Chapter Two
Amber
Amber stood there listening to her brother tell the gigantic guy all about her latest screw up. Ugh! Would he ever stop?
She knew she had bad taste in men, but she really thought Joe was different. He treated her great, took her on romantic trips, and spoiled her. Then one day everything changed. He started drinking, and then yesterday, the abuse started. Once was enough for Amber. She lived with that shit as a kid, she refused to live with it as an adult. There was just no way in hell. She honestly thought Joe was using drugs too.
Who changes that quick? Amber couldn’t figure it out. She really thought she had finally found a great guy, a good guy. But as always, she was wrong. He was a jerk, just like Paul.
Now, she was standing here looking like total shit in front of a guy who looked like a greek god. At least six feet tall, dark brown hair that hung past his shoulders, and enough defined abs that she could scrub the stains out of her damn clothes on those things! She could make out every single one and the perfect outline of his pecs even through the skin tight black t-shirt he wore. But what surprised Amber was the fact that, unlike all the other bikers she knew, this guy didn’t have a single tattoo on his smooth tanned skin. At least none that were visible.
He was sex on a stick. Hot as fuck! Amber felt the tingle of arousal, but she shut that shit down really quick. There was no way she was getting involved with another guy right now and definitely not a biker. She knew many of the guys in the club were ex-military like her brother, and she would bet her savings account that the guy across the room was too. Nothing against military guys, but so far, she hadn’t met one that wasn’t possessive as hell. That didn’t feel the need to always be in control and Amber was not the type of girl who allowed men to control her.
He had an air about him that bled danger, and that was the last thing she wanted to be involved with. She looked at him again as he talked with her brother about setting up a meeting in the morning. Her eyes started at his feet and worked their way up legs that could easier be considered tree trunks. The man should be on a muscle magazine cover. Finally, her eyes strayed up his body even farther, landing on the huge bulge in his pants.
Holy shit, she thought. Then she heard a snicker and her eyes shot to his. He was giving her a sexy, panty melting smirk. Yeah, she would need to change her panties after that one, she thought to herself.
Clearing her throat, she turned to her brother. “Devin, I am tired, sore, and in need of a hot shower. Where am I sleeping tonight?” she asked. Amber had to get out of this room before she made a fool of herself. Most likely, she’d slip in a puddle of her own drool. Just her damn luck!
Her brother looked in Reaper’s direction and said, “Man, will you take Amber to my room? She can stay there tonight since I’ll be here catching up on clubhouse shit until the morning.”
Reaper turned to her, “Sure thing. Come on peaches, I’ll show you the way and you can take care of your business and get some rest.”
He reached behind him and opened the door waiting for Amber as she made her way towards him. Once at the door, Amber turned back to her brother. “Thank you for coming to get me, Devin,” she told him.
Devin looked at her, his eyes softening and said, “I will always come for you, Am. I will always protect you, just like when we were kids.” She knew she had never heard a truer statement before.
Growing up, Devin always protected her from their alcoholic step-father when they were kids. He would often come home drunk and start in on Amber, but Devin always stepped in the middle. As far as parents went, their mother wasn’t any better. She was a meek woman. Submissive to the point that she did not speak unless she was spoken to. Of course, she was also a druggy. She didn’t care one way or another about what happened to her kids, as long as she had her next fix. Devin was the one who would steal food for Amber so she wouldn’t starve, and when he was old enough to get a job, he would always bring her home food. Devin had been her protector and provider. It was one of the many things that made him a great soldier. His protectiveness was a force all of its own.
Following Reaper down the hallway, she wondered if he was anything like her brother. Was his protective streak just as wide? She had a feeling it probably was.
They walked back downstairs and into the bar area. Several heads turned her way and just stared at her. Since Amber had never been here before and had no clue who any of these people were, all the attention made her feel uncomfortable. She didn’t know anyone in the club, except Tank and K, but they weren’t here tonight; and all these strangers seeing the evidence of her stupidity embarrassed the shit out of her. She hated the idea of them looking at her beat up face.
She moved closer to Reaper, turning her face towards the floor. He noticed the movement and put a shielding arm around her as he led her outside. Grateful, she thanked him.
“There is no reason to thank me,” he told her. “You know, I’m not sure how much your brother has told you about the Henchmen, but just know this, each man in there would lay his life down for you. We don’t believe in hitting women. The looks you were getting were because just like Sledge and I, they get pretty upset when a woman is hurt,” Reaper explained, sounding angry all over again.
“That is nice to know,” she commented, “And thanks for the explanation, but I am sure it won’t come to that. There’s no way Joe would show up here. He knows Devin will put a bullet in him before he ever let him get close to me again.”
As Reaper came to a stop in front of a solid black door that led to an apartment building, he turned to Amber. She watched as he raised his hand to her face and lightly caressed her cheek. She wanted to lean into that single touch but knew she had no business getting involved with him. Her instinct where men were concerned was shit, but she loved the feel of it anyway.
“You’re safe here. Come on, let’s get you inside,” he said softly. Dropping his hand, he opened the door.
The inside of the building looked more like a house, a huge house. Hallways and doors in all directions and even two separate staircases on either side of the living room, which opened to a large restaurant style kitchen. The place was beautiful, considering it was a house for a bunch of bachelor bikers. The living room was furnished with two black leather couches and a couple of matching big-boy recliner chairs. Accents of red and yellow were visible around the room, and in the rug located in the center of the room.
“This place is gigantic. Does everyone live here?” Amber asked as Reaper led her down the hallway to the right of the living room.
“For the most part yeah, but some members have their own houses away from the clubhouse,” Reaper replied. “Everyone has their own rooms so privacy really isn’t an issue. However, it does get crazy around here and you may see things that even the best eye bleach can’t remove,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she laughed. “I’m really hoping I won’t be here long enough to witness anything like that,” Amber said as they came to a stop at the end of the hall and Reaper opened the door for her.
The room was huge and tidy, everything in its spot. So much like her brother, it was comforting. On one wall, a large king size bed with small tables on each side took up most the space. On the other, was a dresser and two doors; above the dresser was a huge Devil’s Henchmen flag, hung perfectly between the doors.
Reaper walked into the room. “That door,” he said pointing to the one furthest away, “Goes to the bathroom, the other is just your brother’s closet.”
“Thanks,” Amber said in a quiet voice.
They just stood there staring at each other for what felt like forever. Amber had the urge to run her fingers through his long hair. How can a man have such beautiful hair? It really should be illegal, she thought. Finally, clearing his throat, Reaper walked to the door.
“What’s your real name? Besides Reaper, I mean,” Amber asked quickly, trying to stall for time. She wasn’t ready to be alone or maybe just wasn’t ready for him to leave her.
“Zander,” he cleared his throat. “My real name is Zander Evans,” he said with a smile that could melt the panties off a nun. If Amber didn’t know any better, she would think he was just as nervous as she was, but that couldn’t be right. Zander was a walking Sex God. A sinfully yummy Sex God.
While Amber was just the girl next door, nothing special. Ms. Plain Jane.
“I like it,” Amber confessed. “It suits you.”
“Thanks,” he chuckled. “My mom will be happy to know that at least someone likes her name choice.”
“You don’t like it?” she asked him, puzzled because the name really did fit him. Strong and unique.
“It’s a name,” Reaper said with a shrug of his wide shoulders.
“So how long have you known my brother?” Amber asked. The moment the question left her mouth, she saw the smile drop from his face. She didn’t know why the question upset him, but for whatever reason, she regretted asking it.
“Never mind,” she quickly said. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
When Reaper just stood there looking at her, she had no idea what else to say. What could bring back the easy conversation between them again? Coming up with nothing, Amber quickly told him, “Well. Thank you for walking me over. Goodnight Reaper.”