Chapter 15
Kat
Iran a hand over my ass. Was this too much?
The billowing fabric of my dress fell a few inches below my sweet spot.
The beige, flowered peasant dress was definitely too much.
Or was it more accurate to say not enough?
Luckily the wind wasn’t blowing tonight or I’d have given all the creatures of the forest a show.
But it went perfectly with my brown suede over-the-knee boots, which I was finally wearing.
After saving them from the thrift store, I had to wear them, or their feelings would be hurt.
I couldn’t have that. But now I was in a biker bar in a short dress and fuck me boots and hoping I might run into one particular biker.
“Dang, girl, you look hot!” I’d barely made it through the door when Lexie rushed up beside me.
She was wearing a leather cut, similar to what the men had with her nickname on the right side.
Under that, she had a white tank top with a Tinkerbelle design and cut off jean shorts.
A large, bearded biker stood behind her, his mouth forming a tight line in contrast to her bright smile.
“Wait, are those—” She kneeled down and rubbed the front of my left boot. “Red bottoms! Wow. I’ve never seen a pair in real life.”
The biker cleared his throat. “You want a pair? I’ll get you a pair. Red bottoms. Blue bottoms. Green bottoms. Any color you want.”
Lexie laughed. “Bear, don’t be silly. There’s only red, but it’s fine. I’ve got plenty of shoes. I don’t need another pair, and especially not Louboutins.” She sighed and ran her hand along my boot as she stood up. “I mean, where would I even wear them?” She let out a soft sigh.
“Here?” I spread my arms wide.
She laughed again. “Oh, right. And they look perfect on you with your big city vibes.”
The biker’s jaw ticked as she stared longingly at my boots.
“It’s fine. I’m fine. My feet are well covered for any occasion. I definitely don’t need them.”
I chuckled. “I am not the person to be around if you are trying to talk yourself out of a pair of shoes.”
She shook her head and raised her eyes to my face. “Anyway! I’m glad you made it. What can I get you to drink? First one’s on the house.”
Seriously, if she was any sweeter, I’d have a toothache. Normally that would get on my nerves, but there was something about Lexie that was so genuine you couldn’t not like her. “Vodka martini?”
“Oh, sophisticated. I like that. Matches the shoes.” She winked. “Don’t move and I’ll be right back. Oh, and have you met Bear? He’s my old man.” She patted him on the shoulder.
I raised an eyebrow and she grinned. “That’s boyfriend, in regular-people talk.”
Bear grunted. “Fiancé.”
Lexie sighed dreamily. “Yeah, that too.” She turned and walked to the bar. Across the back of her cut was a patch that read “Property of Bear.”
I rocked on my heels as I stood awkwardly next to the biker. “Nice to meet you. I’m Kat. Larry’s daughter. You know, from down the path? And Noodle?”
Silence.
“I’m here visiting.” The awkward vibes continued and I looked toward the bar. I should have ordered a vodka cranberry. I doubt they served many martinis here. The poor bartender probably had to search for the recipe.
“Need to know where to get those shoes.”
“I’m sorry?”
Bear jerked his head toward my boots. “Pixie wants a pair. She’ll never get them herself, but I’ll get them for her.” He folded his arms across his chest.
My heart burst. Who’d have thought this big, gruff biker was such a marshmallow underneath?
I held up my phone. “What’s your phone number?
I can text you the link to a few pairs I think she might like and you can pick.
It’s not the same as trying them on in the store, but she can always return them. ”
He looked at my boots again. “She needs a pair like that.”
Well, they weren’t called ‘fuck me’ boots for nothing. I added his number to my phone and promised to text tomorrow. Lexie was a lucky woman.
“Making new friends, Kitty Kat?”
My thighs squeezed together as the man I couldn’t stop thinking about sauntered over.
“I’m, uh…” I licked my lips as I took him in.
He was wearing a long black t-shirt under his cut.
The sleeves were pushed up to just below his elbows, exposing his gloriously tanned forearms. As always, his jeans were filled out to perfection.
Too bad Lexie was already getting my drink.
I’d love to watch him walk away so I could stare at his ass.
“See something you like?”
My head jerked up from his… waist. “I was, uh, looking at your boots.”
He laughed. “My boots?”
“Yeah. Bear and I were discussing shoes so I’m just, you know. Checking out the local style.”
His eyes cut to Bear. “Oh really?”
Bear shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Hey Mav! Have you met Kat?” Lexie joined our group and passed me my martini.
“Yeah, we’ve met a couple times.” He moved beside me and rested his hand on my lower back sending tingles up my spine.
I closed my eyes and pulled at my bottom lip with my teeth.
The urge to lean into him was strong, but I held back.
Though I wasn’t sure how long I could to resist climbing this man like a tree.
Lexie’s eyes grew wide. “Well, okay then. Bear, we should go check in with Michael before he begins his set.” A smile lit up her face as she turned toward me.
“My little brother finally expressed an interest in something other than video games.” She nodded toward the teenager setting up deejay equipment.
“He loves messing with all that electronic stuff.”
I looked around the room, eyeing the ladies in scantily clad booty shorts and crop tops with half their tits hanging out.
A dark-haired woman was straddling a blonde guy I think was Baller, but I didn’t want to look too hard.
I could only imagine what kinds of things would be going after a few more hours of drinking.
Lexie snorted. “I see it on your face, but don’t worry. He’s almost seventeen. Plus his dad was an MC president. Different club, but this is tame compared to them. And he only stays for an hour.”
Bear cleared his throat. “And he knows good and hell well to stay on the stage the entire time, where we can see him.”
Right. He might not be able to participate, but he had scored the best seat in the house to watch. I raised my martini and took a sip. Not bad. Might need another to be sure.
“We’ll catch up with you later.” Lexie grabbed Bear’s hand and they headed toward the stage.
“That’s better,” Mav whispered in my ear as his slid in front of me.
“I like having you all to myself.” He wrapped both of his thick arms around my waist. The bulge in his jeans pressed against me through the thin fabric of my dress.
Was it hot in here? He leaned down, his gorgeous lips closing in on mine and I literally heard the screech of my brain as it short circuited.
“Sorry guys!” the deejay’s voice boomed through the room. “My bad. I’m still figuring this shit out.”
“Michael!”
“Ugh. Sorry, Lex. Still figuring this stuff out. Anyway, welcome to the Exiled Reapers’ Bar.
I’m DJ Archangel. Tonight we take it all the way back to the early 2000s.
When phones had cords and emails were cool.
But they had good beats, so enjoy oldies night!
” The lights went dark and strobe lights and lasers danced around the room.
My brows furrowed. I wasn’t sure if I was more offended by the oldies reference or the fact that my moment with Mav had been broken. “This song came out when I was in elementary school.”
“That’s alright, Kitty Kat. I like my women a little bit older.” Mav winked and I groaned.
“You’re older than I am.” By two years. Which I knew because I might have engaged in a little light Internet stalking. Totally normal since we were selling guns to the man and entrusting my dad’s pets to him.
He smiled and guided me to a booth away from the stage. He ushered me into the seat, then sat next to me with his arm draped over my shoulder. It was nice, almost like a date.
“I was surprised to see you here.” He leaned in so I could hear him over the music. “Didn’t think this was your kind of scene.”
I gulped, trying to stay cool while the world’s sexiest man was inches from my face. “It’s not, usually. Well, not for City Kat, but right now I’m Country Kat.”
“And there’s a difference?” He raised a hand and the guy from the bar brought over a pint and another martini. Nice trick. Mav took a sip of his beer, licking the foam from his top lip.
Fuck me.
“Yes, Country Kat is relaxed and chill.”
Mav cocked his head.
“It’s a work in progress.” I laughed. “Lexie invited me and she’s too sweet to ghost. Plus I couldn’t take another episode of The Unit.” And maybe I wanted to show up looking cute for a certain hot biker…
Mav chuckled. “I keep telling Larry he should cancel his satellite service since all he ever watches are those blu-rays, but he’s stubborn. Doesn’t want to change his routine even though it’s not working for him anymore.”
I snorted. “You got that right.”
His hands danced along my shoulder, sending bolts of electricity pinging through my body. “A trait he passed along to his daughter, perhaps?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.” I needed a few more martinis before I got into that conversation. “Tell me more about you. I know you have a gun shop and your cut says you’re vice president of the club. But what else? Surely there’s more to my dad’s favorite neighbor than that. What’s your toxic trait?”
Mav raised an eyebrow. “I’m his favorite?” He drank from his beer, nodding. “Of course I am. Let’s see, toxic trait… I like reading spy novels, even though I don’t have time for them. But just in case I find a few minutes, I leave books everywhere.”
I bit back a grin. A bad boy who likes to read? My teenage heart would have exploded.
“I’ve got a book here at the bar, one at the shop, one in my office, my room.” He shook his head as he took another sip. “Even at the mechanic shop although I’m rarely there.”
My breath caught. He’d told me stopped by there a couple times a week.
Was my oil change a lucky coincidence? Or did he stop by because he knew I would be there?
That didn’t freak me out as much as it should.
In fact, it made my silly heart swoon. “That seems practical,” I managed to say without panting like a horny school girl.
“In a way, yes. But that also means I’m in the middle of six books that I may never finish.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d read a book for pleasure. He offered to loan me some of his spy novels. I agreed, not because I was particularly interested. I just wanted a reason to see him again.