Deciding she’d delayed long enough, she opened the door and got out.Hitting the lock button she stashed the truck key in her bra, next to her phone, then headed inside.
She stepped in the door then off to one side while she waited for her eyes to adjust.It only took a moment or two, then she realized that nearly every person in the place had turned to look at her.Glancing around, she saw that she wasn’t the only woman, but she was the only one not wearing one of those leather vests that were so synonymous with motorcycle clubs.
Never one to back down, she ignored all the curious looks and went to the bar.Thankfully, nearly all the stools were empty, and she was able to slide onto one without anyone on either side of her.
She looked up and met the bartender’s gaze.Something tingled low in her belly as she met eyes so dark they reminded her of rich bright blue.She licked her lips at the thought.
“What can I get for you, firecracker?”
She frowned.Why was he calling her that?Did he not remember her name?
“I’ll have Jack Fire, on the rocks, please.”
He lifted one brow and watched her for a split second before picking up a glass and adding ice, his gaze never leaving her until he turned around and pulled the bottle of Jack Daniels from the shelf behind him.As he poured a couple of fingers of whiskey into the glass, she couldn’t help but notice he was wearing that vest thing again, but it didn’t keep her from noticing how well his jeans fit.Her hands itched to cup and squeeze that ass.
Instead, she pulled her phone from her bra and pulled out a card to pay for the drink with.
He turned back and set the drink on a napkin in front of her.“Want to start a tab or just want the one?”
“Just the one.I’m driving tonight.”She couldn’t help but watch him, noticing how much his full beard reminded her of Opie, even if he didn’t wear the knit cap like her crush did.
He nodded, took the card, and turned away again.She picked up the glass he’d put in front of her and took a sip, her gaze taking in every inch of what looked to be a nicely toned body.She wouldn’t mind taking him for a test ride.
“Here you are.”He set the card, receipt, and a pen on the counter in front of her.“You manage to walk in here on accident or were you looking for me?”He gave her a come hither smile that made her belly flutter.
Ronnie dropped her gaze to the receipt and focused on calculating a tip and signing the sheet.By the time she slid the pen and paper back across the table, he’d drifted down the bar to pour a drink for someone else.Using the opportunity to look around, the first thing that caught her attention was a set of twisted and mangled handlebars mounted on the wall over the bar.
She stared at them wide-eyed, wondering if whoever had been riding was still alive and if they were still riding after a wreck like that.She couldn’t imagine being involved in an accident like that and getting back on a bike.Then again, she’d never been on a bike and as badly as she wanted a chance to ride, seeing the bent handlebars made her think twice.Not that she would let that stop her, should she get a chance.She’d decided long ago that fear wouldn’t control her.She glanced at the dartboard on one wall and turned her attention to the men moving back and forth from the table near the corner to one of the two pool tables that took up most of the center of the room.
There were several men in the same vests as everyone else.Everyone but Joe and maybe one other had patches on them.She didn’t stare because that would have been rude, she also didn’t venture close enough to read them because she didn’t want to advertise that she was watching them.She could see several small patches on the fronts of the men facing her, and the ones who had their backs to her had larger ones, that were easier to read.The men had a logo with a bike, skeleton and scythe, with the words Demented Souls on top and Arizona on the bottom.The women were different though.She frowned when she realized that top patch on the women’s vest read Property of and the bottom patch read different things, she assumed these were the people they belonged to but with things like ‘Sadist’ and ‘Maverick’ she could only shake her head and wonder what kind of woman would let someone put ‘property of’ and someone else’s name on their back.
She could not think of anything that would make her willing to wear someone’s name or let them declare her his.
“How you doing with that whiskey, firecracker?”Joe’s voice from behind her startled her, making her jump.She twisted around and frowned at him.
“Why do you call me that?”
“What?Firecracker?Cause I can’t imagine any other kind of woman would get into bounty hunting, much less have the balls to follow me through traffic and confront me at the gas station.”He leaned close and lowered his voice, almost as if what he was about to say was a secret.“Rumor is I’m not small, and some people are intimidated by that.”
She chuckled and shook her head.Was he flirting with her?She wasn’t sure, but she had a hard time taking her eyes off him as he smirked, winked, and made his way back to the other end of the bar.She continued to sip her drink, watching him and wondering if or when he’d come back down her way.She’d told him she only wanted one, would that make him not come check on her again?
Several people had left, including one of the couples by the time there was only a couple of sips left in her glass.She stared down at the amber liquid and wondered if maybe she had miscalculated.Maybe she shouldn’t have come in here tonight.
11
Demonglanceddownatthe other end of the bar at Ronnie for what had to be the hundredth time since she’d come in.Why was she here?Was she watching him, waiting for him to screw up so she could follow him back to Jim Bob?Did she think he was lying about who he was?
He'd watched her for the last hour as she’d alternately looked around the place and watched him.She didn’t come across as a virgin out looking for trouble, but knowing what he did about her, as little as it was, he couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing.What was her intent when she walked in here?
“Anything else I can get for you?”he asked as he moved in front of her.“Water, a soda?”he let his voice drop a little lower, “another whiskey?”
She shook her head, then stared down at her glass for a few seconds before looking up at him again.
“No.I should be going.I came in hoping to have a chance to talk to you for a few minutes, but it looks like you’re busy.I’ll just finish this and head home.”She tilted the glass back and drained the last of her Jack before setting the glass back down with a thump.
“Wait,” he said.Not sure why he was doing this, he turned to where several of the brothers sat at one of the tables in the corner, drinking and talking as they took turns around the pool table.“Puck, come cover the bar for a few minutes.”Demon turned back to her.“Come into the back room with me, we can talk there.”
Ronnie frowned, then glanced around the room as she slid off the bar stool.She looked at him for a moment then moved around to the end of the bar, where he held the flap on the bar open, giving her access.She stared at him with narrowed eyes, as if she was warning him from trying anything.
