It started out as a typical Friday night at the Hell Rider's clubhouse. Which meant anything could, and probably would happen. The members were in a party mood, and the club bunnies were more than happy to keep them entertained. Between the jukebox in the corner, loud voices and raucous laughter, the decibel level was deafening.

Raven Caulder had a headache that wouldn't go away. Aspirin hadn't helped, and neither had the copious amounts of whiskey he'd been consuming. One of the more persistent bunnies had insisted that she could make him feel better. At the moment she was on her knees hoovering his cock in a valiant attempt to do so.

Sparkles was damn good at giving head; he'd give her that. And she'd have no problem getting him off. Whether or not her magical cure-all would help or not was debatable. The loss of blood to his brain had only served to make his temples pound in time with the hard rock beat blasting through the speakers.

"Raven Caulder show yourself!"

The command rang out above the cacophony, and every head in the room swiveled toward the front door. Every head except Sparkles that is. She was still too engrossed in his cock to notice. Raven's black as night eyes narrowed dangerously. No one gave him orders. Not one man present would even dare try.

But that had been a woman's voice, so he didn't move from his sprawled position on the couch and disrupt Sparkle's efforts. He merely called back, "My cock's already exposed, darlin'. How much more d'ya wanna see?" Ribald laughter resounded from his brothers as they moved aside so the woman could have an unimpeded view.

It also allowed him to see the female with enough balls to challenge him.

His eyes widened in shocked disbelief and the breath lodged in his throat. Because the woman staring back at him was none other than Savannah Summers. His own personal walking wet dream. Just the sight of her had his cock going off like a rocket. While Sparkles moaned and sucked him dry, he stared at the beauty across the room in fascination.

Skinny jeans tucked into suede knee-high boots in the same taupe as the cashmere sweater that hit her mid-thigh. A mane of chocolate brown hair flowed around her shoulders, and her golden eyes were filled with contempt. She stood with her legs spread, hands on slender hips and held his stare with a fuck you look that had him getting hard again.

Feisty women were his weakness.

This one could bring him to his knees.

Preferably while she was flat on her back in his bed.

Annnd that was all it took to have his cock as fucking hard as nickel plated steel. Sparkles gave a muffled squeal of delight and began hoovering again. Raven lowered his arms from where they'd been stretched across the back of the couch and palmed her forehead to push her away gently.

The club whore obediently complied and sat back on her heels, wiping her mouth and staring up at him in adoration. He never even spared her a glance as he stood and tucked his cock back into his jeans. Stepping over Sparkles, he zipped up his fly and started walking across the room to greet his unexpected guest.

Noticing that her eyes were glued to his crotch, he hoped to rile her by drawling lazily, "Like what you see, darlin'?"

"Color me unimpressed," Savannah said in a disdainful tone as her gaze locked with his while she stood her ground and waited.

Fire lit his eyes, and raw fury filled him when one of the prospects beat him to her. Snake grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanked her head back and growled, "Show some respect, bitch." Before Raven could utter a command, the debutante had put the man on his knees and held him there while he whimpered in pain.

It was an impressive move since Snake outweighed her by a good fifty pounds and had a hell of a lot more muscle than she did. If he hadn't been so pissed, Raven would have been proud as hell that she could handle herself. "I'll deal with him," he told her as he grasped the prospect's hair and hauled him to his feet.

Deciding to give the bastard a taste of his own medicine, he snatched the other man's head back and snarled in his face, "You don't fucking manhandle women." Then he slammed him face first into the bar top and heard the sound of cartilage crushing at the contact. He dropped the bastard on the floor and commanded, "Get that piece of shit out of here."

While a couple of the brother's dragged the former prospect to the door, he turned to the woman who was now looking at him with grudging respect. "I could have handled him," her whiskey-smooth voice berated.

"No one hurts a woman in my club," he assured her and folded his arms over his chest to keep from reaching out and hauling her into his arms. "Are you all right, Savannah?"

She appeared to be surprised that he recognized her before she matched his pose and confirmed, "I'm fine. We need to talk. In private."

A predatory smile curved his lips as his eyes ate her alive. "Right this way, darlin'," he said and led the way to his office. Once the door closed behind them, the decibel level dropped to a muted roar. Raven walked over to his desk, sat on the edge of it and gestured to a chair. "What can I do for you?"

There was so much innuendo in his tone that she shot him a scathing look and remained standing. "Where the hell is Kira Walker?" She demanded without preamble.

"How the fuck would I know?" He queried with a frown.

"Because Kira told me that if anything ever happened to her to contact you," she informed him hotly. "So tell me where she is."

He folded his arms over his chest again and replied, "Darlin', I haven't heard from Kira in over a year."

Her hands slid from her hips to hang limply by her sides. Her shoulders stooped in defeat, and her expression became bleak. "Thanks for nothing," she muttered and turned to leave.

No way in hell was Raven letting her get away from him that easily. He'd dreamed about seeing her again for too damn long. "Slow your roll, darlin'," he insisted. "Tell me what's going on, and I might be able to help."

Savannah turned to face him and asked suspiciously, "Why?"

"Kira's club family," he admitted with a shrug.

Those golden eyes bored into him for a minute before she raked a hand through her hair and muttered, "What have I got to lose?" Savannah placed her hands on her hips again and said, "I haven't heard from her in a week. She doesn't answer her phone or respond to emails, so I know something happened to her."

Yeah. It sounded like she'd dropped off the grid. Raven had to wonder if it was intentional or if something really had happened to her. Kira had done the same thing a couple of years ago when she'd been hiding out from him, so it was possible that she'd gone to ground. The question was, what was she running from?

"Maybe she's just busy," he suggested instead of expressing his concern. No sense in upsetting Savannah until there was a reason to.

"She'd never be too busy to forget my birthday," she denied. "Kira was flying in today so we could celebrate, but I can't reach her, and she didn't show. She would have called to let me know if something came up."

"Did you report her missing?" He queried, careful to keep the concern from coloring his voice.

"To who?" She demanded in exasperation. "I don't even know what country she's in."

He'd be willing to bet that his brother either knew exactly where Kira was or that he could find out in a matter of minutes. So he laid out a proposition. "If I find out where she is, you have to have dinner with me."

She stared at him wide-eyed, her horrified expression would have been comical if it hadn't flayed him deeply. Yeah. She couldn't have made it more obvious that she found the idea repugnant. Blackmail was the only way he'd ever get near a classy lady like Savannah, so he stared her down and waited for an answer.

Raven was not above blackmailing someone to get what he wanted.

And he wanted Savannah.

Bad.

"Dinner?" Savannah demanded as a frown marred her brow. "Why?"

He shrugged as if her answer wasn't important, as if he wasn't waiting with bated breath for her response, and replied, "That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it," she said in exasperation. "But only if you find Kira."

"Consider it done," he agreed and pulled out his phone. He called Jax, and his brother did not answer. Fucking hell. No way was he admitting defeat. Not when he had a date with his dream woman riding on it. Raven called his nephew, and Slade answered after the first ring. "Hey, kid. You with your old man?"

"He's on an op, Uncle Rave," Slade Caulder informed him. "What's up?"

"Kira dropped off the grid, and I'm trying to locate her for a friend," he admitted.

"I'll hit you back in five," Slade said and ended the call.

"We'll know in a few minutes," he informed the gorgeous woman scowling at him. "In the meantime, we can discuss what you want for dinner."

"You haven't found her yet," she pointed out and folded her arms over her chest.

"He'll find her," he said confidently. With all the high tech gizmos the former SEAL team had, finding Kira would be a piece of cake.

"You'd better hope so," she challenged.

The phone rang, and he answered with, "Where is she?"

"I pinged her phone's IP address, and it's in Miami," his nephew responded.

"She's in Miami," Raven informed Savannah and saw her look of relief.

"I'm a few blocks away from her right now, Uncle Rave," Slade said seriously. "Think I should drop by and see what's up?"

"Go for it," he agreed. "Call me back when you make contact."

"Will do," the kid replied and ended the call.

"My nephew is going to check on her," he informed the woman who was pacing back and forth anxiously. He flashed her a lethal smile and said, "So, about dinner…"

 

***

 

Savannah Summers was out of her ever-loving mind. She knew something was wrong with Kira. She could feel it in her gut. But no matter how many times she'd tried to contact her, she didn't get a response. No email, no phone call, no social media post. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. It was maddening.

That was the only reason she'd breached the Gates of Hell in search of the devil himself. Oh, yeah. That was the actual name of the Hell Rider's clubhouse aka the den of iniquity she currently found herself in. She really should have heeded the warning burned into the wood over the front door.

Beware all ye who enter the Gates of Hell.

Because she was in way over her head. Sure she could handle herself, as she'd proved when that baboon of a biker had grabbed her, but not against an entire club filled with them. What the hell had she been thinking? She'd always been impulsive, but this time she might have bitten off more than she could chew.

She had to be insane to come here alone.

Without telling anyone where she was going.

These hoodlums could do God knew what to her and dispose of her body without anyone ever knowing what had happened. Savannah cursed herself for a fool as she anxiously paced the floor. She refused to show her fear though. These predators would scent it like sharks with blood in the water. And there wasn't a doubt in her mind that they were predators.

Especially the man standing before her.

When Raven turned those blacker than the pits of hell eyes on her, a chill danced up her spine. Shamefully, it wasn't from fear. Raw, undiluted lust was more like it. Damn her weakness for bad boys because the Hell Rider's President was the walking talking embodiment of her deepest, darkest, dirtiest fantasy.

His blonde hair was so bed tumbled and sexy that her fingers twitched with the compulsion to play in the overly long layers. And his eyes. Those mesmerizing black eyes were full of heat as he watched her with a predatory stare. Like he already knew what she looked like naked and was envisioning licking every inch.

She could almost feel the rasp of his neatly trimmed beard brushing against her thighs. The touch of his too kissable lips burning a path to her most intimate places. The mental image alone was enough to have her overheating. Combine all of that with the full force of his presence, and Savannah knew she was in trouble.

Because the man was pure eye candy for her sex starved senses. Tall, broad-shouldered, lean waist, long legs and an ass she'd love to take a bite out of. Oh yeah, she'd been watching his ass as he'd led her to his office. It was as fine as the rest of him. Almost as drool-worthy as the magnificent cock she'd had a good long look at.

After he'd gotten a public blowjob.

Which effectively reminded her, as if she'd needed reminding, that the hotter than hell man who would feature in her fantasies for many nights to come, was a despicable asshole. The president of a freaking outlaw motorcycle gang. A hardened criminal. With a smile so beautifully wicked it could only belong to the devil himself.

Lord Jesus.

She was surely bound for hell.

Because if he'd found Kira, and she fervently hoped he had, then she was committed to having dinner with him. The thought horrified her since some part of her brain hoped he decided to feast on her instead of food. God only knew she could make a meal out of him. A seven-course meal stretched over several hours.

Her mouth watered at the thought.

"So, about dinner…"

His gravel roughened voice slid over her and snapped Savannah out of her reverie. She'd been so engrossed in thoughts of him that she hadn't realized he'd ended the call. She came to a halt in front of Raven and demanded, "Is Kira okay? Did something happen to her? Why the hell isn't she answering her phone?"

"I'll get the details when the kid calls back," he said with his lethal bad-boy grin. "In the meantime, relax and have a seat. Can I get ya a drink from the bar?"

The last thing she needed was alcohol. Her brain was already drunk on Raven. "Coffee would be great," she replied absently and heard him chuckle.

"This ain't the country club, darlin'. Your choices here are beer and booze," he informed her in amusement. "But there's a place right down the road that serves excellent coffee."

Since getting the hell out of the clubhouse seemed like a terrific idea, she readily agreed. Instead of going back through the bar, he led her outside through the office's private entrance. When Raven stopped beside his bike, and she realized he expected her to ride with him, it seemed like the worst idea ever.

"I'll follow you," she demured.

He cocked his head to the side and teased, "Thought you liked riding with me, Savannah Banana."

She had always hated the dreaded childhood nickname, but hearing it in his deep voice made it sound like a caress. "I was nine," she protested.

"I didn't hurt ya then, sure as shit won't hurt ya now," Raven assured her and swung a leg over the bike. "Besides, we made a deal, and I owe you a ride."

As if she could forget. Because when she'd been a child, Raven Caulder had been her first crush. And the reason why she was still drawn to bad boys. Damn him. In spite of the intervening years and the knowledge of who and what he was, it seemed she still wasn't immune to his charm.

Not to mention she wanted to ride with him again.

The powerful machine roared to life with a growl that made her girly parts tingle in anticipation. The blood pulsed through her veins and her heart pounded in sync with the thrumming sound. Yeah, she was going to hell all right. A one-way ticket on the back of a badass custom bike.

She sighed in resignation and took the hand he extended.

***

Raven breathed a sigh of relief when Savannah climbed on the back of his bike. Then he sucked in a sharp breath when the front of her curvaceous body fitted itself against the back of his like a second skin. Goddamn, she fit him like a glove. He had to concentrate to put his bike in gear.

With her arms locked around his waist, he drove slow and easy, dragging the short ride out as long as possible. He would have happily ridden to the ends of the earth to keep her wrapped around him like cellophane. It was the hottest fucking thing he'd ever experienced, and his cock was harder than a lead pipe.

The exact opposite of the first time she'd climbed on the back of his bike.

That day he'd been humoring a curious child, but there was nothing childlike about the woman adhered to him now. Savannah had been a beautiful little girl. All long brown hair and big gold eyes. A tiny little thing that had given him sass, shown him compassion and made the worst fucking day of his life a little brighter.

Their meeting had been a complete accident, to begin with. A fucking fluke that had left him haunted by golden eyes for two decades. It had been the day that he'd killed his mother. Yeah. He'd killed his mom. Shot her in cold blood. But he'd done it to save his little brother from a fate worse than death.

The problem was, the kid hadn't understood that, and he'd managed to sever his connection with the only fucking person on the planet who'd mattered to him. His dad had been a piece of shit. The ruthless club president who had expected him to follow in his footsteps, regardless of what Raven wanted to do with his life.

He'd spent his entire life coming between Bullet and his brother, trying to protect the kid from the abusive bastard that despised him. Jax was his half-brother. The bastard son of some high roller the club did business with. The man their mother loved. So yeah, his dad had hated the kid with a passion.

When Raven had walked in the kitchen that afternoon and saw Jax beating the shit out of his dad, he'd pulled him off. Mainly because he didn't want the kid to catch any blowback from the club if he beat him to death. When the old man had staggered to his feet and threatened to kill Jax, he'd meant it.

That was when Raven reached for his gun. He would have killed his dad to keep the kid safe, but his mom beat him on the draw. She'd picked up his dad's gun and unloaded it into the bastard at point blank range. He and Jax had stared at her in shocked disbelief while Bullet had bled out on the floor at their feet.

Then shit really went sideways.

His mom dropped the gun and smiled at Jax. The most beautiful smile Raven had ever seen on her face. Then she said something that put the fear of God into him. Three little words that sealed her fate and changed the course of his life forever. "We're finally free." Such an innocuous phrase, but her meaning was clear.

With Bullet dead, she was free to take Jax and go to his father. Just like she'd always sworn to do. She was going to hand the one person in the world who meant a damn thing to him over to a fucking monster. A man who made his old man look like a choir boy in comparison. Without conscious thought, he aimed and squeezed the trigger.

The bullet hit his mom right between the eyes, and she was dead before she hit the floor. Jax had turned on him then. The kid couldn't believe what he'd done, and truth be told, neither could Raven. Yeah, he'd loved his mom, but protecting his little brother was instinctive. There was nothing he wouldn't do to keep him safe.

Not one fucking thing.

He'd tried to explain, but Jax had been in shock and madder than hell. The kid hadn't wanted to listen to anything he'd said. So Raven had done the only thing he could do. The one thing guaranteed to keep his little brother safe. He'd pointed his gun at him and sent Jaxon safely away from the club and his old man.

Then he'd taken the next step in permanently destroying his own life. He'd called church and told the members that a coup d'état had taken place. That he had killed his old man and was taking his place as club president. After looking every one of them in the eye with a completely ruthless stare, he called for a vote.

His father's Veep had the balls to protest that the position should be his since Raven was too young to lead the club. Raven had laid his gun on the table in front of him before reminding them that his old man had groomed him as his successor since birth. If anyone else wanted the position, they'd have to kill him to take it.

The vote in favor was unanimous.

Business concluded, he'd instructed the brothers to deal with the dead bodies in his house and get the place cleaned up. Then he climbed on his bike and went for a ride. Raven didn't have any particular destination in mind. He'd just needed to clear his head and find a way to come to terms with the shit he'd done.

Somehow he wasn't surprised when he wound up at the beach. It was his brother's favorite place, and Raven used to bring him as often as he could. He parked the bike, walked down to the sand and sank to his knees. Lifting his face to the sky, he roared his pain and fury but the sound of the crashing waves drowned it out.

Dropping down onto his ass, he hung his head and cried like a baby. Not one fucking tear was shed for his old man though. He'd hated that bastard's guts and would have killed him a long time ago if he hadn't known the club members would retaliate. Getting himself killed had not been part of the plan.

And he'd had a plan for his life that didn't include the club.

No, he didn't shed a tear for that fucker.

He cried for his mom because he had loved her even though he knew his brother was her favorite. The son of the man she loved. He cried for Jax because the kid hated him and he'd lost the most important thing in his world. He cried for the future that he'd never have and the dreams that would never be fulfilled.

The sun was sinking low when a small voice asked from beside him, "Are you okay?"

Raven had lifted tear dampened eyes and looked into the face of the prettiest little girl he'd ever seen. The wind blew the mane of chocolate curls around her face as eyes of pure gold watched him intently. "Yeah," he'd replied gruffly as he scrubbed the heels of his palms over his face to wipe the tears away.

"You sure?" She asked doubtfully as she sat down on the sand in front of him. "'Cause you look like Billy Benton did when his dog was run over by a car."

A reluctant smile teased his lips at that, and he asked, "How did he look?"

"Really sad. Like he'd lost his best friend," she imparted solemnly.

Raven bit out a bark of laughter. "You're good, kid," he informed her in amusement. "That's exactly what happened."

Those golden eyes got even bigger as she asked, "Your dog was run over?"

"No," he said with a sad smile. "I lost my best friend."

"Oh. I'm sorry," the girl said regretfully, and then her expression brightened. "I can be your friend."

This kid was killing him. Just fucking killing him. She was so damn sweet and innocent like a kid should be. Nothing at all like he and Jax had been when they were kids. Hell, by the time he was her age, Raven had already witnessed his dad beat a man to death just because the dude pissed him off.

He doubted this little girl had ever known a moment's fear and certainly not from a parent who was supposed to protect her from all harm. She was too trusting by far, and he felt compelled to ask, "Anyone ever tell you it's not safe to talk to strangers?"

Without missing a beat, she asked, "What's your name?"

"Raven."

"Raven what?"

"Caulder."

"Now you're not a stranger," she informed him with a sassy smile. "I like your name. It's really cool. A lot better than mine."

Yeah, she was adorable, so he had to ask, "What's your name?"

"I'm Savannah Summers," the girl imparted and then scowled. "The kids at school call me Savannah Banana."

He choked back a laugh because she looked so indignant. "Savannah is a beautiful name," he assured her. "The kids are probably jealous cause their names aren't as pretty."

"That's what my mom said," she said in surprise then her expression became sad. "She died last month."

"My mom died today," he admitted around the lump in his throat.

"Is that why you're sad?"

"Yeah."

"Your mom was your best friend?"

"My little brother was," he admitted.

Those golden eyes grew huge again. "Did he die too?" She asked quietly.

"No. He… had to go away."

"Where did he go?"

"To live with our granddad," he admitted. He'd talked to the old man earlier and found out that Jax had gone to him, as he'd expected. Salty Jones would keep the kid safe and give him a better home than they'd ever had with their parents. At least one of them had gotten out from under the shadow of the club and could have a decent life.

"You couldn't go with him?" She asked, and he shook his head. "Why not?"

"I did something bad," Raven found himself admitting. "Now he hates me."

"Did you tell him you were sorry?" She queried, and he shook his head again. "Are you?"

"Yes," he confessed painfully. He was so sorry that he'd killed his mom. Sorry that he'd hurt his brother. That he'd ruined his own life.

"Then you have to tell him," she informed him seriously. "He loves you, so he'll forgive you."

If only it were that simple, he thought ruefully. Instead, he said, "You're pretty smart, Savannah Banana." The little spitfire gave him such an outraged look that Raven couldn't help laughing as he apologized, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not. You're laughing at me," she snapped and folded her arms over her chest.

When she pursed her lips together and glared at him, he admitted soberly, "Okay, that was mean, and I really am sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

Savannah considered him a minute before she batted her long chocolate lashes and said, "Take me for a ride on your motorcycle."

Raven stared at her in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I saw it when you got here. It's wicked cool," she enthused, the golden eyes sparkling in the setting sun.

"Not sure your dad would like that," he denied. No way in hell any decent parent would want their kid on the back of a club members bike. Or even talking to her for that matter.

"He's not here, and Grams fell asleep watching TV," she imparted as if it made little difference what the adults thought.

Well, hell. She didn't even have any real adult supervision. People could be so fucking stupid. A pretty little thing like Savannah was easy prey for predators. The knowledge pissed him the hell off, so he decided to give her the ride she wanted. "Why not?" He said with a shrug, and she squealed in delight.

The girl bounced to her feet, grabbed his hand and began tugging. "Come on, Raven," she urged in excitement as he rose to his feet. She practically dragged him across the sand to the public access area where he'd parked.

He swung a leg over the bike, held her hand to balance her and told her to stop on the peg. Savannah hopped up on the back like she'd been riding for years, not a hint of fear. "Okay, wrap your arms around me and hold on tight," he instructed and felt her little arms go around his waist as far as she could reach.

Raven cranked the bike and revved it a little as she laughed in delight. Grinning like a fool, he began to cruise slow laps around the empty parking area. He revved the motor every now and again just to hear her squeal happily. After about ten minutes, he parked the bike and helped her dismount.

Those golden eyes were sparkling with pure happiness as she bounced up and down in excitement. "That was awesome!" Savannah exclaimed and held both arms out to him for a hug. He bent at the waist, and her small arms wrapped around his neck and hugged fiercely. "Thank you, Raven. That's the most fun I ever had."

Smiling because he'd made the kid so happy, he asked, "Am I forgiven?"

She bobbed her head and magnanimously offered, "You can call me Savannah Banana as long as I get another ride."

"It's a deal," he had agreed.

When Raven drove away a few minutes later, she'd still been standing there waving goodbye in his rearview mirror. It had been twenty-two years since the last time he'd seen his young friend. In all that time he'd thought about her quite often. Whenever he found himself at the beach. Or saw a banana.

Ten years later he'd seen her on TV while her dad was sworn into office as a Supreme Court Justice. The beautiful child he remembered had become a gorgeous young woman. She still had the mane of lustrous brown hair and big golden eyes, but her curvaceous body had knocked him for a loop and left his cock as hard as forged steel.

His little Savannah Banana was smokin' hot.

The press loved her, so she was quite often shown on the news at various charity functions. When she'd completed her undergrad studies, she'd shocked everyone by joining the Peace Corps and disappeared to some third world country for a couple of years. After her stint was over, she'd returned home and gone back to school for her degree.

Since she graduated, she'd been a major advocate for abused women and children. A program that Raven totally supported and appreciated due to his personal history of abuse. Her television persona revealed that she was as sweet as he remembered, and she still had plenty of sass when fighting for something she believed in.

Raven would be lying if he denied that the woman fascinated him. She'd held the starring role in many a late night fantasy and featured prominently in dreams hot enough to set his sheets on fire. Having her on the back of his bike again was nothing short of a fucking miracle.

This time, he wasn't willing to let her go so easily.