Chapter one
Tarzan
As I drove through the little mountain town, I rolled down my window and breathed in the crisp, cool air. This was the fresh start I needed. A new beginning and a blank slate.
Back in the dry, scorching heat of California, I used to belong to the Desert Howlers MC. And I fell in love with a woman who could never be mine.
Stevie Malone.
She fought like a hellcat to earn her place and climb the ranks to Vice President. As the only woman in a male-dominated club, she had a steep, uphill battle. Every damn step of the way.
I couldn’t act on my feelings for her. If I did, that would risk undermining all the hard work and respect she’d garnered over the years.
So, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to put her in that position—choosing between me or the club. That wasn’t fair. All I could do was back her up when she needed someone on her side.
Then I watched Stevie fall in love with someone else. And there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do to stop it.
In the back of my mind, I always knew it would happen one day. Stevie was beautiful, determined, fiery, and any man would be lucky to win her heart. He would have his hands full keeping up with her too.
But it still hurt to watch her slowly slip away from me.
That’s how I ended up here, with my Harley and everything I owned stuffed onto a trailer behind my truck.
Stevie had married someone else. Now I needed to find a way to move on.
Sticking my arm out the window, I let the air spill through my fingers. In early June, the heat of summer hadn’t fully arrived in Colorado yet, remaining pleasantly cool. Mountains bordered the little town of Juniper Creek. It seemed as if I had arrived on a completely different planet. Everything was so lush with greenery. Thick forests and craggy rocks bordered winding roads. Almost everywhere I turned, there was one breathtaking view after another.
It was nothing like the flat, barren wasteland of the desert that I’d left behind.
I could get used to this,I thought.
When I turned into my brother’s driveway, I was surprised to find a modest house in a quiet rural neighborhood. It seemed out of character for my pesky little brother who thrived on action, adventure, and stirring up trouble.
Teddy was there waiting for me, seated on the porch steps. Rising to his feet, he lifted his arm in a wave.
“I expected you nearly two hours ago,” he called. “Did you get lost?”
As I climbed out of my truck, he tackled me with an enthusiastic bear hug. Despite the five years between us, Teddy and I were practically attached at the hip while we were growingup. Since we were bored out of our minds in the middle-of-nowhere Illinois, we did everything together.
Stealing motorcycles from the old geezers down at the bar.
Playing hooky from school so we could spend the day at the movie theater instead.
Sneaking into the arcade after it was closed and playing games all night.
Then Teddy joined the army at eighteen. And I didn’t.
Suddenly, our lives were no longer tightly intertwined. We were blown apart like shrapnel. Feeling listless and lost without my brother to anchor me, I hit the road on my Harley, trying to distract myself from his absence.
By pure luck, I stumbled into the Desert Howlers MC and served as their Prospect for a few months. By the time I earned my patch and became a member, I was beginning to make a life for myself in California.
After Teddy left the army, he followed a few of his soldier buddies back to Colorado. Within a year, he joined the Reckless Order MC.
It seemed our lives were beginning to mirror each other again, even when we were hundreds of miles apart.
“I didn’t get lost,” I protested. “You’re just an impatient little shit.”
Teddy chuckled and thumped me on the shoulder.
