“Ryder! What the hell?” I shoved open my window and yelled at the prospect climbing through. His white t-shirt clung to his sweaty muscles showing off just how hard he works for them. “My dad is home. What are you thinking? How’d you even get up—”

He wiped the sweat from his brow, grabbed the sides of my face, and crushed our lips together, stopping my rant. “Dang it, Raine, I couldn’t take it. I had to kiss you.”

He sat on my bed while I locked the door. “My dad will fucking kill you, you know that right? You’re supposed to be on your way with your old man to have family dinner like every other damn Sunday night.” 

I started pacing around my room, until my eyes fell on the dark green irises of the man that had started to steal my heart. It was completely forbidden. Over my father’s dead body would I be with one of his club members, but you can’t help who your heart wants. I was falling hard and fast for someone my father would never approve of me being with, and that rebellious undertone to all of it made Ryder that much more intriguing. 

I waggled my hips as I walked over to the biker sitting on my bed. I let my fingertips lightly roll over the dirty leather draped over his shoulders, gliding over the prospect patch on his chest. I got chills just from being that close to Ryder, smelling his musky cologne, hearing his breath hitch as his eyes slowly closed and his hands gripped my sides; it was all intoxicating. Crawling into Ryder’s strong, tattooed arms was short-lived heaven. 

“Raine!” I heard my dad call from the bottom of the stairs as his boots started to thud up each step. “Dinner’s almost ready and everyone will be here soon.”

“Shit! Get in the damn closet!” I yell-whispered at Ryder, kicking him out of the bed with my socked feet as I attempted to fix my lion’s mane of hair.

Once I knew he was safely hidden, I swung the door open to my father’s wide chest taking up the door frame, his hand in midair like he was about to try the doorknob. My heart was pounding in my chest. I was sure my face was a bazillion shades of red and I could barely catch my breath, but I forced a smile and wrapped my arms around his middle. 

“Sounds good, Dad.” My voice was as sweet as honey and I looked up at my father, watching as he melted to mush on the spot. I was his Achilles heel and I wasn’t proud of using it to my advantage from time to time, but a girl has to do what she has to do to make sure her dad doesn't step into a room and smell a hiding guy’s cologne stinking up the place.

“Get your butt downstairs and help your mother and brother.” He smiled and winked before turning to leave. Abel Hellock was the hard-as-nails Unacceptables president, but when it came to his family, he was a total teddy bear.

“I just need to change and then I will be down.”

My father looked me up and down: I was in a white tank top and cutoff jeans, my normal attire. “You look fine to me.” He shrugged.

“We’re having company, shouldn’t I want to look nice?”

His eyes narrowed as he pursed his lips. “I guess.” He kissed me on the cheek. “See you downstairs in a minute. Hurry it up little lady.”

“I will.”

After locking the doorknob again, I swung open my closet door. “You have to get out of here Ryder.”

Tears stung at the backs of my eyes. I hated having to hide him, but for everyone’s sanity and safety, it was necessary. 

“I know babe. I’m sorry. I just can’t stay away from you.”

I kissed his soft lips, grabbing his hand. “Hopefully we’ll just find a way to convince him that you’re not like the rest of the guys. We’ll figure something out.”

“I know. I love you Raine.”

He kissed my cheek and I was frozen. No man had ever said those words to me other than my father and brother. My heart gushed. My hands started to shake. I threw my arms around his neck and crashed our lips together. 

I reluctantly pulled away after a few seconds, feeling the weight of the moment smacking me like a ton of bricks. “And I love you, Ryder.”

With that he ducked out the window to ring the doorbell. I watched out the window as he hopped off my roof, mesmerized by the moment. Even though we hadn’t been together for very long, the feelings and emotions that wrapped us was more intense and palpable than anything else I had ever felt in my entire like.

There was no way in hell I was going to be able to sit through an entire family dinner without wanting to grab Raine and drag her upstairs to show her how much I meant those three words that had just changed everything in our relationship.

We sat around Abel’s large dining room table with half of the club members and their old ladies. It was like a freaking scene out of a TV show. I hoped that with all of the dang people that were gathered around, I would be able to hide my nerves and the fact that my hands were shaking from the adrenaline of knowing that the woman I was madly in love with felt the same way. It was a feeling I had never felt before: being loved back. 

“So Ryder, how is the new bike holding up?” Crickett passed the mashed potatoes over to me while Abel stared at me, expecting an answer. I quickly snapped out of my love-soaked, Raine-filled daze of thinking about the ways I could try to show Abel I was worthy of being with his daughter.

“Fa-fine. Way better than that old piece of shit I’d had since I was seventeen.” I tried to keep calm but I knew that my president and his wife weren't dumb. They would be able to see through my bullshit and scared demeanor, it was only just a matter of time.

My dad put his hand on my shoulder. “This kid is starting to really become a badass mechanic, Abel. We’ve taught him well.”

Holton Walsh was a good man. He tried to be a good father, but he was naturally an amazing club member. He helped Crickett run the bar and every spare minute he had was spent slaving away in the club’s shop. From cars to diesel trucks to motorcycles, Holt knew his shit, and I was lucky to be working under his wing. He’d never admit it, but he was even better at running things than Abel.

Raine was sitting across from me, eyes glued to her plate. “Raine, honey? Everything all right?” Crickett put her hand on her stepdaughter’s forearm.

“Huh?” Raine’s doe eyes snapped up to Crickett. “Oh, yeah. It’s just been a long day.”

Between taking classes at the community college, helping out some nights at the bar, and working as a receptionist and parts runner for the shop, Raine barely had any alone time. I knew I wasn’t helping her stress level and that bothered me more than anything.

Abel cleared his throat. “Maybe we need to cut back on your hours at the bar. Between Holt, your mother, and me, I think we can handle it.”

Finally, a moment to start to show how valuable I could be. “I’ll chip in some time too, Abel, if that would help.”

My president smiled over at me. “Actually, I might take you up on that, kid.”

Kid. What a fucking degrading word, but oh-the-fuck-well; I had to get over it.

“No problem.”

Trent Laurence was a few seats away from me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the scumbag eyeing Raine. It was no secret that since the day he’d patched in, all he’d wanted was to get with her. Abel was the only thing stopping the creepy, womanizing bastard from trying to get his grubby hands all over my chick. I tightened the grip on my fork as I tried to not be obvious in my loathing. 

Trent’s brittle voice pierced the air. “Abel, you know I could help some at the bar. Anything for sweet Raine.”

I wanted to grab him by his throat and rip out his vocal cords for even saying her name. I glared down at my food while I listened to Abel respond. 

“You’re needed elsewhere and you know it Tre.”

Crickett’s honey voice was next and I glanced up to see her smiling sweetly at me. “I think with Ryder’s help we’ll be good to go, Tre, but thank you for the offer.” 

Crickett put her hand on Abel’s forearm and I watched his stiff shoulder relax. Our body language was mirroring each other’s and in that moment, Abel started to catch on to my secret; I could see it in his eyes as he glanced from Trent to me for a few seconds.

Raine’s little brother, Collin, was the saving grace for the evening, starting small talk at the other end of the table about his excitement about finally being a part of the football team again after a broken foot had benched him most of the season before. 

The rest of the night dragged on as slow as molasses in the dead of winter while the giant elephant in the room loomed right behind me. I hated leaving Raine’s company but I needed to get the fuck out of that house as fast as humanly possible. The glances from Abel and having to listen to Tre’s snide comments about Raine nearly made me lose it.

“Well, we better go do the books, babe.” Abel grabbed Crickett’s hand before shoving up from the table. “Let me just grab my jacket and we’ll head to the bar.”

When I hugged Crickett goodbye, she kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks for offering to help out at the bar. Come in tomorrow before you head to the shop and we can figure out a schedule while Raine is setting up.”

“Will do.”

After shaking Abel’s hand, high-fiving Collin, and awkwardly hugging Raine, my dad and I road off down the winding dirt road that led to the Walsh home.

Finally. Liberation washed over me while the cool night air cleansed my overwrought mind. I needed to figure everything out. My entire life had just flipped over on its axis and I had no idea how to handle it. I was supposed to be this hardass biker that didn’t give a shit about anything, let alone love, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. Seeing Crickett and Abel was refreshing though; somehow Abel had been able to be a club president with the love of his life by his side and they made it work. The revelation sunk in deeply and finally my frenzied nerves started to settle.

We made our way up the front steps to our tiny house. Before opening the door, my father turned to me. “Everything all right, son?”

I nodded, digging my keys out of my pocket. “Yeah, why?”

“Dunno, you just seemed a little off this evening. Offering to take on more work when you’re already working fifty-plus hours a week seems a little much, don't ya think?” My father followed me into the house and sank onto the living room couch.

I grabbed two beers from the fridge and joined him. “I’d do anything for this family, that’s all.”

Holt opened his beer and clanked the neck of his to mine. “That’s my boy. Gotta look out for the best interest.”

I pursed my lips after taking the perfect first sip from the longneck. “Exactly.”

“So, does she know yet?” My father took a long swig of his beer with an eyebrow raised at me.

I thumbed the top of my bottle. “Does who know what?”

He chuckled a little. “Do you really think I am a fool, Ryder?”

I shook my head. “She knows.”

“When are you going to tell Abel?”

I shook my head. “He won’t approve. Raine’s trying to keep it a secret for now.”

“Shit always hits the fan, son. You need to man up.”

I pursed my lips. “I can’t go against her wishes.”

After staring at his beer for a few seconds, my dad looked up at me. “You cannot let fear stand in your way. It’ll make you weak, and one thing we are not, my boy, is fucking pussies.”