Claiming Menace (Ruthless Sinners MC 5)

“Yeah, just filling in until Lynch can get here. I think he ate a bad batch of tacos or something.” A mischievous smirk crossed Country’s face as he turned his attention to Aubrey. “How was the big date last night?”

“Even better than I hoped.” I don’t know what got to me more—the fact that Aubrey had gone on a date after our encounter in the hall or the fact that Country knew about it. Aubrey’s eyes lit up as she told him, “I’m thinking we’re going to meet up again tonight.”

“Is that right?” Country snickered as he teased. “Let me know if you wanna make it a threesome.”

“I wouldn’t hold my breath there, buddy.”

She gave him a quick wink, then turned to leave. We both stood there and stared at her ass as she headed over to the bar to put in her order. As soon as she was out of earshot, I turned to Country and asked, “What the fuck was that?”

“What?”

“The fucking date,” I growled. “She seeing someone?”

“Why?” Country gave me a nudge with his elbow. “You worried about a little competition?”

“Just answer the damn question.”

“There was no big date, brother,” Country replied with a smirk. “She blew me off so she could go home to fucking bed.”

“Hmmm.”

“So, you into this chick or what?”

“Just asking a question.”

“Yeah, if you say so.” Country studied me for a moment, then said, “I best get to work. You need anything, like a wingman or an in with Aubrey, just let me know.”

Without any further mouthing off, Country set off for the front door, leaving me alone at one of the back tables. I sat down, and it wasn’t long before I found myself looking over to watch Aubrey as she talked to a young couple in the corner. Her hair was swept back with little strands flowing down around her face. My cock stirred as I watched her head fall back when she started laughing at something the couple had said. I had to give it to her. The girl was breathtaking.

When Rafe mentioned that Aubrey had something she wanted to talk to me about, I couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with last night and our heated exchange or with her real identity—something that had been on my mind since the morning she walked into my office, even more so after last night. I was tempted to call her into my office and push her to tell me what was really on her mind, but I decided against it. I wanted her to gain the courage to come on her own, but it had been hours since he’d told me about their exchange. Hours upon hours of watching her walk past me, seeing the worried look in her eyes and not knowing why it was there, and it was getting to me. Yet, I did nothing. That wasn’t something I did very well, especially when it came to what I wanted—and I wanted her.

It was crazy to be so attracted to someone I didn’t really know, but I was. It sounded cliché, but there was something about her that got to me. Maybe it was lust or simple curiosity that was fucking with my head. Something had happened to her, and I had no idea what, but it had left its mark. I could see it in her eyes, but she hadn’t let it consume her. She seemed to have found a way to move past it. She’d even found a way to smile, and damn, that fucking smile could light up the entire room. The woman was strong and determined as hell, and I was undeniably intrigued.

Damn.

I needed to get a fucking grip.

I was so focused on Aubrey and her exchange with the young couple that I never noticed Hawk had sat down next to me until he said, “You ever find out anything about her?”

“What?”

“Aubrey... You find out anything more about her?”

“No, not yet, but I’m working on it.”

“Mm-hmm. I gotta say that I’m having a hard time figuring out what’s going on with you and this chick.” I could hear the concern in his voice. “You seem to be putting a lot on the line for this woman.”

“I’m aware.”

“So, how far are you gonna let this thing ride?”

“I don’t know.” I glanced back over at Aubrey. “Guess that’ll be up to her, but I got this. If there’s any trouble, I’ll handle it.”

“And what if it’s more than you can handle?”

He didn’t give me a chance to answer before he got up and walked over to his ol’ lady, Delilah. She was talking to Danny, her brother, and one of our prospects, from the look on Delilah’s face, they were having a heated discussion. If I had to guess, it was Delilah’s attempt of getting him away from the club long enough for us to plan his induction. He’d been prospecting for almost a year, and had recently earned the road name Locke for being someone the brothers considered reliable and steadfast. The brothers were proud of his commitment to the club, and after a unanimous vote, we’d decided to patch him in. We wanted to plan something special for him, but to do that, we needed him to actually leave the premises—something he clearly wasn’t happy about. I wasn’t surprised. Since the day he’d started prospecting, the kid had given it his all and never once failed to be there when one of us needed him. Thankfully, Delilah was even more stubborn than he was, so I had full faith that she’d take care of getting him out of here long enough for the girls to get things ready for him.