“Auntie Anna,” Adair called, tugging at my shirt and pulling me from my daze. My mind had been going over last night again and again as I looked into the empty screen of my phone. I turned the phone off, tucking it in my back pocket as I looked down at the young boy.

His blond curls and bright green eyes were the spitting images of his father’s. I felt my heart pang just a little as I reached up and helped him climb onto my lap. Noble had been a brother in the club, one who’d filled his life with women, sex, and bikes and did it smiling all the way. He’d been a carefree bastard, and I’d liked that about him. His only problem being the nonstop flirting.

“Mia and Chloe asked me to choose between them,” Adair announced to me. “But I don’t know who to choose.”

Yep, that trait had been passed on to his son, too.

I forced myself not to burst out laughing at the kid’s deeply concerned frown, obviously feeling that it was a very serious issue to him. Adair had only just turned four years old, and the girls he had to choose between were six and eight. Chloe and Mia were Ripper’s two daughters, and they’d both been smitten with him ever since he joined the gang a year ago.

“Don’t even think about it,” Hunter interrupted as he dropped down beside me, his wife, Mallory, squeezing in next to him. “I’m fed up with Ripper being up my ass about you flirting with his girls.”

“It’s not my fault, Uncle Hummer!” Adair whined, giving him his best puppy dog eyes. A new skill he’d mastered thanks to Jax’s helpful tutoring.

I flashed a look up to Mallory, whose eyes softened on her little boy. She didn’t get in between them, though, choosing to just watch from the side as Adair continued to defend himself against his uncle. Hunter had been Noble’s brother, and once he’d learned about Adair being Noble’s son, he had literally dragged Mallory back home to Fellpeak so he could raise his nephew; and after a long year, the two finally got married.

Adair climbed off my lap, upset after losing an argument with his uncle, and headed back over to where the two girls were.

“That’s new,” I said, watching his little feet stomp on the floor as he weaved through the brothers that were crowded in the small confines of the compound. Many stopped to talk to him, now referring to the boy as “Prince” for his kind but flirtatious ways similar to his father’s, but Adair ignored them in his escape.

“Kid doesn’t like doing what he’s told.” Hunter sighed. “It’s a genetic flaw.”

Mallory slapped his chest, giving him a mock scowl. “He just really likes Mia and Chloe equally.”

Both Hunter and I scoffed at that one. The kid was such a flirt. He just loved the attention.

I looked down at my phone screen, realizing I had brought it out into my lap after Adair left. “No new messages” blinked up at me.

I sighed and turned the screen off, flipping it over on my lap.

“Expecting a call?” Hunter asked curiously, looking over my shoulder at my phone.

“I’ve already learned not to,” I grumbled, scowling at the phone once more, ignoring both Hunter and Mallory’s curious looks, both waiting for me to elaborate further. I didn’t.

The two just nodded and accepted my answer, leaving me to stew for a few more moments before the pest made his appearance.

I watched as Jax released one of the girls from under his heavily tattooed arm with a wet kiss before he swaggered over to our corner. His dark eyes searched around the room as he dropped himself down on the coffee table in front of us. Not finding what he was looking for, he turned back to me and, with a sly grin, said, “Hiding from Wolf, huh?”

“No,” I denied, but obviously Jax didn’t believe me. Just as he opened his mouth to argue with me, the man in question stormed into the room. His footsteps were heavy as he marched along the dark oak floors. Eyes turned his way and watched as their president moved through the crowd.

He didn’t stop to talk, pushing his way through until he found himself by the bar. Lamb stopped what he was doing to meet Wolf’s eyes. Their lips began moving, and although everyone else had gone back to their own business, I couldn’t take my eyes away from the huge Russian, watching carefully as his frown deepened the longer his conversation with Lamb lasted.

By the time it was over, Wolf’s face was contorted into a deep scowl. Lamb put a beer on the side of the bar, and Wolf picked it up as he moved toward the back door, opening it up and stepping out into the back garden before shutting it behind him.

I didn’t wait as my legs had already lifted me from the couch, ignoring Jax’s jibes as I made a beeline for the same door. I slid it open, letting the warm afternoon air hit my skin as I stepped out onto the concrete. The large yard, fenced off by a chained fence on three sides, the other leading round to the car lot, was in the process of turning from green to yellow with the change of the seasons.

I stepped onto the concrete path around the side of the building and, seeing no Wolf in sight, followed it around the back of the building. Sure enough, hidden in the shadow of the compound, stood a lone man with a cigarette in his mouth.

Wolf kept the cigarette between his lips, his other arm crossed over his chest as he looked up into the sky, puffing a breath of smoke into the breeze.

Noise was absent behind the building crammed top to bottom with big, burly bikers inside the soundproofed walls. Despite being on the edge of town, the club was still close enough to houses that they worried about noise complaints, and so sound-proofing had been the solution to stop the sheriff coming to the property to arrest them for something whenever he could.

As I approached, Wolf turned to look at me. His eyes scanned me from the tips of my boots to my tight blue skirt and red shirt. It covered my chest this time, since I didn’t have the chance to actually choose my clothing when Wolf woke up this morning and ate me alive with his eyes. Then he pissed me off, so I had made it to the bathroom before I realized the clothes I had grabbed.

I wasn’t a vain person, however, and didn’t really mind the clothes.

It didn’t stop Wolf, though, as his eyes lingered an extra second on where my curves were most pronounced before turning and staring back into the distance.

His shoulders slumped further with every step I took until he was lounging against the wall, lessening the distance between our faces by a few inches. He was still taller than me by a long shot, but at least this way when I stood in front of him, I didn’t have to crane my neck to look up at him.

His eyes were trained on me as I blocked his view, but aside from that, he didn’t move. I stood and watched him take one deep, long breath of his cigarette, blowing the smoke out one side of his mouth so it didn’t touch me.

I waited for him to explain what his heated conversation with Lamb was about, but after another minute passed and he didn’t say anything, I gave up.

I stepped forward, positioning myself between his outstretched legs. He didn’t move as I reached up and gently plucked the cigarette from his lips. I put it between mine, taking a long drag, the familiar feeling of nicotine spreading through my lungs. I held it for a moment longer than I should before blowing the smoke in the breeze.

I saw Wolf’s eyes darken and his arms tighten around his torso at the view I was giving him.

“Heard any news yet?” I asked, veering away from the growing heat in his eyes.

“No,” Wolf grunted.

“Jeez,” I sighed, taking another drag of the cigarette. “You’re so grumpy.”

He cocked an eyebrow at me, whether in annoyance or amusement, I couldn’t tell. I swore his face was made for the sole purpose of frowning at me.

He finally unwound a single arm from his chest but didn’t move from the wall where I still stood between his legs. His arm reached out, snatching, without the gentleness I had given him, the cigarette from my fingers. “Don’t touch my cigarettes,” he said, lifting it up to his thin lips, purposely letting them touch the faint red mark my lipstick had left around it. He took in a deep breath before letting the smoke blow out of his lungs.

I scoffed. Reaching up and snatching the cigarette right back from him, I wrapped my lips around it and pulled in a deep breath. I held it tighter in my mouth, making sure I left a darker mark as I filled my lungs with smoke. When I finally pulled it from my lips, I pushed onto my tiptoes to blow the smoke into his face. “Fuck your rules.”

Wolf’s chest stretched as the smoke was sucked into his lungs, his eyes never leaving mine as he allowed it to swirl in his chest before the smoke came back out of his lips on a deep, rough growl. I watched, unable to look away as each cubic meter rolled from his body, mesmerized by the dirty and hot feeling it left burning in my chest.

His eyes narrowed on me as I took a small step forward. Lower against the wall, his face was closer to mine, and I let my blue eyes clearly drop down to his lips then back up to his eyes. He didn’t move, but it was like I could hear the rippling of his muscles beneath his gray shirt as I leaned my chest forward, allowing it to press against the arm still wrapped around his chest. His other arm was clenched into a tight fist by his side, as if forcing himself not to reach for me.

I knew I was baiting him, knew I was practically begging him to make a move. But I also knew he wouldn’t. As much as I knew I was the one who always ran away, Wolf never chased. When he had his lips on my neck, he had hesitated, which had given me the opportunity to get away. Whatever moment we shared, whatever chemistry, none of it could break the stalemate between us.

The thought forced a pathetic laugh from my lips as I shook my head. I looked up, watching him frown as I took a step back. “This is stupid,” I said. “I’m going ba—”

I didn’t get a chance as hands came around my waist, dragging me back. I met a face full of his chest, but as I turned to snap, my words were stopped.

I was tangled with the taste of whiskey, smoke, and most of all, Wolf, as his hands latched to my sides, pulling me with almost impossible strength into his hard body. His tongue wrapped around mine, forcing it out to play as he growled against my lips.

I tried to fight, but I found my strength slipping as his hand reached up and tangled in my hair. He pulled, forcing my head back and giving him more access. His kiss was hot and demanding, and I found my body softening into his as he dragged the fire I kept buried deep out into the open. I moaned against his lips despite myself, and his hand tightened in response.

When he pulled away, I found myself gasping for air as his eyes glared into mine, alight with fire and fight. “Don’t think I won’t bite,” he growled. And then his hand untangled from my hair and he stepped away before turning and walking back into the compound.

My hands reached up to feel my hot, swollen lips, my mouth feeling lonely at its emptiness as my eyes were drawn down toward the cigarette abandoned on the concrete.

I lifted my boot, slamming it on the floor and squashing the burning tip with my foot. “Shit.”