I couldn’t keep my mind on the carburetor rebuild in front of me. It should have been easy. Metal, grease, oil, machines. Those were my escape just as much as a hard ride on an open road. Our ride up to Abilene yesterday hadn’t done a damn thing to clear my head. Ariel was all I could think about.

She was nothing like other chicks I’d been around. She wore work boots instead of stilettos. She had delicate hands, but they were rough too from hard work. If I closed my eyes, I could see hers flashing with fury as she looked at me. There was passion brewing beneath her emerald gaze. I just knew it. The clang of metal against concrete jolted me out of my head.

“Damn, Chase,” Domino said. “That’s the third time you’ve dropped that ratchet. What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“What? Nothing,” I said, stooping over to pick the thing up. I tossed the tool into the box and grabbed a towel to wipe the grease off my hands. I wasn’t going to be able to get a damn thing done if I didn’t get my head back in the game.

Domino was crouched in front of Kade’s Harley. We were tuning it up for him as a surprise. He’d taken his lady for a week’s vacation. Dom rose to his feet and turned to face me.

“I’m serious,” he said. “You were like this yesterday too. Ever since you went out to Hutchins Street the other day. What’s going on, man? I know you.”

There was an implication in his question along with genuine concern. We all had to be extra cautious lately. Bear’s instincts about brewing trouble had never been wrong. Over the last few months, we’d run into shit on some of our gun drops in the north. Nothing major, but enough to make all of us jumpy. But no matter what was going on in my head, Domino had to know I’d never let it affect the crew.

“It’s nothing,” I said.

Domino snorted. He wiped his hands on the front of his jumper and took a seat on the stool at the tool bench. “Why don’t we call it a day? That carb’s a lost cause anyway. Get a shower. Let’s blow off some steam. How long’s it been since you hooked up with Mindy or one of the other girls? She’s been chomping at the bit to get some time with you.”

I ran a hand through my hair and tossed the rag into the hamper Mama Bear kept against the wall. Mindy was one of the waitresses at a sports bar in town. We provided security for it like we did most of the businesses along the docks. She was a good girl, but there wasn’t much going on upstairs. Plus, I knew if I stopped paying attention to her for more than five minutes, she’d move on to Maddox or Bo or even one of the prospects. It was the patch that turned her on more than anything else. While that was normally good enough for me, I had zero interest in spending time with her right now.

“Not tonight,” I said.

Dom raised a dark brow. He walked over to the fridge we kept in the corner and pulled out two beers. He tossed me one. I caught it against my chest and cracked it open.

“Suit yourself, man,” he said. “But that’s what you said last night too. That ain’t like you and you know it. Look, if you don’t want to tell me your business, that’s fine. I get it.”

I put a hand up, knowing exactly where this lecture was headed. “Don’t. Seriously. There’s nothing going on, Dom. I’m just not in the mood for partying. I’m in the mood for heading to my apartment and crashing.”

Domino smirked then took a swig from his bottle. “All right. More for me.”

“Yeah? You interested in sloppy seconds? I sure as shit know Mindy won’t mind.”

“Sheeit,” Dom said, whistling low. “You can have that girl. Too much drama for my tastes.”

“Right,” I said, punching Dom in the shoulder. He was full of shit and we both knew it. Dom had a different girl every night. Not too long ago, that was my style too. Lately, I’d been going home alone. I hadn’t really put much thought into it. It was only when Dom and the others started asking that I even paid attention. It’s what made Bear take me aside and suggest I make a trip out to Hutchins Street. The anniversary of my mom’s murder wasn’t something I noted most years. On some unconscious level though, this year had been different. Damn Bear for noticing.

“I’m ready to light out of here,” I said. I threw my jumper into the bin, grabbed my Nine off the workbench and slid it into my side holster. Dom and I closed up the shop and turned out the lights. It was still early evening when we walked across the yard toward the clubhouse. The building was tucked away down a winding road of a rural highway. We had the body shop in back and woods all around. Behind that, we kept a salvage yard.

As soon as we stepped outside, Rufus, our club dog, came barreling out of the woods. That old dog was a sorry sight. He was part Pitt, part Shepherd, and part God knew what. He had one ear half torn off from a fight he’d gotten into as a puppy. The mongrel looked and sounded vicious as hell. But one scratch of his head and he’d roll to his belly with his tongue hanging out.

“Roofie!” Dom said, prompting a belly roll from him. Rufus popped up right away, his ears pricked. He raised his back and started to growl.

On instinct, my hand went to my weapon. We heard a car engine rev toward the front of the clubhouse. The place was wired with security cameras and Rufus. No one ever came back here without us knowing about it.

“The hell, man?” Dom looked at me. “You’re jumpy as shit.”

“I’m jumpy as shit. I’m distracted as shit. Which is it? Come on.” I pushed past Dom and headed around the side of the clubhouse. Dom followed with Rufus right on his heels. When I came around to the front, I froze.

A white van pulled to a stop. The signage on the side of it read “Gatling Bros. Construction.” The driver’s side door opened and Ariel stepped out. She took a nervous glance around the yard. It had to be intimidating. The clubhouse was nothing more than painted black brick. There was a line of bikes parked along the side. Then there was Rufus. He got within a foot of her and bared his teeth.

Ariel was cool though. She tucked a strand of strawberry-blonde hair behind her ears and crouched down.

“He bite?” she called out. Ariel hadn’t looked toward Dom or me, but she knew we were there.

“Not unless you’re a squirrel,” I said. Dom started to walk ahead of me, but I put a hand on his chest, gently pushing him back. He raised a skeptical brow then smirked.

Ariel already had the hang of Rufus. She scratched behind his ears and he went belly up. Her hair tumbled forward, shielding her eyes as she squatted and pet Rufus. She had on a pair of jean shorts and red cowboy boots. Her tanned legs filled both perfectly. I could see the hint of cleavage beneath her cotton shirt where she’d left the buttons opened.

Finally, she looked up. The fading sun lit her eyes, making them shine like gems. She wiped her hand on her jeans and rose, reaching for me.

I took her hand and shook it. Dom had joined us. Ariel’s eyes flicked to him.

“Dom,” I said, reluctant to share with anyone for some reason. “This is Ariel Gatling. She’s the one who bought the house on Hutchins Street.”

“Ah,” Dom said, as if all of his questions had suddenly been answered. The prick. He reached across me and shook Ariel’s hand. I didn’t like it. Dom would fuck anything. His eyes went straight to Ariel’s legs and made their way back up.

“Meet you inside,” I said to Dom, my tone harsher than I wanted. Fuck it though. I didn’t like his eyes on this girl. He got the message. Giving Ariel a quick nod, he slapped his hand to his thigh, calling Rufus along with him. As he opened the clubhouse door, a chorus of yells reached our ears. We had a full house tonight and the party was well underway.

“Is this a bad time?” Ariel asked. She’d been confident a second ago. Now that we were out here alone, she seemed uneasy; shifting her weight, she looked down at her boots.

“Nah,” I said. “It’s just Friday. The guys are blowing off steam.”

“Good call,” she said. Ariel looked up at me. Her hair fell out of her eyes and she slid her hands into her back pockets. Cocking her head to the side she finally smiled. It lit up her whole face. This woman had a natural beauty with a turned-up nose, dark lashes, and sunburnt lips I found myself wanting to taste. Tiny freckles dotted her cheeks and forehead. She wore no makeup, she didn’t style her hair. Her boots were worn at the tips and her shirt was too big for her. She had the sleeves rolled up revealing toned arms. She tucked the front of it into her jeans but the back of the shirt hung loose, billowing out. It was a man’s shirt. Jealousy slammed into my chest.

“Everything okay?” I asked. “We don’t really get too many visitors back here.”

To punctuate my point, something slammed hard against the front door of the clubhouse. Ariel jumped and I had to stop myself from putting my arms around her. She asked if this was a good time. It really wasn’t. Friday nights after an all-day gun run was when the wild things came out. Mama Bear would be lucky if just the windows got broken. The way Ariel was standing, her eyes flitting to the front door, made me think she wanted me to invite her in. No way. No chance. The Dark Saints clubhouse was no place for her on a night like tonight.

“I’m sorry. I suppose I should have just called, but …”

“But what?” I said. Heat rose from deep inside of me. Ariel was here for me. Whatever shit was brewing inside of me around her, I knew she felt it. Her cheeks colored and she gave me a nervous smile.

“I just wanted to say thank you again. And also apologize.”

“For?”

“For jumping to conclusions the other day,” she said. “For being pigheaded. It’s been eating at me. If you hadn’t have been there, Bobby and Ryan would have gotten hurt a lot worse than they were. And whether I like it or not, you being there looking like ... well ... you. It didn’t go unnoticed.”

I tilted my head and smiled. “Looking like me?”

“This,” she said. Ariel kept one hand in her back pocket. With the other, she jabbed a finger into the patch I wore. “Port Azrael is a small town. The north side is even smaller. Word gets around. Whether I like it or not, if people think your club’s going to mess with them if they mess with my job site ... well ... it goes a long way.”

“I thought you didn’t like my kind.”

She looked up at me. The sunlight had shifted. Now it shone directly in her eyes. Ariel lifted a hand to shield them. “I’m not saying I do. But you didn’t have to stick your neck out for my guys. You did anyway. I don’t regret trying to protect what’s mine, but I did try to take your head off with a sledgehammer the first time we met. When I’m wrong—mind you, it’s not often—I say it. I realize now that was mostly a misunderstanding.”

“Mostly?”

Her sigh of exasperation got my blood pumping. I found I liked getting under this girl’s skin way too much.

“You’re determined to make this difficult, aren’t you?” Ariel jutted her chin in defiance. She had her hands in her back pockets again. It made her shirt stretch open. Little blotches of color spread over her chest. She was embarrassed, uncomfortable. Whatever effect she was having on me, she seemed to have it just as bad.

I leaned forward and bent at the knees, putting myself at eye level with her. Ariel’s breath caught and the blush on her chest deepened. Her lips parted and her tongue darted out, quick as a cat as she wet them. Oh, I’d like to wet them for her. I wanted to see just how far that little blush spread. Fuck. If she were paying attention, she might just be able to tell how much I wanted that. My jeans grew tight just thinking about it.

“You’re welcome,” I said, straightening. “And I won’t hold the sledgehammer against you. It was kind of sexy.”

Ariel gasped and rolled her eyes. She took a step back. “Sexy? You have any idea how close you came to getting your chest caved in? I know what I’m doing with that thing, Chase.”

I laughed. “A hot chick who smashes brick. I think that’s maybe a better name for your company.”

I was kidding, but it earned me a flash of fire in Ariel’s eyes. Oh, I wanted her. Bad. How much was starting to shock even me.

“You making fun of me?” she asked. “Go ahead. People have been making assumptions about me ever since I took this business over.”

She was pissed. I’d offended her. I hadn’t meant to. “People make assumptions about me and my club too.”

No sooner had I gotten the words out before the front door opened. Bo was shitfaced. He poked his head out and waved a beer bottle in front of him. “Better get in here, Chase,” he called out. “Unless you want one of the prospects to warm Mindy up for you!”

I could have fucking killed him. Strong hands pulled Bo back by the shoulders and the front door slammed shut. When I turned back to Ariel, she’d taken a few steps back.

“Anyway,” she said. “I should leave you to it. I’ve got a crew starting demo out at Hutchins Street in the morning. Thanks again, Chase.”

Frost had risen in her eyes where the heat had been. Fucking Bo. “Hey, Ariel,” I said. “Don’t pay any attention to those assholes. I meant what I said. People make assumptions.”

She nodded. “Sure. lt’s cool, Chase. Like I said, I probably should have just called.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” I said, taking a step toward her. I wanted the heat back in her eyes and the blush on her cheeks.

“And again, I’m glad you came out to the Hutchins property when you did. For Bobby and Ryan’s sakes. They’re okay. Just a little banged up but they’re coming to work tomorrow, thanks to you. But, Chase, having you around that site is a double-edged sword, you know?”

I did know. Sure, I’d keep the scrappers and thugs away, but I might also keep the new buyers away when that time came. The truth burned like acid in my mouth, but I couldn’t fault her for thinking it.

“Don’t believe everything you hear, Ariel,” I said. I grew bold. I reached for her and brushed a hair from her face. I let my finger linger over her cheek. Ariel sucked in a breath and that fire came back into her eyes.

I wanted to kiss her and so much more. She wanted it too, I think. She let out a hot little breath and I moved toward her.

Friday night hell picked that exact moment to break loose. Shards of glass exploded from the front window. Two of the prospects crashed through the front door with Shep and Bo chasing behind them. Then it was chaos as more members poured out the front door, taking the brawl into the yard.

I put a protective hand on Ariel, pulling her away from the melee. She stiffened at my touch and my heart sank. She’d put her wall of ice back up as I looked at her.

“Ariel,” I said.

She blocked me with her hand and shook her head. “I’m gone,” she said.

The fight behind us broke up within seconds. It was nothing. Just a bunch of drunk assholes blowing off steam. One of the probies had probably made moves on Bo’s chick of the night or some shit. It was pack mentality around here. Bo and Shep were just putting the probies in their place. It was part of the dues they had to pay with the Saints. But to Ariel, I knew it looked like trouble she didn’t want.

Shaking her head, she kept her hands up, palms out in a defensive posture as she backed up toward her van. I looked over my shoulder, making sure the worst of the bullshit stayed far away from her. She wasn’t going to get hurt on my watch. Not ever.

It was too late though. She’d seen enough. She climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. She slammed the car into reverse and her tires squealed as she drove away.