Even long after the explosion of bikers had all made their way to the back room and out of sight, Jenny found herself nervously watching the door. She was so engrossed and intrigued she couldn’t take her eyes off it. All she wanted was to know why they were all there, but even more so, who the hell the guy was who had stepped in and stuck up for her.

She bit the edge of her fingernail nervously and let her eyes flit around the room. Star was on stage removing her bra and spinning it around over her head, and all of the lusty truckers were hooting and whistling, throwing their money at her and giving each other high-fives. It had been well over an hour since the bikers had entered the club, and not one of them had emerged since they had disappeared down into the right hand corridor and toward the office.

I wonder what they’re talking about in there, she thought as she pretended to laugh along with one of the customers who was talking to her. She poured him his drink and nodded her head, but really, she didn’t have a clue what he was even saying. And I wonder why there was another gang with them… Surely they can’t be the Iron Riders?

The patch on the back of their jackets would suggest they were, but Jenny would find it hard to believe that any of The Forsaken would want a member of the Iron Riders anywhere in Slate Springs, never mind in Tanner’s, the very club they had tried to take over and where they had killed one of the Forsakens’ very own. She had heard all the stories about the feud that had raged between the rival gangs over the years, and she had always wondered if there would ever be a moment when they could finally bury the hatchet. But it had never seemed likely.

Until now…

She looked back over her shoulder, as she continued serving drinks, at the doorway to the office. It was dark behind it and there was no action from what she could see. And she couldn’t help but think about what had happened there in that very same spot between the Iron Riders and The Forsaken all those years ago.

It was long before Jenny’s time being involved with the bikers of Slate Springs, but when she had come to work at the club, she had learned pretty quickly why it had suddenly changed its name from Red X to Tanners… And that was because of how the rival gang, The Iron Riders had tried to storm the club at dawn, rob the takings and had killed the manager and Tanner, one of the Forsaken Riders. It had been an awful time for everyone involved and it had shaken the bikers to their very core. They had lost a brother. And they closed the club down while they revamped it and then re-opened it in Tanner’s name. A dedication that would line the highway into Slate Springs for all time.

Their loyalty and brotherhood was something special. Even for a girl on the outskirts, she could see that above all else. She could sense it among them every time she laid eyes on them.

Suddenly, the door to the office burst open and broke her train of thought and she felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest. She shot her eyes up to the doorway and saw a long line of bikers she didn’t know wave to some of the ones she did and head toward the main door, but not before glancing over their shoulders and checking Star out on the stage.

Jenny breathed in deeply to try to calm her nerves, and once the other set of bikers had left and she was sure things felt more back on an even keel, she looked up to see Bull and Hunter standing together, speaking with the guy who had jumped behind the bar with her earlier and helped her settle the crowd.

She watched them for a moment, almost in a trance. They spoke with power and aggression, but it was all because of their passion, she could tell. The guy who had come to her aid was just as tall as the other two, with big, broad shoulders and a thick heavy brow. His stubble was dark and smattered his chin and cheeks just enough to give him an even darker and more mysterious edge, and she could see a big, black tattoo snaking its way up his forearm, although she couldn’t tell from a distance what it was. He was smoking and he had his leather jacket slung over his shoulder, his big arms burst out of his tight t-shirt and his hips were chiseled and defined with muscle from what she could see from his jeans that were low slung and held in place by a belt with a big, silver buckle. She felt her skin moisten and she swallowed hard.

Real men didn’t look that good. Surely, he had to be some kind of god.

She scratched the back of her neck and let her eyes trail back up to his face, and she nearly jumped out of her own skin when she realized he was staring back at her with an amused smile playing across his lips.

Her heart hammered in her chest and she shot her gaze back down and nervously combed her hair behind her ears and then she quickly turned her back on him and walked to the other side of the bar, closing her eyes and cringing, just wishing he hadn’t caught her checking him out.

She leaned over the bar and began to serve another customer, but she could feel a presence behind her and knew it was him. She waited for a moment and tried to calm the blush from her face before she finally build up the courage to turn around and see him again in all his glory.

“Hey,” he mouthed with the same grin he had given her from across the room.

He was leaning on the countertop at the other end of the bar and his dark hair was falling down slightly, framing his perfectly chiseled and handsome face. She put her hand on her hip and gave him a cheeky smile back and then he slowly raised his finger and summoned her with it.

Her heart fluttered again and she looked down at the ground shyly before she let her eyes meet his again and she grinned.

She stepped closer and closer until they were only two feet apart and he leaned closer to her over the top of the bar.

“Hey,” he said again and he raised his eyebrows.

“Yes?” she asked sassily, even though she couldn’t keep the smile from her face.

He bit his bottom lip to hide his wide smile and Jenny couldn’t help but notice how perfectly white and straight his teeth were.

“Is that all the thanks I get?” he asked her as he cocked his head to the side.

She laughed and grinned.

“I’m sorry, that was rather rude of me…” she said. “Thank you for earlier, you really did save my ass.”

He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, the tattoo bursting across the muscles on his forearm, and Jenny could see now that it was a dark and mean looking snake.

“I haven’t seen you around here before,” she said the words before she had a chance to stop herself.

“I don’t come around here, that’s why,” he said as he raised a bottle of beer to his lips and took a long, drawn out swig. “I hang over at The Bullet mainly.”

Jenny smiled and shyly pushed her hair behind her ear. She was aware that she was acting a bit giddy and flirty, and she was trying to keep herself in check, but it seemed impossible to act normal in front of him. He was so goddam good looking. It was as if her mind had created her perfect man in her dreams and now he was standing right in front of her. She was just glad he wasn’t a surfer but a biker. The thought of the danger made her pussy throb.

“I’m Diesel,” he said as he leaned forward and held out his hand.

“Jenny.” She smiled as she slid her palm into his and they shook. She noticed how strong his grip was and it didn’t do anything for her composure. His hands were big, rough and strong…

Oh Jesus… she gulped.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Jenny,” he said with a wry smile. “I’m surprised I haven’t heard more about you from the guys.”

He licked his bottom lip and took another sip of his drink.

“I haven’t been here too long,” she said. “Only six months or so.”

“In our world, that’s a lifetime,” he said. “A lot can happen in six months.” 

“True,” she said with a shrug. “And why don’t you come in here often? I thought I’d met all of the bikers, but after tonight, I guess I realize I couldn’t be more wrong.”

“A lot of us can’t come in here,” he said. “After what happened…” He looked down sadly and curled his lip. “Tanner was like a brother. This place hasn’t felt the same to me since it all went down.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to let it burst out of her and ask him what the hell The Iron Riders were doing in there when they were the ones responsible for what had happened, but she knew it wasn’t her place. And besides, she didn’t know for sure that it was even them. She easily could just be putting two and two together and getting ten.

“Is this the first time you’ve been here… since…?” she began to ask but then didn’t dare finish the question.

“No,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been back and forth a few times, but I’ve avoided it over the past year. I’ve had no need to be here, I suppose.”

“But tonight was different?” she asked.

“Tonight was very different,” he said ominously, and she could see a dark look cross over him for a moment.

He was so mysterious and brooding it made her skin tingle. No one had ever sparked her interest so much before in her entire life.

“It was good to meet you, Jenny,” he smiled as he flashed her a wink. “I have the feeling I’ll be seeing you again very soon.”

He rose to his feet and drained the rest of his bottle before he turned and began to walk toward the main door of the club.

She watched him the entire way, her palms becoming moist with sweat and want and need. He was so fucking sexy. How the hell had he managed to escape her for all this time?

When he reached the door he stopped and lingered as he turned and let his eyes fall on her again. When she locked in on them, something deep within her seemed to click into place and she knew that he was going to be someone important to her. It was as if she had created him and now there he was, ready for her and making her open to the possibility of anything.

He smiled again and then backed out of the doorway, raising his hand slightly in a wave as he went. As soon as the door swung shut behind him, Jenny leaned forward and gripped the bar and gave a great big sigh.

Her mind was spinning and she had no clue of what to do or how to act. She had never felt like that about anyone, and she had only spoken to him once. How had a stranger caused such an intense reaction within her?

She reached down and uncapped a new beer and raised it to her lips. All around her, truckers were shouting orders and vying for her attention, but she knew she wouldn’t be dealing with them anytime soon.

She picked up the intercom and buzzed through to the changing room.

“Can someone come out and cover for me?” she asked breathlessly. “I need to take a break.”

She hung up and moved quickly around the side of the bar, nodding at and thanking the new girl that was coming to fill in for her as she ran out of the doors to the left of the stage and down toward the back exit.

When she burst out into the night air, she felt the back of her neck and it was hot and sticky. She had worked herself up so much she couldn’t remember what Diesel even looked like already. He had sent her head into a complete spin.

She sat down on a low brick wall that edged around the back parking lot and leaned against the side of the club. She could feel the vibration of the music rippling through her from deep inside and she wished she could just leave and go home. She had never longed for a shift to be over, but she felt exhausted and confused, and she didn’t think she would be able to hold a conversation with anyone if they tried.

She rubbed her forehead and sighed, just as the door bounced open and Bull came walking out with a cigarette clasped in his fist and his lighter aflame. As he lit it, he blew out a large plume of smoke from his nostrils and looked down at her with half concern and half wonder.

“What’s happening?” he asked. “You okay?”

Bull was the leader of The Forsaken Riders since a shakeup had happened long before Jenny had started working for them, and she instantly tensed. He made her nervous.

“I don’t feel so great,” she said almost in a whisper.

“Well, things will only be quietening down from now on,” he said. “I can ask one of the girls to cover you. Get yourself home.”

She looked up at him and searched his face for signs that he was joking, but he seemed pretty sincere.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

Bull nodded and sucked in on his cigarette again.

“Tonight has been a tense night,” he said. “I kind of just feel like going home myself and never setting foot in here again.”

He looked angry and it made her even more nervous.

“Okay,” she said as she got to her feet. “I’ll go and tell the girls.”

Bull nodded his head and leaned back against the side of the club as he continued to smoke and look out into the distance. The tension all around was rife and Jenny knew it was making her feel worse. Not only had she had her soul shaken up by Diesel, she could also tell that something bad was about to happen. It was written all over the bikers’ faces. And she was pretty sure they had welcomed their enemies into Tanners that same night, which was pretty much unbelievable.

She wanted to get out of there and get home. As she grabbed her purse and clocked off her shift, she passed Bull again in the hallway and she was sure she could see a sadness in his eyes which made her feel both guilty for leaving but also made her want to race out of there even faster.

Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this life of danger. Because suddenly, she felt more vulnerable and alone than she ever had before.