And that leaves the big guy standing at the end of the table staring after his friends.
He turns to me. “I’m gonna be real honest with you. It’s been a shit day and I can’t dance to save my life.”
A laugh bubbles up before I can suppress it.
“From the way you’ve been monitoring the room and keeping your eye on the exits, I thought you might be working security tonight.”
“No. I’ve been on the lookout for those bikers with the hyenas on their patch. Wherever they go, trouble follows.”
Sitting back in my seat, I respond carefully, although my heart is racing. “You sound like someone who’s had a run-in with them.”
He shrugs carelessly. “Who the fuck in this town hasn’t?”
I point the top of my beer bottle off in a vague direction. “I heard someone say the whole lot of them went to some big biker rally in South Dakota, so you’re safe for now.”
“Really? Are you being serious right now?”
“Yeah, as serious as a girl repeating gossip can be.”
“My name’s Jake. I can stand here and make this weird, or I can sit down so we can talk like normal folk. It’s your call.”
Every instinct I’ve developed from twenty-two years of being raised by an outlaw biker whose female companions were all club girls is warning me not to allow a strange man to get close to me. Why take the chance?
I’m normally wary of men because of everything I saw with the brothers in my father’s club. Even my own brothers treat their girlfriends like shit. A little voice in the back of my head says, That’s just how men are.
Still, the logical side of my brain knows that not all men are like that. This one seems different. I’m not getting outlaw vibes from him. He’s not even a biker, which is a relief. He’s asking to sit with me, instead of forcing himself into my space.
Making a snap decision, I point to the seat across from me with the top of my beer bottle, careful not to slosh any on the table. “My name’s Nora. Go ahead and take a load off.”
“Thank you.”
He eases down into the seat, and it groans under his weight. Although he’s big enough to be a problem, he isn’t acting arrogant or entitled. So, I push down all the conflicting emotions churning in my gut. When he finally smiles, it takes my breath away. I thought he was handsome before, but a genuine smile transforms his features into a kind of rugged beauty that I’ve never seen before.
I look away, trying to get my raging emotions under control. I think about the dance floor, where Lena and Kassy are dancing with the men who bought them drinks. They’ve done this before and might even go home with the men they’re with tonight. It’s shocking how much I want that for myself. I’m a twenty-two-year-old virgin. It’s not by choice though. When you’re the daughter of an outlaw MC prez, then it’s not like you’re going to have men lined up. My father scares most away, and the ones he doesn’t, I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.
My eyes lift to his and I imagine what that would be like. Suddenly, I want to see how this evening plays out. If something like that might be possible for me.
He takes another drink from his bottle, and I watch with fascination as he swallows. His Adam’s apple moves down and back up again. His throat is corded with muscle, like the rest of his body.
Jake’s more relaxed now. He jerks his chin towards my beer bottle. “Do you always babysit one bottle all night?”
I deadpan back, “Yeah, when I’m surrounded by strangers. It just seems safer, you know?”
His voice is warm and reassuring. “Yes, I do. That’s a smart move.”
“How about you? Are you always nice?” I ask.
“Yeah, I try to be. My old man used to say that it takes exactly the same amount of time to be an asshole as it does to be a decent person. And you get your ass beat a lot less often.”
I can’t help but smile at the way he describes his father. “Your dad sounds like a smart man.”
“He was. Unfortunately, he passed a few years back. What’s your old man’s favorite saying?”
“Oh, he says all kinds of ridiculous stuff. His favorite was, stop crying, or I’ll give you something to cry about.”
His eyebrows fly up. “Goddamn, that’s a fuckin’ rough way to grow up.”
I shrug. “He mostly said that to my brothers, but it was hard to hear, nonetheless.”
