Ties That Bind (Ruthless Sinners MC 1)

“Sorry, doll, but that’s not an option.”

“But I have a job. People are depending on me. If I’m not there, then they’ll—”

“They’ll manage,” Viper interrupted. “They have no other choice.”

“So, what? You’re just going to keep me locked up in this room?”

“As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” Viper surprised us both when he turned his attention to me and said, “I’m trusting you to keep an eye on her. She doesn’t leave this room without you by her side, and she doesn’t leave the clubhouse. If she gives you any trouble, put a bullet in her.”

“Understood.”

Normally, I had no problem being alone with a beautiful woman, but I was suddenly filled with pure and utter dread as I watched Viper walk out of the room and close the door behind him. I glanced over at Delilah, still sitting on the edge of the bed, and when her eyes met mine, a feeling of unease washed over me. It wasn’t anything she’d said or done. It was simply the way I felt standing in that room with her—like I wanted to toss that hot little body of hers across the bed and fuck her senseless—that had me on edge. Viper had put me in charge of watching over her, and I had every intention of doing the job I was ordered to do—nothing more, nothing less. With her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed in disgust, Delilah glared back at me and asked, “Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?”

“Do you always just say whatever’s on your mind?”

“Yeah ... I guess I do.” A light scoff slipped through her lips. “I should probably work on that.”

My words dripped with sarcasm as I replied, “Yeah, might be a good idea.”

She studied my cut for a moment, then asked, “So, who are you guys anyway?”

“Who we are isn’t important.”

“Then, it shouldn’t be a big deal to tell me who you are,” she sassed. “Besides, it’s not like I can’t read. You all have the name Ruthless Sinners on your vests. Are you a gang or something?”

I glanced over at the duct tape Viper had removed from her and growled, “You know, you’re really tempting me to put that tape back on your mouth.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“You don’t think so?” I held her gaze. “Try me.”

Delilah

I didn’t know what had gotten into me. I should’ve been scared out of my mind when Viper and Hawk came into the room to question me, but it was like that part of my brain simply wasn’t working how it was supposed to. I wanted to think it was just all the anger and frustration pumping through my veins that was making it difficult to see that my life was in danger, but I knew that wasn’t the only reason I wasn’t thinking clearly. It was him—the handsome stranger who brought butterflies to my stomach every time he looked at me. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I was a smart girl. I knew Hawk was one of them—the men who’d threatened my brother’s life and my own. For that matter, he was the one who’d brought me into this godforsaken room and locked me inside, yet I still found him to be irresistibly, earth-shatteringly hot. Every time I looked at his broad, muscular shoulders, dark tousled hair, and piercing green eyes, my pulse would start to race, and my entire body would grow warm with desire. It was bad to even give a man like him a second look. I knew that. Regrettably, I couldn’t seem to make my body understand that. I needed to get as far away from him as possible. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen. Because of Danny, I was stuck there with him, and if I wasn’t careful and didn’t stay out of trouble, he’d end me once and for all. Damn. I was screwed.

“Fine ... I’m sorry.” Trying my best to sound sincere, I glanced up at him and added, “I won’t say another word.”

“Yeah, somehow I find that hard to believe.”

His eyes met mine, and an unwelcome shiver traveled down my spine, forcing me to quickly look away. My eyes drifted to the floor, and as I sat there studying the scuff marks on my tennis shoes, I found myself wishing I’d changed out of my work clothes and into something else—anything else. Maybe then it wouldn’t bother me so much that I could feel him staring at me. When I couldn’t stand it a moment longer, I shifted, positioning myself so that my back was to him. I crossed my legs and toyed with my fingernails, trying to pretend that he was no longer in the room. I’d never been good at being quiet, much less still, so I quickly became uncomfortable. The silence in the room wasn’t making it any easier, and my leg started to lightly bounce up and down. I let out a deep breath and tried counting the tiles on the ceiling, but I just couldn’t keep my focus. When I couldn’t stand it a moment longer, I glanced over my shoulder, and just as I feared, Hawk was staring right at me. A knowing smirk crossed his face. “You just can’t stand it, can you?”