by Debra Kayn
Heather raised her eyebrows. She wasn't surprised. She'd seen how a lot of the Ronacks members acted at previous get-togethers, but the ease at which Bree told her, and her proper word choice of describing the assumed activity that happened behind closed doors amused her. "Entertain?"
"Oh, shut up." Bree smacked Heather's arm. "I try to ignore what happens in there. I think I saw enough when I was a teenager to last a lifetime."
"What?" Heather closed her mouth. "You hung around the club parties when you were a teen?"
"Battery brought me here when I was sixteen." Bree rolled her eyes. "Long story for another time. Needless to say, some women have the freedom to go in the back room and others should stay far away. You shouldn't go."
Heather cocked her hip and crossed her arms. "Why not?"
She was a healthy twenty-six-year-old woman with sexual needs, an open mind, and enough nosiness to want to know what would happen if she went into the forbidden room. Even more, she wondered if Rod was back there.
"You're Swiss's daughter. You're not allowed in." Bree pushed her away from the table. "Now go before everyone starts crowding the table looking for a fork."
Heather walked away looking back over her shoulder at Bree. "Girlfriend, you're just as bossy here as you are at the bar."
"Don't you forget it." Bree laughed. "Someone has to keep this place organized."
Heather laughed as she entered the hallway off the main room. The first door had the staircase behind it that led to Battery and Bree's living quarters. As she already knew, there was a bathroom behind the second door. She continued to the end where she paused outside the door on the left.
Unable to hear any noise or activity in the room, she crossed the hallway and opened the door on the right. It was a storage room filled with shelves and supplies. All she had to do was find the plastic silverware in one of the boxes.
She scanned each shelf and found the box she was looking for right beside the cardboard box labeled paper plates. Not knowing how many Bree needed, she found a plastic bag and loaded it with utensils. Whatever wasn't used could be saved for the next party.
A woman's laughter floated into the room from across the hall. Heather paused, straining to listen. Who was the woman? Who was the man in the other room making her laugh?
She'd met pretty much everyone who belonged to Ronacks MC, though not all the women who came to the parties. She'd taken her cue from Gia and hung out with the wives and girlfriends rather than the women who only came to drink and hang on the men.
"Hiding out?" a man whispered in her ear.
She jumped with a squeal recognizing Rod's voice. Warmth flooded her face at getting caught eavesdropping. Not that she heard anything but laughter.
"You startled me." Turning around, she bumped into his chest in the close quarters. "I didn't hear you come in."
Rod lifted his arm and grabbed the shelf above her head, trapping her. "Bree told me to come and check on you. The men want to eat."
She shook the bag at her side to make the plastic silverware rattle. "I'm all done."
He remained in front of her, leaning his head down and inhaling deeply. She copied him and the scent of leather filled her nose. At six foot two inches and twice as big as her, he already made a statement with his body size. Add in the almost black hair, dark gray eyes that reminded her of a stormy sky, and the scruff on his face, he had the bad biker vibe rolling off him in waves that swept her feet out from under her.
"Um, Rod?" She tilted her head to look at him. "I thought Bree was in a hurry."
"Give me a few more seconds alone with you." His low voice rolled through her. "This is the first time I've seen you at a Ronacks party. It feels different. Good."
"I came last week," she said finding it hard to breathe with him so close.
He skimmed his mouth over the top of her hair. She shivered, and her stomach fluttered. Best decision she'd ever made was to come to the clubhouse tonight.
"Did you hope to see me?" he asked.
"Yeah." She hummed a sigh. "I mean, I know you better than most of the members because you've been coming to the bar and keeping me company while I work. Of course, I hoped you'd be here."
"You didn't say anything all week."
She blew out her breath. "I don't chase men, not even you."
"That's good to know," he said.
"So..." She gazed up at him. "Why didn't you come last week?"
"I pulled a double shift for LeWorth while he had some business to take care of and by the time I got off work, it was late, and I went home to crash." He pushed off the shelf and stepped back.
She hitched her shoulder. "You're here now."
He hooked the hair falling on her cheek and caressed the strand between his fingers. "How about you go out and help Bree, and I'll find you in a little bit."
"Okay." She hugged the bag of silverware to her stomach and walked backward out of the room smiling at him.
In the hallway, she stopped. "You're not going in that room." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder across the hallway. "Are you?"
He laughed softly. "Not tonight, sassy."
"Good," she whispered under her breath and hurried down the hallway.
She squeezed through the group of men surrounding the pool table and thrust the silverware into Bree's waiting hands.
Her friend and coworker glanced at her twice. "What's with that face?"
"Nothing. Happy to be at the party and I don't have to work tomorrow." She whirled around and got in line behind the men before Bree could question her more.
From her position, she could watch the room for Rod to appear. Excited he wanted to spend time with her later, she tapped the toe of her shoe against the floor as she stepped closer to the table to wait her turn. The smile inside her refused to stay contained. After a good meal, she'd be able to go all night.
Hands landed on her shoulders from behind. She glanced behind her expecting Rod and found her dad.
"Hey, you made it," she said.
"I've been here for a while. We had a meeting beforehand. Gia came early, too, and hung out at the pond with Bree." Her dad followed her to the pool table when it was her turn to fill her plate.
She picked up a paper plate and took samples out of most of the dishes before her as the line slowly moved counter clockwise around the feast. Intent on getting through the line, she was halfway through when she noticed her dad wasn't filling a plate.
"What's up with you? Aren't you eating?" She skipped the desserts and grabbed a napkin at the end of the line.
Her dad grabbed a fistful of rolls— and for him, that was five of them. "Gia already went through the line and got my dinner, but she forgot these."
She'd never met a person who loved eating as much as her dad.
That was only one of the surprises she'd learned in the last three months of reconnecting with her dad. Late at night, when she took the time to let all the changes that'd come to her since moving to Haugan and getting to know her dad again, it saddened her to think about how much she missed growing up with him in her life. What she remembered at four years old when her mom took her away never prepared her for the biker she'd gotten to know twenty-two years later.
Now it seemed as if she'd always known him.
She glanced over at her dad. He was bigger than life. Everything she'd imagined and hoped for as a child, and yet she watched for any clue he wasn't going to stay in her life. There was no doubt when she took him up on his offer to live on the other side of the duplex from him and go to work at the bar the motorcycle club owned, he wanted her in his life again.
She just had no idea what she was doing. At twenty-six years old, she couldn't even decide what she wanted from her dad besides the knowledge that he loved and wanted her.
She peered around the room for Rod hoping they could sit together. Her dad nudged her arm and motioned his chin for her to follow. She tagged along and sat down at the table with Gia, Mel, Raelyn, and her father.
Comfortable
conversations floated around her. She ate her food, highly aware that nobody in the room knew how she envisioned the night ending and the last thing she wanted was Gia and her dad around when she decided to get fast and loose with Rod.
"Heather?" Raelyn put her crumpled napkin on her empty plate. "I keep meaning to ask you at work, and then I get busy and forget. Did you ever go to the new coffee shop that opened on the other side of the gas station in town?"
Heather swallowed her bite of food. "Twice. Gia and I went on Monday morning and tried The Grandmaster. It was so good, I went back the next morning and bought another one."
"That good?" asked Raelyn.
She nodded. "Total addiction. Isn't it Gia?"
"Get a large cup, you'll be glad you did." Gia buttered a roll and handed it to Heather's dad. "It's nice to finally have something in the town we women can enjoy besides gun shops and antiques. I hope the place sticks around longer than the last shop that rented the building."
"What kind of business was that?" asked Heather.
Raelyn wrinkled her nose. "A skeezy bondsman."
Her dad grunted, and Gia looked at him and said, "What?"
"The bondsman had a run-in with Lip. If I had to bet, Lip made sure the guy was far away from Haugan," said Heather's dad.
"Who's Lip?" Gia tucked her long dark hair behind her ear and passed Heather's dad another roll.
Her dad muttered, "Nomad for Ronacks."
"I haven't met him." Gia looked at Raelyn. "Have you?"
Raelyn wiggled her brows. "Once."
"Women," mumbled Mel, earning an elbow from Raelyn.
"Why do they call him Lip?" asked Heather.
"His name is Phillip. Lip for short." Mel lowered his brows and turned to Raelyn. "Don't say a word about his mouth."
Raelyn laughed. "I'm not."
Heather's curiosity piqued, she leaned forward and quietly asked, "What's a nomad? Did Ronacks reject him from the club?"
Her dad wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand. "No, that's a fucking misconception from those not in the lifestyle. Lip's got a high position within Ronacks. Because he's single and likes to travel outside the territory and he's the best speaker in the club, he goes around and talks to MC's throughout the states representing Ronacks, and keeps us all informed on what is going on. Lip shows up a few times a year for a day or two, then rides out again. You'll meet him eventually."
"And, you'll remember him long, long, long after he's gone." Raelyn laughed, leaning toward Mel with a grin.
"Heather isn't going to be looking or remembering any biker." The scar on her dad's cheek where he'd gotten shot deepened, and his squint became more pronounced.
She shook her head in amusement at her dad's view of her nonexistent dating life and caught sight of Rod. He'd sat on the other side of the room on the couch, a plate in one hand, a fork in the other, and talked to a woman with blonde hair sprayed to the maximum height in a gorgeous skimpy black dress and red heels.
Her appetite fled. She'd underdressed.
Needing something to do and an excuse to get away from the table before anyone noticed her disappointment, she stood. "I'm throwing my garbage away. Anyone else done eating?"
"I'm done." Raelyn passed her an empty paper plate and crumpled napkin.
She walked over to the side of the room by a makeshift bar, a smaller replica of the one at Pine Bar and Grill, and tossed the trash in the can.
"Need a drink?" asked JayJay, holding a whiskey bottle.
She stepped over to the counter and sat on a stool. "How about a beer instead?"
"My kind of lady." JayJay opened the fridge and took out a bottle, removing the top. "Drink up."
The cold brew soothed her erratic thoughts. She hummed in appreciation and licked her lips. "That's good."
JayJay looked over her shoulder and nodded before moving away from the counter. She took another drink and watched JayJay's ponytail escape.
"I've never seen you drink before," said Rod behind her.
She jerked the bottle away from her lips and spilled beer on her thigh. Mopping the liquid off, she looked at Rod when he sat on the stool beside her.
"What's with you sneaking up on me twice tonight and trying to give me a heart attack?" She wiped her wet hand on the hip of her jeans.
"Not my intent." He spun her around until her legs were trapped inside his sprawled thighs and she faced him. "I need to run."
"Now?"
He nodded. "It can't be helped."
"I was looking forward to being with you later when the fun starts." She set down her beer. "Are you sure you have to go?"
"Club business." He leaned closer. "What's your schedule like next week?"
She wondered if his business had anything to do with the pretty woman he ate with at dinner. "I work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday."
He patted the outside of her hip. "Friday, then."
"I won't see you until then?" More disappointment filled her. She'd gotten used to him showing up at the bar every night.
He turned her stool toward the bar, stood, and whispered in her ear. "You'll see me each night you're working, sassy. Friday night I plan to take you back to my house with me."
She swallowed hard and her vision blurred at the intensity in which he sent her body vibrating. He'd finally given her a positive sign of what he planned to do with her.
Heather turned around to ask him more, and Rod was gone. She smiled to the room, unable to wipe the excitement off her face. It was going to be a long week until Friday.
Chapter Three
Friday Night —
The light at the back door of Pine Bar and Grill lit the parking lot behind the building. Rod pocketed the key for his Harley in his leather vest and found Heather, Raelyn, and Gia's cars, along with Swiss and Mel's motorcycles parked beside his Harley. Damn.
He'd forgotten all about Friday being Swiss's turn to pick up the money bag with the day's profit at closing. Rod strode across the lot. It'd been a long fucking week, and he looked forward to tonight when he took Heather home with him. Only, it was easier to talk with Heather without her dad and his MC brothers around. Swiss had a way of cockholding him with one look the moment he got close to Heather. Though he wasn't against everyone in the fucking world knowing he wanted Heather in his bed, he'd rather not put pressure on Heather, knowing how much she was trying to get to know her dad.
Hell, he'd never had to ask anyone's permission to have sex before. Not any woman or her daddy. He wasn't going to start now.
A car alarm stopped him at the back door. He looked around and found flashing headlights down the side street. Not seeing anyone near the vehicle, he turned to go inside, and a sharp object pushed against his stomach, doubling him over with a grunt. He opened his mouth to bitch at the person standing in front of him, and nothing came out. His chest seized and he found himself jerked almost off his feet by the object jabbed into his middle. A searing pain exploded in his stomach.
Rod fell to his knees and blinked through the tunnel vision getting narrower. Black boots in front of him moved away. What the fuck?
He looked down at his stomach and lifted his hand away. Covered in blood, he struggled for a lungful of air that never came. Jesus Christ.
His vision wavered and went dark. In the distance, he heard a man laughing.
Unable to stand, he crawled a few feet and threw his fist out in front of him, hoping to connect with anything to make noise over the music playing inside the bar. His hand hit air, and he fell flat on his face.
Chapter Four
Heather locked the front door of Pine Bar and Grill after the last customer left the building. Flipping the closed sign around, she peered out onto Main Street worried and frustrated that Rod hadn't shown up like he'd promised.
It was Friday night. She'd bought new lingerie, shaved her legs, applied lotion over every inch of herself, and wore a new outfit to work in anticipation of their night together. To top it off, she had a day off t
omorrow, and she hoped they'd get to spend the time together.
She double checked the lock and walked back to the counter.
Raelyn stood with Heather's dad and Gia at the entrance of the kitchen. Heather waved to Gia and went to work scrubbing the sticky bar. Most nights, she looked forward to the time it took to help clean up before going home because Rod sat at the counter and kept her company while she wiped everything down and made sure the chairs were picked up and on the table for the cleaning company to come in the morning.
Her dad walked over to her and laid a kiss on her forehead. She smiled up at him. Not one to talk much, her dad made her feel wanted simply by showing her affection since moving to Haugan.
"We'll wait for you and escort you back home," said her dad.
She wrinkled her nose at her change of plans. "Go ahead and go with Gia. I'll be fine."
Her dad and Gia were wonderful to her. But lately, she'd started to feel like the third wheel when they were all together. Gia and her dad were still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. They needed their privacy, too.
Besides, she needed to make an effort to explore her new town, meet new people, and enjoy going out again.
"I'm the only rider around, baby. It's late. You need someone watching out for you." Her dad stepped over and lifted a chair and put it on top of the table.
"Where is everyone tonight?" She tossed the towel under the counter into the laundry basket and joined him out in the room to pick the chairs up off the floor. "Usually Rod stops by."
Her dad lifted his brow. She ignored his unasked question because she was hedging for answers about Rod's absence and she was getting used to her dad's weird looks when she mentioned Rod by name. Speaking about the other members of Ronacks never brought out that same reaction.
"Most everyone stayed after the meeting at the clubhouse to party. I imagine Rod's over there." He moved to the next table.
"Yeah?" She followed him and picked up a chair. "So, is the party for members only?"
Her dad's squint from his scar deepened. "What are you asking?"
She shrugged. "It sounds like fun. I had a good time last weekend and I rarely see anyone outside of working at the bar. Maybe I'll go over there if it's a party where non-members can go."