Zach (Hell's Handlers MC 1)

Disgusted with her spinelessness, Toni stomped to the door of her office. After a fortifying breath and a quick mental pep talk, she emerged and headed behind the counter.

Much of the crowd had cleared, leaving behind three booths full of muscled bikers. Shell stood behind the counter restocking juice glasses while sneaking longing looks at Copper. Toni joined her and picked up a rag, wiping down the spot in front of her.

A few minutes passed in silence before Shell turned to her. “And here we are pretending to work while stealing glances at men we shouldn’t want or can’t have. Not very feminist of us.”

“Tell me about it.” Toni harrumphed. “At least you haven’t been hiding in your office like a child for days.”

“I noticed your face hasn’t been around much.”

“Yeah. To be honest, I’m surprised he’s left me alone this long. I figured he’d have found me and chewed me out by now. I think I really pissed him off.”

Shell’s gaze shifted from Copper to Zach and back again. “I don’t think he’s mad. Maybe at himself. He’s asked me how you were doing a few times. Seemed genuinely concerned. Not angry.”

Mad at himself.

Probably not as mad as she was at herself. Despite her reaction at the party, she wasn’t really upset with him at all. All of the anger was directed at herself. For being too weak to stick to her guns. For allowing herself to fall under the spell of another sexy man.

“Don’t look now, but I think we’ve been spotted.” Shell jerked her chin in the direction of Zach’s table. “I’ll give you two a minute.” She squeezed Toni’s hand. “Talk to him. He’s not a bad guy.”

“Hey,” Zach said, coming to a stop on the other side of the counter.

“Hi.” Suddenly, she felt beyond foolish for the way she’d been dodging him. “I’m sorry.”

He frowned. “Thought I was the one who fucked up here.”

“No.” Toni shook her head. “Well maybe a little. But it’s more my own stuff.”

He looked good in low slung jeans, a muscle shirt, and his club leathers. Arm porn was a real thing and Zach had it going on in spades. Also, chest porn and ab porn. Even hair porn.

“I’ve got something for you. Maybe once you see it we can go back to the way things were. Where I shamelessly flirt with you and try to entice you into my bed and you shut me down on all fronts.”

Toni chuckled. What a waste of three days. Had she not been such a coward, they could have moved past the screw-up and continued their friendship. A friendship she’d really missed. “Guess that depends what it is.”

“Here.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked the screen. “Scroll forward.” After he handed over the phone he rested his forearms on the counter and watched her.

On the screen was a gorgeous sunset. Streaks of color surrounding a giant orange orb sinking behind a row of trees.

Trees she recognized.

Trees that were in the direct line of sight of her porch.

She scrolled to the next picture only to find another beautiful sunset. Then another. “What is this?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

“You missed three sunsets because of me.” He shrugged and gave her a smile that was almost bashful. “I know how much you like them, so I made sure to come home and capture them each evening.”

Her throat thickened and tears sprang to her eyes. Why? Why did the one man she had to resist happen to be the sweetest outlaw to ever live? “Thank you,” she croaked.

“It was nothing.” He winked. “I do it for all the ladies.”

With a chuckle she handed him back his phone. It wasn’t nothing. It was a whole lot to her.

“I’m hoping you’ll be out there to see it in person tonight.”

“I think I will.”

“Good.” He rapped his scarred knuckles on the countertop. “Maybe I’ll see you there.” He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “And while I still fully plan to show you everything you were missing with the suit, I promise I will not touch you again until you beg me to.”

Oh God. That meant he’d be working on making her beg.

Devious man.

“Zach.” The horror in Jigsaw’s tone had Zach’s brow furrowing before he turned toward the booth where his club brothers were finishing their meals.

“What’s wrong?”

Jigsaw didn’t answer. Just motioned for Zach to join them. Worry was clear across his features. Zach turned back to her and nodded before speed walking to the booth. After thirty seconds of murmured conversation, Zach’s face morphed into one of devastation while Copper’s hardened to stone cold fury.

Three booths worth of bikers flew out the door and mounted their bikes. The roar of ten bikes firing up simultaneously was deafening. Worry coursed through her and she wanted to smack herself. She was already in too deep if she was worrying about the man. What the hell was she thinking, befriending an outlaw?