“I’m Gina.” She crossed her arms over chest, pushing up her tits. She never used that name, but introducing herself that way was a test—and she was the only one who would know the results. If this guy was a real Carver, one that hung around her daddy’s club house every day, their response would be “Shut the hell up, Gidget, nobody’s called you that since you were five.”
But this guy? He just jerked his head in a nod, his dark gaze flitting over her like she was the least interesting thing in the world. Irritation prickled through her—he was too hot to look at her like that. His hair, buzzed short, allowed tribal tattoos to shine through on his head. More tattoos crept up the sides of his neck, peeking out from under the collar of his shirt. A jagged scar cut through one of his eyebrows. Heat flushed her, but it wasn’t from the sun. Where had this Carver come from?
“I’ve never seen you around, so why the fuck do you have this cut on?” She sniffed, nodding toward it.
“I’m the newest recruit,” he said, his voice deep and flat. “Zebra patched me in.”
The VP patched him in…which meant that it must have been the dude that saved his life on his last nickel tour. News had reverberated around the club of the hulking savior, and Daddy told her the vote was unanimous to get this guy in the club. Gidget clenched her thighs together. This is him. And now he’d saved her.
He couldn’t have that upper hand so easily, though.
“Guess there’s still a few things you need to get the hang of then,” she said with a sigh, spinning on her heels. She strutted back to her bike, letting her hips sway as much as she could stand.
“Seems the same applies to you,” he said, leaning against his bike. “You should learn to stay away from shit like that.”
She laughed scornfully, reaching for her helmet. He had no idea. She thrived on situations like that. Except this one had gone a wee bit father than she’d intended. One of the Skulls brothers came onto her at a bar, and when she’d rejected him, his offense turned aggressive, and fast. She’d been confident she could outrun them, too. She’d done shit like this before. Butch just hadn’t given her enough time.
“You’re new here,” she said, tugging her helmet on. “So you’ll understand when I tell you to shut the fuck up.”
She hoisted her leg over the bike and made it rumble to life, adrenaline streaking through her. It was a frothy mixture of anger and attraction—like she wanted to punch his face and also make out with him until her lips went numb. He was the tall, dark, silent type. Too much her type. But she roared away on her bike all the same, pleased by the cloud of dust her departure kicked up. She glanced at him once in the side mirror, pleased to see him staring after her.
If he was new to the Carvers, there was enough to learn as it was. But the first rule, as far as she was concerned, was to pay respect to the resident princess. He might have saved her ass, but he had no idea who he was dealing with. And clearly, Zebra hadn’t schooled him well enough.
Trees zoomed by, the whoosh of the clean air clearing away some of the tension. While the thoughts melted away, one question lurked in the back of her mind, stealthy an frightening. Butch’s words: four big Skulls against you?
Fear made her body shiver. He’d been right. A little too right. Tension between the Skulls and Carvers had been escalating for months, and they could have easily used her to make a statement. A heinous statement, no less. And while Gidget’s primary goals in life were fun and flirtation, there were plenty of things that crossed even her lines. And she was sure the Skulls would aim to cross those lines.
She glanced back after a while. No Butch behind her. Regret lashed through her for a moment, but she squashed it. Had to keep that at bay. She’d done the right thing. Club life was about knowing your place, and if anything, she’d taught him to stay in his own lane when it came to her.
Nobody interfered with her life. She’d been the master designer of her own fabulous existence since age fourteen, when her big, beautiful breasts opened the doors to adulthood. And with so much fun to be had, so many exciting new lovers to conquer, she didn’t have time for anybody stepping on her toes.
Gidget revved her bike, loving the growl of the engine, and then coasted into the city limits of Sturgis. First stop was the clubhouse, to get cleaned up and ready for an evening date. As a twenty-three year old aspiring model, there was no greater publicity than getting out there and being seen…making a name for herself…any way she could.
Butch’s image flashed through her head again. Was there a way she could incorporate him into her date plans? But no—she wiped the thought from her mind. She stayed away from the brothers. Most of them were like family anyway, so the thought of something happening was basically taboo. Besides, most of them were too afraid of Daddy to even lay a finger on her. They protected her like brothers, and treated her like brothers.
Exactly how Daddy wanted it.
***
Butch rumbled into the clubhouse parking lot on Zebra’s heels. Zebra had caught up about five minutes after Gina left him in the dust, and together they rode to the clubhouse. Thank God Zebra had worked out his bike issues, because otherwise Butch would have been wandering Sturgis like a lost puppy looking for the Carvers HQ.
They hadn’t stopped to chat once Zebra caught up, because they knew the Skulls would be after them as soon as they got back-up. So Butch arrived to the clubhouse full of questions, unable to shake the memory of Gina’s piercing eyes, or the way she’d told him to shut the fuck up. Something about that smart mouth made him eager to see her again. Maybe she doled out that sass to everyone…but either way, he wanted more of it. Maybe get a taste of those pretty pink lips, too.
“All right, Butch. Here we are.” Zebra hung his helmet on the handlebar of his bike, tugging off his gloves as he looked out over the clubhouse complex. Cement parking lot sprawled out toward the clubhouse, a modern boxy building tucked away from the road. The whole property was surrounded by privacy fencing, and the entryway into the parking lot could be opened by code only. From the outside, the only sign that this was Carvers HQ was an ominous-looking C hanging on the fence.
Butch hung his helmet and followed Zebra up to the clubhouse. Bikes lined the sides of the parking lot, maybe thirty in total. “Is everyone here?” Butch nodded at the bikes.
“Nah, some members won’t be in later, until the meeting.” Zebra grinned back at him. “We’re a big club, but it only makes us stronger.”
Butch nodded, following Zebra as he pushed through the double doors into the clubhouse. They came into a lounge area of sorts, an open-ceilinged room dotted with pool tables and lined with a bar. Conversation and music filled the room, and as soon as they came in, the noise inside transitioned into cheers.
Zebra paused, slinging his arm around Butch. Unfamiliar faces smiled at him, hands in the air, whoops traveling through the room. This was for him.
“Here’s Butch, everyone.” Zebra clapped his hand on his shoulder and they walked into the mess. Guys slapped his shoulders as he walked by, and he tried to take it all in, to make note of the faces, the long beards, the buzzed heads, the uneven faces shining back at him. His new brothers. Who the hell were these guys? Anxiety licked through him as he followed Zebra toward the back of the room, where a small cluster of couches sat. A man with shockingly white and gray hair nodded at him as he approached. Something about the way he sat, calm in the midst of the chaos, surrounded by expressionless men, suggested this might be the president…Geo Greeves himself.
Zebra led him to the white-haired guy. When they approached, he stood, his icy blue eyes reminding him of Gina’s.
“You must be Butch.” The man grabbed at his hand and shook it forcefully, almost so hard that it hurt. “I’m Geo, the Carvers President. Finally we get to meet the man who saved Zebra’s life.”
Butch lifted the corner of his mouth. Geo had a booming voice, and everything about him screamed leader. Of course he’d be the one to lead this pack. White, wiry hairs sprung up from his thick, muscled arms as they shook hands.
“I’d do it again,” Butch said. He slid into an open seat when Geo gestured at it. Zebra perched on the end of the couch, smiling down at them.
“Welcome to the Carvers Headquarters,” Geo said, his gaze flicking over the crowd. “We’re having a party right now, if you couldn’t tell. Well, a pre-party. We do this for new members. You’ll meet the rest of your brothers formally tonight, at our meeting.”
Butch nodded, resting a hand on his knee as he surveyed the clubhouse again. This was a lot of people…and a stark contrast from the MO of his regular life. He was a lone wolf, and used to answering to nobody. And suddenly, he had a pack of men around him, with no way out. Anxiety churned in his stomach.
“I know you’re new to club life, so we’ll ease you in slow,” Geo said, as though sensing his hesitation. “But you got off to a good start today already.”
“Did I?” Butch looked over at him, arching a brow.
“My daughter told me what happened on the highway,” Geo said, his words coming out slow and evenly spaced. Despite this, it took a moment for them to sink into Butch’s head. To make sense of them, over the clatter of the party.
“Your daughter?” He said it weakly, but his voice was swallowed up in the noise as Geo leaned back and shouted “Gidget! Come here!”
Butch’s blood ran cold as he saw a blonde head bobbing toward them. A moment later, those same piercing blue eyes broke through the crowd, and Gina appeared, dressed to kill. A tight dress clung to her slender, firm frame, tits on display as she leaned down to kiss her father’s forehead. Butch could barely keep his eyes off her as she perched on the other edge of the couch, her tan, smooth legs calling to him louder than anything he’d ever heard in his life.
“I know you two have already met,” Geo said, his slow drawl striking fear in Butch’s heart, “But I have to say, you saving my baby girl and Zebra automatically makes you my favorite recruit of all time.” He hefted with a laugh, that turned into a cough. “She told me what happened. How those Skulls saw you two drive by and decided to cause trouble.”
Butch stared at Gina—Gidget—unsure how to respond. Clearly she’d played him as the savior, but for what reason Butch couldn’t even guess at. She’d been mad enough to bend steel back on the highway, so what changed?
“That’s right,” Butch said after a while. “I know I’m a new Carver, but I’m Carver nonetheless.”
Geo nodded, then clapped him on the back. “That’s what I like to hear.” To Gidget, he said, “Now where you heading off to?”
“Daddy, I have the event tonight that I told you about.” She looked at him with wide, reprimanding eyes. She had him wrapped around her finger. And if she was the president’s daughter…probably had everyone else around her finger, too.
“Don’t get into trouble,” he grumbled as she stood and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“I never do,” she purred. She grinned widely, the smile falling only lightly when it landed on Butch. And then she scooted out of the group of couches, disappearing into the clubhouse.
Geo let a gravelly sigh once she’d left. Looking at Butch, he said, “You got any kids?”
“No sir,” Butch said.
“Good. You don’t want any. They’ll drive you crazy.” Geo reached into his cut and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “You want one?”
Butch shook his head.
“She gives me trouble,” Geo went on, eyeing people as they walked by. Around them, the party was a throbbing, noisy cloud. “Too much trouble, her whole damn life.”
Butch shifted in his chair. With looks like hers, it wouldn’t be hard for her to find trouble. Or catch the eye of any man in a ten-mile radius.
“I need your help with her,” Geo said, rolling a cigarette between his fingers. “You already saved her ass once, and I think you might be just the guy to keep an eye on her.”
Butch furrowed his brow. “How so?”
“She gets into shit on her own accord…but…” Geo flicked the lighter and lit his cigarette with a sharp inhale. “There’s a bad war brewing with the Skulls. It’s gonna blow soon—you’ll hear more about it at the meeting tonight. But I need someone watching her ass only.”
Butch watched the puffs of smoke leave his mouth as he spoke. Shit.
“I want you to be her shadow,” Geo said, leaning in close. He squeezed Butch’s shoulder, a grin flickering across his face. “Besides, you’re the resident savior now. Didn’t you know that? I want you to watch my baby girl and make sure she stays away from Skulls, and from any other type of trouble she finds for herself. Deal?”
Butch forced himself to nod, a bad feeling coursing through his body. This sounded like exactly the type of shitty New Guy task he’d been dreading.
And assigned to a bonafide hottie who was his new president’s daughter, no less.
“No problem, Geo,” Butch said after a minute, once he’d found his voice again. “I know we just met…but you can count on me.”
Even though he could see failure written all over this damn assignment.