Beth walked out of the casting room and wanted to collapse into a heap of spent nerves but there were too many people about. Too many people, and Grim. He stood up from where he’d been sitting, waiting, and came to take her hand.

“You look lovely, and I’ll bet you killed it in there.”

“Thanks.” Beth was taken aback by the change in Grim. His eyes were bright, his face animated, and for the first time he was focused entirely on her. He walked her out of the small lobby where six women sat waiting their turn to audition, every one of them looking on in unveiled envy that she was the one with Grim McKinley on her arm.

“I mean it. I’ll put in a good word for you, but I’m sure you’ll get it.”

“You didn’t even see the audition.”

“No, but I saw the way they looked at you as you went in. And I saw their faces as you went out. You’ve got the look, and that’s half the battle. That and I’m sure you’re able to act the crap out of the role.”

Beth’s head spun. When she’d said out loud that she didn’t want to be with Grim anymore as a couple, a weight had lifted from her shoulders she hadn’t even realized had been sitting there. But now, with the full force of Grim’s charm focused on her, she wondered whether she’d been too hasty. Grim was the one who could take her career places. And this new Grim was the one she’d daydreamed about for months. The full Prince Charming, the one who wanted her career to shine as much as his so they could be a success story together. If she was going to tell the world her story about her struggle to walk, to build a platform to help eradicate polio across the world, having him by her side would make it so much easier.

And then there was Rusty. For a moment, the rush and thrill of being with him filled her nerve endings. Her skin heated, her heart quickened, and she had to cram a piece of her hair into her mouth to calm herself. Rusty was the biker who moved her body and soul. But he moved them into places she wasn’t even sure she was ready to go. WWMWD? Right now, she had no idea.

“Shall we get out of here?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He led her to one of the many cafés that were staffed by aspiring actors like herself and pulled out a chair for her.

“So, Rusty tells me you’ve shot your pilot already. How did it go?”

“It went well, actually.”

“Good. Good. Rusty will be pleased.”

She sat up straighter. The conversation she’d heard between him and Rusty had been brutal, and Grim had made it clear that he thought making a TV show about Rusty’s shop was not a good idea. “I thought you didn’t want him to make it?”

Now he was the one to sit up straighter. His eyes narrowed. “Is that what he told you?”

“No. I heard you fighting.”

Grim visibly relaxed. “Right. Yeah. Brotherly love, huh? Guess I wasn’t quite ready to share my spotlight yet.” He grinned and Beth found herself caught up in the grin. It was contagious, conspiratorial, cute. “What did the producer think? Has he sent it out to the networks yet?”

Okay. If Rusty had already told him that they had a producer on board it meant they were talking about it at least. That was good, wasn’t it? Beth allowed herself a smile. “He loved it. It’s pretty exciting.”

“As exciting as getting a part in this movie?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t have the part yet, do I? And just because one producer liked our pilot doesn’t meant that he’ll be able to sell it. Or that I’ll be a part of it. The show is about the bikes. The bikes and the boys in that shop.”

“Are you sure about that?”

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I saw you in there, just before. The girls in that waiting room all looked pissed at you. They can tell you’ve got something going.” He smirked. “Or maybe it was this.” He held up his phone and showed her an obscure online newspaper with the pictures of them kissing underneath a heading that read WHO’S THE NEW STARLET IN TOWN?

New starlet? She’d take that sort of headline any day. “Wow, that’s only come out now?”

“My agent gave the photographer a nudge, figured it wouldn’t harm your chances of getting the role.”

The waitress delivered their coffees and looked longingly at Grim and enviously at Beth. Maybe he was right. Maybe things were finally changing. “That’s very nice of you. But I’m hardly a new starlet. I haven’t had a callback in well over two months.”

“That’s because you’ve been going to the wrong auditions. And I have to be honest with you, being attached to a reality TV show might not do you that many favors.”

Frowning, she stirred too much sugar into her coffee and then set the spoon in exactly the right spot to be equidistant from the handle and the midpoint of the cup. “Do you really think so? Seems to me that everyone does some sort of reality TV at the moment. I mean, what’s Instagram if not a reality TV show into your own life?”

He sat back and smiled. “Fair enough. I was just checking that you were totally committed to the idea.”

She shrugged. “I’m committed to getting the show up for Rusty. I don’t necessarily have to be in the whole thing, but I enjoyed working on it. Dave thinks I should direct some episodes. Get a director’s credit.”

“Director’s credit, huh, good for you. Can you show it to me? Maybe I can help.”

“I have the trailer on my phone.”

“That’ll do it. Show me.”

This was good, wasn’t it? Having Grim pass his eye over their work. He might add something they’d missed. Something that would help make Rusty’s dream a reality. She pulled up the email from Dave, which had the two-minute trailer he’d roughed out from their pilot edit. The scene with her and Rusty wasn’t in it, but there were a few shots of them looking at each other like coconspirators. She suddenly felt nervous, and went to put the phone away. “It’s not polished. We worked on the pilot and the trailer was a bit of an afterthought.”

“No excuses. If it’s good, then it’s good. I should be able to see that.” He put out his hand. Good one, genius. If you don’t give it to him now you’ll look all kinds of rude. Pressing play, Beth handed the phone to Grim and watched him as he viewed it.

His face moved between a frown and laughter but he didn’t take his eyes off the screen. In fact, it looked like he was studying it a whole lot harder than she’d expect anyone to look at a trailer for a TV reality show. She heard the ending music but he pushed play and watched the whole thing over again. Was that weird? Beth took a sip of her coffee and tried to chill. He was just double-checking perhaps, looking out for his brother?

He handed the phone back to her and despite the flashing kaleidoscope of emotions she knew he was capable of, his face gave nothing away. In the end she had to ask, “So? Is the producer right? Is it good?”

Grim shrugged. “Not bad. Not bad at all. Can you email me the full pilot? To see if my agent can help with the sales deal.”

“I guess.”

“Great. Always good to come at these things from a couple of angles.” He took a sip of coffee. “How many guys work at the shop?”

“Six, and Lucy.”

“Lucy. Right. And they all work standard hours? Monday to Saturday? Seven a.m. ’til what, five p.m.?”

“I guess. I know Rusty has Sundays off.” This was weird. “What are you thinking?”

“Just, you know, getting a lay of the land. Glad he’s closed tomorrow, good for Rusty to have a day off. Are there always that many bikes in there? Looked like more than seven people could handle.”

Now she was confused. “They work on more than one bike at a time. Do you think there are too many? Are the shots crowded?” She started to pull up the trailer on her phone but Grim put a hand over hers.

“No. It’s fine. I’m just interested. Want to see my brother do well.”

“Right.” Beth felt better.

“Why don’t you and Rusty go out and celebrate finishing the pilot on Sunday? Whatever happens with it, it’s an achievement. Take him to breakfast. He works too hard. Make him take the day off properly. My treat.”

Something crackled over Beth’s skin. This didn’t seem like the sort of relationship the two brothers had. “I don’t know if he’ll accept it.”

“So don’t tell him it’s on me. I’ll book you a table at Mirabel’s. Ten o’clock. Make Rusty wear something other than leather.” Grim knocked back the rest of his coffee and stood, and Beth didn’t feel like she could do anything other than follow his lead.

* * *

Rusty had slept alone last night, afraid if he pushed too hard too fast it would all come tumbling down. Every part of him wanted to creep into her bed when he heard her come home from her auditioning and networking with Grim. To ask her what she was thinking, what she and Grim had talked about, but he held off. He wanted her, all of her. But he wanted her to come to him when she was ready, so he could wait.

Then this morning, Rusty had been surprised that Beth wanted to go out to breakfast with him. Surprised and pleased that she wanted to go out in public with him when she’d been spending so much time on Grim’s arm, but when they’d turned up at Mirabel’s he’d felt distinctly uncomfortable. It was a restaurant full of Hollywood hoi polloi. Actors, directors, people determined to be seen. Beth was animated, alive, pointing out the people she recognized: directors, producers, people behind the camera that he’d hardly even heard of.

But he was happy just watching her take it all in. He was happy sitting and watching her, period. Sure, the waiters looked down their noses at him—the neck tattoo poking out of his T-shirt was probably slightly more dirty ink than they were used to. And to be fair there wasn’t anyone else here in a T-shirt, with or without tattoos. But he was with Beth. His Beth.

The past couple weeks with her had been amazing. Earth-shattering. Life-changing. Seriously, all the trashy magazine headlines in the world couldn’t sum up how he’d felt knowing that he’d had Beth in his bed. Maybe tonight he’d have her back in there again. The thought of it warmed him, gave the snooty restaurant a golden glow it probably didn’t deserve.

“Grim thought the pilot looked good.”

Rusty swam back out of his rose-tinted haze and focused on the reason he was so fuzzy. It took him a second to register what she’d said. “He’s seen it?”

“Just the trailer. Watched it three times.” She gave him a big smile.

But before he could say anything one of the snooty waiters came and took their order.

“Don’t tell me. He was all worried about you. Told you to get out of the pilot and focus on being with him?”

“No. Actually . . .” She pursed her lips but her eyes were still cheerful. “He agreed that pretty much everyone has a bit of reality TV on their résumé these days. You should give him more credit. I think he genuinely wants what’s best for you.”

Rusty nodded warily, waiting for the punch line. Because with his brother, there was always a punch line. “My brother, protector of men.” He laughed, but quietly.

“I know you have had your differences, but you’re still brothers. I would have given anything to have had a brother,” Beth said, and he realized she’d gone very quiet.

This wasn’t good. He took a deep breath. “When Pop died, Grim was okay, but I took it hard. I was younger; Pop had been my hero my whole life. I guess Grim had moved past that, started to become his own person, all of that. I went into myself. Looked for meaning or some shit. But it was dark in there. Dark dark. Then when Mom died the year after, I kinda lost it for a while. I started picking fights, did a bit of petty theft. And then I started hanging around the Reapers. Just, you know, at parties and stuff. Around the edges. They had what looked like family.”

“I’ve never understood that,” Beth said carefully. “How can a group of men you don’t know be family?”

“If you have a group of people who don’t have anyone else, I guess they just fill the gap as best they can. We all knew about loyalty. I reckon it’s the one thing that everyone inside a club has missed out on in life and so when they find it, they cling to it like their life depends on it. Loyalty to the club above all.” He paused, and yes, it was a truth he’d never articulated, but it resonated with him on a deep level. “Anyway, when Grim got into trouble, it wasn’t that big of a leap for me to join up, take on his debt, be part of the Reapers’ family for real.”

“Sounds like it was as much your choice as his.”

“It was, to start. Until I got in and found out what a mess he’d left for me to inherit. And what a mission it would be to get out again. Grim sold me up the river and when I got out, he never even once said thanks.”

“Sounds like you still have a lot to work through.”

“Something like that.”

“He seems genuinely concerned about you now.”

Rusty felt, rather than heard, a cold edge slip into Beth’s voice and he pulled back. “Grim is worried about his investment. He lent me some money for my garage when I first got set up, only it turns out it wasn’t his money to lend. He owes a whole ton of cash and the guy he owes it to wants the garage. Grim’s worried this guy will take it all and then I’ll lose out on my garage and the TV show. Grim wants me to walk away now. Start over, and then do the show.”

“That’s hardly fair to you,” Beth said and Rusty could have kissed her.

“That’s what I told him. I’ve paid his debt already.”

“But what if he’s right?”

“The Hell’s boys have my back.”

“Because that’s what family does?” Her smile was light, and Rusty let go of the tension he’d hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She put a hand over his and as it always did, it sent sparks brighter than a sparkplug’s through his fingers. He forced himself to ask the question that had been hovering ever since she went out to meet Grim. She’d kept quiet about it except for perfunctory answers to his questions. “What about you? Will you raise a glass to me? To us?”

The smile was slow and warm and it filled Rusty up just looking at it creep across her face. “I keep trying to talk myself out of this . . .” She waved a hand between them.

“You want to be with my brother.” The words tasted bitter as they came out.

“It was my plan. I’ve had a crush on him for months; I told you that. And he’s more connected, in the right industry, and can take me places I’ve been struggling to get to on my own.”

He stayed sitting upright, but every part of Rusty slumped. This was it. It was over. She’d finally realized that he was just a biker with a knack for making motors sound pretty and chassis look hot. His brother had won. Of course he had.

“But I can’t deny how I feel about you, Rusty McKinley.”

His head snapped up. “What did you say?”

“Just that we don’t make sense. But I feel things with you I didn’t know I could feel. You make everything seem possible. Is it bad that I want my cake and to eat it too? Can you and your brother patch things up enough so that I can still work with him?”

“I can try.” For her, he’d try and move heaven and earth.

The waiter appeared with their food and as they ate, Beth became her usual bouncy self. This was good, Rusty thought. Her hesitation to start with had been concern about the Reapers coming after him. Damn Grim. If he hadn’t just promised Beth that he’d try and make an effort with his brother, he’d gladly never see him again.

But this was the start of something real. Beth, him, the garage—he was going to get his life back. If Beth needed him to make nice with Grim as part of it, then so be it. But if Grim’s backer started making trouble, Rusty had Rocco and the Hell’s boys’ assurance that they’d help out. It was his time. His time to start building something.