Chains

by Wilder, Chiah

  “He said he wanted it for a new business he was starting—a software something … He was sketchy about it, and when he wanted more money from me and I didn’t give it to him, he got real mad at me.” Autumn tapped her upper lip. “Now that I think about it, it wasn’t all that long ago when he asked for more money, and now he’s broken the engagement. I wonder if the two events are related.”

  “Could be. I don’t buy the shit about starting a business,” Chains said.

  “Why not?”

  “’Cause my old man would’ve rubbed it in my face at the brunch.”

  “Maybe Bret didn’t want to tell him until he got the business off the ground.”

  “Nah. He and my dad are real tight—he’d have told him.”

  “Does your dad know that you have a business?” she asked softly.

  “I don’t know, and I don’t give a shit if he does or doesn’t.”

  “Did you tell anyone in your family?”

  “My mom. I’m not really close to my blood family—they really haven’t ever been there for me. I consider my true family the club. You know, the term brotherhood gets thrown around a lot in today’s society, but none of the citizens have a fuckin’ clue as to the real meaning of the word. We take it to a life-and-death level. There’s no fuckin’ way I wouldn’t take a bullet for my brothers or they wouldn’t for me. There’s a closeness we got born outta loyalty, strength, and love that you don’t see in most families.” Chains crushed the water bottle, then tossed it on the coffee table. “I’ve never had one iota of that kind of trust, support, or closeness with my blood family.”

  The hurt that seeped from Chains when he talked about his “blood family” squeezed at her heart. From the way Bret had spoken of his parents, she’d gathered that they showered him with praise, love, and support his whole life, but Chains had a different experience in the same household.

  “You’re lucky you found the club,” she whispered.

  “Damn straight. I felt outta sync with my siblings and parents when I was growing up. Being a biker is more than riding a Harley.”

  “I’m sure it is,” she replied.

  Chains hit his fist against his chest. “I feel it in my heart and soul. That’s what the citizens don’t get.”

  His words resonated with such passion and conviction that even Cinder popped her head up and stared at him.

  Chains’s gaze latched on to hers. “There’s something about you that makes me tell you things I don’t want to think about.”

  The husky roughness of his voice made a sudden shiver race up her spine. Immediately, she chastised herself for feeling attracted to Chains when it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since his brother broke up with her.

  “I’ve had other people tell me that too,” she said flippantly, even though every nerve in her body snapped. “I should call my friend Sadie. I meant to last night, but I fell asleep.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, passed out before I could give her a ring.”

  “So you want me to go?” He rose to his feet.

  “I don’t want to keep you from doing what you usually do. I’m really okay, but thanks for caring.”

  “No worries.”

  Chains walked toward the hallway, and she jumped up from the couch and followed him over to the door. Autumn turned around, and for endless moments they stared at one another until the air was thick with sexual tension.

  “Autumn,” he said in a low, husky voice.

  Her heartbeat raced as he took a few steps, his gaze lowering to her mouth.

  Suddenly, a car alarm went off across the street, the blaring siren piercing through their arousal. Regaining her composure, Autumn gripped the knob and flung open the door. A rush of cool air burst in, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

  “Thanks again,” she mumbled.

  Chains tipped his head and then stepped out onto the porch. Autumn checked out the way he swaggered over to his motorcycle and pulled a muscular leg over the leather seat, then without another glance in her direction, he put on his sunglasses. Across the street, Mrs. Harrison sat in the driver’s seat, waving her arms around while Mr. Harrison looked under the hood of the Cadillac.

  The bike’s engine drowned out the alarm, and she watched Chains pull from the curb and ride away. When Autumn couldn’t see him any longer, she immediately felt his absence. After closing the door, she went back into the family room and flipped on the fireplace. As warmth started to radiate from the flames, Autumn crossed over to the couch and sank down, pulling a Sherpa blanket around her shivering body. She glanced at the phone, and instead of picking it up and calling Sadie, she just sat there with her brain numb and her heart broken.

  Cinder jumped up on the sofa and snuggled next to her, softly purring until she stuck her hand out from under the blanket and petted the cat.

  “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered as tears spilled down her face. Cinder meowed and cuddled closer.

  A sob escaped Autumn’s throat, and she pulled Cinder up against her and buried her face into the cat’s soft fur.

  And as she cried, she realized that the tears weren’t for Bret or her broken engagement … they were all for Chains.

  What’s wrong with me?

  But she knew. It was Chains. He had come into her life and shook it up like no one ever had.

  And for the first time since she’d agreed to marry Bret, Autumn suddenly felt free … and alive.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The meeting with the Wichita buyers had been set, and Chains was one of the members who would accompany Paco, Diablo, Eagle, Army, Crow, Aztec, and Shotgun. The plan was to meet the following night at the old adobe off Yellow Feather Road. The place was owned by an aged biker, Rocky, who’d been like a father to Paco ever since his dad was sent to prison for murdering Paco’s mother when he was a teen. The old biker had helped the club out many times if they needed an alibi or had to dispose of evidence. Rocky was anti-establishment and didn’t trust the badges any more than the Night Rebels did, but he had friends in important places and was an asset to the club.

  “Tomorrow night should be an easy transaction. We’ve never dealt with high society criminals before,” Jigger said.

  “Should be, but we can’t count on anything,” Crow replied.

  Chains nodded. “We’ll be packing assault weapons just in case the fuckers try and cheat us out of any money. I don’t trust anyone.”

  “I don’t either,” Jigger said.

  “Same here,” Crow added.

  “None of us trust anyone outside the brotherhood,” Aztec said.

  “And sometimes you get fucked over by a brother.” Eagle pulled out a chair and sat down. “Look at what Skeet did to the Insurgents. They shoulda killed the asshole.”

  “At least they took care of Tigger,” Chains said. “A member betraying the brotherhood is like a stab in the back in the worst possible way. That’s something you never forget.”

  “Or forgive,” Eagle added.

  The members nodded, and Chains pushed his chair back and stood up.

  “I’m gonna take Thor for a walk,” he said to the brothers.

  Upon hearing the word walk, Thor jumped up and began barking, his tail wagging.

  “Let’s go, buddy.” He gave a chin lift to the guys and left the room.

  As Thor sniffed every patch of grass, Chains took out his phone and sent a quick text to Autumn, not expecting to hear back from her until she was done at work. A wide grin spread across his face when the phone beeped.

  Autumn: Hi. I was just thinking of u.

  His grin grew larger.

  Chains: How r u?

  Autumn: Hanging in there. Busy as hell at work. That helps.

  Chains: U wanna join me for dinner?

  Autumn: Sure.

  “Fuck yeah,” he said aloud. For the past week, Chains had asked her a couple of times to go out to dinner, but she’d always had an excuse. One time he’d ordered a pizza and brought it over while they watched a chick
flick. After he’d left, it had taken an hour of late-night riding in the cold air to get his dick to calm down. Yeah … he had it bad for her.

  Autumn: How about Leroy’s? Craving chocolate cream pie. :)

  Chains: Thinking Chianti’s. Lasagna’s great. We can get pie at Leroy’s after.

  Autumn: I’ve never been, but Italian sounds good.

  Chains: Does 7 work?

  Autumn: I’ll meet u there.

  His impulse was to tell her that he’d pick her up—he was the man and that’s what he did, but this wasn’t a date—he didn’t go out with citizen women. They were only two people getting together for dinner, and he was helping her through a tough time because he felt bad about what his dick brother had done to her.

  Chains: K. Later.

  He slipped the phone into his back pocket then traipsed after Thor. Chains was looking forward to that night. Since he’d told her that Bret had called off the wedding, he had gotten to know Autumn better as a person and was able to look past her sexy curves. That didn’t mean Chains still wouldn’t check her out or fantasize about her riding his cock—after all, he was a red-blooded man, but he genuinely thought of her as a woman and a friend. Never did he imagine he’d be able to have a platonic relationship with a chick, especially one as pretty and hot as Autumn. It just went to show that life was full of surprises.

  When it came down to it, Chains was pretty damn cocky about the control he exercised whenever he was around her. After the divorce from Krystal, he’d made a vow to never get involved with another citizen, and he was keeping to that promise. Once Autumn got through all the shit his brother had caused, she and Chains would go their separate ways. Very civilized and modern—that’s what he’d say about their relationship.

  Thor stood by a patch of brown grass, sniffing, and when Chains snapped his fingers, the dog raised his head and looked at him.

  “Time to go, buddy,” Chains said.

  Thor’s ears pricked up and he barked a few times before dashing in the direction of the clubhouse.

  * * *

  Chianti’s was a family-owned restaurant that had charm and a homey feel to it. Boasting a bar that could rival any big-city restaurant, customers gladly waited for their tables around the hand-carved cherry wood counter, sipping liqueurs and brandies from around the world.

  Watercolors of windswept shores of Capri and enchanted evenings in Rome covered the eatery’s brick walls.

  “It smells awesome in here,” Autumn said as they squeezed into a spot at the bar. She cocked her head and smiled at Chains. “Good selection.”

  Her eyes sparkled and her smile warmed him. The urge to kiss her deep and hard irked him. Autumn was melting the ice wall he’d put around his heart, and he didn’t like that.

  “Wait ’til you taste the food. It’s the best in the county. What do you wanna drink?”

  “I’ll have a white wine spritzer.”

  A guy with curly hair and glasses pushed his way to the bar, a credit card dangling from his fingers. Autumn scooted toward Chains, filling the small space between them.

  “It’s so crowded,” she said.

  He could feel her breath on his cheek. “It’s always like that here.”

  As more people came up to the bar to place their orders, Autumn stood right next to him, her arm pressed against his. She was so close that he could smell the honey-almond scent of her hair and feel the heat of her body.

  “What’re you drinking?” the ruddy-faced bartender asked as he slapped two cocktail napkins down on the counter.

  “White wine spritzer and a double Jack,” Chains said.

  The man nodded before rushing away.

  “I’m glad I decided to meet you for dinner,” Autumn said, those mesmerizing eyes gazing up at him.

  Chains shifted a bit, so instead of their arms touching, her rounded tits pressed against his chest. Yeah … that’s a lot better. His dick stirred. “Me too. It’s good to get away from your thoughts once in a while.”

  “You do that when you ride.”

  “Yeah.” He held her gaze—there was no way he could turn away—until the bartender put their drinks down on the small napkins.

  “That’ll be fifteen dollars,” the man said before taking an order from another patron.

  Autumn laughed. “We’re packed in here like sardines. I can’t get my purse open.”

  Chains laid a twenty on the bar. “When you’re with me, you don’t need to open your purse for anything. I got it.”

  “I owe you one.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “Okay … thank you. And for your information, at some point, a woman always has to open her purse. I may want to freshen up my lipstick.”

  His gaze slid down to her mouth. “Your lips look good to me.”

  “Really?” The tip of her tongue skimmed over the top.

  “Fuck, woman.” Chains pushed against her, and she jerked her head back and tried to take a step, which proved to be fruitless as a tall blonde stood plastered against her.

  Autumn gripped the stem of the wineglass and brought it to those full lips. She looked at everything but him.

  Chains was hard as fuck. He couldn’t help it. She captivated him like no other woman ever had. He pushed back a bit and ignored the irritated mumbling of the person behind him. He picked up his drink and took a gulp, then watched some men at the bar hovered over girls in tight skirts and dresses, talking and slipping their arms around the women’s shoulders.

  From his peripheral vision, Chains saw Autumn stealing sidelong glances at him. He cut his gaze to her and smiled inwardly when streaks of red darkened her cheeks.

  “You hot?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “I’m asking if you’re hot ’cause your face is red.” He enjoyed the way she brought the empty wineglass to her mouth and a took a sip of nothing. Autumn was nervous as hell around him, and that was a good thing. He figured if she wasn’t interested in him, she wouldn’t be fidgeting and ripping up the cocktail napkin and acting like she wanted to jump out of her skin.

  “Oh … that.” Autumn’s hand flew to her face and pressed against her cheek. “It’s so crowded in here that I feel like I can’t breathe.”

  Chains threw back the rest of the whiskey. “You wanna wait outside?”

  “Maybe that would—”

  Suddenly she fell against him, and without thinking, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She felt perfect in his arms, all soft and warm and damn sexy.

  Autumn gripped his shoulders. “Someone fell into me.”

  “Yeah.”

  That sweet tongue licked those tempting lips before she looked up into his eyes.

  The din of voices, clinking glasses, and music faded away as Chains stared at the full mouth just begging to be kissed. Pressing his thumb underneath Autumn’s chin, he gently tilted her face upward. As he lowered his head, she leaned in and stretched up to meet him.

  Then someone crashed into them while drinks spilled and glasses shattered. Groups of people stumbled away from the bar and a swarthy, stocky man slammed down onto the shiny hardwood floor.

  Chains wrapped both arms around Autumn in a protective hold and led her away from the fight. In a few seconds, two tall, beefy men started yelling, and one of them picked up the man from the floor like he was a feather and dragged him to the front door. The other bouncer grabbed the back of the neck of a thin man in his early twenties and pushed him toward the lobby.

  “What was that all about?” Autumn asked as she pulled out of Chains’s arms.

  He tipped his head to a stacked blonde in a tight leather dress with a plunging neckline. “She’s the prey the two dudes were fighting over.”

  Autumn looked over. “Fighting is so juvenile, but I can see it. Do you think she’s pretty?”

  Chains shrugged. “She’s all right, but you got her beat in the looks and curves department.”

  She shook her head. “Ha
ve you always just said whatever’s on your mind?”

  “Yeah—that’s the way I roll. There’s no reason to bullshit.”

  The slender brunette hostess approached them with two menus and an amicable smile.

  “Your table’s ready. Did you have a tab at the bar?”

  “No,” he replied.

  Chains stepped back and let Autumn go in front of him as they followed the woman to their table.

  “Your server will be here shortly. Enjoy your dinner.” The hostess turned and walked away.

  For the first ten minutes Autumn seemed to be uncomfortable, and Chains suspected it was because they’d almost kissed. If it wasn’t for that damn fight he would’ve tasted her, and he was pretty sure it would’ve been sweet.

  “It wasn’t too bad of a wait,” he said, breaking the silence between them.

  Autumn nodded. “Not bad.” She looked down at the menu, running her finger along the edge. Chains watched her as she pored over the selections, front teeth biting into a glossy lower lip.

  She looked up. “What?”

  “Nothing,” he answered.

  “Why are you watching me?” Autumn glanced back down at the menu.

  “Am I making you nervous?”

  “Do you already know what you’re going to order?”

  “Lasagna and a salad. You didn’t answer my question.”

  She put the menu down and folded her hands on top of it. “Look, this thing we have going on between us is not real. I mean, I’m vulnerable right now, and you’re a player. You can’t help chasing whatever new woman makes a blip on your radar. Whenever another woman piques your interest, you’ll switch gears and start laying on the charm with her.”

  “Are you done?” he asked, slightly amused. “I get that you’re vulnerable right now, but this attraction between us started before my jerk brother broke off the engagement.”

  “Maybe …” her voice trailed off as she took a sip of water.

  “And I’m not a player.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  The smug look on her face made her more beautiful and desirable. He wanted to lean over and grab a handful of Autumn’s hair, then yank her closer and kiss her, but instead, he sat back and shook his head no.