Page 3

Pulling up to the curb, I shift the car into park as I peer up at the house and suck in a breath. To anyone else, the house looks the same as it did two nights ago when I brought dinner over for Ali and I but somehow, it's different. A chill blankets my skin and it’s almost if a shadow has been cast over the property, an ominous sensation greeting you like one of those old haunted houses kids dare each other to go near. If it’s affecting me this much, I can’t even imagine what Ali is going through—her sanctuary destroyed. I glance over at her and she meets my eyes.

“Ready to do this, sweetie?” I ask and her gaze flicks up to the house behind me before she nods. We climb out of the car and she meets me on the sidewalk and slips her hand in mine. As we walk up the front walk, she’s almost robotic in her movements, staring up at her home as we inch toward it. Every step closer to the front door, the sense that someone is watching us intensifies, and I resist the urge to kick the bushes just in case the creep who broke in is still lurking around.

“You think it’s got something to do with the pictures?” a gruff voice asks from inside the house as I guide Ali up the steps and I flick a questioning glance in her direction, but she doesn’t even notice me. Her face is blank and her gaze is fixed in front of her. We step through the open front door and stop short.

Six large men in leather vests turn to us and I let out a soft gasp. My eyes roam over them, my pulse spiking and a tingle creeping up my spine as I try to figure out who the hell these guys are. A man steps through the crowd, his dark hair in disarray and his piercing gray eyes trained on Ali as he closes the gap between them and slides a hand into her hair, shoving me out of the way. They collide and he presses his forehead to hers as she melts into his touch. The stress drains out of her body as her eyes drift closed and he takes a deep breath like he can breathe again now with her here. They stand in their own little world, oblivious to the rest of us.

It’s a stunning picture.

When my friend told me about her feelings for her hot neighbor who was the VP of a motorcycle club, I thought she was a little crazy but seeing them together, you can’t deny what they have. The connection they share is so potent that you can sense it filling the room and my chest aches. In the quiet moments of the night, when I’m alone, I remember a young girl who dreamed of a connection like that before the world taught her how naïve she was. And every once in a while, I can admit to myself that a small piece of me still clings to the hope that there is someone out there for me, a man who will gaze at me like I am his sun and moon. Like he can see galaxies dancing in my eyes and he’s content to just get lost in them forever. But when the sun peeks through the trees the next morning, that sliver of the young girl I used to be gets buried underneath the lessons painfully learned in my youth.

“Hey, let’s give them a minute,” someone says, nudging my arm and I nod, without pulling my gaze away from Ali. I hate to leave her, but she seems to have relaxed, and she’s clinging to Storm like he’s her life raft. She seems okay, for now, so I follow the other guys outside as they fan out across the lawn, all of them talking to each other.

“What’s your name, Darlin’?” the same voice asks, and I pull my gaze away from the door, sucking in a breath when my eyes meet his.

Holy shit.

Those two words are the only intelligible thing bouncing around in my head as his jade green eyes bore into me, intense and a little curious, like he’s trying to uncover my most intimate secrets. Just one look from him and it's as if I’m laid bare at his feet, all my baggage printed across my skin for him to read. A smile teases his lips as he takes his time looking me over, almost like there is an inside joke I’m missing but I'm sure he didn’t say anything else since I can’t seem to take my eyes off of his full lips or wonder how they would feel pressed against my neck.

Goose bumps race across my flesh.

His gaze drops down my body, following every curve with precision and I do the same, taking in his tall, lean frame. The sleeves of his dark blue Henley are pushed up, showing off the muscles in his forearms and the bold black and gray tattoos that blanket his skin. I wonder how far up they go and how his inked knuckles would contrast against my creamy skin.

When our eyes meet again, the fire dancing in his is enough to steal my breath and make my heart race with a desire that has been lacking from my life. I fight the urge to take a step toward him. One corner of his mouth tips up in a lopsided grin that has me biting down on my lip to hide one of my own as heat rushes to my cheeks and desire pools between my thighs. My need from this morning returns tenfold and I curse myself for not grabbing my vibrator after Sam stormed out of my apartment. His eyes drop to my mouth and his tongue darts out, wetting his bottom lip like he’s hoping to catch a taste of me there.

My heart skips a beat.

Green eyes find mine once again and I'm aware of something vibrating throughout my entire body. How the hell can he do that from just a glance? With an expectant brow, he clears his throat, snapping me out of my daze.

What was I supposed to be saying to him right now?

My name.

Right.

“Carly,” I whisper, my voice barely audible as my pulse pounds under my skin. His eyes sparkle as he flashes me a full smile, a dimple appearing on his cheek and my knees go a little weak.

“I’m Chance. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you, too,” I mumble like an idiot because I can’t think of one thing to say to this man. I attended four years of college and graduated, right? I’m certain I did but you wouldn’t realize it from looking at me. My brain crawls like it’s moving through sludge and I’m having trouble recalling basic language skills. In all my years of random hook-ups, I’ve experienced nothing like this and as much as I recognize that it should send me running in the other direction, it doesn’t. Instead, I want to lean closer even when I'm aware of the danger. I want to see if he smells as good as I imagine and how he’d react if I placed my palm against his chest.

“So, you work at the blog with Ali, then?” he asks and I nod, unable to make my mouth work.

Good god, Carly.

Just force words, any words at all, out of your lips, for Christ’s sake.

“Yeah,” I say and almost roll my eyes at myself. He smirks and takes a small step toward me like he’s fighting this crazy pull, too, but my mind is still blank. I don’t think I’ve been this awkward in front of a guy since I was a teenager.

Now would be a fantastic time for the heavens to open and shoot me down with a lightning bolt so I don’t humiliate myself further, but they aren’t that kind.

Warmth washes over me again and I take a deep breath, fighting my natural inclination to seek his gaze. He takes another step toward me and I can’t stop myself from glancing up at him. He smiles, a soft smile I’m sure is supposed to put me at ease but it only makes him more attractive. My breath catches when he reaches out and brushes his thumb over my cheek. Tingles, like little zaps of lightning flitter over my skin and the only thing I can hear is my rapid breathing as I stare up at him, unable to pull my gaze away from his eyes.

“Sorry. You had an eyelash on your cheek,” he whispers but still doesn’t pull his hand away and my body aches as I fight every natural inclination to lean into his touch. He is trouble with a capital T. I clear my throat.

“Uh… thanks.”

He takes a step back and nods before glancing up at the house as he runs a hand through his dirty blond hair, almost as if he was in a daze himself. He turns back and just like that, his eyes hold me captive again. “You drove Ali here, right?”