Fallen Flame (Fallen Lords MC 2nd Gen #5)

Chapter One

Oliver

Seven in the morning was too damn early for the clubhouse to be alive.

That was one of the few things Arlo and I actually agreed on.

The common area was quiet except for the low hum of the refrigerator behind the bar and the old coffeemaker that had probably been around longer than I had.

I wrapped both hands around my mug and took a long drink of black coffee.

Still hot and still tasted like someone had filtered it through an old boot. Exactly what I needed.

Thorn stood behind the bar, wiping down glasses that were already clean. He looked way too awake for this hour.

Arlo, on the other hand, looked like he’d rolled out of bed five minutes ago. His blond hair stuck up in every direction, and he hadn’t bothered shaving. He yawned so hard I thought his jaw might unhinge.

Then he looked over at me. “So,” he said.

I immediately sighed. “No.”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“You were about to.”

“I was.”

I shook my head and took another sip of coffee. “No.”

Arlo grinned. “You can’t stop me.”

“I can leave.”

“You won’t.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Thorn chuckled quietly as he set another glass on the shelf.

Arlo leaned farther onto the bar. “Tell me again.”

Thorn snorted. “I know he already told you, but I want to hear it since you are so stunned.”

Arlo held up a hand. “I need to hear it one more time to confirm that my brother is an idiot, and Thorn needs to also confirm it.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You’ve already confirmed it.”

“I just want to make sure I didn’t imagine it.”

“You didn’t.”

He stared at me. “So...”

I stared right back. “So.”

“You walked Lark to her room.”

“Yep.”

“You two were alone.”

“Yep.”

“She told you since you were stuck with her, you should have a little fun.”

“Yep.”

“And then...”

I shrugged. “I told her goodnight.”

Arlo blinked. “...That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Silence.

Thorn slowly lowered the towel he’d been drying another glass with. “Holy shit, she served it up to you on a silver platter, and you fumbled the fuck out of her.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, don’t start.”

“I’m serious.” Thorn pointed the towel at me. “I thought Arlo was messing with me.”

“He wishes.”

“I do wish,” Arlo muttered. “Because that is the dumbest thing I’ve heard this week.”

“It isn’t dumb.”

“It absolutely is.”

I took another drink. “It wasn’t like that.”

Arlo barked out a laugh. “It sounded exactly like that.”

“You weren’t there.”

“I didn’t have to be.”

Thorn leaned against the back counter. “I wasn’t there either, but from everything you said...” He lifted both hands. “I’m with Arlo.”

I looked between the two of them. “You guys are impossible.”

“No,” Arlo corrected. “You’re impossible.” He jabbed a finger toward me. “You’ve known Lark for years.”

“I’ve known of her.”

“You know what I mean.”

I did.

Lark had worked at the Dairy Bar forever. Between grabbing food, helping Ever out once in a while, and club events, I’d seen her more times than I could count.

She’d always been... Lark.

Laughing.

Talking.

Moving.

The kind of woman who could make an entire room pay attention without trying.

Until last night, I’d never really spent any time alone with her. Now I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her.

Arlo folded his arms across his chest. “Let me ask you something.”

“I’m sure you’re going to even if I say no.”

“Do you think she’s pretty?”

I shrugged.

“Sure.”

“Sure?” he repeated.

I sighed. “Yeah.”

“Yeah what?”

“Yeah, she’s pretty.”

Thorn laughed. “That’s the most unenthusiastic compliment I’ve ever heard.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be enthusiastic.”

“It should’ve been.”

I looked at Thorn. “You think she’s pretty?”

“I’ve got eyes.”

Arlo nodded. “Exactly.”

Thorn shrugged. “Lark’s not on my radar, though.”

“Mine either,” Arlo added quickly.

I shot both of them a look. “You two done?”

“Nope,” Arlo said.

Thorn shook his head. “Not even close.”

Arlo leaned closer. “If Lark had looked at me and said she wanted to spend more time getting to know me...” He whistled. “I don’t know if I’d have been able to walk away.”

“I wouldn’t have,” Thorn admitted.

I stared at both of them. “You guys are unbelievable. You both just said she isn’t even on your radar.”

“We’re honest,” Thorn shrugged.

“You’re idiots,” I replied.

“Maybe,” Arlo agreed. “But not as big of an idiot as you.”

I laughed despite myself.

“There it is,” Thorn smirked.

“There what is?” I asked.

“You laughed.”

“I did not.”

“You absolutely did.”

I hid my smile behind my coffee mug.

The second she’d stepped toward me in the hallway, my brain had stopped working. She’d been close enough that I could smell the vanilla from the Dairy Bar lingering in her hair. Her hand had rested against my chest for all of two seconds. Two seconds.

That was all it’d taken for my pulse to decide it wanted absolutely nothing to do with common sense.

Then she’d smiled. That damn smile.

Bright.

Playful.

Completely unaware of what it did to me.

Walking away had taken every ounce of self-control I had. Not because I wasn’t attracted to her, but because I was. More than I wanted to admit.

Which was exactly why I couldn’t blur the lines. She’d been through enough already, and the club had given her a room to protect her, not for me to fall into her bed.

Dad had looked me straight in the eye after Wrecker had told me she was my responsibility. “Make sure she’s okay.”

That wasn’t a suggestion. It was a responsibility. I wasn’t about to complicate that because my hormones decided to wake up.

“You’ve got that look,” Arlo said.

“What look?”

“The one where you’re thinking too much.”

“I don’t overthink.”

Both of them laughed.

Thorn had to set the glass down because he was shaking his head. “You don’t overthink?” he repeated.

“No. I just like to know how things are going to go, so I need to think about them.” It made perfect sense.

Arlo blinked two times and shook his head. “Case closed.”

I frowned into my coffee.

Morning sunlight crept through the clubhouse windows, stretching across the hardwood floor.

Someone down the hall flushed a toilet. A door opened and closed. The clubhouse was slowly waking up.

Arlo drummed his fingers against his mug. “So...”

I groaned. “There’s another thing you need to bug me about?”

“There is.”

“You really can’t help yourself,” I sighed.

“Nope.” He grinned. “What are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“You like her.”

“I didn’t say that,” I denied.

“You didn’t have to.”

I rubbed a hand across my jaw. “I barely know her.”

“So get to know her.”

“I will.”

Arlo’s eyebrows shot up. “You will?”

“As friends.”

He made the most dramatic gagging sound I’d ever heard. “As friends?” he repeated. “That’s your plan?”

“It’s a good plan.”

“It’s a terrible plan,” Thorn disagreed.

“It keeps things simple.” I shrugged and took a sip of my coffee. It was the only thing that wasn’t interrogating me.

“Lark doesn’t seem like a girl who does simple.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Nothing about her seemed simple. She had a way of making every conversation feel like it could go in six different directions.

One minute she was teasing you, and the next she was completely serious. Then she was laughing again before you had time to figure out which version of her you were talking to.

Which made staying away feel even more important.

I set my empty mug on the bar. “I was given a job.”

Arlo sighed dramatically. “Oh, here we go.”

“I mean it.”

“I know you do.”

“I was tasked with keeping Lark safe.” Neither of them interrupted. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Thorn gave a small nod. “I figured that’s where your head was.”

“It is.”

“I’m still going to make fun of you.”

“I expected nothing less.”

Arlo pushed his empty mug away. “You know...”

I narrowed my eyes. “Whatever you’re about to say...”

“You can keep someone safe and still spend time with them.”

“I know.”

“You can even keep someone safe while sitting next to them.”

“I know.”

He grinned wider. “You can probably even keep someone safe on a date.”

I shook my head. “I’m not having this conversation.”

He ignored me completely. “And,” he continued with entirely too much satisfaction, “I’m pretty sure you can keep someone safe in bed, too.”

Thorn barked out a laugh.

I stared at my brother for a long second before standing up and grabbing my mug. “You’re an asshole.”

Arlo just smiled. “Maybe.”

I started toward the hallway.

Behind me, he called out, “If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll even buy the flowers!”

Without turning around, I lifted one finger over my shoulder. That only made Thorn laugh harder.