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To Natalie Ram,

my favorite schemer,

my partner in crime.

Together—we will never lose.

Love you!

A soul mate is not found. A soul mate is recognized.

—Vironika Tugaleva

PROLOGUE

HE’S late. Again.

I sit down at the dinner table, where the now-cold food congeals, and cover my face with my hands.

Two hours late. Again.

What am I going to do? How long am I going to live like this, waiting for him to change?

I need to make myself realize that the Darren I fell in love with isn’t the man he is now.

Ten years of my life I’ve given him.

Ten.

My first love, my first boyfriend, the man I thought I’d marry.

And then he turns into such a disappointment.

No, that’s an understatement.

He’s everything a man shouldn’t be.

In fact, his mother should be fucking ashamed of the man he’s become.

I hear the garage door open, but I don’t move from my spot. Of course, he stays in the garage and doesn’t even bother to come up and see me. No hello, even though I’ve been blowing up his phone for the last hour wondering where he is.

He’s a master liar. He has an excuse for everything, and I believe him every single time.

Love truly is blind. I can see the truth now, but does that mean I don’t love him anymore?

I really hope so.

He finally comes upstairs and kisses the top of my head.

I don’t bother to ask where he was, and he doesn’t bother to explain why he was so late. He just pretends everything is okay, that we’re perfectly fine, that all is well in our world.

“How was your day?” he asks as he eyes the food.

As if he gives a fuck.

“Fine,” I say, looking up into his lifeless brown eyes. “Yours?”

“Yeah, good. Work was busy.”

Today is a good day. The days I get ignored—they still suck, but they’re better than most. Better than the alternative.

I touch my neck, and feel the bruises that still remain there.

This is how he expects me to live.

To not question him. To just work and come home and cook and clean.

To die inside, little by little, while he’s off with his friends, injecting needles into his veins and fucking other women.

Before the drugs, he wasn’t like this, but there’s no point living in the past.

I’ve tried to leave a few times, but each time, he brought me back here. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to get any of my family or friends involved, but if I don’t reach out for help, I’m probably not going to make it.

Darren the man is dead, and in his place is a monster.

I’ll never forgive him for being so weak and turning to drugs in the first place.

Never.

I decide right here and now that I need to get away, to get out. I can’t live like this anymore, slowly turning into someone I’m not. I don’t care that he threatened to kill me if I leave. I’d rather die than live like this, with him.

No one is coming to save me; no one.

I have to save myself.

ONE

Six months later

I KNOW I seem out of place, so I ignore the looks I get from the people around me and stare straight ahead. I probably do look like a criminal, if I’m being honest. The worn jeans and black hoodie really aren’t nice enough to be worn out in public, but it’s not like this bar is some posh place. I mean, it’s nice enough, but it’s still a bar. I have my hood up, but strands of my fiery red hair are sticking out of it, framing my face in messy curls.

I swallow a mouthful of beer and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

How did I get here? Not here as in this bar, but here, at this place in my life.

Alone and looking homeless. On my thirtieth birthday.

Yeah, today is an all-time low.

Happy birthday to me!

“Can I please have another beer?” I ask the extremely sexy blond bartender at the bar, who grins, nods, and grabs me one. I open my purse and pull out some money, then curse as a few of my cards slip out and onto the floor. Sighing, I hand him the money, then pick up the cards and shove everything back in, zipping my bag.

“If you think that hoodie hides your beauty, you’re fuckin’ dreaming,” mutters a slightly accented voice from my right.

English? No.

Maybe Irish.

I turn to look at him, giving him my most unimpressed look. He’s good-looking. No, that’s too bland a description for what he is. He’s sexy, in that bad-boy, I’ve been through a lot and I know how to handle everything, including you way. Dark hair and eyes. Add in that slight accent and he’s just my type. Shame about the timing—I’m definitely not looking for my next mistake right now. “It’s worked up until now.”

“Guess I’m smarter than other men.” He grins and picks up his glass of amber liquid.

“Or maybe other men can take a hint,” I say, my gaze roaming over the scar on his neck. “Which would make them smarter.”

His dark eyes flash with amusement. “You callin’ me stupid, darlin’?”

I glance at the leather vest covering his chest, then look at my bottle. “I’m not calling you anything.” I pause for effect. “But if the shoe fits, feel free to wear it.”

He laughs, a deep sound that I’m immediately drawn to.

My friend Lacey used to say Valentina, you always attract the worst man in the room.

I joked that it was my superpower. But, really, it was more like my kryptonite.

Glancing over at this man, this rough yet handsome biker, I just know, out of all the men in the bar, that he is the worst one.

And of course he had to hit on me.

Still feeling the blow from the last man I let get close to me, I should want to run from this man. I should.

I don’t, of course—but that doesn’t mean I won’t.

“What’s your name?” he asks, scanning my face. “And why do you look like you’re hiding from something—or someone?”

“Tina,” I tell him, giving him the nickname everyone calls me. “And what’s your name?”

He takes a sip before replying. “Ardan.”

I nod. “That’s an interesting name.”

“Then I’m sure you’ll remember it,” he says simply. “People remember interesting things.”

My brow furrows. “Do they?”

He nods. “Yes, they do. I’m sure no one forgets your beautiful hair.”

I shrug and pull on the sleeves of my hoodie. “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.” I pause. “Or cared whether people remember me or not. Especially if they’re random people, because who gives a fuck what they think anyway, right?”

Ardan chuckles. “I like that.”

I look over his black T-shirt, leather biker vest with patches on it, and dark jeans. No, he definitely doesn’t look like someone who gives a shit what other people think.

“You going to avoid my other question?” he asks, raising a dark brow.

I nod at the leather vest. “What’s your deal?”

“What?” he asks, smirking.

“The biker thingy,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Are there lots of biker gangs around here?” Maybe I should drive to the next city.

“Clubs, not gangs,” he corrects me.

I shrug. “Sorry, but it’s not like I know much about bikers.”

“I’m a part of a club, yes. The Wind Dragons. And this thingy is called a cut,” he explains, sounding amused, not angry.

I take in his features.

He’s older than I am, definitely. Maybe by five or so years. A strong jaw. Sensual lips I want to suck on. A straight nose. The darkest of eyes. Knowing eyes. And a head of thick, short dark hair. Then there’s the scar.

How did he get it?

My hand lifts without me thinking, to touch his neck. “What happened?”

He clears his throat, and I instantly drop my hand, cringing. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”

Apparently I suddenly have no boundaries. I just expect them from everyone else.

“A knife got me,” he says, then in one quick move, he pushes my hood backward, letting my thick hair tumble out and around me.

“Fuck,” he groans. “That’s a lot of fuckin’ hair.”

I roll my eyes and pull my hood back up. “We’ll call that even, but from now on I think we should keep our hands to ourselves.”

He licks his bottom lip and shakes his head. “No deal.”

My green eyes narrow. “You don’t make the rules here, Ardan.”

Another grin. “Oh, but darlin’, I do.”

I purse my lips and study him.

A knife slashed him across his neck? What’s the story behind that? I have to wonder. How long ago did it happen? Did he almost die? What happened to whoever did it to him? I know this should scare me. I shouldn’t want to talk to this man. He’s obviously not led the easiest life and has been involved in God knows what.

But he’s also being nice, and I feel comfortable around him. Drawn to him. Attracted to him. Like I’ve known him for years. Which is why I really need to leave.

“I need to get home,” I say, but make no move to go.

What is wrong with me?

“Let me take you home, then,” he says, grinning, flashing his straight white teeth.

“Right, let the random stranger in a biker gang take me home,” I scoff, raising my eyebrow. “I think I’ll pass on that.”

“Your loss.” He smirks, studying me with an intensity I don’t like. It’s almost too much, too direct. Like his eyes miss nothing. I’ve never had anyone look at me like that before, and it makes me want to avoid his eyes, but I don’t. No, I look directly into them, and I feel something when I do. What, I’m not sure, but something different, something that’s going to make me wonder.

Sometimes you meet people and they just stick with you. I know that he’s going to be one of those people for me. My throat muscles work as I swallow, my gaze lowering to his lips. I wonder what they taste like, what his kisses would feel like on my skin. When I glance back up into his eyes, they’re heavy-lidded, his nostrils flaring. The tension between us thickens, and I know that I need to leave right now, before I say something stupid like Let’s go back to my motel.

“I’m sure,” I say in a dry tone, trying to cover up the roughness of my voice, putting my now-empty bottle on the counter and standing up. “It’s time for me to go.”

I need another man’s interest like I need an extra ten pounds on my ass. And this man—he is dangerous to me. Because I already want him, and I’ve only just met him.

“Let me buy you another drink,” he says quickly, but I shake my head, smiling to soften the blow.

“No, thank you. Nice meeting you, though,” I say, turning to leave. I hate that I pause for a moment, reconsidering. No. I need to leave, now.

“Tina,” he says, making me turn to look at his face again.

“What?” I ask warily. If he asks me to stay one more time, I might cave. Part of me wants to stay, drink, chat, and carry on like a normal woman my age would, but the other side of me knows better, that I really don’t need a man in my life right now.

“See you around.” He makes it sound like a threat.

One more lingering glance, and then I get the hell out of there.

I look around the motel room and exhale, throwing my bag onto the white sheets of the double bed. More of an apartment than a motel: it has a small kitchen, bathroom, and desk, kind of like a low-budget extended-stay accommodation. It will have to do for now.

New town. Fresh start.

Only problem is, I have no idea what I want to do with it.

I left everyone I knew behind me—my family, the friends I’d had since grade school, all gone. Moving across the country alone is definitely an eye-opening experience. If I didn’t know who I was before, I’m definitely going to find out now. I have only myself to rely on, no matter what happens, and that’s both a scary and freeing feeling. I glance down at my new phone, with the number I gave to only my parents and Lacey. I left in the middle of the night. Just got in my car and left town. A fresh start, a new life.

No more abusive phone calls.

No more being embarrassed in public.

No more threats.

I’m free. Until he finds me.

I can only hope he doesn’t bother looking.

I pull off my hoodie and slide down my jeans, then take off my black bra and panties before heading into the small bathroom to stare at my reflection in the mirror.

I look like hell.

With no makeup to cover the bags under my eyes, my pale skin looks almost translucent. The bruises on my upper arms are no longer there, yet I stare at the spots once mottled in livid blue and purple. I touch my right arm with my fingers, placing each finger where his once pressed hard against the bone.

He tried to make me weak.

What kind of man does that? What kind of man tries to make you pay for his own shortcomings?

He is weak, not I.

My green eyes have a fire behind them that only I can see. Fire as red as my hair. As fiery as my temper. Inside me lies a core of steel.

He couldn’t break me—no man ever can.

Because only I own me.

I turn on the shower and wait until the temperature is perfect before getting in, letting the warm water soothe me. I never want to set foot in my car again after all the driving I’ve done, but I’m going to have to go job hunting tomorrow. As soon as I get some work, I can find a more permanent place to live, maybe a small apartment of my own. As I soap my body, my mind wanders to the magnetic man from the bar, Ardan.

He’s fascinating, sexy as sin, and has me curious.

I don’t like the fact that he’s already in my head, that I’m thinking about him.

What is it about him exactly?

Good thing I’ll never see him again.

TWO

THE next morning, coffee in hand, I leave my résumé with every salon I can find. I look online and in the paper for any hairstyling jobs, and call a few places hoping for an interview. After I hand out all the copies of my résumé I have with me, I decide to head back to the motel. Looking much better than I did yesterday, in black slacks and a cream blouse, my long hair somewhat tamed in a low ponytail, I feel like a whole new woman. Concealer covers the dark circles under my eyes, and the light makeup I applied has me feeling pretty damn good about myself.

I can do this.

When I pass a café, I decide to stop and grab something to eat. I probably shouldn’t have skipped breakfast, but I was eager to start searching for any available positions. If I don’t find anything, I can always work at a bar, or as a waitress. I’m not really in a position to be picky right now, but, luckily, I do have some savings. I’d prefer not to touch them if I can help it, just in case Darren decides to make my life hell and I have to leave again.

It’s easy for me to save money—I’m not much of a spender, and I rarely splurge on expensive items. If anything, my weakness is books. I don’t think anyone can have too many books. My favorite is nonfiction—I have several biographies I read over and over again.

As I look around the quaint little café, I realize this town might be a place I could actually see myself staying. But I won’t be able to settle down and get comfortable anywhere, not until I’m certain he’s forgotten about me. I don’t know why I think this time will be different; maybe because I traveled to the other side of the country. Maybe I’m being optimistic, or maybe I’m just being stupid.

I don’t know why, but I feel a flare of hope that something will change, that for once something good will happen to me here. Or maybe I’m just too far gone and can’t worry about the consequences at this point. What kind of life was I living before? Nothing could be worse than that. Not only did he make my life miserable but I’m also still living with the effects of him, and I hate that.

I keep everyone at a distance now. I have nightmares and replay events over in my head, wishing I’d reacted differently. I want him out of my life in every way, but I guess that’s going to take time. Once I know he’s moved on, I’ll finally be able to breathe easily.

As a waitress takes my order, I get distracted by two men sitting in my line of sight.

One has short blond hair, a lip ring, and an eyebrow piercing, while the other has a shaved head and brown eyes. They’re both handsome, but that’s not what catches my eye. They’re both bikers, and wearing the same cut that Ardan had on.

Just how big are the Wind Dragons? I should google them.

The bald man catches me looking and winks at me. Red-cheeked, I look down at my phone just to avoid eye contact. When I see a message from Lacey, I open it eagerly, happy to have something to keep me occupied.

I miss you! Hope everything is well. Same old over here. Let me know that you’re okay. Xoxo

I exhale and let my finger linger above the keys for a few seconds before replying.

I miss you too. I’m fine, Lace. Will call soon. Xoxo

Am I fine?

I think I am.

The bikers soon leave, and I enjoy my burger and fries without any distraction.

I’ve just parked my car in the motel lot when I get a phone call from Jessica, a manager at one of the salons I visited today. When she asks if I can come in tomorrow for a trial, I tell her of course, hang up, and then do my happy dance.

Yes! Finally, things are starting to work out in my favor.

“Nice to have another redhead in the salon,” Jessica jokes when I walk into the place the next day. Her hair is straight, and more orange than my deep curly red. She’s a beautiful woman and seems very confident in herself.

“Thank you for giving me a chance,” I tell her sincerely, glancing around the salon. “I can’t wait to get started.”

She smiles and gives me a small tour, showing me where everything is kept and the products that she chooses to use for her clients.

“We have four girls working here—five, including you,” she explains, sitting down in one of the chairs. “It’s getting a little busier, which is why I wanted to hire someone else. The job is full-time, five days a week. We take turns doing Saturdays.”

“Sounds good.”

She grins and raises an eyebrow. “As for your test . . . I want you to cut my hair, so I can see how good of a job you do.”

“No pressure, then?” I joke, studying her hair, already coming up with ideas.

“Not too much off,” she says, cutting into my thoughts. “My man likes my hair a little on the long side.”

“Noted,” I say. “How about an inch off the back and more layers framing your face?”

“Perfect,” she says, spinning the chair around and looking at herself in the mirror. “This is my natural color; I always keep it like this.”

“It’s pretty,” I say, grabbing my bag and pulling out my favorite pair of scissors.

“You remind me of the girl from Brave,” she says, smiling. “All that wild red curly hair.”

“I get that a lot,” I admit good-naturedly. “I take it as a compliment.”

“You should. You’re a beautiful girl.”

“Thank you,” I say a little shyly, running my fingers through her hair. “Now let me impress you.”

“I love it,” Jessica says, running her fingers through her new cut. “You’re very talented, Valentina.”

“Thank you,” I say, beaming as she looks at herself in the mirror. The door opens and two ladies walk in.

“Paula and Lin, meet Valentina,” Jessica says to them.

“Just Tina,” I tell them, smiling. Paula looks to be in her forties, with dark hair and eyes, while Lin looks younger than me, and is of Asian descent.

“Tina,” Jessica corrects herself, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Be nice to her. Help her out if she needs it, or needs to know where anything is. Tina, I’ll show you how to work the cash register now.”

“She cut your hair? It looks good,” Paula says, nodding her head and pursing her lips as she checks it out. “Welcome to the madness, Tina.”

I grin at that. “Happy to be here.”

“Molly is my other employee, but today’s her day off, so you’ll meet her tomorrow,” Jessica says, leading me over to the register. “This is pretty simple. Most people pay with cards nowadays anyway, but if they do pay cash, you just type in the amount and press ENTER to open the cash drawer.”

I look over all the buttons and nod. “No problem.”

She pulls out a piece of laminated paper. “This is the price chart you can refer to if you need to. Lin is usually at reception, so you probably won’t have to do any of this, but I’d rather you know it just in case she’s on her break or it’s her day off or whatever.”

“Okay,” I say, taking it all in.

“You’ll be doing any walk-ins today,” she continues. “Or if some of the clients don’t mind trying someone new, I’ll send them to you. I’ll just show them my hair as proof that you know what you’re doing. Store opens in ten minutes, so I hope you’re ready for this.”

I look around the salon and smile.

Eight mirrors with chairs, two sinks, and a small beauty room for waxing and facials.

Perfect. This is me in my element.

Yeah, I’m ready.

THREE

“SHIT,” I mutter as I empty my purse out on the table for the second time. “Where is it?”

I pick up each card, but it’s not there.

When was the last time I saw my driver’s license?

Racking my brain, I realize it was when I was at that bar, Knox’s Tavern. My cards had fallen out of my purse, but I’d picked them all up, hadn’t I?

I google the number for the bar, then call them.

“Knox’s Tavern, Ryan speaking.”

“Hey,” I say into the phone, crossing my fingers. “I was wondering if I left my driver’s license at your bar the other day.”

“What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Valentina Sullivan.”

There’s a pause on the other end. “Valentina. Yeah, your license is here. Come pick it up anytime.”

Why did his voice sound suddenly . . . amused?

“Umm, okay, thanks. I’ll be in later today.”

“Perfect, see you then,” he says cheerfully, then hangs up.

I stare at my phone, feeling puzzled about the exchange, but then I shake my head. I don’t have time to wonder about it, because my lunch break is almost over and I have to go back to work. At least I hadn’t lost my license—that would have been a pain in the ass. Not only that, but replacing it would have been a sure way for me to be tracked, having to document my new address and city.

Knowing my luck, a cop will probably pull me over on the way to the bar.

I cross the road and head back into the salon, coffee in my hand.

“Tina,” Jessica says, smiling widely, before I can even take a sip. “Frieda loved the hair color you did on her today. You did well.”

“Thanks,” I reply, looking down at my coffee. “I think being blond suits her.”

“It does,” Jessica says, making me look back up at her. “So much so that she wants you to be her regular hairdresser.”

“Really?” I ask, my eyes flaring. “That’s great.”

Jessica raises her eyebrow. “Quite a feat, girl. You should be proud of yourself.”

I smile, feeling the heat hit my cheeks. “I am.”

“Good,” she says warmly. “Now get back to work. Lin, you can go on break now.”

“Okay,” Lin says, grabbing her bag and pulling out a packet of cigarettes. “Anyone want anything?”

“I’m good,” Jessica says, then looks to Molly. “Molls, Paula, you?”

“Nah,” Molly replies, looking up from where she’s sweeping hair off the floor. “I’ll get something on my break.”

“I’m good,” Paula replies, lifting her chin in our direction.

Molly turned out to be a pretty blonde in her midtwenties. She kind of reminds me of a Barbie doll, with big blue eyes and even bigger boobs. She is nice, though. All the women here make me feel welcome, and there is none of the bitchiness I’d sometimes experienced in other salons.

Two clients walk in, and I go straight back into professional mode.

But I can’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.

“Are you Ryan?” I ask the handsome blond bartender.

“Yes,” he says, dragging the word out.

“I spoke to you today about my license,” I say, sitting down on the stool. “Valentina.”

“Right,” he says, lip twitching. “Of course. Let me get that for you.”

I watch as he walks to the opposite side of the bar and picks up his phone, pressing keys and ignoring me.

“Ummm,” I say, my brow furrowing. “Are you going to get my license or not?”

He puts down his phone, then comes back over to me. “Yes, of course I will. But first, would you like something to drink? On the house. A beer fan, right?”

I narrow my eyes. “Why are you being weird?”

Ryan’s face goes blank. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Can you please just give it to me?” I say, puffing out a breath. “I’ve had a long day, and I’m tired.”

He gets me a beer and slides it over to me. “Exactly why you need a cold drink to help you relax.”

My gaze darts from the beer, then back to him, as I try to figure out what he’s up to. “Can I speak to your manager?”

His blue eyes flash with amusement. “Sure thing, sweetheart.” He pauses, then yells out, “Reid!” making me jump.

“What?” comes a deep voice from the back.

“Come here!”

I don’t know why Ryan’s grinning, but he is.

A man emerges.

Fuck.

“You have a twin?” I ask with wide eyes. That’s a fuck of a lot of hotness. I pick up the bottle and take a sip. Okay, more like a giant mouthful.

“What’s going on?” Reid asks his brother, barely sparing me a glance.

Ryan nods his head to me. “She wants to speak to the manager.” He pauses, then laughs. “To complain about me.”

Reid smirks, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “What did you do now?”

“Nothing,” Ryan says good-naturedly, sending a wink in my direction. “I was told to keep her here. So I’m doing just that, trying to buy time until Irish arrives.”

Reid now looks me directly in the eye. “This is Irish’s woman?”

I raise my hand. “I don’t know what the two of you are even talking about.”

But in the back of my mind, I kind of do. I spoke to Ardan in this very bar, and the dude has an Irish accent.

Coincidence? I really hope so.

Because why would he go to such measures to see me again? We didn’t even talk for that long. The thought both excites me and scares me. Did I make such an impression on him, like he did on me? Does it matter, considering my plan is to stay away from him?

I hold out my hand and try to use my puppy-dog eyes on Reid, since Ryan clearly isn’t budging. “I have things to do. Can you please just give me my goddamn license?”

When they both look over my shoulder, the hair on the back of my neck suddenly stands on end.

I turn around, and there he is.

Grinning.

His gaze roams over me, slowly, and when he comes back to my eyes, he holds my license up in the air. “I think I’ve got something that’s yours, darlin’.”

I look behind me and scowl at the twins. Reid just shrugs, but Ryan smiles widely, then wiggles his eyebrows.

“I’m never coming into this bar again,” I vow. “Like, ever.”

Ardan stalks toward me and hands me my license at last. “I’m taking you out to dinner.”

“The hell you are.” I glower at him. “I’m getting in my car and going home.”

“You have to eat,” he says, shrugging and looking down at me. “What do you want? Your choice, babe.”

I don’t want to go with him, but at the same time I do. How could I not? He’s confident, attractive, and has something about him that I want to absorb. Just being in his presence makes me feel . . . I don’t know what. Like a different person. A better person than I was. I think it’s all in the way he looks at me, like I’m someone special. It’s almost like he doesn’t like to take his eyes off me. Every time I look at him, he’s already watching me.

He says good-bye to the twins, then takes me by my wrist. His touch instantly makes me flinch, and I pull my arm away from him. He stops and studies me, looking down at my wrist. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, scowling before his expression softens, his eyes gentling and his lips settling into position. “I’m just going to take you outside. You’re safe, I promise.”

I rub my wrist, reminding myself that not all men are like Darren. However, some are, and I seem to be a magnet for those types. I need to be careful not to get tangled up in a bad situation again. I nod my head and take a step forward, silently permitting him to continue leading the way. He offers me his hand, this time waiting for me to choose to hold it or not. I slide mine into his, and he squeezes it gently, reassuringly, before leading me outside to his big matte black Harley. I like the way my hand feels enveloped in his. I feel safe and strong at the same time. I don’t know how he makes me feel this way, so comfortable, but he does. Before I even know what’s going on, he puts a helmet on my head, gently tucking my hair inside so it’s not all over my face.

“I’ll bring you back here after and then you can drive your car home,” he says with one hand on my lower back, his other waving to the bike. “Let’s get you on there.”

I feel the warmth of his hand through my clothes and wonder how it would feel on my bare skin. Fuck. It would feel good. So good. It has been too long, and I really shouldn’t be around this man. Where I need to be is at home, probably with a vibrator. I don’t have one, but I think I need to buy one. Maybe I’ll stop at an adult shop on my way home.

“Well?” he asks, eyes still on me, waiting patiently while I think about sex toys.

I purse my lips and consider my options. A free meal sounds good. I don’t like that I like being in Ardan’s presence. He has heartbreaker written all over him, with big red warning signs everywhere.

“One meal,” I find myself saying. “And then you need to leave me alone.”

“We’ll see,” he mutters, not giving in to any of my demands. “What do you want to eat, Tina?”

“Lobster,” I decide on the spot, as it’s the most expensive thing I can think of. Maybe I’ll even order an appetizer, two sides, and dessert too.

He laughs, his dark eyes crinkling in the corners. “Lobster it is. Now get your sexy ass on the back of my bike.”

I hesitate, glancing toward my little red car. Do I want to go to dinner with him? What could come of this?

Ardan sighs and steps to me, picking me up and lifting me onto the bike. “Spread those thighs.”

I roll my eyes but straddle the bike, then hold on to him as he gets on with me. He takes my hands and pulls them around his stomach.

All I can feel is taut muscle. Nothing on this man is soft. The feeling of his warm back pressed against my chest has me wanting to bury my face in the crook of his neck, to touch him all over. I hold on tight and rest my cheek against his shoulder, just enjoying being pressed against him.

He starts the engine, and we’re off. I’ve been on a motorcycle before, but it was nothing like this, and the man I rode with was nothing like Ardan. I find myself enjoying the ride, the sense of freedom. I also enjoy being pressed up against Ardan way too much, my hands on his abs, my breasts pushed against his back.

The bike comes to a stop after what I guess to be about thirty minutes, and he helps me down. As I take off the helmet and hand it to him, I run my fingers through my hair, trying to tame it a little.

“Did you like it?” he asks, drawing my attention to him.

“What?” I ask.

“The ride.”

“Yeah,” I tell him, smiling. “Loved it. I’ve been on a motorcycle before, but it was a piece of shit compared to yours.”

His eyes narrow. “Whose bike were you on the back of?”

“Ummm,” I mutter, not wanting to go into this. “My ex’s.”

“I see,” Ardan murmurs, jaw going tight before he looks away. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

“Okay, then,” I say, walking next to him in silence as we approach the restaurant door. He opens the door for me, and I enter before him. “Thanks.”

“Welcome,” he says, placing his hands on my waist from behind.

“Ardan!”

“Yes, Valentina?” he says, his voice throaty.

For a second I wonder how he knows my full name, but then realize it’s because he read my driver’s license.

I think about pushing his hands away, because I don’t think this is how we should be acting when it’s only the second time we’ve ever seen each other. However, I push my logical side away and let them linger there, because it feels good. I smile at the hostess, who is watching and waiting for us.

“Table for two, please.”

FOUR

“YOU’VE really never tried lobster before?” Ardan asks, looking surprised as he watches me taste it.

“Nope,” I reply, licking my lips. His gaze lowers to my mouth as my tongue peeks out again, licking the butter away.

“And what do you think?” he asks, his voice a little huskier than before.

“It’s good,” I say, nodding slowly and clearing my throat. “I like it.”

“I’m glad you tried something new,” he says, leaning back in his chair, still watching me eat.

“Are you going to stare at me the entire time, or are you going to eat your own food?” I ask, arching an eyebrow. Seriously, the intensity with which he’s studying my every move is making me both nervous and extremely turned on.

His lip twitches. “Stop licking your fuckin’ lips, then; it’s hard to concentrate.”

I pick up my napkin and wipe my mouth, deciding to leave that comment alone. At least I’m not the only one feeling the attraction. I decide to be safe and change the subject. “So what did you do? Find my license and then tell the twins to call you when I came to look for it?”

“Something like that,” he says, grinning as if he knows why I changed the subject but not calling me out on it. “I wanted to see you again. After you left I found your license on the floor, knew you’d be back for it.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I saw an opportunity and I took it.”

That’s it? He saw an opportunity and took it? Has anyone ever said no to this man?

“You’re used to getting what you want, then,” I say, tilting my head to the side as I try to figure him out.

“I guess you could say that,” he says, eyes locked on me. “But the thing is, there’s not much I usually want. So when I see something worth it, then yeah, I’ll go for it.”

He thinks I’m worth it? When he can have any woman out there, I have to wonder what drove him to choose me. Was it because I was acting uninterested? Or because I was trying to hide in that bar? I might have intrigued him. Either way, I hope he isn’t playing a game with me.

“What exactly is it you want, Ardan?” I find myself asking.

He takes a bite of his food and chews and swallows before answering. “When I know, I’ll let you know. But for right now, I guess I just want to be around you.”

I swallow. “Why?”

“I can’t give you answers I don’t have, Valentina. I saw you, and I want you. That’s all I know.”

“Everyone calls me Tina,” I say, when nothing else seems to come out of my mouth.

“Valentina is such a pretty name, though.”

“So is Ardan,” I fire back. “But the twins were calling you Irish. Why?”

“Everyone calls me Irish. Not many people know my real name,” he explains. “Everyone in the club knows me as Irish.”

“I like calling you Ardan.”

“And I like calling you Valentina.”

“Then I guess that’s what we’re both calling each other,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.

We finish the rest of our meal in silence, pretending that I don’t notice him watching me. Ardan hands me the dessert menu, and I look over it briefly while asking, “What are you getting?”

“What are you doing Friday night?” he asks in that sexy voice of his.

I lower the menu and look at him. “Why?”

“I want to see you is fuckin’ why.”

“I’m getting the cookies-and-cream cheesecake,” I say, putting down the menu without looking over the other options. I love cheesecake. “What are you getting?”

“Valentina—”

“Ardan,” I say, cutting him off. “I googled the Wind Dragons MC, you know.”

“For fuck’s sake, seriously?” he mutters, scrubbing his hand down his face. “Well, you’re still here, so it couldn’t have scared you off too much.”

The waitress comes over, and he orders my cheesecake and a chocolate sundae for himself.

“I’m apartment hunting this weekend,” I tell him.

“Why are you moving?” he asks, checking his phone before looking up and waiting for my answer.

“I’m new in town, so I’m staying at a motel until I find an apartment,” I explain. “This weekend I’m going to check a few out.”

He stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “You’re living at a fuckin’ motel right now? A motel?”

I nod slowly, wishing I had never opened my big mouth to say anything at all. “Yeah, what’s the big deal? It’s just until I get a place, and it’s not actually a motel, it’s more like a self-catering short-stay accommodation.

“What’s the big fuckin’ deal? You’re alone, looking like you do, in a motel,” he pauses. “Or self-catering whatever, in a city you don’t even know. Yeah, what’s the big deal, right?” he says, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

I roll my eyes. “It’s fine.”

“I have a place you can stay,” he says, looking around the restaurant. “You can move in this weekend.”

“Yeah, no,” I tell him. “Look, no offense, but I don’t even know you. If you keep being this controlling, this is the last time you will ever see me.”

Like I need another controlling asshole in my life.

His lips tighten, but he says nothing.

Our desserts arrive, and to lighten the mood I offer him some of mine. He did take me out to an expensive dinner and has been a gentleman all night. I don’t want us to end the evening on a bad note. His eyes turn heavy-lidded as he leans over the table and I feed him a spoonful of the delicious cheesecake.

“So good,” he murmurs, looking right at me. “Perfect.”

I look down at my dessert, feeling my cheeks heat. It looks delicious, but so is he. What am I doing here? Why am I so attracted to him? I should be going for a quiet, gentle man, not an alpha biker, but here I am.

“Open,” he says, holding a spoonful of ice cream at my lips.

I grin and open my mouth, letting the creaminess melt on my tongue. “It’s good, but I think mine is better.”

“So do I,” he admits, eyeing my cheesecake.

I grin and ask while scooping more onto the spoon, “Do you want another bite?”

All of a sudden, my mouth and throat start tingling. I drop the spoon onto my plate and look up at him.

“Fuck,” I groan.

“What?” he asks, instantly alert.

“Are there peanuts in that?”

He looks down at his sundae. “Yeah, why?”

I grab my throat. “Oh, nothing, I’m just kind of allergic.”

He stands up, his chair falling over behind him, and he steps over to me and pulls me out of my chair. “What do I do? What the fuck do I do?”

“It’s not life threatening,” I say, grimacing. “I might break out in hives, though.” I pause. “Or get nauseous.”

“We’re going to the fuckin’ hospital,” he grits out, pulling out his phone in one hand, pulling me by my upper arm with the other.

So much for not ending the night on a bad note.

“You’ve been lecturing me for over an hour; can you just stop, please?” I groan, watching him pace up and down my hospital room. “I’m fine.”

“Don’t you think having an allergy like that is something you should mention when a man takes you out to eat?” he says for the second or third time.

I expel a deep sigh. “This shit could only happen to me.”

“Because you didn’t mention any allergy.” He stops the pacing to glare at me. “So I fed you my sundae, which had peanuts in it, which put you in the hospital. What a great fuckin’ first date.”

“At least it’s memorable,” I point out, which only makes him look like he wants to kill me. “Oh come on, it’s kind of funny. At least now that the itching has stopped.”

He points at me, then continues to pace. “You’re going to be the death of me, I know it.”

“Actually it looks like it’s me who’s going to end up dead,” I joke, pointing at the hospital bed.

“Valentina—”

“Ardan.”

He sits down on the end of my bed, looking completely out of place in his all-black getup and leather cut. “Do you want me to get you something to drink?”

“Some water would be great,” I say quietly.

He touches my ankle, then stands up. “I’ll be right back. Try to stay out of trouble until then.”

I curse myself for letting this happen and ruining the night. Ardan has handled everything so well, though, and I’m glad he’s here with me. Something inside me is telling me to give him a chance, that he’s worth it. Maybe I could keep myself a little detached just in case it doesn’t work out? I wish I could be like that, but I know I can’t. If I’m giving him my time, it’s because I like him and I think that there could be something between us. I’m drawn to him, and although a tiny part of me is very flighty right now, most of me wants to be near this man. Darren never looked after me when I was sick. In fact, if I were still with him, I’d be sitting in this room alone right now. I don’t think Ardan knows how thankful I am that he’s here, looking after me. It’s not something I’m really used to, and something I won’t be taking for granted.

He’s back in a few moments, opening a bottle of water and handing it to me.

“Thank you.”

He cups my cheek. “You know, even sitting here in the damn hospital, I’d rather be with you than any other woman I know.”

I lean into his palm, enjoying the feeling of a man touching me like that, so tenderly. I haven’t had a man’s touch like this in so long, and I didn’t realize how much I crave it until right now. “I’m glad you’re here with me too,” I admit softly. “I don’t really have any friends here yet, so if this happened somewhere else, I’d be sitting here alone.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” he says, taking my phone from me. “Putting my number in your phone. You need me anytime, day or night, you call me, darlin’. From killing spiders to fixing your car, I got you.”

“I like spiders,” I say, smiling at his kind offer. “Thank you, Ardan.”

He hands back my phone and looks down at me on the bed. “Of course you like spiders. Now move over.”

I scoot over and he sits down on the bed. He tries to slide onto it, but only half his body fits.

“How tall are you?” I ask him, feeling amused.

“Six three. Why?”

“Just asking,” I say, laying my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around me and I smile and close my eyes. “This is the weirdest first date in the history of first dates.”

“Normal is boring,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice.

“They said I don’t have to stay overnight; I can go home after they do a checkup.”

“We’ll have to go to the restaurant and get my bike, then go and get your car from the bar,” he says. We took a taxi from the restaurant, because Ardan didn’t want me on the bike, just in case. “And then I’ll follow you home.” He pauses. “Or should I just take you home and we can get your car tomorrow?”

“I’m fine to drive,” I say, yawning. “I could go for some coffee, though.”

“I’ll get you some,” he says gently. “If you’re tired, you can have a nap until the nurse comes to check on you, if you like.”

“You’re comfortable,” I say, burying my face in his neck. “And you smell good.”

“Yeah, you should probably stop that,” he says in a husky tone, shifting in his spot. “I don’t think the nurse is going to appreciate walking in and seeing my hard-on straining against my jeans.”

Lifting my head, I look at him. “You’re probably right.” I take a deep breath and ask him, “What’s Ireland like?”

“Beautiful,” he says, turning animated. “You’d love it. The people, the views. The history. It’s all there to explore.”

“Hmmm,” I murmur. “Sounds perfect. I’ve always wanted to travel the world, but I’ve never even left the country.”

“Really?” He sounds surprised. “You should do it—see what’s out there, you know?”

“Yeah,” I say, moving even closer to him.

“Sleep.”

I sleep.

FIVE

“I DON’T like you staying here,” Ardan announces, looking around my motel room. “Especially not alone.”

I put my bag down on the couch, then turn to him and cross my arms. “Don’t care what you like. I’m staying here until I sort myself out. It’s really not a big deal.”

He goes and fiddles with the locks, scowling and muttering something about toddlers being able to break through them.

“No one is going to break in; it’s fine. Now I need to shower and go to sleep. And you need to go home.”

He straightens and turns, staring me down. “Fine. I’ll be here Friday evening to pick you up.” He closes the space between us and pushes one of my errant curls behind my ear. “You have my number. Anything happens, you call me. I’ll be here faster than the police ever will.” He grins. “And I’m scarier than them too.”

I grin at that.

“Nothing will happen,” I say, feeling a little flustered at his close proximity. “But I’ll call you if anything comes up.”

In the hospital bed, I’d been vulnerable and I let him in. But now, back in reality, I realize how stupid I was. I barely know this guy. He is so nice, though. So sweet. No one has ever fussed over me like that, and he’s seen me only twice.

Why is he like this?

A bad boy with a good heart.

I’m so fucked.

“Good,” he says, leaning forward and kissing me softly on the lips—barely a touch, but I feel it.

I feel it more than I’ve ever felt a kiss in my life.

I run my index finger along my bottom lip.

What the fuck was that?

I don’t know. But I want it again.

Ardan tilts his head and smiles, his dark eyes almost black. “And finally you feel it too.”

Another kiss, this time on the forehead, and he walks to my door. “Lock it, Valentina.”

I follow him and lock it the second he leaves. I hear a faint “Good girl,” before the sound of his steps becomes distant.

I turn around and look around the motel room, suddenly feeling . . . I don’t know, almost lost. I shake my head and walk to the bathroom. I need a shower and bed, and then I need to mentally distance myself from Ardan before Friday comes around.

How hard could it be?

“What are you doing?” I ask him as I step into the kitchen. He turns and grins. “You’re home early.” I put my bag down on the table and wrap my arms around him. “Something smells good.” I lift my head. “What’s the occasion? You never cook.”

He kisses the top of my head. “I was going to surprise you with a candlelit dinner. Why did you have to finish early on today of all days?”

I look toward the dining table, seeing four white candles sitting there in the center. “That’s so sweet, Darren.”

He puts the ladle down and grips my cheeks in his palms. “I love you so much. Just wanted to try to do something nice for you to show you I appreciate you.”

He kisses me, and I smile against his lips.

I wake up suddenly, panting and glancing around the motel room.

Fuck.

Something I’ve realized is that it isn’t always the bad memories that get you. Sometimes the good memories can do more damage, cause more pain, because they make you question yourself, and make you wonder where it all went wrong. When was the moment that it went bad? Can I pinpoint it?

I rub my eyes and then cover my face with my hands.

He’s still coming after me, in my dreams now. The only time I can’t control my thoughts.

And he’s not even hurting me in my dreams—no, he’s killing me with kindness and memories of good times.

My alarm goes off, and “The Hills” by the Weeknd starts to play. I listen to the entire song before making myself jump into the shower and wash my hair.

Time to get ready for work.

Fuck the past. It has no place here.

Friday comes around quickly, and I’ve found myself looking forward to tonight. If I’m being honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about Ardan since I last saw him. After work I drive home, take a quick shower, and get dressed in jeans and a white tank top. Since Ardan didn’t tell me where we were going, I wear flats instead of heels, aiming for comfort over sexiness. He messaged me a few times during the week, and I have to wonder what’s going through his mind.

Is he a man who likes the chase, but once he has me he loses interest? That’s the most likely situation, and I don’t know what to do about it. I like him. I like spending time with him. And I am excited to see him again. Yes, I am probably an idiot, but he is my only friend, and he’s pushed his way into my life thus far and it seems he intends to stay. A knock lets me know he’s here, so I grab my knit cardigan off the bed and unlock the door.

“Hey,” I say, brow furrowing as he steps inside, some tools in his hand. “What are you—”

“Putting in a better lock for you,” he says, pulling out a rectangular silver latch and holding it up against the door. “Won’t be but a few minutes.”

I open my mouth and then close it.

Who does stuff like this?

“You realize I won’t be staying here for long, like, at all,” I point out, watching as he drills a new high-tech lock in.

“Yup,” he replies. “But you’ll be safe for that time, now won’t you?”

I sigh and mutter, “You’re crazy,” to which he replies, “Fuckin’ batshit.”

When he’s done he turns around and grins, handing me the new key, which I put down on the table. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” I tell him, touching his leather jacket. “I didn’t know where we were going tonight, so I wasn’t sure how dressy to get.”

“You’re perfect,” he says, pulling me against his hard body.

“You’re not so bad yourself. Thanks for the lock,” I say, lips kicking up at the corners. “Better than the normal, boring flowers most men bring.”

Ardan throws his head back and laughs. “Yeah, I guess you can say I’m not very traditional.”

I rest my face against his chest. “I’m more than okay with that.”

“Valentina,” he says in a quiet, deep tone. “You should probably stop touching me, unless you want to cancel tonight, because I’m about to lift you against the wall and fuck you.”

I shiver at the quiet sincerity in his voice, the sensual threat that has me biting my lip. I take a step back and lift my chin. “We better go, then.” I walk to the door and half turn so he can see my face. “But when we get back, I think our first time should be on the bed.” I smirk. “Then we can try the wall.”

I saunter out of the motel room, leaving him standing there, cursing under his breath. I smile to myself.

A few seconds later, he closes and locks the door, then grabs me and pushes me up against it. “Those words coming out of your beautiful, pouty mouth. Fuck. We better go before I give you exactly what you want, right now.” He steps back, leaving me feeling hot, my nipples hardening and my teeth sinking into my bottom lip.

He looks away from me, as if gathering his composure, then says, “You didn’t even take the new room key.”

“I knew you would,” I admit, getting myself under control. After a few moments, I intertwine his hand in mine, still feeling the heat between us but knowing that waiting until later will make it even more amazing. “Now, Ardan, where exactly are we going?”

SIX

“WELL, this wasn’t what I was expecting,” I say, smiling up at him. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

He smiles and holds on to the wall. “I’ve never been before, so I wanted to try it. It’s fuckin’ slippery, though. How the fuck is anyone meant to do this?”

I arch my brows. “It’s ice. What did you expect it to be like?”

He scowls and shuffles his skates along the ice at a snail’s pace.

“If only your MC buddies could see you now,” I tease, pulling out my phone. “I need a photo of this. Fuck, you look so cute.” I giggle, making him narrow his eyes and stop moving.

“Come on, show me what you have, then, darlin’.”

I skate in a circle around him. “I can’t do anything fancy, but I went ice-skating a few times when I was a kid.”

“And it’s like riding a bicycle?” he asks dryly, letting go of the barricades and pushing forward.

I hook my arm through his and slow down, helping him along. “You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”

“Fuckin’ better,” he grumbles, glancing around. “There are kids skating circles around me right now.”

“Well, your ego does need to be taken down a notch,” I say with a straight face. “I love how they play music in the rink. Makes me want to dance.”

I put my free arm above my head and twirl it around.

Ardan grins. “Humiliating myself is worth it to see you having a good time. I wasn’t sure if you’d enjoy yourself.” He pauses. “I can’t remember the last time I took a woman on a date, so fuck if I wasn’t unsure about the whole thing.”

“I am having a good time,” I say, looking over at him. He can’t remember the last time he had a date? Well, neither can I. I’m glad he took me somewhere a little different—it shows that he put some thought into it, which I definitely can appreciate. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

He pulls me to a stop and places his hands on my hips, drawing me closer.

“What do you want?” I ask playfully as he lowers his lips to mine.

“Just a taste,” he says, eyes on my mouth.

“A taste of what’s to come?”

He smiles.

Cupping the back of my neck with one hand, he kisses me deeply, his tongue tasting mine. He moans—or was that me? This kiss is unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It’s more than just possessive; it’s hungry. I can actually feel the want radiating from him. The need. I can taste it in his kiss, in the way he holds me.

When he pulls away, I’m left weak in the knees. I have to cling to him for support.

It’s in this moment that I decide without a doubt I want to be with this man, to see where it leads us. I don’t want to let Darren stop me. My past shouldn’t have control over my future.

“Now that’s a kiss,” I breathe, licking my lips. “Can we go home now?”

He chuckles. “After I learn how to fuckin’ ice-skate.”

“We’ll be here all night, then,” I grumble, but I can’t wipe the smile off my face.

“Don’t worry,” he says, moving along the ice with my hand in his. “I’m a fast learner.”

We leave in two hours.

He kisses along my jawline, and then down my neck.

“You know you don’t have to do this if you’re not ready,” he murmurs, biting down gently on my earlobe.

“Why do I think that’s the first time you’ve ever said that to a woman?” I tease, closing my eyes and enjoying his lips against my skin.

“Because it is,” he says, and I feel him smile against my neck.

“I want you,” I whisper. “Now’s not the time to be a gentleman, Ardan.”

He lifts his head at that, then kisses my mouth while pushing down the straps of my tank top, along with my bra straps. I sit up enough so I can reach behind me to undo my bra. He pulls it off for me, throwing it aside, then pulls down my top to my waist, baring my breasts and stomach to him.

“Fuck,” he grits out, cupping my breasts with his hands and squeezing gently. “You’re beautiful everywhere.”

I look down at my boobs, which are currently completely covered by his hands, because there isn’t much there in the first place.

“You haven’t even seen everywhere,” I say, undoing my jeans and struggling out of them. Ardan helps, then studies my red lace panties before taking those off too.

“Perfect,” he murmurs, spreading my thighs and flashing me a playful look before kissing my inner thighs, one and then the other. “You smell so good.”

I lie back on the pillow but keep my gaze locked on him as he slowly explores my body. He slides one finger inside me, then drags it to my clit, gently rubbing there. It feels amazing, as if he already knows just how I like it, as if we’ve done this a million times before. It feels that right.

He then removes his finger and puts his mouth on me, his tongue expertly licking me.

I’m not going to last long.

He reaches his hand up to play with one of my nipples while his mouth works its magic, now concentrating on my clit in soft, slow circles.

“Ardan,” I say in a sigh, arching my back a little as I get closer.

He ignores me.

I run my fingers over his scalp, gently tugging on his hair.

“I’m going to come,” I warn.

He starts licking faster.

I fall apart.

“Oh my god, don’t stop!” I plead as it hits, waves sweeping over me. My thighs tremble, and I grip his hair harder than I mean to, the pleasure too much yet not enough at the same time. When he’s wrung every last spasm out of me, he lifts his head, licking his lips and looking smug.

My lips kick up on one side. “Yeah, you did well.”

“Just getting started, darlin’,” he says, sitting up on his knees and undoing his belt.

“Let me do that,” I say, rising and taking it off, then unbuttoning his jeans and lowering the zipper. He does the rest of the work, standing up and peeling off everything. I peruse his body slowly, from head to toe and back again.

“Biker with no tats?” I tease, my eyes on his perfectly muscled body.

He grins wolfishly and turns around.

“Fuck,” I mutter, taking in the giant dragon on his back. And that isn’t the only tattoo he has—no, his entire back is covered from top to bottom, stopping just above his very attractive ass.

“You’re so sexy,” I blurt out, watching as he turns back around and stalks toward me, his eyes darker than ever. Unable to help myself, I glance down at his huge cock, hard and jutting out, more than ready for me.

“Well, hello there,” I mutter, glancing up at him to see amusement flashing in his eyes.

I lie back as he moves on top of me, not putting his weight on me, but his proximity is intoxicating even so.

“Are you on the pill?” he asks, burying his face in my neck and kissing me.

“Y-yes,” I say, moaning as he sucks on my neck.

“Normally I never sleep with women without condoms,” he says, lifting his head to look me in the eye. “If you want me to wear one, I will, but I’m clean, and, to be honest, I’d love to be inside you bareback.”

“Okay,” I say, trusting him. “I want you inside me, now.”

“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” He grins, before slamming his lips down on mine in a deep, hungry kiss that has my head reeling.

I reach down between us and stroke his cock, bringing him against me, wanting him to push inside. He brings his hips forward, gently entering me in one smooth thrust. Feeling deliciously full with him inside me, I lift my hips, pushing back against him. His strokes become harder and he grabs my wrists, raising them above my head and pressing them into the mattress, pinning me there so I can’t move them.

His mouth still on me, his tongue masterfully tangling with mine, he fucks me better than I’ve ever been fucked before, with a need and intensity I could get addicted to. His mouth leaves mine, only to pay attention to my nipples, biting down on them gently, sending a zing of pleasure straight to my core.

“Beautiful,” he murmurs, kissing back up my neck and letting go of my wrists.

“So good, Ardan,” I groan, threading my fingers through his hair. He lowers his mouth again, kissing his way down.

“Love being inside of you,” he grits out, then continues to lick, suck, and bite my nipples. My second orgasm of the night creeps up on me quickly, hitting me hard as noises come out of my mouth I don’t think I’ve ever made before. He comes soon after me, his movements turning fast and hard, but his eyes turning softer than I’ve ever seen them.

“Fuck,” he rumbles, never looking away as he finishes inside me, then rests his forehead on mine. He places a kiss on my jawline, then lies on the bed next to me, bringing me into his arms.

“Can we do that again?” I ask, making him chuckle.

“Fuck yeah we can,” he says, kissing my shoulder. “I want you to ride me next time.”

“I think I can manage that,” I say, shutting my eyes and smiling. “I think maybe we should have a small nap first.”

We both fall asleep.

SEVEN

I WAKE up wrapped in his arms, and sneak away to use the bathroom, have a quick shower, and brush my teeth. He’s still sleeping when I’m done, so I decide to make some breakfast. I’m frying some bacon when he walks into the kitchen butt naked, as if he does it every day.

“’Morning,” he says, voice husky from sleep.

“’Morning,” I reply, smiling. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a fuckin’ baby,” he says, glancing into the pan. “You making me breakfast?”

I nod. “I am. So step away from the frying pan, because you’re going to get burned.”

He smirks but does as I ask, sitting down at the table. “We didn’t get to our third round.”

I shake my head at him. He woke me up in the middle of the night, his hand between my legs and his mouth on my neck, and I rode him until we both came. I feel a little sore this morning, but in a delicious way. At the mention of more sex, however, I still find myself interested, my body already responding. I turn off the stove and walk over to him. He reaches out and puts his hands on my hips, lifting me onto the table and sliding me right in front of him. He then pushes my legs apart, peeks up at me and grins. He lifts my skirt and slides his finger underneath my panties, touching my center gently.

“Are you sore?” he asks, not looking up at me.

“I’m fine,” I reply, lying a little, because I didn’t want him to stop what he was about to do.

“Liar,” he says, moving his hand and placing a soft kiss over my panties.

“Can you not study me there so closely?” I grumble, trying to squeeze my legs shut.

“I’ve seen all of you, Valentina.” He smirks, running his hand down my inner thigh in a soothing motion. “You don’t have work today?”

I shake my head. “No, we alternate Saturdays.”

I told him all about my job last night, just how much I’m enjoying it, and that I was also pretty damn good at it.

“What do you have going on today?” I ask him, cupping his face with my hands. “Biker stuff?”

He turns his face and kisses my hand. “I’ve got some biker stuff tonight, but I’m yours until then.”

I tilt my head to the side and study him. “You never talk about the club.”

He kisses my knee, stands up, and heads to the counter, grabbing a plate and serving himself. “I know. I only talk about the club with the club.”

He doesn’t say it in a harsh way, but still, it stings. It makes me question everything, like why did I sleep with him so soon? How can I have such a connection with a man I haven’t known that long, a man who obviously has his own secrets?

What am I doing here right now?

I’m lost in my own thoughts when his face appears in front of mine. He kisses my lips and then says against them, “I want you to get to know me before you get to know the club, all right? I want to earn your trust, and I want you to earn mine.”

Every time I’m unsure about what exactly is going on here, I look into his eyes, and I see the sincerity in them. I listen to his words and hear the truth in them. Either I’m completely blinded by him, or he’s the real deal, a man I could trust, one who would have my back and make me feel safe. My past can’t haunt me with Ardan here, because he is bigger and scarier than everything else. He hasn’t shown me that side, but I know it; I feel it. He isn’t one to be messed with. But to me he is kinder and more thoughtful than any other man I’ve been around or know. Although, considering my ex, I guess that isn’t hard to beat.

I expel a sigh, then kiss him back. “Let’s eat.”

“And then?”

“And then, we’ll spend the day in bed, watching movies, spooning, and fucking,” I say bluntly, watching his expression.

“What do you want to watch?” he asks, looking amused for some reason.

I shrug my shoulders and jump down from the table. “I don’t know. I’m sure there’s something on Netflix.”

Ardan chuckles and raises his eyebrow at me.

“What’s so funny?”

“This is my first ever Netflix and chill,” he says, making me groan and cover my face with my hands.

“You’re way too old to even know that saying.”

He chuckles some more and finishes fixing his plate. When he hands it to me, I look at him, surprised. He served me first?

“Sit down,” he says, grabbing another plate. “I’ll bring you something to drink.”

I sit down and wait for him to join me, thinking how crazy it is that things can change so drastically in such a short period of time. The tables are always turning, and I just hope I get to stay in this happy period for as long as possible.

I think I deserve it.

Two weeks later

“What do you think?” I ask Sally, running my fingers through her now short blond hair.

“I love it!” she squeals, turning her head from side to side. “I think the short cut suits me.”

“So do I,” I say, framing her face with the longer ends at the front. “It looks stunning on you.”

Sally stands up and looks at me. “Thank you, Tina. I really love it.”

“You’re welcome,” I reply, beaming. I watch as she walks to reception, where Lin is waiting to take her payment.

“I’m going on my break, Jess,” I call out, since I don’t have any clients booked for the next hour anyway.

“No problem,” Jess replies. “Can you get me a coffee while you’re out?”

“Sure,” I tell her, grabbing my bag and leaving the salon. I cross the road and walk to the café, ordering two coffees and a muffin. While I wait, I send Ardan a quick message, telling him I can’t wait to see him after work. He replies back instantly, saying that he can’t wait either. I smile like a lovesick schoolgirl who hasn’t yet been burned by the world, then send another message, this time to Lacey, asking how she’s been and saying that I hope she’s doing all right. Then, coffees and muffin in my hands, I return to the salon and pass Jess her coffee.

“Thanks, doll,” she says, eyeing it eagerly. “I don’t know how I’d make it through the day without coffee.”

I’m about to reply when a tall, bulky-looking man walks into the salon. Looking extremely out of place, the man comes straight for Jess and smacks a kiss on her lips. I’m pretty sure he grabs her ass too.

“Trace, this is Tina,” Jess introduces. “Tina, this is my husband, Trace.”

He studies me in a way that has me shifting on my feet. “Nice to meet you, Tina.”

“You too,” I say, smiling at him.

He doesn’t smile back, instead looking at Jess. “Any way you can leave here early? We got something going on tonight.”

“Sure,” Jess says, turning and glancing at the schedules. “I can leave in an hour. I love the rare occasions when you drop by here, babe.” She steps closer to him and wraps her arms around his waist.

Trace whispers something in her ear while I slowly back away to eat my muffin in peace in our staff room. I’m halfway through it when Lacey sends me a reply, and her words make all the happiness around me disappear.

I’m good, honey. How are you? No one has seen Darren around here for a week. I hope he’s not searching for you, but be careful.

Just because no one has seen him doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out looking to make my life miserable. However, Lacey is right to warn me. I need to keep my eyes open and my guard up. If Darren really wants to find me, he can. He has the resources, and he isn’t above using them.

I send her a quick reply, then throw the rest of my muffin in the garbage, suddenly not hungry. I do finish my coffee, though, thinking about what exactly I would do if Darren found me. I don’t want to leave. I love it here, and I can’t hide from him forever. Something has to give. When is he going to leave me alone? I close my eyes and cover my face with my hands. It’s so unfair that after everything I’ve gone through, the past is still following me and he’s still trying to control my life. He doesn’t care about me, never did—he just sees me as a possession to fuck with. I don’t know how I ever loved someone like that; I don’t know what I ever saw in him. How could I be so wrong about a person? I just hope that I’ve learned my lesson and that I’m not wrong about Ardan. Isn’t the saying second time’s the charm? No, wait, that’s third. Dammit.

I stand up and get ready to return to work, telling myself over and over again that things won’t always be like this. One day, I won’t have to worry about Darren, and Ardan is nothing like him. Yeah, I think I chose a good man this time, and Darren isn’t going to get in the way of that. I broke the curse. Sure, Ardan isn’t the boy-next-door type—he’s rough around the edges and delves into shades of gray more than anyone I know, but he has a good heart, and more than anything, he makes me happy. He makes me feel good about myself; he makes me feel protected and safe. I deserve to be happy.

And if I have to fight for it, I will.

EIGHT

I FINALLY found an apartment—with Ardan’s help. He wouldn’t have it any other way. The new place is a two-bedroom, one-bath modern apartment close to work, and in a safe neighborhood, according to him. I have to admit that I’m pretty in love with it. Things with Ardan have been amazing, and I’ve found myself spending a lot of time with him over the last few weeks, getting to know him and learning to trust him. I haven’t heard anything from Darren, so I’m hoping he’s finally decided to move on and leave me alone, even though deep down I don’t believe it for a second.

When I moved into my new apartment, Ardan helped me. By help, I mean he got one of his friends, a part-scary, part-sexy bearded man by the name of Arrow, to carry everything in with him while I stood by idly and watched. I bought some secondhand furniture for the place but splurged on a brand-new bed and mattress. I never want to get out of bed in the mornings, but I do have the best sleep ever.

We’re sitting on the couch a few nights after I moved in, him in the corner and me in the middle, having a drink. I have a glass of red wine, while Ardan has a whiskey.

“Why are you so far away?” I ask, flashing him my most enticing bedroom eyes. “Come over here.”

“You come here,” he says, watching me like a hawk. I roll my eyes but give in and move next to him.

“I can’t stay long tonight,” he says, running his free hand through my hair.

“Why?” I ask, not angry, just curious. “I thought you were going to spend the night.”

“Yeah, I was,” he says, lifting my face up and looking me in the eye. “I forgot we have something going on at the clubhouse tonight, and I can’t miss it. I’m showing up late, but I have to be there.”

“Okay,” I say, laughing at his surprised expression, like he expected me to get mad over it.

“That’s it? Just okay?” he asks, voice laced with suspicion, his eyes narrowed.

“Yeah, I mean I know the club is important to you, and it’s who you are, even though I don’t really know much about it.” I don’t think you can change a man. I either take Ardan as he is or not at all, and from what I’ve seen so far, he’s been nothing short of amazing.

He flashes me a crooked smile. “Where the fuck did you come from, darlin’? And why did you make me wait so long to find you?”

I laugh at that and put my glass down on the table before wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my cheek against his chest.

“I was taken by someone who didn’t deserve me,” I say, placing a kiss on his chest. “I should have left sooner, instead of wasting time, but who knows? Maybe then we wouldn’t have even met.”

“Fucker,” he grumbles, running his hand down my back. “He must be fuckin’ stupid not to do everything possible to keep a woman like you.” He pauses. “Not that I’m complaining, because otherwise you wouldn’t be here right now.”

The sad thing is, Darren did try to keep me, but with threats and guilt trips instead of treating me right. He’d mess with my head, make me believe that it was me who was lacking, that it was my fault things were the way they were. When someone keeps telling you over and over again that you’re not good enough, in the back of your mind, no matter how strong you are, you start to wonder if that person is right. When you see other people being treated so well, being respected and cared for, you wonder why you don’t have that. What is it about you that drew in someone like that? The whole thing almost destroyed me and I’m so happy to be away from it. All the negativity has drained away, leaving behind feelings of hope and positivity, and the chance of starting over.

“I want to hear everything about your past,” he says softly. “When you’re ready, of course. You know there’s nothing you can’t tell me, right?”

“I know. I’m just happy I moved here,” I tell him honestly. “It’s been so good for me. I can’t remember the last time I was this happy.”

Ardan leans forward to put his glass down next to mine and then lifts me so I’m sitting across his lap.

“You know, when I saw you, I just wanted you,” he says, his eyes turning heavy. “That’s never happened to me before.” His expression turns sheepish. “I mean, yeah, I’ve seen women and wanted to fuck them before, but I’ve never seen a woman and just wanted . . . her. Fuck, it’s hard to explain. It was just a different feeling. I want to say it was that I wanted to possess you, but that sounds fucked-up.” He exhales and lowers his gaze to my lips. “Something in me just wanted something in you.”

“I get it,” I say, licking my lips. “You don’t have to explain. I get it.”

“Good,” he says, kissing me hungrily. I taste the whiskey on his lips as I pull away, our eyes still locked.

I reach my fingers out absently to touch the scar on his neck as I say, “Shall we take this to the bedroom?”

His lip twitches and his dark eyes flash with amusement. “Pretty sure that’s my line.”

“Well, hurry up and make your move, then, because I want you inside me,” I say, not holding back. I find myself feeling comfortable saying almost anything to this man—I don’t feel shy or that he will judge me. I know for a fact my bold words turn him on, which he proves yet again as I feel him grow hard under me. “I can feel your interest.”

“I know you can,” he says, grabbing my jaw with his hand and bringing my face to his for another kiss, this one more demanding. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful. The men at the clubhouse are going to go nuts for you, except I’m going to fuckin’ murder them if they even look in your direction.”

I roll my eyes and slide off his lap, then fiddle with the button on his jeans until he moves my hands out of the way and undoes it for me and pulls them down, exposing himself to me. I slide my panties off impatiently and lift my dress up and over my head.

“Take your T-shirt off too,” I demand.

He looks amused, his eyes dancing, but does as I say, flashing his ripped body as his T-shirt lands on the floor next to my dress. I straddle him, my mouth slamming down on his as he practically rips off my bra. Reaching between us, he slides himself inside me, both of us moaning at the feeling. I start to ride him, bouncing up and down, controlling the speed and rhythm. When he moves his mouth away from my lips to suck and lick my nipples, I fuck him harder, giving it all I have.

“Fuck, Valentina,” he growls, lifting his head and looking me in the eye. “Harder.”

Harder?

I go harder.

When I feel myself on the verge of coming, somehow Ardan must know it too, because he says, “Yes, come all over my dick.”

I don’t know what my tell is, but I like that he’s so in tune with my body.

A hard slap on my ass sends me over the edge, and through my haze of pleasure I hear him say, “Going to come.”

“Yes,” escapes from my lips.

Yes to everything.

After he finishes, I sit on his lap, him still inside me, and bury my face in his neck, exhaustion taking me over.

“I’m going to sleep like this,” I announce.

“Me too,” he replies.

I kiss his neck, soft and gentle, telling him without words how much I appreciate him. He wraps his arms around me and holds me while I close my eyes and just enjoy the moment. When I’m about to fall asleep, I decide I should probably move off him, so I do so, but I don’t go far, lying down on the couch and laying my head on his thigh, my arm wrapping around him. His hand instantly finds my hair. After a few moments, he lifts me in his arms and carries me to my bed.

“So now you want to go to bed,” I grumble, yawning.

He chuckles deeply, lifting the blanket to cover me.

“You can’t stay a little longer?” I ask when he doesn’t get in next to me.

“If I do, then I’ll never leave.”

A long, lingering kiss, and then he heads to the clubhouse, while I fall asleep.

NINE

WHEN Ardan cancels on our plans again, I get a bad feeling in my stomach. He said he was needed by the Wind Dragons and that the second he could, he would be back to see me. Trying not to think about it too much, I keep myself busy on my day off by tidying up the apartment.

When Jess texts to see if I want to go to dinner and a movie with her, I take her up on the offer. It’s the first time I’ll be seeing her outside of work, but I’m happy she invited me. When I think about it, because I’ve been spending most of my time with Ardan, I haven’t really made any other friends here, apart from the girls at work, which is stupid of me. I should be out meeting new people and seeing what this city has to offer. I dress casually in a pair of jeans, a black V-neck top, and flats, and then drive to the theater Jess asked me to meet her at. I find her standing in the lobby, looking down at her phone. She’s wearing all black, a Harley tank top, and jeans.

She glances up as I approach and smiles.

“Hey,” I say, smiling back at her.

“Hey, yourself. I got our tickets but I didn’t know what snacks you wanted, so I thought I’d wait for you.”

“What would you like? I’ll get it,” I say, pulling out my purse. “I’m just going to get some popcorn and a drink.”

“Sounds good,” she agrees as we walk toward the counter.

I pause and grin. “Maybe some chocolate too.”

I don’t want to ruin dinner afterward, but I’m kind of hungry.

She laughs and says, “My kind of girl.”

I buy the snacks and we go into the movie. After it’s over, we have dinner together before I head home. I really enjoy the night and tell myself I need to do this again. I need to have balance in my life; not everything can be about Ardan, because then when he’s busy I get bored and don’t know what to do with myself, and I don’t want to be that girl. I send him a quick message before I go to sleep, telling him I hope he had a good night and that I’m going to bed.

I fall asleep before I get a reply.

“Hotline Bling” by Drake plays over and over as my phone rings. Half asleep, I reach around for it in the dark, finally finding it under the pillow next to me. I press the green button and say in a sleepy voice, “Hello.”

“Valentina, open the door,” Ardan says, making me sit up in bed.

“You’re here?” I ask, confused.

“Yeah, open the door, darlin’.”

I hang up and rush to the front door, unlocking and opening it. When I see him standing there, his face looking paler than usual, a bad feeling settles in my gut.

“What happened?” I ask, closing and locking the door behind him.

“What makes you think something happened?” he replies, stepping inside and wrapping his strong arms around me. “Fuck, I just need to be in bed with you right now.”

I hug him tighter, and when he flinches, I pull back and study him. “What the fuck?”

He winces and pulls up his T-shirt. I check over his abs, which look delicious but fine, then farther up until I reach his chest. I yank my hand back at the feel of new stitches. “Oh my god!”

“I’m fine, Valentina,” he says, putting up his hands as if to calm me down. “I just got a little stabbed.”

I freeze. “You just got a little stabbed ?” I yell, making air quotes with my fingers. “What the hell, Ardan? Why are you not in the hospital?”

He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “One of my brothers, his woman was in some shit. He was gone on a run up north and I was keeping an eye on her just in case anything happened. Well, shit fuckin’ happened, and I got stabbed in the chest trying to fix the problem.”

I place my arm on his shoulder and look at where the wound is, now covered up. “Can I get you anything or do anything to help?”

He shakes his head. “Right now I just need you and sleep.”

I swallow and nod my head quickly. “Come on.”

We walk hand in hand to bed, and I slide in first, lifting the blanket up for him. When he gets comfortable and pulls me closer to him, I resist a little because I don’t want to hurt him.

“It’s on the other side, darlin’. You can hug me; it’s fine,” he says softly, his accent sounding more prominent than usual.

“Are you sure you’re okay? What did the doctor say?” I ask him in the darkness. “You did see a doctor, right?” My voice turns high-pitched by the end of the sentence.

He runs his hand over my stomach and says, “The club doc came and saw me, just stitched me up a little, but it’s not too deep, so it’s all right. Just said to keep an eye on it.”

“Does stuff like this happen a lot?” I ask, closing my eyes and trying not to worry about him so much.

“Not all the time,” he says softly, clearing his throat. “But sometimes, yes. If my brothers need me, I have their back, and they have mine if I need them. Sometimes we win; sometimes we lose.” I can hear the smile in his voice when he adds, “But we usually win.”

“You’re insane,” I whisper, puffing out a breath. “Thank God you’re okay, though. I don’t know what I would have done if something happened.” I pause, and then add, “Something more than what you seem to think is a casual stabbing.”

He chuckles, then groans. “Now is not the time to make me laugh.”

I groan back and then kiss his shoulder. “You need to stop getting stabbed, babe.”

“I’ll try my hardest,” he says, sounding tired.

“Good night,” I say, yawning.

“’Night, darlin’.”

I’m half asleep when I hear him say, “I’m not going to let anything happen to me, not now that I have you.”

I must have been dreaming.

“Are you angry at me because I got stabbed? It was hardly my choice, and not like I volunteered for it,” he growls, shaking his head in disbelief. “Stop being angry.”

I purse my lips. “I’m not angry; I’m just worried about you, and yes, maybe it’s coming out as anger. Sorry, but I’ve never really dealt with a situation like this before, you know.”

His voice gentles when he says, “I know, Valentina, I know. And I’m sorry you have to deal with it at all. But it happened, and I’m fine, you have nothing to worry about. Now come and sit next to me before I have to carry you over here, and then I will be in pain.”

“Blackmail,” I grumble, sitting down next to him. “Are you hungry?”

“I’m hungry for you,” he says in a husky tone, running his hand up my bare thigh.

“We’re not having sex,” I repeat for the fourth time.

Ardan scowls and mutters, “I’ll kill that bastard again, the cock block.”

I roll my eyes at his joke. “Very funny. Now do you want to eat? I made that pasta, and I’m going to have some.”

“Okay,” he says, sounding like a surly little boy, which makes me snicker. I serve both of us, then return to the couch with the plates.

“Thanks,” he says, taking his and digging in before I can pick up my fork.

“See, you were hungry,” I say before taking a bite.

“Sex beats food,” he says, grinning. “At least sex with you does.”

“Stop being cute,” I say, chewing and swallowing. “Do you think I don’t want to? Because I do, I just don’t think we should be fucking a few days after you got stabbed in the chest.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but I hold my hand up. “Come on, that’s fair. At least wait until tomorrow or the day after, please.”

“Tomorrow,” he says, his tone demanding no argument. “And this pasta is amazing, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, happy to be appreciated. It’s something I never really experienced in my last relationship. I remember once I made a simple dinner for Darren, some toasted sandwiches, and he threw it on the ground in a fit of rage and said it was shit. It actually makes me feel weak to think about everything I put up with. But then I remind myself I got out, and there’s no point looking back.

“Do you want to go out for dinner tonight? There’s a place I want to take you that does the best ribs in the city.”

I nod. “If you’re feeling up to it.”

He flashes me a look that says he’s clearly done with my fussing. “Oh, don’t you worry, I’m feeling up to it all right.”

I try to hide my amusement and fail, my lips twitching and him catching it.

“Valentina?”

“Yeah?” I reply, looking down at my plate.

“I love you.”

I lift my head up, my eyes wide.

“Wh-what?”

“I love you,” he repeats, so simply, as easy as taking another breath. “I just wanted you to know.”

He continues to eat while I sit in stunned silence.

He loves me?

So soon?

Is it too soon?

Yes, it’s definitely too soon. What am I supposed to say?

Do I love him?

I think it’s more of a leaning toward loving him. Is that an answer? I don’t think he’d appreciate me saying that, but I’m pretty sure he’s waiting for an answer right now while I’m thinking this.

“Stop overthinking,” he says, now watching me. “And don’t say anything; I don’t expect you to.”

“Okay,” I reply, drawing the word out, feeling relieved that I don’t have to explain what I’m feeling. I still don’t understand it.

He continues on as if he hadn’t just told me something that changed my world.

TEN

A COUPLE of weeks later, when my phone vibrates with a text, I smile, thinking it’s Ardan, but it’s not.

Found you.

It’s him. It’s Darren.

Fuck.

To think I was hoping he’d let it go, that he’d let me move on, was stupid. I should have known better. Nothing in life comes easy for me; I always have to fight for it, to push through, to survive, and this is no exception. I need to tell Ardan the whole story with Darren, because if something goes down, he needs to know the background. At the same time, I don’t want to pull him into my mess, and I don’t want him to think I’m asking him to use his contacts, even though I know he’d have some. This might drag him and the Wind Dragons down, and that’s the last thing I want. What if something happens and Ardan or his men end up in prison—or worse? How could I live with that?

I’m still lost in my own world when Ardan comes over later that night, and right away he senses something is wrong.

“What happened?” he asks, scanning my apartment as if to check for signs of disaster.

“I got a message today,” I tell him, shifting on my feet. “I don’t know what to do. I always try to solve my problems by myself, but—”

“But now you have me to solve your problems,” he says, cutting me off and lifting my chin in his hand. “It’s not an imposition. I’d be fuckin’ pissed if you had some shit going down that I didn’t know anything about.”

“I know, I just didn’t want you to have to deal with it,” I admit, biting the inside of my lip.

“Am I fucking you?” he asks, eyes narrowed and jaw tight.

“What?”

“Am I fucking you? Am I here at your place every other night?” he says, looking angrier than I’ve ever seen him.

“Yes,” I admit hesitantly, making his grip on my chin tighten.

“Are you mine?” he asks, leaning his face closer to mine, as if daring me to disagree.

“Yes, I am,” I say with more conviction this time. “I’m yours.”

“Yes, you are,” he says, his eyes softening. “You’re mine, and so are your problems. Whatever it is, I can handle it. Now tell me.”

I show him the text.

When he looks at me, waiting for an explanation, I say, “My ex. He’s the reason I moved away, because he won’t leave me alone. He tries to follow me wherever I go, makes threats, and does anything he can to make my life harder.”

How much do I divulge here? If I tell him everything, could my baggage scare even Ardan away?

“And now he’s found you here?” Ardan asks, a menacing look flashing on his face.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I say in a small voice.

“Darlin’, you have nothing to worry about,” he soothes, pulling me against his body and kissing the top of my head. “Give me his name, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“You shouldn’t have to do this for me,” I say against his chest. “I can’t ask you to.”

“You’re not asking—I’m offering,” he says simply. “I’m not going to let this fucker mess with you. You’re not alone anymore, Valentina, and he can’t do this. You have me standing in front of you now, protecting you from anything that tries to hurt you. Think of me as your own human bulletproof vest.”

I slap his arm. “That’s not even funny.”

I hear the smile in his voice when he says, “C’mon, it’s kind of funny.”

“What will you do?”

“Don’t worry about that,” he says quickly. “Worry about how pissed I am that you didn’t tell me any of this sooner. What if he got to you when I could have protected you? Not a very smart move you made.”

“I just didn’t want my problems to become yours,” I say softly, sighing heavily. “I knew you’d do this, and now I’m going to feel guilty if anything happens.”

“I’ll handle it.”

“Oh, and Ardan . . .” I say, grimacing at what I’m about to say.

“Yes, darlin’?”

“My ex . . .”

“Yeah?” he says, sounding impatient. “Tell me.”

“He’s a cop.”

Darren has been a police officer since he was twenty-one, just like his now-retired father. It’s the reason he gets away with so much, and I couldn’t exactly report things to his cop buddies, who would have his back, not mine. His position provides him with connections all over the country, and access to information. He waited this long to make his move, which makes me feel like he’s playing with me. I just want to be left alone, but that doesn’t look like it’s in the cards for me.

After I told Ardan about Darren, he left and told me he would be back soon, reminding me to lock up the apartment. When he returns about an hour later, he comes with a packed bag, leaving it by the entrance.

“Until this is sorted, I’m moving in,” he announces, crossing his arms over his chest, legs shoulder-width apart, as if waiting for me to object.

“Okay,” is all I say, raising my eyebrow and smiling.

“Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

He chuckles and closes the space between us, muttering something about being the luckiest brother in the club. I grab on to the bottom of his leather cut and pull him even closer.

“So you’re going to move in and protect me, hmmm?”

He licks his bottom lip. “I’m going to do a lot more than that, darlin’. I’m going to talk to the club tomorrow and come up with a plan. Either way, you’re safe. You don’t need to worry about your ex—dirty cop or not, we have our ways of handling things.”

I purse my lips. “I know I’m not meant to ask questions about the club, but how are you going to handle this? I don’t want you or any of the Wind Dragons to end up in jail because I have terrible taste in men.”

“Hey,” he mock growls. “Not all the men you choose are bad.”

“I didn’t choose you—you chose me,” I point out, trying to dig myself out of the hole I put myself in.

He smirks at that and starts to drag me to the room. “Fuck yeah I did. Don’t think you’re going to distract me from your little comment, though.” He pauses. “Although I wouldn’t exactly say I’m good.”

“You’re good to me,” I say, placing my palm on his chest. “I go by how people treat me, and you’ve treated me like a princess.” I pause. “Except in the bedroom, but then, who wants that?”

“Compared to my competition, I’m fuckin’ Prince Charming,” he jokes, then lowers his gaze to my mouth. “Speaking of the bedroom. We should head there. Now.”

“You think so?” I ask coyly, batting my eyelashes at him. “I think if you want me in the bedroom,” I say, taking two steps back, “you’re going to have to catch me first.”

I bolt into the kitchen, and all I can hear is his amused chuckle filling my apartment. I hide in the pantry, but then realize how much of a stupid move that is: it’s not like we’re playing hide-and-seek here. I hear him enter the kitchen and I try to make my breathing as soft as possible, hoping he’ll think I ran through the kitchen and down the hallway into the bedroom. However, when I hear him hum the tune to a Justin Bieber song under his breath, I can’t help it—I lose it laughing. I push open the door and stare at him, holding my stomach as I continue to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he asks, looking confused.

“What song were you just humming?” I ask, on the verge of more laughter.

“I don’t know, something I heard on the radio today. Why?” he asks, standing there, looking badass in his all-black getup, cut, biker boots, scarred neck, and . . . singing Justin Bieber.

Just the thought sends me into another fit of laughter.

Biker badass likes Justin Bieber.

I run to my bedroom, and he stalks behind me.

I can’t wait to tell that story to his brothers, whenever I finally do get to meet them. He picks me up and throws me onto the bed, then lands on top of me. “What’s so fuckin’ hilarious, Valentina? Let me in on the joke.”

“Nothing,” I say, trying to keep a straight face. “It’s a good song, is all. Very good taste you have. I’m just surprised you know it.”

“You’re weird,” he mutters before slamming his lips down on mine and kissing me senseless.

I forget about Bieber.

Hell, I forget about everything.

Except him.

ELEVEN

I’VE just finished with a client the next day when Ardan comes flying into the salon. He looks straight at Jess and says, “Valentina needs to leave early.”

Jess simply nods, looking a little worried. “No problem, Irish.”

He grabs me by my upper arm and leads me outside to his bike. “Get on, darlin’. I’m taking you to the clubhouse.”

“What?” I ask, shaking my head in confusion. “What the hell is going on?”

“Nothing yet,” he says vaguely, infuriating me. “Get on, I’ll explain when we get there.”

I take the helmet he offers me, putting it on and climbing onto the bike behind him. He’s taking me to the clubhouse? I finally get to meet everyone? But why? Has he found Darren? So many questions, and the fact that I don’t know what’s going on makes me feel anxious. It takes about twenty minutes to get there. After I get off the bike and take the helmet off, I take in the huge compound in front of me.

This is where he lives?

With a hand on my lower back he ushers me forward. I stop at the door, so he takes my hand and pulls me inside behind him. We walk through until we come to a living area with a huge TV and comfortable-looking couches. When Ardan finds it empty, he keeps walking until we come to a kitchen. Three men are sitting there, one of whom I recognize as Arrow. Another guy has shoulder-length blond hair tied up in a bun and looks like Adonis, while the third has short blond hair and beautiful green eyes. Him I recognize.

They all look up as I enter.

“Valentina, these are my brothers, Rake, Tracker, and you’ve already met Arrow,” Ardan says, nodding at each man as he says their names.

“Umm, hi,” I say, waving awkwardly.

Tracker smiles and even winks at me, while Arrow remains his usual brooding self. Rake lifts his chin at me and offers me a small grin.

“Nice to meet you,” Tracker says, gesturing to the chair opposite him. “Have a seat, sweetheart.”

I glance at Ardan, who nods at me, before I take the offered seat. Ardan sits next to me, instantly making me feel at ease.

“We did some research,” he says, sliding a folder across the table to me.

I open it and glance over Darren’s information.

“Your ex is as dirty as they come,” Rake says, absently playing with his lip ring. “Drug dealing, making deals with criminals—you name it, he’s done it.”

“He’s applied for a transfer to come over here,” Ardan says, making my stomach drop. I clench my fists so hard the knuckles turn bone-white. He wants to move here? Is he fucking insane? What else is here for him? He has his parents; his baby brother, Cody; and all his friends there—does he hate me so much he’d leave them all behind just to fuck with me?

“That was our reaction,” he mutters next to me. “We’ve had a meeting about it. We’re going to wait for his next move, but we’ve got some ideas on how to handle it. Until then, one of the men will always be with you—usually me, but in case I have to be somewhere, one of my brothers will be there.”

“Okay,” I reply, not knowing what else to say. I don’t mind having someone watch me; in fact, it makes me feel much safer. And if Ardan’s the one there most of the time, even better.

“I need you to make this easy on me by telling me whenever you go somewhere or if you see anything suspicious,” he continues. “Don’t be like some of our other women who’ve tried to handle shit on their own, or left by themselves because they thought they were fuckin’ badass.”

“Fine,” I say, leaning back in the chair and looking all of them in the eye. “I won’t attempt any badassery.”

“I think you’ve done the right thing, keeping her away from the women,” Tracker says, chuckling, his blue eyes filling with amusement. “Especially Faye. Don’t let her near Faye.”

“Or Anna,” Rake adds, earning himself a scowl from Arrow. He just shrugs. “Hey, she’s my sister, but she’s also a menace.”

“As if you can talk,” Tracker says to Rake. “Anna wasn’t the only one playing beer pong with the Wild Men MC.”

Confused, I look to Ardan, who just shrugs and says, “Can you guys argue about whose woman has the biggest balls later? I’m going to give Valentina a tour.”

“One that ends in your bedroom?” Tracker says, smirking, then looks back to me. “Good luck, Valentina. You’re going to need it.”

“I think I’ll like it here,” I say, making him laugh. Ardan stands and I follow, leaving the kitchen. This time when we walk through the living area, a beautiful woman is sitting there reading a book.

“Faye,” Ardan says, making the woman lift up her head. Her hazel eyes are gorgeous, but I instantly notice that they have a sharpness to them that tells me she isn’t someone to mess with. By the way she carries herself, and the gentle tone in which Ardan said her name, I can also tell she’s someone important. “Where’s Sin?”

“He’s at Clover’s school. He should be here soon, though,” she says, putting down her book and staring at me. “Oh my god. Is this the woman you’ve been neglecting us for?”

Ardan sighs and looks down at me. “Valentina, this is Faye. Our club president’s wife, and all-around troublemaker.”

“Nice to meet you, Faye,” I say, smiling at the beauty.

She stands up and walks over to me, pulling me into a hug. “Irish, she’s stunning. Look at all this hair,” she says, touching it. “You look like the heroine from Brave! Jess was right!”

“Should’ve known Jess couldn’t keep her mouth shut,” Ardan mutters, then slowly pulls me away from Faye. “All right, all right. Where’s everyone else?”

“No one else is here right now, but we have a dinner here tomorrow night, remember? So why don’t you bring Tina? Everyone’s been dying to meet your mystery woman, Irish.”

She looks to me. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

I nod.

“Perfect.” She beams, then grins at Ardan. “Totally punching above your weight with her.”

Ardan throws his head back and laughs at that. “Don’t I know it.”

As he shows me around the rest of the clubhouse, I realize that I missed something. Jess knows Ardan, and she knows Faye. How did I not know this?

“How does Jess know everyone here?” I ask him when we’re in his room at the compound.

“Trace, Jess’s old man, is a member of the club,” he says, taking his boots off.

I pause, something hitting me. “Is that how I got the job at the salon? Because it’s a hell of a coincidence otherwise.”

At my tone of voice, Ardan stills, then turns to me. “Jess needed someone. She was looking through the applications when she was here, and when I heard her mention your name, I told her to give you the job.”

“Just like that?” I ask, feeling angrier and angrier with each word that comes out of his mouth. “What if I was shit at my job?”

“You aren’t,” he says, reaching his hand out for me. “You’re fuckin’ talented.”

“You didn’t know that, though. So basically I got the job only because of you, not because of me or what I can do. I don’t know, it just feels like I didn’t earn it now.”

Is it an overreaction that I feel like I need to quit?

“Jess is always raving about how lucky she is to have you,” he says, taking my hand and bringing me closer to him. “You kept the job, and that was all you. I just told her to give you a chance. She had about twenty people apply, Valentina. You wanted the job, and I wanted you to have what you want. I’m sorry if it comes off as—”

“Controlling,” I insert.

“Controlling,” he continues, now scowling at me. “But it was within my power to give you that, so I did. And I’d do it again. So if you want to be angry, then be angry, because I don’t regret it.”

I throw my hands in the air. “You’re unbelievable. So basically this whole time I’ve been working for the club, is that what you’re trying to say?”

He nods slowly. “The club owns the salon, yeah. But we don’t have anything to do with it; we just funded it for Jess, really.”

I’m pretty sure my eye is starting to twitch. “Why didn’t you just tell me that from the start? I don’t like all these hidden secrets and shit!”

“Because I knew you would act like this,” he admits, lying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. “You’re proud, I know it. But fuck, Valentina, I did you a favor, it’s not the end of the world.”

I puff out an angry breath and climb into his bed. He’s right, in a way, but so am I. Here I thought I’d done everything by myself, but really he’s been taking care of everything from the beginning. I know that if that’s the only thing I have to complain about in this relationship, I’m pretty lucky, but still, the fact I didn’t even know Jess was a part of his MC makes me feel stupid and out of the loop.

“There better not be any more secrets,” I say to him. “I’m serious, Ardan. I know you can’t tell me everything you do with the club, but when it concerns me, I want total honesty.”

“There’s nothing else, Valentina,” he says, sounding tired. “If anything, this shows how much I wanted you right from the start. I kept you completely away from the club because I wanted you to know me, Ardan, and not just Irish. But you also have Jess as a friend now, someone you can turn to if you have any questions you want to ask a woman, or, I don’t know . . . I just thought it would make bringing you into my world a little easier, because I plan on you staying here.”

Softening a little, I scoot next to him and lay my head on his chest, on the spot where he was injured. “You plan on me staying here?”

“I wouldn’t put so much effort in with you if I didn’t,” he says, closing his eyes. “I want you as my old lady. What did you think we were doing here?”

“Ardan,” I say when his rant is over.

“Yeah?”

“I love you too.”

Although Ardan can be controlling, it’s completely different from Darren. I get it now. The two men are nothing alike, nothing. It’s the thoughts and the reasons behind why Ardan does things, and the fact that even if I don’t listen to him, he won’t hurt me in any way. He has a good heart, and I can deal with his alpha tendencies. He just wants to take care of me, but there are no conditions behind it. He just loves me and wants the best for me.

His eyes spring open. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I say, half lying on top of him and kissing his lips. “I love you.”

“Finally,” he growls, kissing me deeply.

When he pulls away, I say to him, “But no more secrets.”

“Do I get make-up sex now?” he asks, making me grin.

“This was our first fight, wasn’t it?”

“There’ll be lots more where that came from,” he says, sucking on my bottom lip. “But if we keep our fights clean and our sex dirty, I think we’ll make it through each one.”

I think he’s right.

TWELVE

THE next night at dinner, I meet the rest of his brothers, including Vinnie, the club’s youngest member, and the club president, Sin. I remember Vinnie from seeing him briefly with Rake, but don’t mention that to either of them. I also meet all their old ladies and like them right away. They’re all beautiful, smart, witty women, and I can see why any man would be drawn to them. Faye is hilarious, and I can tell she cares for everyone under this roof, taking the time to talk with each member of the family. When Jess comes and sits next to me where we’re hanging outside, I don’t really know what to say to her, instantly feeling a little awkward.

“I wasn’t allowed to say anything to you about Irish or the club,” she says, wincing. “I’m sorry. I like you, Tina, and you’re an amazing hairdresser, so I hope our friendship doesn’t change because of this. I’m glad Irish told me to hire you, because you’re the perfect fit. For him and for the salon.”

“I guess I felt stupid that everyone knew except me,” I try to explain. “But I know it wasn’t your fault; it was his. Of course we’re still friends.”

She hugs me. “Good. I meant what I said—I’m happy Irish brought you into our lives.”

“Me too,” I admit, smiling at her.

“The men will do what they want to get what they want,” she says, shaking her head. “But they’re good men. Worth the alpha bullshit we have to put up with.”

“It’s pretty hot,” I admit, the feminist in me screaming.

“I know.” She laughs. “Trust me, I know.”

“So you forgive Jess straightaway but you’re still giving me shit?” Ardan jokes as he joins us.

“It wasn’t her diabolical plan,” I tell him with a raised brow. “What are you eating?”

“There’s some chicken wings and ribs up there. Do you want me to bring you some?”

“Yes, please,” I say, and my stomach growls in agreement.

He disappears into the kitchen, and I see Jess staring at me with an odd expression.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing,” she says, shrugging. “Just never seen him wait on a woman before. In my years and years of knowing him.”

I don’t know how to react to that, so I just shrug and stay quiet.

She continues, “I’ve never seen him go out of his way to do something for one either, unless one of his brothers asked it of him, of course.”

Ardan returns with a plate of food, which he hands to me. I thank him and offer some to Jess, who politely declines. He sits next to me as I eat, and Lana and Tracker join us.

“Your hair is so beautiful,” Lana says to me, her brown eyes focused on me. “I don’t think I’ve seen hair like that before.”

“Thank you,” I tell her, touching the ends. “Ardan tells me you write books?”

She looks confused for a moment, but then her eyes widen. “Oh, Irish, right. Yes, I do. Romance novels. Are you a reader?”

I nod. “I am, but mainly nonfiction, especially biographies. I’d love to give your books a try, though—I’m sure I’ll love them.”

“Maybe my next heroine will have hair like yours.”

“Maybe I’d like that,” I reply, smiling at her.

She returns it and says, “We’re going out to Rift this weekend. Do you want to come with us?”

“Rift?” I ask, never having heard of the place.

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Ardan says, shooting Lana a look of disapproval. “Valentina is busy this weekend.”

“I am?” I ask, feeling amused.

“You are,” he says, not offering any kind of explanation.

“Let the woman breathe, Irish,” Lana says, not put out one bit by his words. “You have to let her bond with us. We’ll look after her, you know we will.”

“Fuck, I know you will; it’s not that. I’m not being a possessive asshole,” he explains to her. “She’s got some shit going on right now, and until it’s taken care of, she needs to be careful—and getting drunk and dancing on tables with you lot is pretty much the opposite of careful.”

“That only happened twice.” Lana pouts, then says, “If there’s anything we can do to help, let us know.”

“We’ve got this,” Tracker says to his woman, wrapping his arm around her. “We just need everyone to stay out of trouble for a little while. We don’t need any fuckin’ cops on our asses for any reason.”

I never thought about the fact that the cops could decide to hassle the MC because of Darren. Feeling worse than I already did, I throw Ardan a look that says, This is exactly what I didn’t want.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he says, taking a chicken wing off my plate. “We’re just looking at the situation from every angle. We don’t know what shit he’s going to pull, or how much power he holds here, but we need to lay low until we figure it all out.”

I look at Lana and say, “I’d love to come out with you as soon as I can.”

She grins. “It’s a date.”

Tracker looks at me and says, “Now onto the important stuff. Lana doesn’t want me to cut my hair, so will you cut it for me behind her back?”

Lana elbows him in the stomach. “The man bun looks so damn sexy on you! Don’t cut it!”

“Man bun,” Ardan snickers from beside me. “Fuck’s sake, Tracker.”

“Hey,” Tracker says, sounding offended. “It gets all the bi—” As if just remembering his company, he clears his throat and tries again. “It got me this beautiful woman by my side.”

“Nice try,” Lana mutters, then runs her hand through his hair. “It’s always been like this ever since I met you. If you cut it off, that’s like false advertising. You made it seem like I’d always have this, and now you’re just going to take it away? You need to keep yourself how you were when I fell in love with you.”

“Where do you come up with this shit?” he asks, his lips twitching. He looks to Ardan. “She comes up with shit on the spot like that all the time. No wonder she’s so good at her job.”

Lana grins at me. “Lucky he’s cute, right?”

I laugh at their banter. The two of them obviously love each other so much.

“I’m more than cute. I’m a cover model,” he boasts, lifting up his T-shirt to show off a set of rock-hard abs. “I’m a god. And I’m practically famous.”

“Because you’re my man,” Lana adds, raising her eyebrows. Jess laughs and stands to leave the room. “See, you’re chasing everyone away now.”

“Including us,” Ardan says, smirking. He stands and offers me his hand, taking the now-empty plate from me. “Let’s go inside.”

We mingle with everyone for another two hours before we go back to my apartment. All I can think of after meeting everyone is that I really hope my being in their lives doesn’t bring them any trouble.

That, and that Ardan is a very lucky man to have such great people at his back.

The next morning, I wake Ardan with my mouth on him. I watch as he slowly awakens, his dark eyes pinned on me as my tongue works its magic. Keeping our gazes connected, I take as much of him as I can into my mouth, pulling back when I start to gag a little, bobbing my head as I pleasure him.

“Fuck, Valentina,” he growls, his hands gripping the white sheets. He lets go and brings them to tangle in my hair. He tugs on it a little, turning me on even more.

“Just like that,” he groans, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip.

I give it to him just how I know he likes it, swiping my tongue over him and sucking with just the right pressure. It’s not long before he comes, and I swallow every drop, loving the almost growling sounds he makes as he finishes. I sit back and smile at him and say, “Good morning.”

“It is, isn’t it,” he says, his eyes warm on me. “Fuck, I’d die a happy man if you woke me up every morning like that. I’m going to be cheery as shit all day.”

I laugh and crawl up the bed next to him, lying on my back.

He flips me over, rolls on top of me, and says, “Now it’s your turn.”

Yeah, today is going to be a good day indeed.

THIRTEEN

I’M walking to the fridge in nothing but my black nightie when I hear a banging on the front door.

“Police! Open up!”

I don’t recognize the voice, so it’s not Darren.

Ardan quickly emerges from our room in nothing but a pair of black track pants. He looks at me, rushes back to the room, and returns holding one of his T-shirts in his hand.

“Put this over your nightie, now,” he says in a no-nonsense tone.

I do as I’m told, his T-shirt hitting my knees and covering my breasts, and stand back as he opens the front door.

Two cops stand there.

And one is him.

Fuck.

He’s really here. He’s doing this. He hates me that much, that he’s going completely out of his way to make my life miserable. He came from across the country, dead set on what—revenge? Against the only woman who once loved him, the woman who tried to save him from drugs, the one who gave him everything she had?

The one he tried to destroy.

After he manipulated me, cheated on me, and verbally and emotionally abused me, he still wants more from me.

There’s a fine line between love and hate, but now we are well into hate, way past the line.

It’s sad it has come to this, and it breaks my heart, but sometimes people change, and there’s nothing you can do. Sometimes when you keep taking the high road, you just get tired of it. I can’t keep forgiving his actions; I’m just done with it all. He’s nothing to me. I stand there looking at him, and I feel nothing.

Our good memories are tainted by the bad ones. The man standing in front of me, I don’t know. What I do know is, he’s the enemy.

And the man at my side—he’s my savior.

I try to school my expression into blankness as the two men stare down Ardan.

“We got called in for a disturbance here,” Darren says, his gaze touching me from head to toe. “Did the two of you have a fight or something?”

“No,” Ardan replies, tone full of steel. “There must be a mistake, Officer. Nothing going on here except a couple unwinding after a long day of work.”

He says officer with something dark and bitter in his tone, and the cops don’t miss it.

“We’ll just take a look around,” the other officer says, and Ardan’s body posture instantly becomes a little more menacing; he stands up straighter and his hands clench.

“Pretty sure you need some kind of warrant to do that. How about I call my lawyer first and see what she says about it?”

Darren’s face scrunches up in distaste. “We can do whatever the fuck we want. Now step aside before we arrest you and take you in.”

“For what? Knowing my rights?” Ardan says, sounding incredulous. I notice he speaks to the other officer, not Darren. “I’m going to call my lawyer. She will be here in ten minutes, and I’m sure she’s going to love hearing about exactly what the fuck is going on.”

He steps away from the door and stands next to me, pulling out his phone. Darren steps inside, but I notice the other officer hesitate, maybe wanting to follow protocol. Darren has no such hesitations, however, looking around and checking each room.

“Everything seems fine here,” the officer says to Darren, then looks to me. “Is there anything I can help you with, ma’am?”

I shake my head and step closer to Ardan. “I’m fine, sir. Just a little confused as to why this is happening right now.”

He nods and glances around one more time before exiting and heading toward the police vehicle. Darren looks straight at me, making my heart race and my chest tighten.

I can’t bear to even look at him; it makes me feel sick. Makes me feel dirty.

“I’ll see you soon,” he says.

A threat.

And then, he makes a mistake.

He reaches his hand out to touch me.

In a move so quick that I almost miss it, Ardan reaches his hand out and pushes Darren’s arm away before his fingers can touch my face.

“I don’t give a fuck who you are,” Ardan growls, his voice so full of anger. “You do not lay a hand on her.”

Darren drops the pretense of not knowing who we are and snarls, “Shacked up with a biker, Tina? Think that’s going to save you?”

“Think being a cop is going to save you?” Ardan fires back, pulling me closer to his side. “This is my city, you fucker. Enjoy it while you’re here, because if you come near Valentina again, you won’t make it out alive.”

Darren swallows and then looks at me. “This is the man you chose?”

I shrug and say, “At least he’s never called me names or belittled me or left bruises on me. I definitely traded up.”

Ardan goes still beside me, and I regret letting the words fall out of my mouth.

“I will fuckin’ make you regret any harm you’ve done to her,” he growls, making me sigh and tug on his arm. Before Darren can reply, the other officer returns and asks what’s going on here. Darren quickly backs off. The two of them leave, and I stand there a moment, replaying the situation in my head. What was the point of that?

“I think he was testing his cop buddy,” Ardan says, obviously analyzing what happened as well. “That cop’s not dirty, though. He wouldn’t have allowed Darren to do anything. Although Darren could have arrested me by saying I attacked him or some other bullshit.”

He starts to pace. “What fuckin’ game is he playing at?”

He stops and looks at me, comes to me, and kisses me softly. “I’m going to call Faye. Do you think you can try to get some rest?”

I nod, even though I know it’s a lie. There’s no way I’ll sleep now, especially with him not in the bed with me. Another kiss, and then I leave him to his phone call. I lie in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

I stay like that for an hour until Ardan returns to bed. Once he wraps me in his embrace, only then does sleep come.

“You know Irish wants to kill Darren, right? Not like a metaphor—he actually wants to kill him,” Faye says boldly, sipping on her cocktail.

I look into my martini and nod. “Yeah, I think I got that last night when he threatened him.”

“And how do you feel about that? There’s another way we can go about it, you know. We could find him guilty of all the shit he’s been doing, but we’ll have to find evidence to put him in prison. I was thinking about this last night, and I actually came up with an idea,” she says, an evil glint in her eye. “I need to talk to Irish, of course, but I could totally get his ass behind bars.”

“I think I’d prefer Darren behind bars to Ardan having to kill someone,” I say, grimacing. “I don’t know how I’d handle that, to be completely honest. It feels like him doing my dirty work for me, and I don’t like that.” I pause. “Not that I’d ever kill anyone, but you know what I mean. I want to help if we’re going to do the prison thing. Maybe I can play bait in some way? Get him to admit shit while we have a camera recording everything? There’s a big spotlight on dirty cops right now, and I think he’ll get what he deserves. It actually makes me sad, because there are some amazing cops out there, working their asses off and doing the right thing, and then there’s someone like Darren who makes them look bad.”

“I’m still stuck on bait,” Faye says, grinning. “I think you’re onto something, Tina. Irish is going to hate it, though. In fact, what’s the bet he thinks I came up with the idea in the first place? Although I have to admit, the thought did cross my mind.

“You’re the only one who can get him to talk; you know him; you can manipulate him, I think. Dex also spoke to his brother, Eric, who was seen with Darren, and Eric said he met him through a friend but thinks he’s a douche and is willing to help us take his ass down.”

“Who is Dex?” I ask, confused.

“Sin.” Faye laughs, then says, “I feel the same way when you call Irish Ardan. I didn’t even know that was his name until recently.”

We share a laugh at that, and when Clover joins us outside and starts singing the Justin Bieber song Ardan was humming, I laugh even harder, because now I know how he knows the song.

Clover is the cutest little girl I’ve ever seen.

And she calls me Merida.

FOURTEEN

“THIS has Faye written all over it,” he growls, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you actually for one fuckin’ second think I’m going to let my woman act as bait? Jesus Christ, Valentina, what kind of man do you take me for?”

“It’s the quickest way to get him out of our lives, and it doesn’t involve murder. So sorry if I decided to choose that option,” I say, pursing my lips together. Ardan is in full-alpha-protection mode and is clearly not seeing that it’s the best option right now. “If we work it out properly, there’s no way I can get hurt. Surround the place with your badass men, put a microphone on me—whatever you want to do, we need to do it before he makes his next move.” I puff out a breath. “Please, babe. I can’t sit back idly, twiddling my thumbs and looking pretty while everyone else fights my war for me. I want this to be over with so we can move on and just focus on us.”

“How is that the quickest option?” he asks, shaking his head. “I can go out tonight and—”

“I get the point,” I say, cutting him off before he talks about killing Darren once more. “I want him in prison. I don’t want you to kill him, or anyone else. I can’t believe we have to keep having this discussion. This isn’t normal—you know that, right? I’m pretty sure we’re fucking crazy, as a matter of fact. At least I am. I should be running, but instead I’m sitting here talking you down from murder and trying to offer myself up as bait.”

I exhale deeply.

“Love makes you crazy,” Ardan says, his eyes and voice gentling. “Come here, beautiful. Sit on my lap, let me hold you for a bit, and once you’ve changed your mind about the whole bait fiasco, I’m going to make love to you, slow and deep, until you come, clawing my back and screaming my name.”

I sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. “You make me crazy.”

“Right back at you.”

“I want a kiss.”

His lip twitches at my demand before his lips touch mine.

“I love you,” I say against his lips. “I want to do this. I know I can do this. I’ll come out unscathed, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that, darlin’,” he says, biting my bottom lip gently. “You can’t promise your safety. And if something happens to you, that’s when the real storm begins. You want me doing life in prison?”

“No, I want Darren doing life in prison,” I say, resting my forehead against his. “I want you right here with me, fucking me every night and loving me every day.”

“Then let me handle this. Tell me the truth; it was Faye’s idea, wasn’t it?”

“No,” I snap, my brow furrowing. “It wasn’t.” I pause, then hesitantly admit, “Although she said she was thinking the same thing.”

“I knew it,” he groans, burying his face in my neck. “This is fucked.”

“Take me to bed,” I whisper. “I want you inside me, right now.”

He stands with me in his arms and takes me to the bedroom, laying me down and sliding off my panties. His mouth is on my pussy with no hesitation, and I forget everything else.

In the midst of the drama, it’s important to remember what I’m fighting for, and this is it.

To be with this man with no one in our way.

To cut ties with the past, and to be free.

A few days later, I get a message from Darren.

Meet me? We need to talk.

I’m at the clubhouse when I receive it, and everyone surrounds me, barking out orders with what to reply.

“Why don’t you just ask him where he wants to meet? Let him think he’s in control and calling all the shots,” Anna suggests.

“Unless he wants to meet at the police station,” Faye adds, smirking. “Because then abort mission.”

I look to Ardan, who takes the phone from me and replies for me.

Where?

“He must be fucked in the head to think you’d meet him by yourself though,” Ardan says. “Either he’s got a plan of his own, or he’s stupid as hell. Maybe he’s back on the meth.”

Faye makes a note in her notepad. “After we give our evidence—and a positive drug test will help—any cops who try to protect him, knowing he’s scum, will be taken down with him.”

“You’re brutal,” Lana says, looking impressed.

“I know,” Faye replies without looking up. “Be glad I’m on your side.”

The phone vibrates, and I look over Ardan’s shoulder to read what it says.

Tonight. I’ll message you the address last minute, at around 7:00 p.m. Don’t bring that asshole biker with you.

“Now what?” I ask the peanut gallery.

Ardan replies with,

Fine. We’ll talk for the last time, then you need to leave me alone.

“Let him think this is why you want to see him, to try to talk him into finally letting you go.”

“Seems legit,” Faye says, nodding her head. “We got this, people. When he replies with the location, we’ll figure out how to infiltrate it. Irish, you need to be aware that Tina will be driving to the location by herself.”

“Motherfucker,” Ardan mutters under his breath. “Can’t I just kill him now instead?”

The women all reply with a resounding no!

Only Arrow replies with a yes.

Faye puts her hand on his shoulder. “You attracted her; she attracted you. You’re both strong. You’re both wolves. No, you’re both dragons. She can do this. I have no doubt in my mind.”

He looks into my eyes and searches them. “Will you change your mind?”

I shake my head.

He nods and looks down at his hands. “Let’s do this, then. Let’s bring the fucker down. . . .” He cringes. “The legal way.”

Faye is the only one who cheers at that.

I just hope we’re making the right decision.

I repeat the address to Ardan, who rattles it off to Lana, who searches for it online.

“It’s pretty much a warehouse,” she says, squinting as she looks at her phone without her glasses. “An empty building in an industrial area.”

“How shady does that sound?” Ardan grumbles, still put out with my going. “You’ve got the microphone all sorted, right? The conversation will be recorded, so be careful with your words.”

Arrow looks at Ardan. “I feel like we work for the fucking FBI.”

“We’re practically doing their job for them,” Sin mutters, standing next to his wife. “Right; we all know where we’re meant to be, then? I have my police contact on call in case we need someone there on our side. Tracker is going to scope out if he’s there alone or has backup with him. I think we’ve got every angle covered, and if something else comes up, we’ll improvise. At the end of the day he’s just a junkie—I’m sure we can take him.”

Everyone disappears to get ready, leaving me and Ardan alone, no doubt on purpose. I appreciate it.

He cradles my face in his hands. “You’ve got this; we’ve got this. Backup plan, I run in, guns a-blazing.”

My mouth twitches. “I love you.”

“I love you too, darlin’.”

We kiss. It’s an almost desperate kiss, frantic and hungry. Soul surging. And longer than appropriate, given what’s going on.

When our lips part, our gaze stays connected.

Time to teach a man a lesson.

FIFTEEN

HE wears his police uniform. To intimidate me? I have no idea, but it’s not working. His clothes are wrinkled, and his hair is disheveled. He doesn’t look put together at all. His eyes are red, and I see his mouth twitching, a sign he’s been using. I walk toward him in the warehouse, glancing around the place. To me, it seems as though Darren is alone, but I know better. Tracker said the Wind Dragons spotted several cops on the other side of the warehouse, waiting for Darren’s signal should anything go wrong.

“You’re late,” he says, scanning me from head to toe.

“I had to find the place,” I say, stopping a few feet from him. “I can’t believe you came here. I left for a reason, Darren—I wanted a fresh start.”

His expression hardens. “You’re mine, Tina. If you think I’m going to let you walk away and start a new life, you have another think coming. I’d kill you before I let you move on. I might kill you just for being with another man; I haven’t decided yet.”

Kill me?

I look in his eyes and know that he means what he says. He’s never left more than bruises on me before, which is terrible enough, but it looks like this time he wants me gone for good. My mind flashes to a memory of us when we first met. How have things ended up this way? How can something that starts with a smile end in such hate?

I look down and say, “You want to pull me away from where I’m happy so you can kill me? Still on the meth, Darren?”

He grunts. “None of your fucking business, Tina. Unless you want your little biker friends to be taken down by the cops here, you’ll come back home with me. You stay, then soon the clubhouse gets raided. Yeah, I heard all about the Wind Dragons. I’ve done my research. The cops know who they are. And we’ll find a reason to put them all behind bars. If we can’t, we’ll just have to make one up.”

He pulls out a bag of a white, crystalline powder. “I’ll just plant a shitload of drugs in their clubhouse. Problem solved.”

I try to remember what Faye wanted me to say, but my mind is suddenly blank. I just know I need to keep him talking. “What do you want, Darren?”

“We go home. This weekend. Tell your biker friends you’re moving back. Make up some excuse; don’t let them follow you. We don’t need that trash in our town.”

My lips tighten. If anyone is trash, it’s him.

“You look good, Tina,” he says, his voice turning a little husky, making me feel sick to my stomach. “I can’t wait to be inside you again. I can’t wait to have you back home, where I can do anything I want with you. You’re going to regret leaving. You’ll be mine, in this life or the fucking next. I will never let you go.”

I swallow hard.

He’s insane.

Goose bumps appear on my skin as I realize the severity of the situation.

“You have until tomorrow to make your decision.” He laughs then, an ugly, almost deranged sound. “And keep your fucking trap shut with those bikers; don’t try any of your shit. They can’t save you. You let the bad in me out, Tina. Test me—I dare you.”

I let the bad in him out? As usual, he can never take responsibility for his own actions. Nothing is ever his fault. I can’t believe the thing in front of me dares to call himself a man. He’s pathetic.

I wasn’t the weak person who inserted a needle in his arm. I didn’t hurt him on purpose. He’s a waste of fucking space. He shouldn’t be breathing the same air as Ardan, or any man in the MC. For a second I wonder if maybe Ardan is right. I’d sleep better at night knowing this filth isn’t walking the streets, maybe ruining the life of some other woman. Or is that position reserved only for me? Why am I so unlucky? Why did I get dealt this hand? A tear rolls down my cheek. I can’t believe I put up with this for so long. I’m so fucking stupid. I’m worth something. I can make a man happy. I can make Ardan happy. I do make him happy.

I. Am. ENOUGH.

“I hate you,” I say, my voice lifeless. “I read somewhere once that darkness can be a gift. You gave me darkness. You gave me regret, you gave me fear, and you gave me self-doubt. But I took all that pain, and I turned it into strength. You’re weak, Darren, and you can never destroy me.”

And then . . . something inside me breaks.

Suddenly, I don’t care about the plan. I just want to reclaim my power. “I’d rather die than be anywhere near you ever again, Darren!” I yell. “Do whatever you want. Try your best. The truth is, you’re the one who can’t let go. The strong move on, they adapt. The weak hang on, place blame, and try to make others feel like shit because they know that they themselves are worthless. You, Darren, are worthless. If you have to use your power as a man to make a woman feel like she’s nothing just so you can feel better about yourself, you’re nothing but a coward!”

His face contorts in anger, and he lunges at me.

In this moment, I know that I’ve fucked up. What have I done? Why didn’t I just stick to the plan?

Fuck.

His hand grips my throat, and he squeezes. I look into his eyes, and they’re wild, crazy.

I know by the strength in his hold that this is no warning. No, this time, he wants to kill me. And he will.

Maybe he’ll blame my own death on me too.

Spots start appearing before my eyes. I need to breathe, but I can’t.

I’m trying. I hear a commotion, yelling, and the sounds of shoes on concrete. Then I hear a pained growl, and somehow, the sound makes me feel not so alone.

Then everything goes black.

I wake up in a hospital room.

“You’re awake,” Ardan says, kissing my hand.

“What happened?” I ask, my voice coming out croaky. “Besides my getting strangled by Darren.”

I touch my neck and wince. “What does it look like?”

“It’s going to bruise,” he says, frowning. “It’s really red and swollen.”

“What happened, Ardan?” I whisper.

“You passed out, fell to the ground, and banged your head,” he says, rubbing his thumb against mine. “Sin got his cop buddy to take Darren into custody. We gave him the recording. Darren’s going away, Valentina, and it’s all because of you and how brave you were.”

“Really?” I ask, exhaling in relief. “I thought I fucked everything up after I lost my temper.”

“That redhead temper really surfaced at the wrong time, darlin’,” he says, smiling gently. “But everything worked out. You won’t see him again. Faye will follow the story in court and keep us updated.”

I close my eyes and breathe in and out. “We did it? We made it out unscathed?”

“We did it,” he says to me. “You did it. When I ran into the warehouse and saw you there on the floor, I’ve never been so scared in my life. I picked you up and took you straight to the hospital, sped the whole way.”

He stands and leans over the bed to kiss my forehead. “Rest, beautiful. Everything is fine; it’s all over, all right? But for the record, you’re never putting yourself at risk again, you hear me? I’ll lock you up if I have to.”

“Okay,” I whisper, closing my eyes. “Don’t leave me.”

“Never,” he replies. “I’m just going to step out and tell everyone you’re okay. They’re all here for you, outside your door.”

I smile. “Okay.”

Another kiss to my forehead.

We made it.

I sleep peacefully.

EPILOGUE

Irish

“YOU ever going to tell her what really happened?” Sin asks me quietly.

I shake my head. “No. Never. Take it to my grave, and so will everyone else.”

“I handled the cops,” he says, looking away.

“How?”

“They’re all dirty. I told them the shit we have on Darren, and if they want to go down with him, they’re more than welcome to.”

“Sure they’re not gonna talk?” I ask, trusting Sin’s decision on the matter but still curious. The last place I want to be in is prison, especially now that I have Valentina.

“They won’t talk,” he says, flashing me an evil grin, all teeth. He then clears his throat and says, “You sure you don’t want Tina to know? These things have a way of coming back, Irish.”

“No,” I say in a firm, strong tone.

No.

She never needs to know.

She’s been through enough as it is.

It’s only sunshine and fuckin’ butterflies for her from here on out.

He nods, looking like he wants to say more, but wisely, he doesn’t. I want Valentina to think that’s what went down—she’ll sleep better at night that way. She doesn’t need to know that when I walked into that warehouse and saw her passed out on the floor, I did what I’d wanted to do from the very beginning.

I shot Darren in cold blood, and I looked him in the eye while I did it.

And fuck the bastard, I’d do it again.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all, I’d like to thank all my readers for wanting more from the WDMC, and for Gallery books and Abby Zidle for making it a reality.

To my agent, Kimberly Brower, I’m so lucky to have you! Thank you for everything you do, as always. I know I can always count on you, and I’m so grateful.

A big thank you to all my beta readers, the women who are always there for me on a daily basis.

Mallory Green, Kara Brown, Stephanie Knowles, Rachel Brookes, Rose Tawil, Eileen Robinson, and Melanie Williams—I don’t know what I’d do without you!

Arijana Karcic—thank you for all you do for me. You’re seriously the best and deserve the world.

Thank you to my parents for helping out whenever I need more writing time—I appreciate everything you do for me—and to my three sons for being patient when they know their mama has to work. I love you all so much.

FMR Book Grind, thank you for everything. I appreciate all the hard work you all do for me!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bestselling author Chantal Fernando lives in Western Australia. In addition to the Wind Dragons MC series, her published novels include four books in the Resisting Love series—Case, Kade, Ryder and James; the bestselling novel Maybe This Time and its follow up, This Time Around. When not reading, writing, or daydreaming she can be found enjoying life with her three sons and family.

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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ISBN 978-1-5011-3964-2

CONTENTS

Epigraph

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author