Claiming Menace (Ruthless Sinners MC 5)

“Hmmm?”

I tilted my head, giving him full access to my neck and shoulder as he whispered, “I liked that you saw me.” He brushed his lips ever so softly against my flesh as he admitted, “I liked seeing that look in your eyes as you stood there watching me.”

“Oh?”

“It’s the same look you have right now.”

“I don’t have a look.”

“Oh, yeah. You definitely do.” A rush of heat swept over me when he added, “You’re turned on now just like you were earlier.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You sure about that?” I felt the warmth of his touch on my thigh, and instead of pushing him away, I shifted my step, giving him access to glide his hand even higher. He eased my panties to the side, letting the tips of his fingers rake against my wet center. “Just as I thought. So fucking wet.”

Unable to say anything more, I muttered, “Menace.”

He quickly withdrew his hand, and when he took a step back, his eyes were filled with hunger, leaving no doubt that he didn’t want to stop. In all honesty, I didn’t want him to either. I wanted this escape. I needed it, even if it was just for a moment, but sadly, that time had come and gone. He muttered something under his breath, then turned and headed back to his office. I was tempted to stop him, but I had no idea what I should say. Doing the only thing I could, I simply stood there and watched as he walked into his office and closed the door.

Damn. I’d screwed up once again. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’d never been good with men. I tried, but I was terrible at flirting and got tongue-tied any time I tried to carry on a conversation with a man I was interested in. Over the past couple of years, things had only gotten worse. It wasn’t like I could help it. I’d lost my family, and if that wasn’t enough, my life was in jeopardy. I was doing everything I could to just stay alive. I didn’t have the time, nor the desire, to get involved with anyone, and I didn’t see that changing any time soon—even if I wanted it to. But I couldn’t deny there was something about Menace that gave me pause—and not just because he was so unbelievably hot.

I couldn’t explain it, but for the first time since my family was murdered, I didn’t feel threatened or afraid. I knew it was crazy. I knew Menace and his brothers were bikers. I knew people feared them, and rightly so. They were big, muscled up, and tattooed, and they wore leather vests with Ruthless Sinners embroidered on the back. Any rational person would be a little intimidated by them, but for some insane reason, I wasn’t—at least not anymore.

While I hadn’t spent a great amount of time with them, I’d seen how they interacted with one another. There was a strange camaraderie among them and their significant others. They treated the women at the club with kindness and respect—something I wouldn’t expect to find at a strip club. I was still standing there pondering my life choices when I heard Marlowe ask, “Hey, Aubrey. You okay?”

“Yeah.” I quickly turned to face her and smiled. “I’m fine. I was just about to head back out.”

“Okay, I was just checking.”

“Thanks, Marlowe. I appreciate you looking out for me.”

She smiled as she replied, “That’s what we do.”

I followed her back out to the main bar and rushed to catch up on my orders. It was a busy night, but busy was good. That meant I made even more tips than I had the two nights before. It also meant I didn’t have time to think about my encounter with Menace.

As soon as I arrived at the apartment, I took a quick shower and went straight to bed. I was exhausted, and my feet ached like they never had before. I just wanted to fall asleep and put the crazy day behind me, but as soon as I closed my eyes, the nightmares started creeping in. I never knew which one would surface first, but they always came to torment me. They’d start off pleasant, a nice memory of a time I treasured, but they always turned into something awful.

Tonight was no different.

I was adjusting to my life in Colorado. I had my routine, a home, and I’d just started to make a few friends. I’d grown to like working at the diner with Sally and her husband, Peter. On this particular day, Peter had me in the kitchen, and he was smiling as he showed me how to make his favorite beef stew. “It’s important to always use fresh vegetables. None of that canned stuff.”

“Okay.”

“And go on and pay a little extra for a decent cut of meat. Lots of folks will say it doesn’t matter, but I’m here to tell you that it does.” He dropped the veggies into the broth as he urged, “Get the better cut.”