Gunner and the others are gone for hours and hours. I’m incredibly grateful to Sydney, who stays with me the whole time. She even manages to make me laugh a few times, in spite of the fact that I’m completely on edge waiting for the men to get back.

Sydney calls one of the other old ladies — apparently, that’s what the club calls the wives and long-term girlfriends — to keep us company. Her name is Jenna, and apparently she’s with Ghost, the Sergeant at Arms. Jenna’s petite, like me, but maybe an inch shorter. She’s got straight blond hair, a couple of shades darker than my wavy tresses, and blue eyes to my brown. But other than that, we could be cousins.

Jenna introduces herself to me, and says hello to Sydney and Jewel. “The kids are with the sitter, so I’m here as long as you need me,” she says, sliding onto a bar stool.

“Where’s Sam?” Sydney asks.

“She’s at a shoot. Couldn’t get away.” Sydney turns to me. “Samantha is Hawk’s old lady. She’s a photographer. She might show up later if she can manage it.”

The three women tell me a little more about themselves as Jewel brings us something a little stronger to drink. I find out that not only is Jenna Ghost’s old lady, she’s also the sister of Angel, the vice-president of the club. She has two kids with Ghost, a boy named Noah and a girl named Mariana. Sydney blushingly tells me she and Brick don’t have any children yet, but that they’re trying.

“What about you, Jewel?” I ask the bartender, a tall, pretty woman with honey-colored hair and a wide, open smile. “Are you someone’s old lady, too?”

Jewel bursts into peals of laughter. “Hardly,” she giggles. “I’m not a club girl, either. I just tend bar here.”

“How do you get a job as a bartender for a motorcycle club?” I ask, perplexed. “I mean, I don’t imagine they put a help wanted ad in the paper.”

Jewel laughs again. “No, not exactly. It’s a bit of a long story. I was working at a place in Lincolnville,” she says vaguely, and trails off. Jewel’s gaze flicks quickly to Jenna. “I was looking for a change of scenery. Ghost and Angel used to come in from time to time. Eventually Angel told me the club was looking for a bartender.” She looks around with a shrug. “The rest is history, I guess,” she smiles.

I’m curious about what kind of place she was working in before this, but something in Jewel’s manner tells me she’d rather not talk about it anymore. Instead, I take a sip of my drink.

“So, how are you doing, Alix?” Jenna asks me then in a concerned voice. “Sydney told me a little bit about your situation. She said Gunner’s helping you look for your missing sister?”

Even though I didn’t plan to, I end up telling Jenna, Sydney, and Jewel the whole story about why I’m here. I even tell them that Gunner’s been letting me stay at his place, though I leave out the part about us being slightly more than friends. But Sydney doesn’t take my silence on the matter sitting down.

“So… what exactly is up between you and Gunner, anyway?” she winks.

“Nothing,” I stammer. “I mean, not really. He’s just… helping me, like I told you at your coffee shop.”

“Uh-huh,” she says dismissively, clearly not believing a word I say. “But what you didn’t tell me was that you’re staying at Gunner’s house. That was important information you left out, girlfriend.”

“What’s his house like?” Jewel asks with wide eyes. “I can’t even imagine.”

“It’s just… normal,” I say. “Nice, actually. It would even be comfortable there, if I wasn’t jumping out of my skin with worry.”

“So, your sister… do you think something might have happened to her?” Sydney asks, her voice gentle.

“I’m not sure,” I say miserably. “We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms. She might just have decided she doesn’t want to talk to me anymore. But I just have this bad feeling, you know? Like something’s wrong. I just want to make sure she’s okay. The guy she was with before she left — Gonzalo — he’s kind of bad news.” My voice shakes a little, and I swallow painfully. “Gunner told me he found out Gonzalo’s crowd are heroin dealers. I’m just worried, you know? I’m scared Eden’s gotten caught up in something, and she’s in over her head.”

“Don’t worry,” Jenna says soothingly. “The Lords will find her. If it’s one thing all these men are, it’s determined. They’ll never stop until they’ve done what they set out to do.”

“Back to Gunner,” Jewel begins. The other women laugh. “Sorry, but I have to live vicariously through you ladies.” She looks at me with an excited, expectant expression. “How did you meet him?”

“At a biker bar east of here a few days ago. The Smiling Skull.”

Jenna nods. “I know that place. What were you doing there?”

“Looking for my sister.” I hesitate for a moment. “I went there to confront Gonzalo. Gunner, um, sort of rescued me.”

“Wow, and brought you all the way back here?” Sydney half-whistles and turns to the others. “You must have really made an impression.”

“What’s he like? You know… when you’re alone?” Jewel presses.

“Um, good, but…”

“Finally!” Sydney hoots, clapping her hands. “She admits it!”

“Guys, it’s really not like that,” I protest, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

“Apparently, it really is!” Jenna laughs, but not unkindly. “Come on, you’re among friends here.”

“Yeah,” Sydney agrees. “Heather is nowhere in sight.”

I involuntarily grimace at the mention of the bitchy redhead.

“Oh, God, Heather,” Jewel groans. “She is the worst.”

In spite of myself, I can’t help but ask about her. “Is it true, what she said?” I begin, half-afraid of the answer. “That she and Gunner have been… together?”

“‘Together’? God, no,” Jenna scoffs. “At least, not like that. Gunner’s never given her, or any of the other club who… girls… a second glance. Or any other woman, in my experience.” She gives me a knowing grin. “Except for you, that is.”

Sydney agrees. “Exactly. Girl, he rescued you, and brought you to his house to help you find your sister. Sorry, but you are kidding yourself if you don’t think he’s serious about you.”

“But I’ve only known him a few days,” I protest.

“Psh,” Sydney scoffs. “When these men know what they want, they go after it. They don’t mess around.”

My heart leaps at her words, but almost immediately I make myself squash down my hope. I’m sure the women think they’re making me feel better, but it’s not helping at all that they’re putting ideas in my head. Especially because I think they’re seriously misinterpreting what’s going on here. I mean, sure, he clearly likes having sex with me — and our bodies are unusually in tune with each other — and he seems to think I’m easy on the eyes. But to go from that to thinking he’s serious about me? I can’t imagine that’s true. As much as part of me wants to believe it.

The sound of a motorcycle engine getting closer makes Sydney and Jenna turn their heads toward the front door of the clubhouse. “Speak of the devil,” Jenna says with a wink as Gunner comes striding in a minute later.

His eyes immediately begin scanning the large room until they lock on me. With a slight nod and a curve of his lip, he starts to walk toward us.

“Ooohh, damn,” Jewel murmurs. “If only one of those men would look at me like that.”

I don’t say anything in response, because my insides are already turning to jelly under the heat of Gunner’s stare. He’s across the room in a couple of seconds. Between my legs, a familiar throbbing begins, so instantaneous I’m almost sure everyone else can see what he’s doing to me. I glance away quickly, and try to compose myself.

“Ladies,” his deep, sensuous voice greets us. “Thanks for keeping Alix company while we were gone.”

“Where are the others?” asks Sydney.

“They’re gonna be just a little while longer,” Gunner says evenly. “They should be back by the end of the night, though.”

Sydney nods. “Well, I think I’ll run back to the coffee shop to check on things there, and go on home.”

“Thanks for coming to keep me company, Sydney,” I say sincerely. “I would have been going crazy here by myself.”

“Any time,” she smiles at me. “I mean it.”

“I think I’ll head out, too,” Jenna says, rising. “I need to go pick up the kids.” She looks at Gunner, then back at me. “We’ll leave you two alone to debrief,” she says, innuendo clear in her voice.

I glance at Gunner to see his reaction, and to my surprise, he’s grinning wolfishly. “See you two later.”

Jenna turns to the bartender. “See ya, Jewel.”

“Bye, girl,” Jewel replies, and moves off down the bar.

We watch as Jenna and Sydney walk toward the exit. Gunner turns to me. His eyes are blazing with what I realize is unconcealed lust.

“Come upstairs,” he orders.

“Are you going to tell me what happened while you were gone?” I ask, but already I’m getting some other ideas.

“Yeah,” he growls, pulling me against him so I can feel the hot, hard length of him. “I’ll tell you everything. But first things first.”