There were few things in life that made me show how crazy I could be. I hated the whole crazy redhead stereotype. I was normally calm and collected. Jack had managed to stumble on one of the things that made me nuts, though.

I jerked around to face him and made a sound close to a rabid hyena. “Are you trying to let me down easy, right now?!”

The truck swerved lightly as he winced. “Jesus, Red! What the hell was that sound?”

I blew out a huge breath, but I was still seeing red. “Don’t you dare come to me with this whole sheepish attitude. Like, somehow, I was the one who stuck my tongue down your throat!”

He’d grown more accustomed to the sound of me angry, so he didn’t swerve as severely that time. “I was just trying to let you know that it was a mistake, and I’m not going to let it happen again.”

“Oh, just in case I was hoping that you’d shove me against a wall and maul me again? Or, just in case, by avoiding you all day today, I was secretly playing hard to get, in hopes that you would notice and come running?”

“Okay, now you’re just being sarcastic.”

“No, no, Jack, really. Tell me more about how I shouldn’t approach you anymore.” I slapped my hand over the radio when he tried to turn it on. “Is it because I’m a stripper? You think I suck anything that walks?”

He sped up and we were nearing the house faster than ever. “You’re not a stripper.”

“I am, too!”

“I was just trying to let you know that it can’t happen again, Red, no matter what. I wasn’t trying to insult you.”

I kept my mouth sealed because the only other things I wanted to say to him were just mean. When he jerked the truck to a stop outside of the guesthouse, I jumped out and slammed his truck door shut before running up the steps to the house.

I fumbled into my bra for the key and dropped it while trying to get it into the door. I bent over to grab it and heard an intake of breath behind me. I ignored him and finally got the door unlocked and opened. I tried to push the door closed on Jack, but he pushed his way in and grabbed me.

He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and the other arm around my waist and trapped me against his chest as his mouth lowered to mine.

I hit his chest once, maybe twice, but then I was lost. He easily picked me up and I locked my legs around his waist. I heard him kick the door closed, but past that, I was lost to what was happening around us.

Our mouths fought for dominance. He nipped my lips and I sucked his into my mouth, harder than I knew I should. He pulled my hair, tipping my head back, and raked his teeth down the column of my throat before coming back to my mouth. His tongue dueled against mine, rubbing and stroking my mouth.

It wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t sweet. It was rough lust.

My back slammed into a wall and something shattered at Jack’s feet, but still he kissed me like he was drowning and I was the last bit of his air. I raked my nails over his scalp and dug my heels into his back. Jack grunted into my mouth and then ran his hands down to my ass. He gripped it hard in his hands and thrust against my core.

I kissed across his chin and down to his neck, moaning as he rubbed against me. My teeth scratched at his stubble and I flicked my tongue against Adam’s apple.

“Don’t leave a mark.”

The one sentence was like a bucket of ice-cold water thrown over my head. I pushed against Jack and, after a second, he moved away from me. I stood still, panting and pushing my dress back into place. “Get out.”

Jack groaned and pulled his hand down his face roughly. “What a fucking wreck.”

I thrust my arm at the door. “Now, Jack! Get out.”

He hesitated and then got pissed. “I’m leaving! Don’t try to kick me out of my own place, though.”

I walked past him and yanked the door open. “I don’t have to stay here. I will gladly get a motel room and kick you out of it, too!”

He glared at me. “I’d have to want to come inside for you to be able to kick me out.”

It was a low blow and it hit me. I pointed out the door with a stiff arm. “Get out, you asshole! Go stick your tongue in your fiancée’s mouth!”

He stormed past me and turned around to yell something else at me, but I slammed the door in his face and locked it. I heard him shouting things, but it was a solid door and I didn’t hear exact words. A few seconds later, I heard his truck roar to life and speed away.

I leaned against the door and slid down it. All of my anger gone, I just let my head fall back against the door and groaned. “Good job, Raelyn.”

To be fair, that hadn’t been my intention, at all.

*

The next morning, I waited and waited for Jack to knock on the door to take me to work, but he never showed up. About an hour after I was ready, Brent showed up with a grin on his face.

“Now, what did you do to piss my little brother off so royally?” he asked when I opened the door for him.

I was so angry with Jack that I couldn’t even form words. The first time, I’d been so lost in the moment that I wasn’t one hundred percent sure that he’d kissed me first, or if we’d just come together. I knew for sure that I hadn’t started the second kiss. I’d even tried to push him away for all of a nanosecond.

It was completely his fault. He really thought I was going to let him stick it in me, and then not leave a trace of evidence that could mark his perfect little life. He wanted his cake and he wanted to eat it, too.

“Well, hell. You’re just as pissed off, aren’t you?” Brent shook his head. “You kids and your love games.”

I glared at him, but it turned into a laugh. “You’re dumb.”

He nodded. “But, I’ve got a company card that wants to treat us to breakfast before we carry our late asses into work. I’ve got to see a man about something, and it just so happens that he’s going to be at a little breakfast café in town.”

“That sounds great. Let me get my jacket.”

He looked down at my outfit and grinned. “Leave it here. I’m liking being the happy brother around the office.”

I looked down at the black pencil skirt that stopped just under my knees and the cream silk camisole I’d tucked into the skirt. My black heels went on for days, but I couldn’t give up every aspect of my normal job. I felt more comfortable with an edge of sexiness. “Are you sure? This doesn’t look like I’d wear it on stage, does it?”

He looked me over again and shook his head. “I’ve never seen a stripper who looks like this.”

“Seen lots of strippers, have you?”

Brent winked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

I grabbed my bag and headed outside. “So, who’s the man we’re meeting?”

“We’re not meeting anyone. I’m meeting a guy who might know where I can find another guy.”

I sighed. “Fine. I’m getting pancakes, though. I need sugar. I barely got any sleep last night.”

“And the plot thickens.”

“Not like that. I was just worried. This crap with Snake is stressing me out. I dreamt of him every time I fell asleep last night.” It was only partially a lie. I did dream of Snake—half the time. The other half I was having inappropriate dreams of Jack. No one told my sub-conscious to stop being a slut, apparently.

“Stop stressing it, Raelyn. We’ll handle it for you. Even though you’ve got Jack seeing red, in more ways than one, I’m pretty sure he’s already been working on your case with Snake this morning. He called the chief. So, we’ll see how that goes in a little while. There was some big mishap down in Jackson, so the chief wasn’t in his office. He’s should be calling back soon.”

My fingers shook as I climbed into Brent’s car. “Great.”

He got in on his side and then drove toward the downtown area. “It’ll be okay. You’ve got to put some trust in us.”

I remained quiet, slowly processing what he’d told me as he drove. The radio was on in the background, but even if it’d been off, the silence wouldn’t have bothered me. It was easy with Brent.

The café he took me to was a run down, near shack with a scattering of motorcycles parked in front of it. Brent got out and stretched. He stood out as much as possible, in his expensive suit, but he didn’t seem bothered by it.

I followed him up a few steps and into the place. It was just as run down on the inside as it was on the outside, but it was clean. I sat down at the front counter and smiled at the older waitress behind the counter.

Brent looked over at a corner booth and then back at me. “My guy’s here. You good over here? I’ll be back in just a second.”

I nodded. The café was nicer than most of the places I’d visited in Jackson. The leather cut on the guy in the corner made me nervous, but I was fine. “Hurry up. I wanted to talk to you about getting a laptop.”

“We’ll get you one.”

“Not for me. For you.”

“No.” He walked away from me, an eye roll his parting shot.

I looked toward the waitress again and shook my head. “Men.”

She grinned at me and took out her notepad. “What can I get ya, honey?”

I ordered a full meal and kept an eye on Brent. The biker sat with his face to the door, so Brent had his back to it. I had a strange feeling in my stomach, but I was half sure it was just because I had hang-ups when it came to bikers.

When the waitress dropped my food off, I picked at it. Something wasn’t right. No one else was in the place, despite there being multiple bikes outside. The biker sitting with Brent kept looking at me, but it wasn’t to appreciate the curve of my skirt. There was something in his eyes that I recognized from my time with Rage, and it wasn’t good.

I stood up to get Brent the hell out of there just as a huge biker came out of the kitchen. His glare was focused on Brent so he didn’t even see me. I jumped into action without thinking. I wasn’t letting Brent get hurt.

“Brent!” All three men looked over at me, but Brent quickly jumped up from the booth and prepared for the men closing in on him.

“Get the fuck out of here!”

I ignored him and grabbed the knife that came with my steak and eggs. Scooting closer, I waited until the smaller biker tried to attack Brent to plant myself in front of the big one. I handled the knife the same way I’d seen Snake hold it, to make it easier to jab into someone, he’d said.

“You must be crazy, bitch.”

I flashed a smile that was all teeth to the big guy. “Matter of fact, I am.”

He moved as if he was going to push me out of the way, and I nicked his arm with the knife to make my point. He wasn’t getting by me without a fight. I could hear Brent tussling with the other biker, and they weren’t about to attack him two on one while I was there. I was just crazy enough to think I could help save him. He just needed time and then he could take over my fight, too.

“What the fuck?!” He held his bleeding arm and glared at me. “I wasn’t going to hurt you much, but now I’m going to have fun with it.”

I swung my hand out to the left and then nailed him in the dick with my right foot while he was watching the knife. He still didn’t go down. His face just turned bright red and veins stood out like they were going to pop.

He grabbed at me but I was smaller and faster. I sidestepped him and shoved him to add to the momentum he already had. He sailed into the counter and grunted.

I spied the gun tucked into his belt and snatched it away before he could get his bearings and stand up straight. I aimed it high and fired off a round to get their attention.

The waitress started cursing like it was her job. “That’s my goddamn ceiling!”

“Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you let a couple of bikers use your kitchen to plan a sneak attack on my friend.” I aimed my gun at the smaller biker and cocked the hammer. “Get away from him. Go over there with your friend.”