by Harley Wylde
He leaned in, the scent of cinnamon and cloves making me want to breathe in deep. “But we’re not strangers. You’re Twister’s niece, which makes you Devil’s Fury property. Since we consider them family, that makes you mine.”
My knees nearly buckled at his words. His? I wasn’t sure I’d survive belonging to someone like him. He made Colorado seem more like a puppy. And that Irish lilt to his words! Holy hell. If I’d been wearing panties, they’d have been soaked. As it was, my pajamas shorts were getting an embarrassing wet spot on them. I hoped like hell no one noticed.
I felt the heat of someone behind me. The growl from the biker told me it was probably Officer Murray. Why did I get the feeling everything was about to go to shit? So much for multiple orgasms and writing three chapters before midnight. I sighed and stepped back, elbowing the officer out of the way so Rooster could step into the house.
Gypsy, traitor that she was, immediately went to Rooster and rubbed against him, begging for attention. Same, girl. Same. As he scratched behind her ears, I wondered what those hands would feel like on my body.
“Want me to take out the trash?” Rooster asked, eyeing Officer Murray.
“He’s here with the IRS auditor,” I said.
Rooster folded his arms. “You’re being audited? What the fuck for?”
My cheeks warmed. “Um…”
“She claimed sex toys on her return,” the auditor yelled out from the other room.
Were we just telling everyone that shit now? Wasn’t there a confidentiality clause or something? Rooster covered his mouth, but it didn’t do any good. I’d seen the smile and heard the snicker he’d let slip loose. Damnit. Now he’d go back to his biker brothers and word would spread. The romance author was buying sex toys and writing them off on her taxes. I could just imagine the types of calls and invitations I’d receive after that news hit the clubhouse. Fuck my life.
“Why are you here?” I asked, tipping my chin up to hold his gaze.
He glanced over at the officer. “Heard there was trouble at your place. I was in the area.”
“Wait.” I held up a hand. “You heard? What does that mean? Do you have people spying on me?”
He scratched the short beard along his jaw. “Not exactly spying. More like keeping watch for unsavory types. When Badger asks for a favor, which is rare in case you were wondering, we tend to do as he asks. He was worried when you up and moved with no word.”
I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all. One, how the hell had they known where I’d moved to? And two, why the hell did it matter? So what if my uncle had been part of their club? My mother hadn’t had anything to do with her brothers, and I wasn’t sure I wanted anything to do with the Devil’s Fury either. My fling with Colorado had been fun. He hadn’t wanted to keep me long-term, and honestly, I didn’t think I was ready for that sort of thing.
“How did you know she was here?” Officer Murray asked. “I get the feeling she didn’t share the information with anyone.”
Rooster grinned. “GPS.”
Mother. Fucker. They’d hacked my damn phone? Or maybe it was my car. Since I had that On-Star thing they could probably find my car anywhere in the world. Damnit. I pinched the bridge of my nose and wondered how the hell I ended up in this predicament. Alpha men were sexy in books, and in theory, but in real life? I wasn’t sure I was equipped to handle one, much less two clubs of them.
“I need a drink,” I muttered and left the idiots in the front entry while I went to get the wine from the fridge. Too bad I didn’t have anything stronger.
Chapter Two
“Sex is a two-way treat.”
-- Franklin P. Jones
Rooster
I hadn’t lied. Not entirely.
Badger had let us know when Alora disappeared and the For Sale sign went up at her house. Outlaw had been able to use the GPS in her phone and car to track her to our town. After getting a picture of her, it hadn’t been hard to keep an eye out. She’d shown her face in town within a few days of the call and one of my brothers had followed her back to this neighborhood and gotten her address. Since then, I’d been keeping watch over her.
Charming had ordered me to watch over her. I’d been ticked at first, not caring much for babysitting duty. Then I’d seen her, and I’d done it because I wanted to. Admittedly, I might have taken things a little too far. I’d made sure a few neighbors discreetly observed her and let me know if anything suspicious seemed to be going on. Like an officer breaking into her house while she screamed her damn head off. I wanted to know what the screaming had been about, but I wasn’t going to ask while fuck face and the auditor were here.
I watched her ass sway as she made her way to the kitchen. The fact the asshole cop was watching too made me want to punch him. Fucker had no right to be eyeing her like some pervert. She was club property, whether she liked it or not. Since my brothers knew I’d called dibs on her, none of them would lay a hand on her. Not even if she flirted with every single one.
I’d heard about her time with Colorado. I’d wondered why he’d let her leave, but after a quick call, he’d assured me he didn’t have a claim on her. It seemed they’d only been having fun. Blind fucker! Or more like stupid. Either way, she might be Devil’s Fury by blood, but soon enough she’d be mine. I’d already started my research because I needed to know what made her tick.
It hadn’t taken much digging to discover she wrote books for a living. I’d figured a good way to get to know her was to see what types of things she wrote about. I’d searched for everything she had available. I’d read each and every one. Granted, I’d downloaded them to my phone so my brothers wouldn’t give me shit about reading romances, but holy hell! If the woman had done any of the things she’d written about, I knew she’d be wild in the bedroom. I only hoped she gave me a chance to find out. Not that women typically told me no.
Except Farrah. I’d had a crush on Venom’s oldest daughter, until she’d ended up with Demon. It had been clear pretty quick those two belonged together. Farrah had been a firebrand, and I’d looked forward to taming her, but it wasn’t meant to be. I hadn’t been in love with her, so I’d backed off and let Demon wrangle her.
“I think Miss Danvers has made it clear she doesn’t want you here,” Officer Murray said.
“Really? I could have sworn all the eye fucking meant I was welcome to stay.” I smirked when he scowled at me. Yeah, I knew the shithead wanted in her pants. Wasn’t happening on my watch. I knew all about Tim Murray, and every other cop in town. While he wasn’t on the take, he wasn’t exactly angelic either. Word on the street was that he let women out of traffic violations if they gave him a little something in return. If he even tried to pull that shit with Alora, I’d make his life a living hell.
She came back from the kitchen, a glass clutched in her hand, so full it nearly overflowed. I bit the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t smile. It was the biggest fucking glass I’d ever seen, and I wondered if she’d poured the entire bottle into the damn thing. She took a gulp and went into the living room. I followed, leaning against the doorframe as she made herself comfortable on the couch, clearly not caring that she was barely dressed in front of three men. I might have gotten pissed about it if I didn’t find it so entertaining to watch them squirm.
The auditor used a handkerchief to wipe his brow, but I noticed the bulge in his pants and the way he tried to hunch over to hide it from her. His cheeks were flushed a deep pink and his hands trembled as he went through her files. As much as I didn’t like these two getting an eyeful of her, it was amusing as hell to see the auditor so flustered. I had to wonder when the last time was he saw this much skin on a woman without paying for the pleasure. Even the cop beside me was doing his best to hide his reaction to her.
I cleared my throat to get Alora’s attention. She narrowed her eyes at me. If she thought it would scare me off, she was dead wrong. I liked her spitting and hissing like a little kitten. Made me wonder what it would take to get her to purr.
“Baby girl, you might want to uh…” I gestured to her clothes. The strap of her tank had fallen off and she was dangerously close to exposing her breast to everyone.
She snorted and rolled her eyes, but I noticed she tugged it back into place. “Wouldn’t matter. They already got an eyeful.”
I straightened. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means I was naked when Officer Murray over there decided to break into my house. They caught me in the tub, bare as the day I was born.”
“Door was unlocked,” the dickhead said. “And you were screaming. I thought you might be injured or in trouble.”
Now things were getting interesting. No fucking way the door was unlocked. I’d noticed the busted latch. Even though it still shut, it had clearly been forced open. I’d make sure it was taken care of before the night was over. I pushed off the doorframe and approached Alora. I leaned down, bracing a hand on either side of her, and placed my lips near her ear. “Screaming in the tub, hm? I might need a demonstration of what exactly you were doing at the time.”
I heard her breath catch and smiled as I pulled back. Her cheeks had flushed a pretty pink and I noticed her nipples had pebbled against her shirt. I couldn’t wait for the two jokers to leave so I could see if the little kitten wanted to play. Fuck but she was sexy as hell!
The auditor cleared his throat. “Miss Danvers, these are the receipts the IRS has deemed inappropriate for a tax write-off.”
She reached over and snatched the papers from him. I skimmed over them and nearly choked when I realized exactly why the IRS had sent someone to her house. Fuck me! The woman had written off sex toys? And not just a few. There had to be at least fifteen on that list.
“I already explained why I wrote them off,” Alora said, putting the receipts down. “I needed to study them to find out how they worked so I could use them in my books. My character has a blog where she reviews these products. I couldn’t very well explain how they worked or felt if I hadn’t used them myself. I mean, I guess I could have, but it wouldn’t have been accurate.”
The two argued back and forth and I’d decided I had enough. I called the club’s lawyer. Celeste answered on the second ring, and by the breathless sound of her voice, I’d either interrupted a heated argument or something more fun.
“What do you want, Rooster?” she demanded.
“Need your help. My girl is getting audited by the IRS. I’ll text you the address.”
She huffed. “Fine. I’m on my way, but you owe me.”
I smirked. So I hadn’t interrupted an argument. I disconnected the call and texted Alora’s full name and address to her. The little writer was getting all worked up, and if she weren’t clutching her wine like it was a precious gem, I figured she’d have tossed it at the auditor already. The guy was a pompous ass, and clearly hadn’t been laid in a long ass time. If ever.
Ten minutes later, I heard the front door open and shut and saw Celeste striding into the house. She had sex hair that she’d attempted to smooth out, but it hadn’t done much good. Especially since her blouse had been mis-buttoned. I wasn’t about to bring it to her attention. Woman would probably cut off my balls, and I was rather attached to them.
“You don’t knock anymore?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes and discreetly flipped me off. I covered my mouth to hide my smile. Yeah, she still had fire to her.
“What is the meaning of this?” Celeste demanded.
“Who are you?” Officer Murray asked.
“Celeste Dubois, Attorney at Law. I’m here to represent the interests of Miss Danvers. Now explain to me why my client is being audited.” Celeste sat next to Alora.
Bonus points to the cute writer for not asking who the hell Celeste was or why she was here. She’d either heard my conversation, even in the midst of her argument, or she was good at just rolling with whatever life threw her way.
The auditor showed Celeste the receipts and explained Alora had written them off as business expenses.
Celeste pulled out her reading glasses and skimmed the receipts, her lips twitching as she fought not to smile. “I see. And did my client explain why she’d written these off?”
Alora growled softly. “I’ve told him repeatedly I needed to know how those worked before I could use them in my books. Just looking them up online isn’t always good enough, especially for this particular book series.”
Celeste eyed the auditor over the rim of her glasses. “My client will need some time to gather the proof you need that these were legitimate expenses for her business. She’ll pull the passages from her books where each item was used or mentioned. Since the list could be rather substantial, I’d like to request three days for Miss Danvers to get everything together.”
“That’s not how things are done.” The auditor puffed up like he was about to go on a rant, but Celeste lifted a hand to stop him.
“Her books are published. It’s not like she’s going to fabricate evidence. I’ll ensure that she writes down the page numbers that coincide with the published copies. We’ll even provide you with the physical books so you can verify the accuracy of the information yourself.” It sounded like she mumbled it might do you some good, but her professional exterior never once cracked. Except for the hair and blouse, but either no one else had noticed, or they didn’t care. Now that I studied her, there was a gap where she’d skipped a buttonhole and Celeste was unknowingly flashing the auditor and cop every time she moved. The auditor’s eyes seemed to glaze whenever he looked at Celeste, so he’d definitely noticed and had chosen not to tell her.
I knew the lawyer was a shark and she wouldn’t hesitate to use every ploy she had, even if it meant letting strangers get a peek at her tits. Hell, once upon a time, she’d gotten paid for that very thing, since she’d covered the cost of her education by being a stripper. I knew for a fact, Celeste was proud of her body, and she’d flaunt it any chance she had. Much to Shade’s dismay, since she was his baby cousin.
“I believe it’s time for you gentlemen to leave,” Alora said, standing and taking a gulp of her wine.
“Come on, boys. I’ll walk you out,” I said, gesturing toward the front door.
The auditor grumbled under his breath as he gathered his papers and shoved them into his satchel. Officer Murray had a glint in his eyes, and I knew he’d do his best to dig in his heels and stay. Not happening. I put myself between him and Alora and waited for him to take the hint. He snarled at me before turning on his heel and storming out of the house. The auditor trailed behind him like a puppy.
Once they’d cleared the front door, I shut it before returning to Alora and Celeste. Before I forgot, I shot off a text to one of the Prospects to come put a new lock on the door.
“I must say, Rooster, you do bring me some interesting cases,” Celeste said.
“She’s who you called?” Alora asked.
“When you were fighting with the auditor? Yeah. You looked like you were seconds from bashing him over the head with something. Although, if you were going to use one of the toys on that list to do it, I’d gladly invite him back in. As long as I got to watch.”
She rolled her eyes at me and faced Celeste. “Is he always like this?”
“Rooster?” Celeste glanced at me before facing Alora again. “No. I think you bring out the best in him.”
“If that’s his best, I’m not sure I want to see his worst,” Alora muttered.
“Oh, it’s not my best,” I assured her. “But if you’d like to bring that list of toys and head to your bedroom, I’d be happy to show you where I tend to excel. I still want to hear why you were screaming in the bathtub when they arrived.”
Her face turned red as a tomato and her lips pressed together as she stared me down. Fuck but she was cute!
“And that’s my cue to leave, but could I get one of your books first?” Celeste asked. “I’d love to read it tonight and get a better feel for how to best fight the IRS on this audit.”
&
nbsp; Alora gave her a smile. “You bet. In fact, I’ll give you two and I’ll sign them. Want a goody bag too?”
Celeste stood and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Goody bag?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll hook you up.” Alora motioned for her to follow and I decided to see what she was up to. In her office, which was surprisingly neat and tidy, Alora grabbed a small tote from the closet and two paperbacks. She signed them and tucked them into the bag before going over to a dresser that took up part of one wall. As she dug through the drawers, I saw her toss in a pen, what looked like lip balm, bookmarks, and other random book type items. When she threw in a handful of condoms, I couldn’t help myself. I walked closer and reached into the drawer to pull one out.
“You have your name and book series printed on condoms?” I asked.
“Of course! They’re fun to give away at book signings or conferences.” Alora grabbed another handful and shoved them at me. “Take some. Maybe one of your conquests will end up checking out my books.”
Celeste coughed to cover up a laugh. “Honey, you’d do better to toss those into the fishbowl at the clubhouse.”
“Fishbowl?” Alora asked.
“There’s a fishbowl behind the bar and it’s stocked with condoms. Used to be where the club whores could get to it, until someone decided to poke holes in the condoms.” Celeste smiled. “It was great meeting you. I’ll read these and touch base with you tomorrow.”
Celeste excused herself, leaving me alone with Alora… and a bunch of condoms. Oh the possibilities!
I eyed the wrappers in my hand before giving her the smile I’d been told dropped panties. Didn’t work on my little ray of sunshine. Instead, she folded her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, staring me down.
“Don’t even think about it,” she said.
“Oh, I’m thinking all right. How about we stop thinking and get to the doing part?”
Chapter Three
“When I’m good, I’m very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better.”