have a graceful bone in my body. I can’t dance to save my life. All those girls in there would put me to shame.”

  We all start cracking up.

  “I was about to be proud of you, but now I’m just confused,” I laugh. “Although I have seen your dance moves, and they are pretty awful. I thought maybe you took some lessons or something, though.”

  She shrugs. “It is what it is. Guess it’s back to bartending for now.”

  “You bartend?” Gavin asks.

  “Look at me,” she says. “Do you even need to ask that question?”

  “You know anything about managing a bar?”

  “I know everything about managing a bar. Why?”

  “We’re looking for somebody at the Bucktail Saloon. Our longtime manager passed away and we’ve been scrambling ever since. Pay’s pretty good.”

  If he’s doing what I think he’s doing, he’s a lot smarter than I initially gave him credit for. You always make nice with the crazy best friend. I’m not sure if he’s aware of what kind of gauntlet he’s throwing himself into, but the fact that he’s willing to offer a job to this barefoot, weeping, wannabe stripper to impress me is extremely flattering. If that’s what he’s trying to do. Whether he actually likes me or he’s just trying to get into my pants is irrelevant. Biker boy is at least going out on a limb.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Come down Monday morning at ten. We can talk about it then.”

  “I will. Thank you!”

  “Now what do you say we go inside and try to salvage what’s left of this night?” he suggests.

  “I’m sorry,” Olive says. “I just can’t. I’m so embarrassed. You guys go have fun, though. I’ll just wait in the car.”

  Dammit, Olive. The throbbing between my thighs isn’t making this easy. I want to finish what we started in the worst possible way, but I can’t just bail on my best friend to get some dick.

  “Let’s go home. Thanks for your hospitality, Gavin.”

  I go in for an awkward hug. I’m really not sure how one navigates this sort of situation. His dick is pressing into my thigh as his hands reach down to cup my ass, and I’m afraid that if this goes on any longer, he’ll likely impregnate me in front of my friend.

  “You’re fucking killing me, Sloan,” he whispers in my ear.

  “You better not die on me. I might be a doctor, but I haven’t quite mastered bringing people back from the dead. I’ll see you soon. I promise.”

  Begrudgingly, I open the car door for her and get in.

  “What the fuck just happened?” she says as I put the car in reverse and start heading down the hill.

  “I think that nice man just offered you a job.”

  “That nice man? Other than his arms, his ass, and his smile, what about that man is nice?”

  “What does it matter?” I ask.

  “Are you drunk? You know what those bikers are like. I feel like you’re constantly walking around trying to invent new ways to ruin your life.”

  “What’s this have to do with my life? It’s a hookup, Olive. Sometimes a girl just needs to blow off a little steam.”

  “Or blow off a big bad biker she just met?”

  “I don’t kiss and tell, Ollie, you know that.” Just kidding. Seriously, if I had my way with that mountain masterpiece, I would’ve made sure she heard every gory detail.

  “Listen, I don’t blame you one bit. I probably would’ve done the same thing. Hell, I probably would’ve locked you in the car and casually pushed it off the cliff.”

  “I know, ya asshole,” I say, punching her in the shoulder. “The thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t want to lose my ChapStick in the glove compartment.”

  “That’s just your lady blue balls talking. I’ll pretend like I never heard that.”

  “You’re gross. And you’re going to take that job.”

  “You mean I’m going to give you an excuse to creep on some guy you’re trying to bone?” She laughs.

  We’re back on the long dirt road, and this time I’m going to take it slow. My poo
r car has seen enough trauma for the day, and so have my lonely lady parts. I think a pothole would feel like a gunshot to the crotch.

  “Well, it obviously has more potential than your stripping career.”

  “Oh, fuck off. I’ll think about it. But not because of you. I’ll spend my dying breath keeping you away from guys like that until you’re done with school, and you know it. I already let you slip once.”

  “K, mom.” Sure, maybe this wasn’t going to go down as one of my best life choices, but I would definitely have zero regrets. I can’t stop thinking about his hands on my body, his mouth on my neck. Men like him know what they’re doing, and I was totally willing to let him prove it to me in any way he wanted.

  “I’ve been called worse.”

  “I have quite a few choice names for you right now, actually, captain cockblock.”

  “We both know you’ll be thanking me someday. You know he only offered me that job so he could get in your pants, right?”

  “That’s what I was hoping.” I pull my car into the parking lot of the twenty-four-hour diner off the highway. “Olive, I have a hole that needs to be filled, and I think a cheeseburger the size of my head is my only option at this point. You got any money?”

  “C’mon. I’ll even let ya get a milkshake if you promise not to talk about your holes anymore.”

  “Fries too?” I ask, skipping across the parking lot.

  “Sure.”

  Chapter 4

  Eight years ago

  Gavin:

  “Dude, you only have two beers in your fridge. This is not what I imagined Gavin Boden’s collegiate pussy palace to look like,” Heat scolds. Late fifties and scruffy as hell, I almost feel bad I don’t have something special planned for the old guy. It’s not every day I can pry the chaplain of the Mountain Misfits Motorcycle Club out of his hole and drag him down the hill to walk among the living.